Page 34 of Love your Billionaire Boss

“She just seemed like a snob.”

“So she turned you down?” Chad laughed.

“She wishes. As if a professional ball player would want a fat service worker,” Kev muttered, as he grabbed a towel and headed for the showers.

“Watch it.” Kenny stepped in front of him and squared up. Kev looked startled for a moment before letting out a laugh and pushing past Kenny.

Kenny watched him for a moment angrily. Questions ran through his head. Had Kev come on to her? Why had he gone to the bar without the team? Was it to see her? He couldn’t help but feel a little jealous, but remembered that she had most likely turned him down, based on Kev’s attitude. Kenny smiled to himself. He was happy someone had put the creep in his place.

He grabbed his phone from the shelf in his locker and unlocked it. There was a text from Cleo. He opened it eagerly:

5 at your place?

He fought back a smile before he responded.

Yes. See you soon!

He locked his phone before sliding it in his pocket.

“Who was that?” Nico nudged him.

“Oh, it was Cleo. She’ll be over at five with the final lineup of desserts for the party.”

“Awesome. Thanks for setting that up. I’ll see you back home.”

Nico grabbed a towel and headed for the showers. Kenny strapped his duffel bag over his shoulder and said a few goodbyes to his teammates before heading to the parking garage. Nico didn’t know that Cleo and he had been texting quite a bit outside of just party planning. He didn’t want to make a big deal out of it because it wasn’t a big deal. They were just friends.

They would text throughout the day. Not about anything personal, but just about day-to-day life. He enjoyed hearing about her baking or her funny stories from the bar. She cheered him up if there was an off-day at practice or pressure from the upcoming games. It was nice. Even though they had been texting, he still felt nervous to see her tonight. He hadn’t seen her since that afternoon at her house.

Once Kenny got home, he started tidying up the condo. She was going to be over in an hour and he didn’t want to come off as a slob, which he really wasn’t. He just wanted it to look extra nice for her arrival. He wiped the kitchen counters and straightened the pillows on the couch. He was rummaging through the kitchen cabinets for glass cleaner when Nico cleared his throat behind him, startling him.

“Whatchya looking for?”

Kenny whipped around. “Oh, uh. Glass cleaner.”

“Why?”

“I just wanted to wipe down the coffee table really fast.”

“Mhmm.” Nico smirked. “This wouldn’t have anything to do with Cleo coming over, would it?”

Kenny threw a rag at him and turned back toward the cabinet. He found the glass cleaner and headed to the living room, snagging the rag from Nico. Once the place looked good, he sat on the couch and anxiously checked his phone for the time. She would be here any minute.

Just then, the elevator doors dinged and slid open. Kenny got up from the couch quickly, too quickly, and walked to greet Cleo who was balancing a stack of pastry boxes.

“Here, let me help you.” Kenny grabbed the boxes and saw her smiling face appear.

“Thanks.”

He moved the boxes awkwardly and cradled them with one arm, as he put his other arm around her in a quick hug. Her hair was damp and smelled like coconut. He wanted to get lost in it, but pulled back suddenly when he heard Nico walk up behind him. Nico gave him a knowing smile as he stepped quickly and reluctantly away from Cleo.

“Hey, Cleo. Thanks for coming.” He waved her toward the kitchen.

“Of course. Are you getting excited for your sister’s party?” Cleo set her purse on the entryway table and followed Kenny and Nico.

“Yeah. It’s turning out to be bigger than I expected.”

“Oh, wow.”

---