“Sweet. I’ll make sure to show him the ropes and let him know how things are run here.”
Danbury chuckles. “That won’t be necessary. He’s a former alum, just like yourself.”
My shoulders relax as I smile. Music to my ears. The last thing I need is my time taken away from my team to help a newbie coach.
I’m about to ask if I know the guy, when a knock at the door interrupts me.
“That’s him now.” Danbury calls, “Come in.”
My head turns, and my eyes land on the tall man striding into the room. My stomach drops and the room tilts. I brace a hand on the back of my chair as dread crawls up my spine, every muscle in my body going rigid.
No. No way.
I blink several times. This has to be one of those nightmares teachers have before a new week of school starts. Sunday Scaries are no joke.
But this man walking toward me is too real to be a dream. His thick, dark, tousled hair is a bit longer than he wore it in high school, despite the many nights I spent praying that he’d go bald. His jaw filled out, just like his muscles. Handsome and perfect as ever, he still looks exactly like Breakwater High’s Golden Boy.
And my arch nemesis.
“Hey, Ainsley.” The sound of his deep voice grates like nails scraping down a chalkboard. Bile rises in my throat as he drops down into the chair beside me and offers me a bright smile like a smug bastard.
My teeth grind together, and my fingers twitch with a strong urge to punch that smile right off his face. “You have to be fucking kidding me.”
Professionalism be damned. Danbury knows what a horrific idea this is. There’s no sugar-coating it.
Danbury holds up his hands. “Ainsley, I know you two have history?—”
“History?” That word makes it sound like some petty high school drama instead of something we barely survived.
Enemy. Foe. Words don’t do this justice. Bad blood runs through our veins, deep into the marrow of our bones.
The last time I laid eyes on him was graduation day. Then he left for college on the opposite end of the country, and we no longer had to strategically move around this town avoiding each other, choosing our friend groups, restaurants, and grocerystores like we were in a silent custody battle. My life has been peaceful without Landon Fletcher for the last seventeen years. But that peace will be obliterated if we’re standing on the same field, coaching both of the girls’ lacrosse teams this season.
What’s worse, he’s sitting next to me right now cool as a cucumber. No doubt this asshole planned today’s ambush.
I glare at Danbury as if my eyes could shoot lasers. “This wasyourdecision?”
He heaves a sigh, rocking back in his leather chair. “I was not the one who made the final call, no. But I don’t see what’s wrong with two of Breakwater’s most successful lacrosse players heading the coaching staff here.”
“You know damn well what’s wrong with this situation.” My head whips to Landon, venom dripping from my tongue. “This position isn’t a joke; not to those girls, and not to this school. It’s actually pathetic that you’re still trying to get back at me after all this time. Go to therapy.”
Landon’s chin jerks back like I slapped him. “This has nothing to do with you. I know it’s always been a hard concept for you to comprehend, but not everything is about you.”
My face heats, my blood turning to lava under my skin. “You don’t know anything about what it’s like being a female in the sports world, so don’t pretend to. Why don’t you wait for Coach Cole to retire so you can take over the boys’ team instead? There’s plenty of misogyny and testosterone over there. You’ll feel right at home.”
“That’s enough.” Danbury’s sharp tone cuts through the room. “I understand this pairing isn’t ideal for either of you, but the priorities here are your teams. So, if you’d like to keep your positions as head coaches, then I suggest you figure out how to put this old rivalry aside and focus on your jobs.”
Myjob.I’ma teacher at this school. Landon isn’t. Not that it’s a prerequisite to be a coach, but I still want to stomp my foot like a petulant child.
Myschool.Myteam.Mine, mine, mine.
Landon’s jaw works under his skin as we glare at one another. There’s no way either of us will back down, and there’s also a snowball’s chance in hell that we’ll reconcile after all this time. The two of us are stuck working together. It won’t be easy, but I’m no stranger to adversity. I’ve earned this position, and I’m making history in this town as the first female head coach for our varsity team. Nothing will get in my way.
Especially nothim.
“Are we good here?” Danbury asks. “Or do I have to find new coaches?”
Through gritted teeth, I push out the words, “We’re good.”
