Not Another Bad Date

One of the female teachers looked up. “Hello, Coach Z. How’re you doin’?”

“Can’t complain, Mary Jo.” The corners of his mouth turned up into a smile that oozed Southern boy charm. “You look awfully pretty,” he told the woman old enough to be his mother. “Did you do something with your hair?”

“Got it done at the Clip and Snip,” she said through a little giggle.

Adele rolled her eyes and turned her attention to her niece. “I think we need to celebrate. Let’s go to McDonald’s on the way home from the hospital.”

A frown wrinkled Kendra’s flawless forehead. “We don’t know if I made it or not.”

“Doesn’t matter. You did a good job and tried your best. That’s all that counts,” she said, as a small crowd filtered down from the bleachers and waited for the judges. A lot of them called out “heys” to “Couch Z.” Most of them were women.

“I’m going to go stand with the other girls,” Kendra said as she abandoned Adele and moved a few feet away.

“Adele Harris. I thought that was you.”

Adele turned and looked into a pair of blue eyes that would have been on the same level as hers if she hadn’t been wearing three-inch heels. “Cletus Sawyer?”

“Yeah. How are you?”

“Good.” She gave him a quick hug, then stepped back to look at him. In school, Cletus had been a geeky nerd and they’d belonged to the same drama club. In The Tempest, she’d been Ariel, and he’d played Prospero. He’d been skinny and buck toothed, but he’d filled out some and gotten his teeth fixed. He was still fair-skinned with red hair, but he’d matured into a handsome guy. Not as handsome as the man standing directly behind him, sucking up the attention of every female in the gym. But there really weren’t many men who were better-looking than Zach Zemaitis.

“It’s good to see you,” she said through a smile. “What have you been up to?”

“Just livin’. I teach math here at Sterlin’ Park.”

A math teacher. Zach looked over the math teacher’s head at Adele. Surely she didn’t see anything remotely attractive in a guy with a pocket protector.

“What have you been up to?” the math teacher asked.

Zach would like to know that himself.

“I write science-fiction and fantasy novels.”

“Wow. Are you published?”

“Yes. I have ten books published, just turned in my eleventh and am about ready to start my twelfth.” She glanced up past the teacher’s red hair, and her gaze met Zach’s. He wasn’t all that surprised that she wrote fantasy novels. She’d been interested in fairies and druids and other weird shit when he’d known her. He was also not all that surprised that she was a published author. She’d been one of the smartest girls he’d known.

“Do you publish under your own name?”

Her beautiful blue eyes looked into his for several more seconds before she returned her gaze to the teacher. “Yes.”

“Hey, Zach,” LaDonna Simms called out as she walked toward him. LaDonna had been a good friend of Devon’s and was a member of the Junior League.

“Hey, LaDonna.” She stopped in front of him, and he looked past her big blond hair and returned his attention to Adele. He’d noticed her the second he’d stepped into the gym. Noticed her butt inside her tight jeans. Not only had she been smart, she’d always had a nice butt. Still did.

“Did you get your invitation to the Night of a Million Stars benefit?” LaDonna asked.

“Yeah I did, but I don’t have anyone involved in the Junior League these days.” Just like last year and the year before.

“Oh well.” LaDonna leaned closer and put her hand on his arm. “We all loved Devon so much, we consider you part of the League family. Unofficially of course.”

“Of course.” As LaDonna rambled on, Zach tuned her out and listened to the conversation a few feet away. It was much more interesting than pretending interest in the Junior League. Eavesdropping was rude. His momma had always told him so, but he didn’t particularly give a damn.

“You sure look good,” the math teacher said, and Zach could practically hear him drool.

“Thank you, Cletus. I jog five miles a day.”

“I work out sometimes,” the nerd said, which Zach figured was pretty much bullshit. “We should get together and catch up.”

Adele hesitated, and Zach thought she was going to turn him down. Instead, she pushed her heavy hair behind one shoulder and smiled. “I’d like that, Cletus.” She gave him her phone number and the little guy programed it into his cell.

“Can I have everyone’s attention,” Tiffany called out as she stepped up onto her chair. “We’d like to thank y’all for coming out this afternoon and trying out for the Stallionettes. But there are only two available spots.” She looked down at her notes. “It was a really hard decision, but we’d like to welcome Lisa Ray Durke and Kendra Morgan to join the team.”

Applause and a few shouts of joy accompanied the announcement. Several other girls burst into tears and fell on each other crying. Zach watched Adele’s smile reach her eyes as she turned her gaze from the math teacher and toward her niece.

“Oh, shoot.” LaDonna dropped her hand. “Roseanna didn’t make it,” she said referring to her daughter. “She’s just devastated and crying her little eyes out. Excuse me.”

Evidently, Roseanna was one of the girls carrying on. Zach didn’t understand why girls had to get so emotional about everything and why they had to get all emotional in public. Not making a dance team wasn’t like losing state or a bowl game, for God’s sake. Now that was damn traumatic.

“Hey, Daddy.”

Zach dragged his attention from Adele and her niece to his daughter. “Are you ready to go?”

“Just a sec. I have to talk to Kendra and Lisa Ray first.”

“Don’t take all night,” he said, and shoved his hat back on his head. He sat on the edge of the judging table as the gym began to clear out. He figured he’d waited about five minutes before Tiffany, Kendra, and Adele moved toward him.

“Congratulations, Kendra,” he said, and rose to his full height. “I guess this means we’ll be seeing you at the house practicing some more.”

“Oh, yeah,” Tiffany answered for the other girl. As the four of them headed across the gym, she added, “Kendra has to learn the dances really quickly. Our next competition is in a few weeks.”

“I’ll be ready,” Kendra assured her.

The heels of Adele’s shoes tapped across the hardwood floor, the sound of a pair of sexy shoes filling his head with ideas.

“I’m having a barbecue this Sunday for all the girls,” Tiffany announced. “You have to come, Kendra. It’ll be fun.”

Kendra looked across her shoulder at Adele. “Can I?”

“We’ll talk to your mom, but I don’t know why not.”

Zach opened the door for the two girls, and as Adele passed, he heard himself say, “You should come, too.” He hadn’t meant to invite her. Wasn’t even sure it was a good idea. No, strike that. He was sure. It wasn’t a good idea.

She paused, the curls resting on her shoulder a few inches from his chest. Her eyes looked into his. “I don’t think so.”

He should be relieved. For some reason he wasn’t. “Are you afraid?”

“Of?”

She looked good and smelled better, and he answered, “Of about a dozen thirteen-year-old girls runnin’ around screamin’ and gigglin’ and blastin’ shitty music.”

She almost smiled as she shook her head and stepped outside. “I’m busy.”

“With the redhead?” He followed, and the door shut behind him. If he didn’t know himself better, he’d think he