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And they were playing exceptionally well. Right now, they were beating a team predicted to go to the UIL tournament. A team in the running for state champions.
Her best player, Riley, had gone from being an adversary to hanging on her every word. One of the other little princesses, Beverly, sat on the bench, popping her gum looking bored and he doubted she would see any court action tonight.
The stands were filled with students’ parents, faculty, and people from town and even the press. Before the game, the press had taken several photos of the team during warm-ups and of the coach on the sidelines.
One reporter was so bold as to approach her and she’d signaled for the security officer to have him removed, sending a signal to everyone that she was not to be bothered.
Over the last couple of weeks, he’d seen the improvement in the girls, but had no idea they were capable of winning against this team.
Right now, the game was theirs to lose.
He watched as she leaned in close to her girls giving them instructions. The memory of her silky auburn hair flowing through his fingers as he brought her mouth in for a kiss had him squirming on the hard wooden bleacher.
Last night had felt like old times when they had fun together until he ruined it. He’d even stepped out on a limb and told her what the coaches were planning. They had fun until he’d screwed it up and then took his misdirection a step further.
Watching her doing what she loved, he couldn’t help but wonder if he wanted her back. Did he? Then why was he acting like a dick?
To salvage his pride?
Looking at her, he wondered if his pride was worth it.
By Friday night, they should know who, if anyone, was running around the Cupid statue. Today, when she told him not to be nearby if she ran, it made him question his decision. Did he want another man to marry Emily? Or was this his way of trying to lock her in?
A roar from the crowd alerted him to Georgia stealing the ball and dribbling her way to the other end, where she leaped up and made the shot.
In disbelief, he watched as the girls’ team hustled the ball better than his boys did.
They were going to win this game unless something happened. For a moment, he wondered how he could stop their momentum, but then shook his head. Maybe it was for the best that Emily not run the Cupid statue.
He didn’t want to be the reason she was fired. The woman had enough working against her at the moment, she didn’t need him giving her more grief.
There were two minutes left in the game, and the crowd’s excitement was palpable. The Cupid High School girls’ basketball team was about to beat a top contender for the state championship.
At the sound of the final buzzer, the auditorium went wild.
Emily glanced up in the stands at him and grinned. She held her thumb up. He shook his head at her, feeling excited for her as the girls gathered around her and she congratulated them.
The coach from the other school walked across the court and shook her hand.
It was then he noticed the national press had entered the gymnasium. They were taking pictures of her and the girls and suddenly they turned their attention to the top of the bleachers.
Some idiot kid was holding a sign that said “Go Home Adulterer.”
Damn, why couldn’t they leave her alone? With a sigh, he realized he’d helped start this when he’d told the newspaper about her. This was his fault.
Several boos were sent their direction and Emily glanced up. A frown spread across her face.
A sense of protectiveness overcame Zach as he stood and began to make his way toward her.
“Congratulations, girls,” she said. “Tomorrow morning, you can sleep in, but we will have a wrap-up tomorrow afternoon. Now, everyone, get to the showers.”
The girls were still excited as they made their way to the locker rooms.
As he walked up to her, she smiled. “Tomorrow night is your turn.”
“Yes,” he said. “Your team has improved so much. If it was the beginning of the season, I’d think they were a contender for state.”
She grinned. “Yes, I’ve been trying to calculate how we could get asked to the tournament, but it’s a long shot.”
