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“I’ll know for sure at the school board meeting next month.”
“What? Why didn’t they just give it to you now?” Huck asked, tucking his longish hair behind his ears.
“Because the board members are being uptight ballbusters,” Lily replied. “Jenna just has to show them what we all already know—that she’s an upstanding, responsible citizen.”
Ryder frowned. “They can’t discriminate against you.” He looked at Sebastian for support.
While Ryder and Huck were ready for the weekend in jeans and T-shirts, Sebastian looked very much the attorney he was. Colt had found Bass at his office and had to drag him out of there for burgers and beer before the walls of a white-collar job closed in around him.
“It’s not discrimination technically,” Bass said. “The state will do a barrage of checks on Jenna, and when dealing with children and educational programs, people take extra steps to ensure a ‘favorable’ candidate. But the Diamond board will have to vote on who they want to head the program.” Bass glanced at the bar—rather, at Penny—then took a long swallow of his beer. “I hope you don’t have any skeletons in your closet, Jenna.”
Her eyes darted to Colt. Realization hit.
She was trying to hide him in the very literal sense. But could he really blame her? Colt didn’t have the best rep, but he was a bull rider, not congressman. But JJ? That woman had a whole other side to her no one at that table, or in that town, had a clue about. Oh yeah, he knew exactly what little Miss JJ could really do. And that obviously freaked the shit out of her.
Though Colt never wanted to cause her undue stress, he couldn’t help but feel oddly proud. He’d gotten to see something in JJ that he’d wager she had never shown anyone else. And God help him, he wanted to see it again.
Lily had kept him in the loop about all that happened in Diamond over the years, and JJ’s ambitions were not lost on him. In fact, he admired her. Once, after he’d given her and Lily a ride home from their seventh-grade spring dance, JJ had spent the whole ride going off about how Randy Robinson had gotten too handsy and how she kicked him in the shin for trying to cop a feel.
Colt grinned at the memory. Even as a kid, JJ was always trying to show that she wasn’t her mama. Wasn’t the kind to run around and—
Ah, shit…
A fucking Mack truck would be more subtle than what had just hit him. JJ wasn’t worried about the time they spent together. She was worried about how a wild one-nighter would make her look if anyone found out.
“Skeletons?” Huck laughed. “I suspect all the board will find in Jenna’s closet is fuzzy bunnies and rainbows.”
He winked at her, and again, Colt didn’t like the gesture. Though he was only a friend and all of them supported one another, something had changed since last weekend when he’d had JJ all to himself.
Her gray eyes skated over Colt and she took a nervous sip of her longneck. Her hands shook as if she was terrified that Colt was about to call her out—tell everyone about the two of them.
His chest recoiled at the idea, ached that she’d think that about him. He may enjoy women, but he didn’t kiss and tell. And he’d never hurt JJ, especially like that. It was time she understood.
“I agree.” Colt tipped his beer at JJ, hoping he could help calm her. “You’ve got nothing to worry about, sugar.”
Her breasts rose on a deep breath and her gaze zeroed in on him. The look she sent him spoke volumes: I’m not so sure that’s true.
Colt wasn’t sure either.
“Thanks for all your support, guys.” She quickly changed the subject, and Huck and Ryder started talking construction and the new real estate they were developing up on the hill.
Colt was lost in thought, eyes riveted on the ripe mouth and handful of curves sitting across the booth from him. He understood that this grant was important to JJ and he wouldn’t do anything to assist in a “poor perception” of her or threaten her chances. But he had to have her again.
JJ had somehow gripped hard to a spot in his chest and was refusing to let go. Colt needed to see that fire, wanted to be the one to stoke it. Even if no one else knew about the passionate woman that lay beneath that prim composure and glasses, Colt did. And he wanted another taste of it.
It would seem Miss JJ put her kindergartners and the kids of Diamond above all else. Colt wouldn’t try to challenge that. He would just have to change his tactics.
Chapter Five
“SSSsssss…”
“Lord have mercy!” Jenna yelped as Michael held up his pet snake for the whole class to see.
“It’s okay, Miss Justice. This is Drake. He’s a royal python.”
Jenna inched closer, one palm out, the other on the wastebasket, slowly creeping toward her five-year-old student and the three-foot snake wrapped around his arm.
“Michael, honey. Does your mama know you have that?” She tried to keep the fear out of her voice. She never thought show-and-tell would end up giving her a heart attack.
