Playing at Love

by Ophelia London

  “Got it,” Tess said.

  “Got it,” Jack echoed. He stood first but allowed Tess to exit before him. Neither said a word as they walked past the office workers and out of the administration building.

  When Tess suddenly stopped a few paces outside the office, Jack almost ran into her. She turned around, her blue eyes wide, looking startled to find him so close. “Look,” she said, smoothing her dark hair away from her face. “Joe said to keep this under wraps for today. I promise if you promise.”

  Jack was taken aback and felt his eyebrows pull together. “I heard what he said. And I’m not a cheater.”

  Tess exhaled a sigh. “This isn’t a game, Jack. This is about our jobs—a lot of people’s jobs.”

  Jack ran a hand through his hair. “Don’t I know it,” he said, lowering his gaze. He hadn’t meant to, but his eyes automatically fixed on the V-cut of her shirt. When he heard Tess clear her throat, he lifted his chin.

  She was staring at him now, shaking her head. Jack knew that most women didn’t appreciate being checked out so blatantly, but it had been out of his control. A moment later, her face seemed to soften a little. “I can’t believe this is happening,” she said, running a hand over her mouth.

  Jack blinked, surprised by the sudden vulnerability she was showing. He remembered that about her, too: how sensitive she was. And how had he treated those tender feelings fifteen years ago? He didn’t want to think about it. He’d been such a cocky kid back then, thinking he could get away with anything. And now…he wanted to explain what happened at the end of that summer. He wanted to tell her why he hadn’t shown up that night.

  Without thinking, he stepped toward her, about to say what he should have said years ago.

  Chapter Three

  This was the first real close-up look Tess had gotten of Jack. When she realized she was staring at him, she immediately dropped her eyes. But she should’ve dropped them all the way to the ground and not zeroed in on his chest. She could easily see how cut he was through his white button-down shirt. It was open at the throat, giving her just a little peek at the inside. There was that cologne again. It should be illegal to smell so delicious around minors.

  Crap! she thought, turning her eyes away. Checking him out in broad daylight. I’m as bad as he is! Though it is a nice chest.

  “I hope you know that I had no idea about this,” Jack said.

  Tess hated to admit it, but she knew he was telling the truth. Not that she was feeling sorry for the guy, but, in some ways, he probably was worse off than she was, being new to the school.

  “Of course,” she said with a nod. “Neither of us is at fault here.” Her mind instantly slid into planning mode, what her first move should be. When she shifted her weight, ready to head to her classroom and start strategizing, Jack reached out and touched her arm.

  “Tess,” he said. “Do you have another minute?”

  Tess stared down at his fingers touching her, but she didn’t pull away, instantly remembering the first time he’d held her hand. They were on the beach, the moon was high, and she had wanted to throw him down on the sand and…

  The sudden memory from a million years ago caused her to flinch back, and she made a point of checking her watch. “Sure,” she said, answering his question. “It’s another forty-five until first period.”

  Jack motioned to a spot around the corner with less foot traffic. Tess followed him. She was curious to hear what he had to say—while maybe sneaking one more peek at his chest—yet anxious to get to her office; she really needed to come up with a plan. Now.

  Jack opened his mouth to speak, but then something seemed to change in his brown eyes. “So, how is your family?” he asked, leaning back on his heels.

  “Oh, um, fine,” she replied, a little confused. “My parents are retired and… You remember my brother, Charlie?”

  Jack laughed softly. The deep, masculine sound made the back of Tess’s neck feel hot. “Of course I do. He taught me to drive that summer. He doesn’t still have that sixty-seven Impala, does he?”

  Tess couldn’t help laughing, too. “He does, actually. It doesn’t run, but he’s hoping to restore it when he has time. It’s up on blocks at our parents’ house now.”

  Jack rubbed his chin and seemed lost in memories for a second. “I would love to see that car again.” He smiled. “He let us take it out the night of my sixteenth birthday. Remember that?”

  “I do.” She laughed again, her mind easily flashing back to that night. It had been about halfway through the summer. In his typical swaggering fashion, Jack never let Tess forget that he was turning sixteen first—even though it was only by a few months. “Remember, Tess,” Jack was fond of saying whenever there was a decision to be made, “I’m older than you.” It got to be a running joke. Tess couldn’t help smiling at the memory, remembering all the things she let him get away with back then because he was “older.”

