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"It means not bullying any of my stellar students to do the work for them. Or, even worse, buying the work online. Because I'll know it if they do."
"Christ, Josie. What kind of guy do you think I am? What kinds of guys do you think my athletes are?"
She sighed. "Let's just say I've seen students like this before. They get in a jam, and they're desperate and more than willing to do anything--and I mean anything--to turn in passing work."
He laid his hands on her desk and leaned in. "My guys aren't like that. And if they are like that, they wo
n't play for me for long."
She didn't flinch away. She held his gaze. "I guess you should make sure you know your players well, then."
"I intend to, because these two will be sitting with me every day after school this week doing these assignments while their teammates are on the practice field. So I can guarantee you, Ms. Barnes, that when this work is turned in, it'll be work that both Paul and Chase have done themselves."
Her lips lifted. "I'm glad to hear that. And I'm sorry about all that classwork you'll have to do this week. If you need any research assistance, feel free to give me a call."
"I think I can handle it. After all, I've been to school myself, ya know."
She laughed. "Yes, I'm sure. But that was a long time ago. And I require a lot of my students."
"How hard can it be?" He looked at the assignments and bit back a curse.
"Poetry? A journal of thoughts and feelings? Aww, hell, Josie."
She smiled. "You did say you were going to help them, right?"
He pushed off the desk and pivoted, already halfway to the door. "Yeah, yeah."
Once out the door, he stopped and read the assignments again.
Poetry. Journals. Ugh.
A small part of him understood Paul and Chase blowing off the homework. He'd hated poetry in English class. All that evaluation of shit that had never made sense to him. But he'd sucked it up and done it. And had maybe learned a few things in the process. He might have not enjoyed it, but he'd done the work.
Not doing the work was lazy, and he wouldn't accept that from any of his players.
He headed toward the field.
Time to kick a couple of asses from here to next week.
*
JOSIE PONDERED HER CONVERSATION WITH ZACH ALL the way home, then ended up deviating toward the library, where hopefully Jillian Reynolds would be working this afternoon.
She'd made friends with so many wonderful women in the time she'd been here in Hope. But she and Jillian had grown closer in the past few months, likely because, out of their group of women friends, they were the two single ones. Everyone else was either coupled up or married, and several of their friends even had kids or were expecting them. So Josie and Jillian had started hanging out more and more lately.
Plus, it didn't hurt that they shared a lot of things in common. Jillian was the head librarian, and she loved all forms of literature. As a language arts teacher, Josie had loved books and reading from the time she was a kid. She had started hanging out in her local library as a means of escape from family drama, but it had turned into a love of reading that had developed into a voracious appetite.
She could still remember Elda, the librarian at her small town library, who'd introduced her to countless books when she was a kid. She'd fallen in love with classic literature and poetry and mysteries and romances and science fiction and fantasy. She'd returned day after day to turn one book in and check out another. She'd also spent hours at the back of the library reading and soaking in the quiet.
After all, no one was drunk or on drugs or screaming at her there. It was peaceful and she could lose herself in a story of magic or fantastical worlds, or escape into romantic escapades.
Reading had been her life, and the library had been her salvation.
And meeting Jillian had evoked warm memories of those early years, because Jillian ran her library the same way Elda had all those years ago. She was fierce and protective and fostered a love of books in every child she met.
Josie spotted Jillian in her office at the back of the library, so she went over there. She was working on her computer and she didn't want to bother her if she was busy, but Jillian happened to look up and smiled, then motioned for her to come in.
Josie opened the door, then closed it behind her. "You looked busy. I didn't want to bother you. I just stopped in to say hello."
"It's okay. I was ordering some books."
Josie sighed. "How fun."
"Yes, it is. How was your day?"
"Good, mostly. Until after school when Zach came into my room and told me I was ruining his football team."
Jillian leaned back in her chair. "Really. And how did you manage to ruin his team?"
"A couple of his players aren't passing my class so now they're on probation."
"Oh, Josie. How could you? Don't you know football is king here?"
"Uh-huh. Well, in my classroom, literature is king and I'd like my students to do their assignments. And actually pass the class."
"So did you two have words? Was it a hot and passionate argument?"
Jillian always turned any heated discussion into a hot and passionate argument. In her imagination, anyway.
"No. I gave him their assignments and he's going to work with them this week so probation doesn't turn into a suspension."
"How disappointing. I mean, not for the kids, of course. But I was hoping you two would end up making out on your desk."
Josie laughed. "I don't think the principal would appreciate that."
"Who cares what the principal appreciates? I would have appreciated it immensely."
"I think you need a hot guy to come make out with you on your desk."
"Don't I ever."
"He's out there for you somewhere."
Jillian waved her hand. "Not looking for him. I'm busy."
Josie sighed. "Aren't we both. Which doesn't mean I'd turn down some hot guy throwing me across anything and making out with me."
Jillian pointed a finger at her. "See? You wouldn't have turned down Zach throwing you across your desk."
Josie laughed. "That wasn't the topic of conversation at the time."
"But you like him."
"Yes, I like him. Most days, anyway. Just not this afternoon."
They fortunately got off the topic of Zach and onto other things, mainly Loretta and Deacon's deck party this weekend and what they were going to bring, food-wise. Then Josie left so Jillian could get back to work.
But she still stewed about Zach on the way home. He could be so sweet to her when they were all out with their friends. Then again, at school, they had to be all business. Teenagers had the uncanny ability to zero in on any type of flirting or attraction.
Working with someone you were attracted to had its disadvantages. And she didn't know how she was going to handle it. Because she and Zach had been dancing around each other for months now.
So far, nothing had happened between them other than friendly hanging out in groups with their mutual friends.
Maybe that's all it would ever be. But as she thought back, there'd been glances. And touches that felt like a lot more than just causal friendliness.
So maybe it wouldn't be just friendship between them.
It wasn't like she needed another relationship. The last one had ended badly--really badly--and she wasn't looking forward to wading in those waters again.
But still . . . Zach was hot. Very hot. Impossibly tall and muscular and incredibly good-looking with dark hair and those steely gray eyes that would catch and hold your attention like nothing Josie had ever experienced before. That man could make her melt like a stick of frozen butter in the hot summer sun.
So maybe she'd just dip a toe in and test the waters.
She just wouldn't go for a swim.
