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First, though, he needed to get one thing straight. “Fine, you weren’t trying to track me down. I’ve still got something to say.”
Marisa stared at him without saying a word.
“You’re a beautiful woman. You’re ambitious and passionate and worthy of whatever life throws at you. The two of us might be finished, but don’t settle for Sal.”
He wanted to grab her and kiss her, but that would put him in Piazza’s league. Instead, he forced himself to turn and walk out the door.
* * *
Marisa expected the senior play to be the last big event on the school calendar at Pershing. She didn’t think, though, that the seniors’ swan song would also be the place she ran into Cole again—maybe for the last time before he left Welsdale.
Ever since he’d left her apartment last week, she’d been thinking about him. She wasn’t about to take Sal back just because Cole intended to leave town for a coaching job in another state. Sal had only been a convenient smokescreen when Cole had announced he was moving to Wisconsin—and yet the realization that Cole may have been misled had done nothing to ease her heartache...
She also had no idea why Jordan would have told Cole that she was looking for him. Maybe Jordan had been misinformed—or maybe he was trying to get the two of them back together. No, the latter was wishful thinking.
She stole a look at Cole, who was sitting across the aisle in a different section of the auditorium. Would she ever stop
yearning where he was concerned? She assumed Cole had been invited to the play by Mr. Dobson because he was a famous alumnus intertwined with the school’s plans for the future.
Even with the space separating her and Cole, however, she had trouble concentrating. Even more depressingly, Pershing’s seniors were staging Death of a Salesman. And as the scene opened, her heart rose to her throat. Because there it was...
The sofa where she had lost her virginity to Cole. Right there on stage. She burned to the roots of her hair. She stared ahead, not daring a glance at Cole. Out of the periphery of her eye, however, she thought she detected a movement of his head in her direction...
Marisa didn’t know how she made it through the rest of the play. The sofa...the memories...Cole. She longed to race up the aisle, through the doors to the auditorium and all the way home...where she could console herself in private.
She loved Cole, and he didn’t love her in return. It was a replay of high school. And like her mother, she was getting burned by a pro athlete who wanted to pursue his dreams.
Somehow she made it through the whole play. She breathed a sigh of relief when the curtain came down and the student actors took their final bow. Any moment now, she could duck out.
But when the audience finished clapping, Mr. Dobson headed to the stage.
After complimenting the students’ efforts, the principal cleared his throat. “I’d like to make some final remarks, if I may. It’s been a wonderful year for Pershing School. Our fund-raiser was a huge success, and we are constructing a new school gym.” Mr. Dobson paused at the round of applause and cheers. “Great thanks go to Cole Serenghetti and his company for donating construction services. I’m also extremely pleased to announce the new gym will be called The Serg Serenghetti Athletic Building.”
Marisa’s gaze shot to Cole, but he was looking at Mr. Dobson, clapping like everyone else.
No one got a campus building named after them without making a major monetary donation. In all likelihood, Cole had made a significant cash pledge in addition to donating construction services.
But why?
She’d worked so hard to overcome his resistance to helping with Pershing Shines Bright. The only reason he’d agreed to participate was because of the lucrative construction contract. But now even that profit had evaporated because Cole was making a hefty donation to the school.
Mr. Dobson waited for the audience to settle down. “I’d also like to take this opportunity to welcome our new assistant principal starting next year, Ms. Marisa Danieli.”
Marisa blinked, shocked. She hadn’t expected that announcement tonight. Caught by surprise, she felt flustered, her heart beginning to pound. Most of all, she felt Cole’s eyes on her.
“Ms. Danieli earned her undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. She has been a beloved teacher at Pershing for almost ten years, and a tireless and invaluable member of the school community. Marisa, please come up here, and everyone, join me in congratulating her.”
Marisa felt a squeeze on her arm as one of her fellow teachers congratulated her, and then she got up and walked to the stage on rubbery legs. The audience applauded, and there were hoots and hollers from the student body.
The minute Marisa was on stage, she sought out Cole with her eyes, but he was inscrutable, clapping along with everyone else. Had he played a role in her promotion? Had he put in a good word for her, as the school’s current and likely most valuable benefactor?
She felt the prickle of tears.
Mr. Dobson was looking at her expectantly, so she cleared her throat and forced herself to speak. “Thank you. I’m thrilled to be Pershing School’s new assistant principal. Almost twenty years ago, I walked through the front doors here for the first time. I was a scholarship student, and Pershing changed my life.” She paused. “You could say I’ve gone from being called to the principal’s office to having the room next to the principal’s office. The distance is short, but the road’s been long!”
There was a smattering of laughter and a lot of applause.
“I’m looking forward to my new role.” Marisa smiled and then shook hands with Mr. Dobson.
