30. Cat

30

CAT

Rummaging through the attic was a far bigger pain in my ass than I expected it to be. Daniel had left dozens of unlabeled bins up here. And now that I needed to find my old glove, his non-existent organizational system was becoming a thorn in my side.

"Where the fuck is this thing?" I muttered to myself as I moved yet another box to the side. I was waist-deep in opened containers when I heard the attic stairs creaking under the weight of someone's foot.

Knowing it was my brother, I shook my head. "Dude, you have to do something about this. It's a mess up here."

Laughing, Dan appeared on the landing while ducking his head under the rafters. "Aren't you unemployed?"

"Rude." I narrowed my eyes at him as I tossed the box I'd been digging into the side.

Dan waded through the sea of boxes – objectively made far messier by my scavenging. Wrinkling his forehead, he sighed. "What could you possibly be looking for?"

My shoulders dropped at the question, pausing long enough to look around. I must have seemed like a madwoman. It was close to dinner time and I was in my brother's attic muttering to myself while hunting for an item that was packed away at least a decade ago.

"My old glove. I know mom would have kept it." I rubbed my forehead, trying to picture in my head where she would have hidden it.

Finally understanding, Daniel pursed his lips. "Allow me." Reaching behind my head, he pulled out a black, bin with a yellow lid. The top, which wasn't visible to me, was labeled: "Cat the Bat".

"Bingo." Dan slammed the heavy, plastic container down on the wide wood planks. "Why do you want that nasty old thing? The leather is peeling off of it. It leaves black soot on your hands."

It did sound a little ridiculous. I'd used dozens of gloves since college, most of them sent to me for free from whatever company wanted my picture taken with their product. In a lot of ways, it was perfect. But now that I was trying to get back into the game, I felt like I needed something more familiar. Cleo's presence had helped a lot in that department. With the rec leagues championships growing closer, I needed another lift.

With a sigh, I popped open the lid of the container. "I just feel like this new glove is too stiff."

"Did you try Dad's trick?" Dan smirked.

"Sitting on it for a day did not help." I laughed as I looked through the treasure trove of items. It was like a history lesson in Cat Collins. There were dozens of trophies from soccer to softball, and math to chorus.

I unfolded a couple of loose papers.

"Oh, I love those." Dan leaned against the post at the center of the attic as I searched.

Inside were crude drawings of our family alongside sunflowers and rainbows.

Shaking my head, I looked at Dan. "You kept all of this?"

Daniel rolled his eyes. "Of course I did. Mom seemed to think you'd want it, so I trusted her guidance."

I felt my eyes swelling up. After they'd moved, Dan took on the responsibility of being the family's keeper. No one trusted Florida's hurricane season to keep our belongings safe. So instead, Dan volunteered the attic.

I shouldn't be so hard on his organizational skills.

"What's all of this about, really ?" His forehead wrinkled.

Looking up at him, I stammered. "I… think I'm just trying to see how much of my old life I can get back. And how much of it will stick around." After I said it, the glove's faded brown appeared before me.

Daniel nodded. "So it's about Cleo?"

"Pretty much," I confessed. "I don't know if anything will be different this time. But I really feel like they might be the only person I can be with."

Taking in a deep breath, my brother shrugged. "I felt that way about Meredith. Do you want to know the secret?" Instead of answering, I just nodded. "You can make it different."

It was an answer I'd been avoiding. But to really make that happen, it would take both of us. A commitment that we'd not let distance tear us apart again. And even if I was ready, I couldn't do it without them.

"Thanks." I closed up the bin and put everything back in its apparently correct place.

Dan clapped my back. "Cleo was always my number one draft pick for you."

And I couldn't lie, they were always mine too.

Daniel's advice echoed in my ear as I threw onions into the skillet. A loud sizzle emanated from the pan as I stirred the contents.

Over my shoulder, I watched Cleo typing at their desk. They looked so cute when they were concentrating.

I'd made this particular dish enough times to go on autopilot, not needing to pay too much attention to get the job done. Cleo played some music over their speaker while they worked and I danced along.

But just as dinner was finishing on the stove, my phone started ringing from my pocket.

Cleo, not hearing it, kept the music on and faced their computer.

When I checked the screen, it displayed Tommy's name. Sliding right on the call, I brought the phone to my ear. "Hey, what's up?"

"You sound chipper. How's it going over in small-town USA?" She cleared her throat as she clicked her pen.

Nodding, I looked around the apartment. "Pretty good."

Tommy continued. "Good. So some paparazzi caught some of your practice the other day. It looks like your cover is blown."

Not wanting to alert Cleo to a potential problem, I played it cool. "Got it, what do they have?"

"Nothing crazy. Just you and the ex practicing your pitch. But you can't tell who's in the catcher's mask. Of course, there's always going to be speculation." Tommy was always willing to point out the worst case.

"Right." I swallowed hard. The clock was ticking on this little oasis we'd built together.

Tommy sighed. "But, good news, some sponsors saw the pics and they like how you're looking. We have some interest in new ad campaigns."

Pursing my lips, I stirred the orange curry I'd made. "Well, that's good. Thanks for the report.

"There's one more thing," Tommy cleared her throat. "The team wants to send a representative to the championships if your team makes it, that is."

"Huh." My forehead wrinkled as Tommy went quiet. "I'll get back to you on dates for that."

Tommy clicked her tongue. "Got it. I'm guessing they're in the room, but we should discuss all of this more later. Talk soon?"

I pulled the phone away from my ear. "Yeah, thanks." Hanging up the phone, I shoved it in my pocket. I couldn't be sure how much Cleo had heard. From the looks of it, not much as they continued to type away on their computer.

As I plated the food, I tried to recenter myself. The pictures leaking was great news for my career but I wasn't sure how that would play out for whatever was happening with Cleo. I had no idea if Cleo was interested in getting back together in a real way or if this was just some fun for both of us while I was stuck in New Winford anyway.

Filling up two plates, I swallowed hard. I needed to talk to them at some point. Can't I just run from it?