  “I have so many memories of that car,” Jack said, pulling Tess back to the present. “You and I spent a lot of time…” His voice faded away.

  Tess’s tummy made an unexpected flip, knowing exactly where his thoughts were going. They had shared a lot of memories in that car. Charlie may have taught Jack to drive it, but Jack had taught Tess a few things while inside that piece of American heavy metal.

  She felt herself blushing at the memories that suddenly felt like yesterday. She looked at Jack and tried to find that sixteen-year-old boy who was still filling out, who was too tall for his body and whose hands could practically circle the entire width of her waist. She glanced at his hands and thought about how they might feel around her waist. How far could they encircle her now?

  Wake up, Tess! she shouted inside her head. This is the man who is standing between you and your job. Remember that!

  “Listen,” she said, fighting to keep her head in the game, “it was nice to catch up and so forth, but I really have to go. Obviously my plans for the day and the next two months have blown up in my face.” She shifted her heavy bag to her other shoulder. “So if you’ll excuse me…”

  “Wait a minute.” Jack moved to stand in her path. “Don’t you think we should talk about this? Set some ground rules?”

  “Jack.” Tess groaned. “As I said before, this isn’t a game. You do your thing, I’ll do mine, and just”—she extended her arm to move him aside—“try to stay out of my way.”

  Okay, so maybe she was being just a tiny bit wenchy here, but she didn’t owe Jack Marshall anything. No matter what he said or what they agreed on or how sexy he smelled…there was no doubt about it: they were on opposing sides. Which might royally suck, but she couldn’t forget it.

  After silently staring down at her, Jack opened his mouth as if he was about to say something else. But he didn’t. He just stepped aside, allowing Tess to pass.

  “Thank you,” she said civilly.

  “You’re welcome,” Jack replied, echoing her tone.

  They accidentally bumped shoulders as Tess walked one way and Jack walked the other.

  …

  The moment Jack was around the corner, he breathed out and unclenched his jaw.

  What was it with this woman? Regardless of how crazy he’d been about her when they were teenagers, she wasn’t that beautiful; no more beautiful than Susan, his ex-wife. So why was Tess Johansson already under his skin?

  As he walked down the hall, Jack couldn’t help picturing Tess’s expression as she’d stormed away from him. He smiled. Then swallowed. Okay, so maybe she was more beautiful that Susan.

  But still, he couldn’t lose his head like this.

  Thinking about Susan didn’t exactly help to calm him down. The more he thought about it, the more he knew he simply could not afford to lose this job—not with the court date looming so near. Susan hadn’t asked for much in the divorce five years ago, but the new custody hearing was a totally different matter. If Susan thought she could use Jack’s employment status as leverage—or anything else in his per
sonal life—she just might. She had never been a malicious person and they’d managed to remain friendly for Jenna’s sake, but when it came to their daughter, Jack wasn’t sure what Susan was capable of.

  Frustrated, Jack walked to a drinking fountain and bent over, feeling cold, refreshing water fill his mouth. Which, for some asinine reason, made him think about Tess again. He stood up and squared his shoulders. She was right: this wasn’t a game. This was dead serious. And he’d be damned if he were going to lose his football team because of some glorified singing group or their blue-eyed leader with the great legs.

  With his mind clear and back in the game, he headed to the gym.

  “Um, Coach?”

  Jack stopped walking and turned toward the voice. It was a student. Male. Maybe sixteen years old.

  “I’m Andy Rivers.”

  Jack smiled. “Hi, Andy. Coach Marshall. Nice to meet you.”

  Andy shuffled his feet. “So, I know tryouts for this year’s football team happened last spring with Coach Smith before he retired, but I also heard you’ll be holding walk-on tryouts this week.”

  Andy Rivers was just a little guy. Maybe five-four. And skinny. If he was planning on going out for anything besides a kicker, the kid would get pulverized. He was probably better suited for the chess club.

  But Jack knew how important organized sports could be in building self-esteem, especially at this kid’s age.

  “You heard right,” Jack said, jerking his head so Andy would walk with him. “Today through Wednesday.” They walked down the hallway, weaving past the other students who’d arrived early for the first day of school. “Drop by my office in the gym sometime today and pick up the forms for your parents to sign.”

