Page 5 of Cupid Games
“Friday,” she said, wondering how bad her players were. She had searched the internet for taped games and found nothing, which was unusual.
“All right, I better get going so you can get started turning our team around,” he said, standing and walking to the door. “Good luck, Miss Martin.”
With a sigh, she stood and bade him a good day. Her first PE class was in fewer than thirty minutes and the team practice would begin at three this afternoon.
As soon as he walked out the door, she saw the male coaches standing just outside her office.
“Gentlemen,” the superintendent said.
“We’re here to welcome our new coach,” a tall dark-haired man said.
“Miss Martin, come out and meet the other coaches,” her boss said. “This is Cody, the baseball coach, Brian the assistant football coach, Max Vandenburg, former Dallas Cowboy player who now handles our football team. And Zachary Rowling, the men’s basketball coach.”
Damn, damn, and double damn, she thought staring at the man she’d dated and loved in college. The man who walked out of her life without so much as a good-bye once he learned she was going to play professional ball.
She shook each man’s hand, and when she came to Zach, she gave him her best frozen eat-shit-and-die smile. “Zach, you’re back in Cupid.”
Not playing professional ball like he’d wanted.
Until this moment, she’d forgotten this was his hometown. And she’d never expected him to return here. After the childhood he’d told her about, she would have thought this would be the last place he would live.
“And now you’re here as well,” he said, his voice strained. “Did you leave the professional team behind?”
She didn’t shake his hand since they already knew each other.
“Yes,” she said, hoping he had not seen the articles claiming she’d had a marital affair. “I’m excited to work with the girls to improve the team.”
The men all laughed.
“Good luck with that,” Brian said.
“You’re going to need better players,” Cody said, laughing.
“Now, boys, let the lady do her job,” Zach said.
The superintendent glanced between the two of them. “You both went to Duke. Did you know each other there?”
“Yes,” Zach said. “Miss Martin was on the girls’ team and I was on the boys’ team. We won our division, but she got the professional contract.”
There, it was out in the open. He hated her because she got to play professional ball and he never was given the opportunity. Not her fault. Not her problem, any longer.
“Nice to meet you, gentlemen,” she said, doing her best to be friendly, but not too friendly. “My first class is coming up and I would like to get my office set up and look at my schedule. Have a wonderful day.”
With one last glance, which she hoped was not a glare, she looked at Zach. His auburn hair was still that gorgeous shade between red and brown, his emerald eyes flashed with a mischievousness she knew to be aware of. But more than anything, he still had that chip on his shoulder from when she was accepted into the professionals and he was passed up.
Get over it already.
Turning on her heel, she went into her office and closed the door. First meetings were over. Now it was time to turn her attention to her classes.
Glancing around the small closet, she knew the men’s offices were probably larger, but right now, she was just happy to have a job, a steady paycheck, and not be dodging reporters.
Seven hours later, after the first practice with the team, she knew she was in trouble; this wasn’t a team. It was a group of silly girls who were only interested in boys and the latest social media posts from their friends.
Already she’d had to ban phones from the court. When one of your players took out her phone and started texting during practice, there was a problem. With a sigh, she went into her office, plopped into her chair, and pulled out the notes she’d made while watching the girls practice.
Not a one of them would ever receive a scholarship in basketball.
She had her work cut out for her, and frankly, she would have liked to kick them all off the team and start over, but that wasn’t possible.