23. Cleo

23

CLEO

My jaw dropped. "What do you mean the city? That's so far away."

"I promise it's worth it." Cat's charming smile took over her entire face as she turned onto the highway on-ramp.

Shaking my head, I couldn't believe I'd let myself get in the car with my ex. Cat hadn't necessarily earned that trust back. But something about the way she looked at me, was enough for me to ignore every red flag.

Unsure how to handle this surprise, I turned toward the window and watched the scenario change. Cat's phone played a collection of songs, anything from older alternative rock to current pop.

As I watched the scenario shift from the rural woods of New Winford to the suburbs of the lower Hudson Valley, my mind reopened all of the memories of driving with Cat over the years.

When she first got her license, she took me for a long drive into the mountains to sit in the open trunk and watch the sunset over the valley. But now, I watched the sun sink under the ridgeline as we drove south.

Before I knew it, the suburbs transformed into large apartment complexes and the George Washington Bridge.

Cat navigated the traffic like a pro, one, veiny hand on the wheel as she danced to the music. The orange glow of the sun made her look even more beautiful. As much as I wanted to pretend like she wasn't just as stunning as I remembered, it was undeniable.

We flew down FDR Drive on the East side of Manhattan until Cat pulled off into the East Village.

"Almost there." Cat smiled as she turned down East 3rd Street. Clicking her tongue, Cat pumped her fist. "That's lucky."

A parking spot opened right in front of a shop called Book Club. Cat swooped in and parallel parked in one try. A part of me wasn't surprised, the world seemed to move around Cat Collins like it was expecting her.

Before I could move toward my door, Cat was flying around the car to open my door.Checking for traffic, Cat pulled open the passenger door and gestured for me to stand up. "We're here."

Pulling myself out of the low car and onto the curb, I looked up at the painted signage over the entrance. "What is this?"

"You'll have to see." Cat held out her arm one more time, hoping this time the parking luck might just follow her. But until I saw what she had in store, I wasn't quite ready to give in. I'd already caved and kissed her. She still had plenty to make up for.

Taking the hint, Cat crossed the sidewalk and pulled open the door to Book Club for me. I walked past her and inside the store.

My jaw dropped at what awaited me. A dimly lit bookstore was packed wall to wall with shelves. To the right of the entrance, a wood bar that stretched half the store displayed a selection of wines and coffees.

In the back, rows and rows of chairs were lined up in front of a small microphone stand.

Behind me, Cat moved toward the bar and placed an order.

I walked up to a woman browsing the shelves, holding a copy of Fingersmith in her hands. "Sorry, what event is happening tonight?"

Smiling back at me, the woman looked up from the book. "Oh, the poet Liv Butler is doing a reading from her latest release."

My forehead wrinkled. There was no way it was a coincidence. "Thanks," I said as I turned around.

Before I could say anything, Cat handed me a glass of red wine. "You still like Cab, right?" In her other hand, a bottle of non-alcoholic beer glistened.

"Yeah." I took the glass, barely able to process what was happening. Cat guided me to the back of the store, holding out her hand. Grabbing it, I swallowed hard. Her grip was firm, like she was afraid to lose me in the nonexistent crowd.

By the time we were taking seats, in the middle row near the edge of the seats, I finally found myself. "How did you know?"

Cat turned to look at me, her deep green eyes holding my gaze. "How could I forget your favorite poet?" Scanning the bar and the bookshelves, Cat nodded. "I came here once or twice over the years. But when I saw they were hosting Liv Butler, I thought of you immediately."

"Really?" I swallowed. Even all these years later, Cat Collins remembered the woman whose work inspired me since I was a teenager. It felt impossible. And yet, Cat had made it happen.

"Oh, and this is for you." Cat passed a pristine copy of Butler's book, To Die in the Dark . "There's a signing at the end."

Shaking my head, my shoulders dropped. The same desire that drew me to kiss her was creeping back to me now. And her incredibly form-fitting outfit wasn't helping. The rolled sleeves of her button-down made her forearms look incredibly toned.

Words hadn't yet formed in my mind when the lights flashed gently and the rest of the crowd settled in their seats. As the other patrons settled, most of them held a glass of wine in their hand.

I took a sip of my wine, knowing I would need it to get through the rest of the night. As I rested the glass on my knee, a woman in plain clothes and a fitted blazer walked up to the mic stand with a gentle wave.

The room erupted in delicate applause, softened by the hundreds of books surrounding us.

