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This is going to be very complicated.

6

MARCUS

“What’s wrong with you today?” Mo asks.

I turn to him. “What do you mean?”

“You’re distracted today.”

“No, I’m not.”

He scoffs. “Yeah. You really are. I’ve never seen you so out of sorts at practice, man.”

After dismissing the team, I’m sitting in the gym with Maurice Coyle, a former teammate and current assistant coach. He’s also my best friend. Has been since high school. Mo and I have been through the shit together, and there’s nobody in this world I trust more.

“Seriously, bro. That was the most raggedy ass practice I have ever seen you run. Ever,” he says. “What’s up with you?”

What happened with Morgan the other day was incredible. It lived up to every single fantasy I’ve ever had and then some. And ever since it happened, I haven’t been able to get it—or her—out of my head. She’s been on my mind every minute of the day. I’ve had to stop myself from calling her for a repeat performance since I know what happened cannot happen again. As it is, I’m going to feel guilty as sin whenever I look into Kelsey’s eyes.

“Bro?”

I sigh. “You ever do something you really wanted to do but knew you shouldn’t, and then you can’t stop thinking about wanting to do it again, even though you know you can’t?”

“Yeah. I always feel that way when I have a second piece of pie.”

We share a laugh, and Mo nudges me with his elbow. He’s always been the kind of person who can lighten the mood, and I appreciate that about him.

“Seriously, what’s going on, Mack?”

I take a drink of water, letting the cool liquid soothe my parched throat, then screw the cap back on and cup the bottle in both hands. If there is one person I can talk to about this, it’s Mo. As I try to get them out, I find the words stuck in my throat. I take another drink, trying to swallow down the lump keeping me from speaking, and let out a long breath.

“So, you know that reporter for the school paper—Morgan Hill?” I finally ask.

Mo nods. “Yeah, she interviewed me the other day.”

“Yeah, she’s my daughter’s best friend. They’ve been tight since they were kids.”

My voice trails off, and Mo stares at me for a moment, waiting for me to go on. But when I don’t, the implication in my words seems to sink in, and his eyes widen as his mouth falls open.

“Bro, really?” he asks.

“She’s been flirting with me for a while,” I explain. “The other day, she showed up at my office to give me an advance copy of her article, and it just happened.”

“In your office?”

“In my office.”

“Damn. That’s kind of hot. I can’t remember the last time Shandra and I got after it in a freaky place like that,” he says. “I love my wife with everything in me, but we’ve been married for twenty years now, and we stopped doing that high school shit a while ago. Truth is, I wouldn’t mind a little sexy time adventure now and then.”

I laugh and shake my head. “Sounds like you just need to introduce it, brother. Take the reins and lead her down that path.”

“I may have to try that sometime,” he replies. “Now, back to you and this reporter?—”

“You mean my daughter’s best friend.”

“Right,” he says. “So, what’s the problem?”