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“Oh yes,” Lauren said, laughing. “The sheriff and the city keep our coffers full from people who are doing the Cupid dance at midnight and get caught. If you’re a teacher, you’re fired.”
Tears welled in her eyes. That son of a bitch was trying to get her fired. And now she was totally boxed in. She wanted her girls to win. She needed them to get that boost of confidence that all their hard work was paying off. If they won, she wouldn’t have to do the dance unless Zach’s boys won. Then they would both have to dance naked around the statue.
“Are you all right?”
Shaking her head, she sighed. “I’m so tired of men taking advantage of me. He didn’t tell me the whole truth. But, damn it, I’m going to come out on top.”
Wisely, the woman didn’t ask her what she was referring to.
“Don’t do the Cupid dance,” she warned.
Emily was a woman of her word and she’d agreed to the stupid bet. But that didn’t mean she had to run around naked. Maybe she’d wear her clothes. Maybe she’d switch out the time. After all, she wasn’t interested in meeting her true love and he wasn’t either.
This was a ploy to get her fired.
Lauren nodded. “I’m so glad I found my man and I’m married. Today’s single world is full of cornflakes and nuts. And you need to watch out for the male coaches. They’ve been conjuring up something wicked where you’re concerned. I don’t know the plan, but don’t fall for it.”
Oh, she’d learned the plan last night and she would not be going anywhere near the Cupid Bar with them or anyone else.
She sighed. “I just want to do my job, be a good coach, and be kind to my students and fellow coaches. That’s all.”
Lauren gave her a hug. “I know, honey. You’re enemy number one right now, and I get the feeling the press doesn’t know the whole truth. I bet it wasn’t your fault.”
Oh, how Emily wanted to tell her the truth, but she had to remain quiet until the lawyer told her it was all right. That day seemed further and further out of her reach. And every day, she doubted she would still be here once the truth came out.
“Thank you, Lauren,” she said with a sigh. “I better get ready for my first class.”
“Be careful, Emily,” she said.
As she walked toward her office, she wondered how she was going to react to Zach. Last night, at first, it felt like old times. But now that she’d learned the truth, she knew he was still playing games. Cupid games.
The war was back on.
And, damn it, she was going to win this. Screw the truce. Screw trying not to cause trouble.
He wasn’t here yet and she had time for another prank.
Taking a jar of Vaseline from her desk, she went into his office in the dark and greased every desk handle, the phone, and anything he would touch. Afterward, she returned to her office and began her day.
About thirty minutes later, she heard a loud noise.
“Yuck,” he yelled.
She stayed at her desk, watching the video of the school they were playing tomorrow night, making notes, planning her game strategy.
Suddenly he was in her office, his emerald eyes flashing with annoyance. “I thought you called a truce,” he said, his face red.
She smiled at him. “Good morning, Zach. I did. Is something wrong?”
“Yes, someone put Vaseline on every doorknob and desk handle in my office. That’s not a sign of a truce.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” she said, leaning back. “Someone forgot to mention that you have to dance naked around the Cupid statue at midnight. Naked.”
He stopped and a smile spread across his face.
“You do and the sheriff is usually sitting in the park just waiting for someone to come running without their clothes.”
“So you want to get me fired,” she said.
