Like Father, Like Son ✔

Chapter 32 - Bad Reception

CHAPTER 32

CAT

Despite Sara's reassurances over text message and the strong hand giving hers an encouraging squeeze, Cat's heart slammed against her ribcage as she punched in Derek's number in her phone for the first time and waited for him to pick up on the other end.

"Hello?" said a gruff voice, answering way too quickly for Cat to even change her mind about the phone call. She sat there motionless for a few seconds, her mouth unable to form words. "Hey? Anybody there?" added the voice.

It was unmistakably Derek, Cat's twenty-three year-old brother.

"Um, yeah, hi," Cat murmured. Her hands were shaking. In need of some reassuring, she glanced over at Nick sitting on the couch by her side and caught his nod of approval. "It's Cat... Logan, your sister," she stammered.

Derek didn't speak for a moment and for a split second Cat thought he might hang up on her.

"Cat," he said, and just the sound of her own name coming from his lips caused tears to start running down her cheeks.

She sniffed and Nick dropped her hand to wrap his arm around the middle of her back instead.

"Hi," Cat repeated. "I, um... ha, I should've written down something to say to you, right now I have no idea," she added dumbly.

"Yeah, it's been a while, hasn't it?" Derek chuckled awkwardly.

"A little over three years," Cat murmured.

"Yeah," Derek replied.

There was silence for a long time – it felt like hours to Cat, but in reality it must've been no more than a minute. She played with a strand of her hair, wondering what she could say to ease this awkwardness. Should she just jump right in and ask him what she'd been meaning to ask him or should she make more small talk?

"So I—" she began, but Derek had similar ideas, beginning his sentence very similarly and at the exact same time.

"Sorry, you go," Derek said.

"I heard from Sara that you're getting married," Cat said shyly. She knew Sara talked to Derek and Joel about her sometimes and that they were well aware that the sisters were on speaking terms again. It didn't make talking to him now any easier.

"Yeah, in two weeks, her name is Kassidy," Derek answered.

"That must be stressful, planning a wedding and all," Cat laughed softly.

"Like you wouldn't believe," Derek groaned. "Kassie had this vision, you know how girls are, and she won't have anything less than that," he added.

"I resent you implying all women are bridezillas," Cat smirked.

"I wasn't," Derek chuckled.

Next to her, Nick was only able to really catch one side of the conversation, but he was still smiling slightly as it progressed. For a moment things seemed to be going fairly easily, but then the conversation came to an abrupt halt again and neither seemed to know what to say to start it back up.

"Has Sara talked to you much about me?" Cat asked finally, deciding she wasn't too great at small talk and that it'd be a lot easier to just put everything out there on the table and then deal with the outcome afterward instead of worrying too much about it.