19. Cleo

19

CLEO

"Like being right in this moment." She smiled as she slowly let her eyes open, lowering them to mine.

I wasn't sure I'd ever seen Cat Collins so relaxed, but even then a layer of tension rested on her heavy, broad shoulders.

"Hi, stranger." I waved as I took a small step back. Looking her up and down, I couldn't help but notice how the tight waffle-knit shirt hugged her muscular arms.

Cat licked her lips, coming back to the Farmer's Market. "Small world." Her eyes drifted down my body, over the loose tunic shirt that hid my figure from her. But I wanted to believe that she could still picture what was underneath.

"Small town," I quipped back.

Drifting down to my hands, Cat's eyes landed on my netted produce bag. I'd stopped at my usual stand and purchased the ingredients I would need for a comforting chili.

"What are you going to make?" She nodded toward the loaded bag – carrots, onions, and potatoes peeking out.

Lifting the bag up, I looked back at her emerald eyes. "Just some chili. I try to make a big batch of stuff once a week. Then me and my mom swap."

Cat pursed her lips together. "Very endearing. Where's your go-to tent?"

My face lit up at the question, unable to hide my excitement. "Oh, Abi's stand right at the center. It's always reliable. They have a new farm hand who has helped up their game a lot." Pointing over at the red tent just a few yards away, I watched as Abigail rolled her eyes at Savannah, the farm hand I'd mentioned.

She seemed great at managing the ranch, but not the best with people. But that's why Abi was there.

Before she could answer, Cat's attention was drawn to a small child who grabbed on to her leg. "Aunt Cat, can you buy us candy? Mommy and Daddy said no."

My eyes widened at the sight. "Oh my god, is this Lily?"

Nodding, Cat smoothed out the frizzing hair on the top of Lily's head. "It sure is."

"Wow, you've gotten so big." I scoffed as I looked at her. It was hard to believe so much time had passed; I still remembered meeting Lily as a newborn in the hospital. Cat had cried holding her for the first time. And as I held her small head in my hand, I pictured having my own kid with Cat.

Things change quickly. I swallowed hard as three more familiar faces appeared.

"Look who it is." Daniel smiled as he threw open his arms to give me a hug.

Shaking my head, I wrapped my arms around him. "For such a small town, I feel like I haven't seen you in years."

Meredith eyed me. "Avoiding us?"

"You're hard to miss." I teased as I gave her a hug.

From the corner of my eye, I watched Cat squirm. She shoved her hands deeper into her pockets as she tried to avoid just how odd all of this was. Dan and I had been pretty close back when Cat and I were together. Once Cat was touring the country and going pro, Dan and I were left in New Winford in her magnificent wake.

Looking down at Lily, Cat cleared her throat. "Do you remember Cleo, Lil?"

With a suspicious eye, Lily examined me. A vague recognition washed over her face. "I think so."

I winked down at her. "It's okay if you don't, it's been a long time since your aunt and I were together."

"Feels like yesterday." Shrugging, Dan reached for Jacob's hand. "And this is our youngest, Jacob."

From his dad's legs, Jacob gave a shy wave as he looked down at his feet.

"Nice to meet you, Jacob." I waved back, unsure how this interaction would end. A part of me hoped we could live in it forever, that we could stand in the center of Main Street and pretend like the last five years hadn't happened.

But that would be naive.

Looking at Cat, I knew that I needed to get her out of town as quickly as possible. She was here to get her life back on track and if I'd learned anything over the last decade it was that there was no room for me in it.