Page 128 of Honey Pot

The Heart of the Hornets

I swear the world tipped off balance, and every small thing I loved about her came rushing back in, every memory, every fight. It was all there.Would she even want me to chase her? After everything that’s happened, would Clementine even want me?

“Fuck it,” I swore.

My heart pounded in my chest with each step toward the hallway.

“Cael,” he said as I rounded the door to leave on anxious feet. I paused, my head turning up to look at him still standing behind his desk. “I love you too.”

I didn’t look down at the paper again until I pushed through the front doors of the stadium into the parking lot. It felt so heavy in my hands as if it weighed more than three pages. I would have assumed she’d use a picture of us from the winning game. The one with the streamers and confetti, I could see it in my mind…

Instead, she had attached a photo of the dining table from the Nest. Empty except for one place setting in front of Mama’s chair. The tear that left me was singular and salty as it hit my lips.

“Hey, Kitten,” Arlo’s voice called to me, and I lifted my head. “I heard you needed a ride to the airport.” He leaned against the fastback with his arms across his chest.

“Shouldn’t you be halfway to Dallas?” I asked him.

“A little Blondie told me that you needed me.” Arlo smiled. Of course, Ella had sent him.

“Last time I was in that car, you punched me.” I laughed, letting my head fall to the side as I walked toward him.

“Wasn’t the first time, won’t be the last.” He shrugged and opened the passenger-side door for me. “Move your ass, we have a flight to catch.”

He slammed the door behind me and, before I could even read the first line of the article, the fastback was peeling from the parking lot.

“What’s that?” He asked as he turned down the music and gripped the wheel.

“The piece that Clementine wrote.” My brows scrunched up.

“Why do you look like you’re going to puke?” His fingers tightened around the wheel, “I swear to god, Cael, if you puke in my car…” Arlo took his eyes off the road to give me a dirty look.

“I’m not going to puke.” I laughed. Well, when I thought about it, I might. “It's just not what I expected.” The more I read, the more my heart swelled and the less I doubted my insane decision to chase her to Texas.

“The suspense is killing me.” Arlo took a corner fast, and the fastback fishtailed with an overwhelming roar before straightening out on the highway toward the city. “If I get a ticket, you’re paying for it,” he grumbled, picking up his speed.

He’d never make me pay for the ticket, but the threat was adorable.

“I arrived at Harbor with the intent of interviewing each player on their specific position within the Hornet’s Baseball team and how that led to their first championship in three seasons. A team that was previously record-breaking, in a slump, and in desperate need of a win. My expectations were set the moment I landed in Rhode Island. I was ushered to the main offices to speak with managers and owners. Suit after suit, I was given a rehearsed set of sound bites that some poor intern must have spent hours grueling over in her tiny office. While the quotes are exceptional and will be used in uplifting personalitypieces that will air on the local news, they felt empty and disconnected from the sport and from the players.”

“Fuck, she tore them apart,” Arlo huffed and took a glance at me.

Smiling like an idiot

CODY

Clementine didn’t stop there, the berating of the higher-ups, the ones that funded everything that went in and out of Harbor didn’t cease. If this piece ever found its way to the public,which it should,all the men mentioned would have her job, but she wrote it like she didn’t give a shit. I couldn’t help but love her even more for it.

“Unfortunately my expectations were cemented by a group of old men in suits that had never stepped foot in the Harbor Stadium.” I read as my heart swelled with pride. “These interactions set a precedent. Within my first twenty-four hours of being on Hornet soil, I had been mistreated, verbally abused, thrown out, and taunted. All by a group of suits who never stepped foot on the diamond. Meanwhile, the well-oiled machine that the owners painted a picture of was nowhere to be found. In its place, was a dysfunctional, loud, and chaotic group of young men enjoying the freedom of their off-season.”

“Your girl has an attitude,” Arlo snapped as his brows furrowed. “This better get good, or I’m turning this car around.” He smiled as he lay on the empty threat.

“It took less than a day, fully immersed in the Hornet’s Nest, to realize what all of the suits were missing. Living under the roof of Dansby House, affectionately known as the Nest. The elegant group home is a Victorian-era mansion perched upon the hill that overlooks the stadium. They yell, they curse, and fight one another. They cook meals together, go to class, and train together. The team wasn’t well-oiled or well-behaved. The Hornets are simply a family.”

“We aren’t dysfunctional…” Arlogrumbled.

“Yes, we are.” I shook my head and flipped the page. “Just shut up and let me finish.”

“I was serious about turning this car around. I don’t need anyone who doesn’t believe inusor in Harbor.”

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