Adjusting the microphone, Liz Butler nodded her appreciation. "Thank you all for coming. Here's a poem called, "In Dishonor of My Dying Mother"." With a deep breath, Butler began the reading.

With each bar of intricate poetry, my walls started to fall. The seating was tight, so I let myself shift toward Cat. I allowed my leg to press against her trousered thigh. Even through the thick fabric, I felt an electricity shoot through me.

It can't possibly still feel like this.

But it did, as the poem went on, my comfort only grew. Cat's body wash mixed with her light sweat and sent an inviting scent into my nose.

When the poem finished, the room clapped gently. "I'll read one more if that's okay with you all."

The audience gave a collective nod as Liz read on. From my periphery, I could feel Cat watching me. It felt like she was absorbing my every reaction, wanting to know how it felt to hear the words.

But after a moment, she turned back to the reading. She wanted to absorb it herself too, so we could discuss it in the car on the way home. Suddenly, a flash of long car rides talking about our English summer reading came back to me. We used to fight about whether The Great Gatsby was actually a queer love story. Of course, we were fighting the same point so it was more of an impassioned discussion than a debate.

Looking over at her, I watched her eyes follow Liz's mouth and the way her hands gesticulated as she spoke. As the final poem drew to a close, Cat's eyes grew murky. Tears welled in her eyes just as the final line was read, "And so I am the leaves in the tree."

Her hand, which had drifted toward my exposed knee, lifted from its spot to clap. Its sudden absence sent a cold jolt to the spot she'd warmed.

As Liz took her place at the signing table, the crowd slowly stood and got into a neat line. These were not the kind of fans who needed to be held off by security.

"What did you think?" Cat leaned down and whispered in my ear.

I sipped my wine. "I have so many thoughts. Probably too many for this line."

With a smirk, Cat nudged my arm. "Car debrief?"

The line moved fairly quickly and Liz Butler was shockingly nice. She held out my autographed copy and smiled. "Thank you for coming."

Cat looked at me. "They're a huge fan. In high school, they used to say you would be the reason they became a writer."

"Is that right?" Liz beamed up at me. "Well, did you? Become a writer, that is?"

I nervously tucked a blonde strand of wavy hair behind my ear. "Not quite. But I have an idea."

Turning to Cat, Liz pursed her lips. "Lock her in a room until she writes something, anything."

With a wink, Cat nodded. "Yes ma'am." Her subtle country twang came out at the word.

We said our goodbyes and browsed the store for a moment. Every few feet, a new book cover would catch my eye and compel me to pull the novel from the shelf. I did my best to stock new releases but Cleo's Shelf ran mostly on local donations to stock its plentiful shelves.

"God, I dream of being able to stock the store like this," I confessed as we approached the exit, setting my wine glass on the bar and mouthing a thank you to the bartender.

Cat held open the door for me again, a rush of cool fall air smacking into us. "Well, I bet if you wrote something you could use the advance to get some new stock."

"I doubt it'd be big enough…" I started before I felt her warm hand on my wrist.

"Cleo." When I turned to look behind me, Cat smirked. "No more practice until you write something."

Before I could refuse her proposal, a bright white flash stunned me. Dozens more followed behind it, the entire sidewalk lit up by the camera flashes. My face scrunched with confusion. "What the fuck?"

"Shit." Cat groaned as she put a protective arm over me and hustled me toward the car. In one, unified motion, she threw open the door as I slid inside. As she slammed it behind me, I took a deep breath. The noise of the cameras quieted through the windshield.

But I could hear a muffled paparazzi yelling questions. "Cat, are you coming back next season? Who's the lucky lady? Give us a smile!"

Without answering, Cat slipped into the driver's seat and tried to catch her breath. "Let's get out of here."

As soon as I nodded, Cat whipped the car out of the parking spot and headed down the block. Once we were sure the paparazzi weren't following us, Cat pulled off to the side and searched for a nearby spot.

"Sorry about that." She looked up from her phone. "I didn't want our night to end like that."

Our eyes met, the glow of the phone screen lighting each of our faces. I shrugged. "Then let's not let it end like that."

Cat's chest rose and fell rapidly. Her gaze fell to my lips before coming back to my eyes. When I nodded, Cat crossed over the center console and placed her strong hand on my neck, pulling me in. She pressed her lips against mine, gently at first. But with each passing second, a fire grew in both of us.

I let my tongue slip into her mouth, tasting the bitter beer with each kiss. My hand found her leg, resting on it as we pressed into each other. After a moment, a honk from beside us pulled us apart.

"Shit." Cat waved an apology to the car and pulled out of the spot. "Pizza?"