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“I need to go,” she said. “The wine has loosened my tongue and if I stay, I fear me letting the good people of Cupid see how angry I was at your leaving. How abandoned I felt. How…”
She closed her eyes, sighed, and then opened them again and smiled. “Zach, I wish you nothing but the best. May you find the love of your dreams and have everything you want.”
It was like she was breaking things off with him and they weren’t even dating. Damn her.
The waitress returned with her bill. Quickly, she paid in cash, stood, and picked up the Styrofoam box.
“See you at school tomorrow,” she said with a smile as she walked away.
Shaking his head, he watched her stroll out the door. She acted like he was the one who had wronged her. When in fact, she’d wronged him. Had she asked him to go with her and he’d just not heard her?
No, that would have been too simple. Too easy. But would he have gone?
Probably not because she was right about one thing. He’d been furious that she’d been chosen to play professional ball and he hadn’t.
What was wrong with people?
CHAPTER8
Emily had not slept well last night, and this morning, she was at the gym before dawn. When she walked through the door, there were no signs, nothing to greet her as she turned the lights on and put balls out for the girls to use to practice.
All night, she’d thoughtwhat-if. What if she and Zach had gone to Seattle together? She clearly remembered asking him to go with her, but he’d been in a fog. An angry haze she thought with time he would get over. A rage that she didn’t realize included her until later.
When she’d learned he had packed up and left town without even saying good-bye, she’d been devastated. It had been the best and the worst time of her life. Being drafted was such an exciting time, and she couldn’t share it with the man she loved.
His abandoning her had knocked her to her knees.
With a sigh, she picked up a ball and threw it into the basket. She moved from one side of the gym to the other, and every time she planted, the ball went into the net. Shoot, rebound, set, shoot, rebound. Over and over, she practiced the drill, trying to rid the disappointment from her mind.
The girls came into the gym, but she was in her happy place, making baskets, driving for a score. Winning.
When her arms began to ache she stopped. The team stood on the edge of the court staring at her in awe.
Breathing hard, she could see the admiration in their eyes.
“And that, ladies, is how it’s done. Let’s get started,” she said, feeling better after last night.
For the next two hours, they practiced hard. It was their best practice to date and she hoped they were starting to see they were better players. Their skills had improved, but what about their attitudes?
“All right, ladies, we will meet back here this afternoon for one final practice before the game tomorrow. I’ll also be showing you the film of this team one more time. Hit the showers and have a great day,” she told the girls as they began to wander toward the locker rooms.
In the distance, she watched as the gymnastics coach walked toward her office. The woman had lived here her entire life and Emily hoped she had some answers for her.
“Lauren, can I have a word with you?”
“Sure,” she said, turning on the lights in her office. “You’re at it awfully early this morning.”
Emily stepped inside her office.
“Yes, our first game with me as the coach is tomorrow and I’m a little nervous,” she said.
“Understandable,” Lauren said.
“As you know I’m new to Cupid. Can you tell me about the superstition regarding this statue in town?”
The woman laughed. “Honey, that statue is problematic. Supposedly, if you run around the statue naked at midnight, the first person you see is who you’re going to marry.”
“Naked?” she said, nerves spiraling through her. What had she agreed to? He’d known. He’d known and convinced her to run. While secretly, she’d hoped they would see each other.
