Those lips. Suddenly flashbacks of their night together hit him hard. Her soft lips against his, on his neck, on his chest. It was one of the best nights of his life. How could he have walked away from her? This smart, passionate woman. He couldn’t let this go. He had to make it right with her, or at least figure out what happened at the party for her to give up. There had to be more to the story.
The flight home dragged on, but the team finally made it back to Boston at around 11 p.m. He tried texting Cleo again:
I’m back in Boston. I would love to talk. Please, Cleo.
When he got back to his condo, he unpacked, showered, and lay down on his bed. He started getting drowsy and gave up on waiting for a response from her.
The next morning, he woke up to no notifications. His frustration was growing. He went on a long run to clear his head.
When he got back to the condo, he heard people talking in the dining room. He peeked his head in and saw Nico, Mae, and Jonas eating breakfast.
“Hey, Kenny! We brought over some bagels. Do you want one?” asked Mae, holding up a brown paper bag.
“Sure. Thanks. Hey, boss.”
“I’m just Jonas today.”
Kenny took a seat at the table and grabbed an everything bagel from the bag, spreading cream cheese with a butter knife. He took a bite and listened to Mae talk about pregnancy and as the others took guesses as to when the baby would be here.
“You know, I was really hoping to order some more desserts from that girl, Cleo. You know, while I can afford to keep eating anything and everything.” Mae laughed.
Jonas patted Mae’s belly affectionately.
“It’s too bad. I even had another event for her to cater, but she turned me down.”
“Wait, you talked to her?” Kenny interjected.
“Mhmm. She wasn’t returning my calls or emails after the party, so I went to that bar she works at.”
“Was she there?”
“Yes, but she didn’t want the job. She also didn’t seem like she wanted anything to do with me.” Mae frowned sadly.
“Really?” asked Kenny, surprised.
“Yeah, her boss actually kicked Mae out of the bar,” said Jonas, with irritation in his voice. “Can you imagine kicking a nice, pregnant woman out? I have half a mind to go down there and chew them both out.”
Mae laid a hand gently on Jonas’s arm. “Now, now. There had to be a good reason.”
“Like what?” Jonas raised an eyebrow.
“Something must have happened at that party,” said Nico.
“All I can think of is…” started Mae.
“What?” asked Kenny.
“Maybe someone tried something. Maybe one of the players. It’s the only thing I can think of that makes sense,” said Mae thoughtfully.
Kenny felt his heart drop. Why hadn’t he thought of that? But who was it? He thought back to the party and Kev holding ice to his head. Of course. It had to be him. He had been eyeing Cleo that night, and it wouldn’t be the first time he had tried something with her.
Kenny clenched his fists under the table as he felt heat rise to his face. He could just see Kev making a move on Cleo. Overpowering her. It made him sick to his stomach.
“It was Kev,” said Kenny suddenly.
“Wait, what? You knew?” asked Nico.
“I saw him at the party looking at Cleo with foul intentions.”