Page 67 of The Catch

Dani: No, it’s fine. It’ll give me a reason not to invite him up.

Cat: You know that’s always an option, right?

Dani: Yeah, yeah. I’ll see you in a few.

“I think I’m going to head out,” Cat announced to a chorus of groans and boos.

“Come on, Cat,” Sonya whined. “You don’t have to leave. Stay and at least try to have fun.”

“I’m not really up for it tonight,” she said. “It’s been a long day, and I just want it to be over.”

They all gave her varying versions of sympathetic looks and said their goodbyes. Except for Adam. He stood to follow her, grabbing a couple of empty beer bottles on his way.

“Thanks for hosting,” Cat said when they reached the front door. “I’m sorry I wasn’t much fun.”

“You were never that much fun.”

“Cute,” she said with a sad smile. Her face was too tired from pouting to fake another happy one.

“Nah, you know I love you.” He punched her in the arm before wrapping her in one of those big brother hugs that kinda hurt. “But listen, I’m not kidding around. I don’t want to see this going the way it always goes with you. You’re too good to make yourself miserable.”

“Thanks, Adam.”

“You’re welcome.” He gave her a kiss on the top of her head, then pushed her out the door. “Bring my boy back next time, you hear me?”

“I’m starting to worry about you two.”

“Tell Josh, I miss him,” he yelled, as she got in her car.

It had only been a few hours since he left, but she missed him too. She’d spent the entire afternoon feeling utterly alone in a room full of her closest friends because the other half of her was somewhere else. She wondered where that somewhere was, if he’d just gone home or made some other plans to replace their ruined ones.

Cat glanced at her phone one more time before putting her car in drive, hoping that it was close to later, the ambiguous time Josh said he would call. Unless maybe later was more of a broad expression, and she’d be forced to float around on this unfamiliar plane of existence indefinitely. It took her by surprise how clashing with Josh threw off her equilibrium, made her feel unsteady on her own two feet. She was going to be a lawyer; she didn’t shy away from a fight. She was good at it. Good at standing her ground, making her point heard. She didn’t want to fight with Josh, though. She didn’t want to win. She just wanted him back beside her.

Twenty-five

Before Cat had a chanceto ring the bell, Dani swung the door open and waved her in. She wore tight jeans and a low cut top, but her feet were bare, and her hair was hanging in crazy curls as if she’d just pulled it down from a more elaborate style.

“Hey. What kind of date ends at seven p.m. on a Saturday night?” Cat shrugged off her vest and scarf and trudged into Dani’s kitchen, making herself at home with a sparkling water from the fridge while Dani headed down the hall to her bedroom.

“We were watching the game.”

“So, you ditched us to watch it with some guy?”

“I did,” Dani called from the next room. “But I shouldn’t have. He was kind of a dud. That’s why I’m home.” She came back to the kitchen wearing a sweatshirt and shorts and pulled a bottle of wine down from the shelf above her fridge. Pushing a stack of mail around to make room on the counter, she opened a cupboard to find no clean glasses and decided to wash a couple while they talked.

“Aren’t you a well-paid marketing consultant?” Cat asked, watching her shuffle more items out of the way so she could set down her newly clean glass.

“I am. Thank you for remembering.”

“Why don’t you hire someone to come clean this place once in a while?”

Dani ran a dish towel over the glasses and set about pouring two drinks. “Oh, I see,” she said unfazed. “It’s going to be one of those nights. Why am I subjected to this on a Saturday night? I thought Josh had custody of you on weekends.”

“He left.”

Dani tilted her head, slowly pushing Cat’s wine across the counter. “Likeleft,left?”

“No. At least I don’t think so. Not yet.” Cat took a sip and leaned back in her stool. “Let me ask you something, can you picture me being a housewife like Maria and Olivia?”

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