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My gut clenches just imagining Dot in Wren’s face. But she can’t do this. “The mayor would be a fool to turn the program down no matter what Dot says.”
“I don’t know. He spoils his daughter, and he has the power to veto the proposal without the council’s input. I was supposed to meet with him earlier this week and he canceled. I can’t lose Bright Horizons.”
My hand slides to the back of her neck and squeezes. “You won’t. Wren, I’m sorry Dot’s causing trouble for you. I could talk to her.”
“No. She can’t know we’re talking.”
“I told her that we’re together.”
“It’s one thing to know and another to see it with her own two eyes. To her, I denied our existence as a couple. It’s like you said; let her think she’s winning. I can’t risk Bright Horizons.”
I run a hand down my face, hating all of this. “I get it. What can I do?”
“Nothing. You were right about us keeping things a secret. As much as I hate it, Dot would go ballistic if we flaunted our relationship in front of her face even without the baby.” She flops back onto the pillow. “The baby. That reminds me. I saw Dot and Kellen arguing in the alley between Beyond the Cake and the bank on the way back from lunch.”
“Kellen? Is this what you meant about her telling you to keep your mouth shut?”
“Uh-huh. I should have just kept walking, but something told me there was more going on there. So I watched them, and while I couldn’t hear the conversation, at one point, Kellen shouted bullshit and that he had rights.”
“Rights? What would Dot and Kellen have to talk about that had to do with rights?”
“That’s what I’ve been wondering.” She turns to face me again. “What if it’s about the baby? Maybe he’s the father.”
“Kellen.” I bark out a laugh. “Dot hates him. To her, Kellen Marshall is the bottom of the barrel. She wouldn’t be caught dead with him, let alone sleep with him.”
She bites her lip, clearly apprehensive and digging deep for the courage for her next words. “Does the idea of them together bother you?”
“Fuck, no. It’s just it doesn’t fit.”
“It does sound crazy. Kellen’s the town bad boy. Still, he is a ladies’ man, or I should say, Dot wouldn’t be the first upstanding woman to jump into bed with him.”
The memory of Marla, Doctor Fairchild’s wife, reminds me that anything is possible. “True.”
Not too long ago, the town gossips were blazing hot and constant with the scandalous affair between Marla and Kellen. Shortly after that, the married couple left town. Could Kellen be the father?
Wren cuts through my thoughts. “So, this may sound even more farfetched, and it might be wishful thinking on my part, but one thing I remember from elementary and high school was how Kellen envied you and Maddox.”
Deep lines form along her forehead as if she’s worried I’ll dismiss her idea. I get why she might think that. At one time, the three of us were inseparable. Kellen was once a close friend.
Heck, at one time, Wren and I used to joke that Kellen brought us together in second grade. I forget all the details now. It was lunch time and he was mad at me for something, so mad that he dumped my sandwich into the trash.
Wren saw the whole thing. She marched over to Kellen and told him how mean he was. Then she turned and handed me half of her peanut butter and jelly sandwich. From that point on, I was a goner. She became my best friend and more.
Even now, Kellen causes trouble, lashes out, and hurts people more than anything else.
“I guess. I’m not sure what it was, even though Kellen did always go after what Mad or I wanted. What are you thinking?”
“What if he slept with Dot because she wasyourfiancée?”
“Okay, that might explain Kellen’s motivation, even though we are talking about sex and he’s…well, him.” I offer a sardonic smile. “But Dot would never sleep with him.”
Her expression is pensive and we’re both quiet, most probably running through the possibilities.
I slide a finger under her chin and tip her head up so our eyes meet. “There’s no point wasting our time on this. It’s a theory. You don’t have any proof.”
“No, I don’t. But I’m not done. Dot saw me spying on them, and even though I took off, she found me in the library.”
“Shit.” Something dire claws at my throat.
