I look over at Dean, who’s gripping the water bottle so hard I’m sure the lid is going to pop off any minute. Obviously, he doesn’t want me there, so naturally, I have to agree. “Definitely. It’ll be fun.”
“Great.” Amber smiles, her gaze flicking over Dean and back to me. “See you two roomies later.”
The group leaves, and I get to my feet. “What time are we leaving?” I ask, and he shakes his head.
“I may have to deal with you here, and I certainly can’t keep you from Moe’s, but there’s no way in hell I’m driving you.”
“Why not? I thought you enjoyed taking me home from bars.”
“Why the hell do you act like that?”
I’m momentarily surprised by his question, so instead of answering right away, I narrow my gaze on his face. “Excuse me?”
He crosses the room, stopping right in front of me. “You act so entitled around me, like you’re begging me to hate you, and when other people are here, you plaster on that pretty smile and act like the kindest person on the fucking planet. Why? Which side of you is the real Kleo?”
I swallow hard. If only you knew. “I guess you’ll never find out. I’m going to go take a nap before we go to Moe’s. See you in a bit.” I saunter past him, keeping my smile firmly in place until I’m safely behind my bedroom door.
He doesn’t get it. No one does. If I let anyone see past the party girl, they get entirely too close to the broken woman from two years ago. The one who still jumps at her own shadows.
And then, they never see me the same again.
Dean
I’m taking the first sip of my second beer when Kleo walks in, and I nearly spit it on Keith.
“What the hell, dude,” he groans and tosses a cocktail napkin down.
“Hey, guys,” she greets, stepping up to the table.
“Hey, Kleo, glad you could make it. Amber and Megan ran to the bathroom. They should be back soon.” Keith turns to me and gestures with a hand. “I think you know my buddy here. I hear you two are living together.”
Kleo smiles. “We’ve met.”
“Beer?”
“Club soda,” she replies, still staring at me. “I’m driving.”
“Be right back,” Keith says and steps away, leaving the place vacant for Kleo. Fucking Kleo. Sexy, vixen-like woman who’s determined to be the death of me. She’s done something dark and smoky with her eyes, making them even more blue than normal. The navy blue shirt she’s wearing is cut low enough that anyone walking by can get an eyeful of cleavage that makes my mouth water. And that’s not even taking into consideration the tight-ass jeans showcasing legs that go on for miles.
“Like what you’re looking at?” she asks sweetly.
“Unfortunately, it’s only on the surface,” I reply just as Amber and Megan get back to the table.
“Kleo!” Amber greets. “So glad you could make it!” Since she and Keith rarely get out, they typically pick who drinks and who drives. Tonight, Keith is the driver, and Amber is taking full advantage. Not that I blame her. As a stay-at-home mom, I imagine she needs to blow off a hell of a lot of steam. The only time she and Keith both work is when the camp is open. Other than that, she’s at home with their kids.
“Me too,” Kleo says, wearing a hesitant smile when she looks from Megan back to Amber.
“Mind if I squeeze in here?” a deep voice whispers in my ear, and I jump, wiping the side of my face.
“You asshole.” I laugh when Megan’s fiancé—who also happens to be my best friend—comes to the table, wrapping an arm around her. Polland and I were best friends from elementary and up, which means that Kleo is not one of his favorite people either as he was another target of her merry band of what we used to lovingly refer to as the bitchfits.
“Kleo,” he says tightly with a nod.
“Polland, good to see you.”
“You too.”
The group falls quiet for a moment, and Kleo shifts in her chair, the uncomfortable feeling of being the odd man out probably settling over her by now. I know exactly what that feels like, so even as I can’t stand her, I clear my throat. “How about I kick your ass at some pool?”
Polland grins. “Bring it on.”
“I’ll take winner,” Keith calls and gets up, following us over to the single pool table with the reserved sign on the green felt.
“Man, what’s it like working with her?” Polland asks.
“Dude, they’re living together,” Keith offers, and I groan.
“Can we not talk about Kleo?”
“Sorry, man, I just find it rather interesting seeing as how you carried a massive torch for her all through school.”
“And a massive boner,” Keith adds, and I resist the urge to smack him with a pool cue.
“Can we please just play?”
“Not a chance in hell that we’re grazing by this one, bud,” Polland says as he racks up the balls.
“What are you going to do if her dad gives her the camp next summer?” Keith asks, and I shrug before aiming up and taking my shot to break the balls.
Balls clink off each other, rolling over the felt, a striped four going into the corner pocket. “Stripes it is,” I say, lining up another shot. I miss, managing to sink no balls.
“I’m going to wipe the table with you, my friend.” Polland rolls his shoulders and lines up his shot.
As he takes aim, I glance over at Kleo, who looks to be enjoying herself more now that she’s in the company of Amber and Megan. Lifting my beer from the table beside me, I take a drink before setting it back down. Polland sinks the ball and straightens.
“So, you planning on answering me?” Keith asks.
“If her dad decides Kleo is fit to run it, I guess I’ll just wait and see if she fires me.”
Keith snorts. “If I were you and wanted to keep my job, I think I might be working a little harder to get her to like me.”
“She’s been here four days, and I’m already so damned irritated by her that I can’t tell whether it’s stemming from our past or present.” I take aim and manage to sink one of my balls this time.
“I can’t say I blame you for being irritated,” Polland says. “She showed up out of nowhere and is trying to take your job.”
“That’s the thing though. I knew it was coming back when Al first hired me.”
“But knowing it’s coming and actually having it happen—two totally different situations.”
Polland sinks a ball, and I line up, take aim, and send two striped balls into two separate pockets. “I guess.” I straighten. “Now, can we stop talking about Kleo and get the hell on with the night?”
The guys mumble in agreement about busting my balls later, so I focus on kicking Polland’s ass in pool so maybe, just maybe, he’ll leave me the hell alone and mope around instead.
Kleo
Dean’s ignored me nearly the entire night, and while I’ve enjoyed hanging out with Amber and Megan, I’ve quickly realized that being the only sober one sucks major ass.
“I think I’m going to get going.” I get to my feet and sling my purse over my shoulder.