  Andy’s eager expression dropped. “Forms?” he said. “What a pain.”

  Jack chuckled. “Well, the school requires them for insurance. And since I’m brand-new here, I have to follow every rule.” He smiled. “But I’d love to see you at tryouts. You’ll have a good time.”

  Andy nodded but his smile looked weak. “Okay, Coach. I’ll be there.”

  “Great,” Jack said, glancing at his watch. “Well, I’ve got to run to my office for a meeting with my coaching staff. Stop on by for those forms, okay?” He turned toward the gym. “I’ll see you then.”

  As Jack walked across the asphalt under the bright morning sunlight, he felt buoyant, happy again at his decision to take the coaching job at Franklin High. He passed by a bulletin board and noticed a bright-yellow flyer. Join the school choir! it read. The words were framed in glitter.

  Jack rolled his eyes, but then Tess automatically popped into his mind—her legs, more specifically. It took great effort to get the image out. Frustrated with his lack of focus, he scoffed and slid on his sunglasses. Suddenly the bright sunlight didn’t make him feel so happy.

  …

  “Penny, you’re up next,” Tess said. “Have you picked a song?”

  “Yes, Jo.” The slight blond girl made her way to the front of the class and stood beside the piano. “Page forty-five, please.”

  “Great.” Tess smiled. She’d always loved how the students referred to her by the sweet, informal nickname. It was one of the only ones students could get away with—that and “Coach.” But Tess didn’t want to think about that name.

  If the music program gets cut… Tess’s smile dropped as she inwardly cringed—she didn’t even want to think about it. But if it did, she was really going to miss the days the students did impromptu solos. The kids had a great time showing off for one another while overcoming their fears in a safe environment. Tess would miss watching them find their voices. It was the first exercise of the semester and always one of the most enjoyable for everyone.

  Tess had been thinking about it off and on during the past three class periods. She figured that what the show choir needed was a way to really stand out, to wow the judges at Invitationals in a few weeks and then at Regionals at the end of October. She was already brewing some ideas but nothing mega-fab had leaped out yet.

  Damn that Jack Marshall, she thought as she flipped to the correct page in the thick spiral-bound book leaning above the keyboard. She scanned the song quickly and was surprised; this looked pretty advanced. Most of her students were sticking to the standards like “The Rose” or “I Dreamed a Dream” or anything from Wicked.

  Penny had chosen the tongue-in-cheek-titled “Shy” from Once Upon a Mattress: a song meant for a true belter with no fear. Tess glanced at Penny from over the top of the upright piano she was seated behind. The girl was standing tall with her own spiral-bound book in her hands. The year before, Penny had been in her mixed ensemble class and she’d done okay, but she hadn’t been a standout performer and definitely not a strong enough vocalist to pull off a song like this.

  And talk about comically ironic. Tess couldn’t help remembering that the only time she herself had ever performed “Shy” was the summer she’d met Jack.

  The resort both families had been staying at—in true High School Musical tradition—had offered a karaoke contest the first weekend. That was the night Jack had approached her, right after she’d taken the stage and belted out the silly, theatrical crowd-pleaser. While the audience was still applauding, he’d crossed the room, looked her in the eyes, and said he thought she was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen.

  Seriously, he’d said that. At fifteen.

  And it hadn’t come out as a cheesy line, but more of a significant fact that he just needed to tell her.

  She’d seen him around the beach and clubhouse during the week, of course, because Jack was far and away the hottest guy there. She’d noticed how he seemed to keep to himself, never chatting up girls and only hanging out with two other guys—who she later learned were his older brothers. Right before she’d taken the stage, he had caught her eye. And smiled. Even now, Tess could easily recall how she’d felt at that moment, how her heart had started to pound under his gaze and her knees felt weak—kind of like how she’d felt when the all-grown-up Jack had touched her arm only a few hours ago.

  “Um, Jo?”

  Tess quickly shook herself awake, rubbed her damp palms together, and began to play. It wasn’t until halfway through the first chorus that Tess was awake enough to actually listen to Penny singing. Was this the same girl from last year? Her support was strong, her phrasing flawless, and her pitch dead-on.

  “Vamp from the top!” Tess called to Penny over the music, curious to see how the songbird would do at improvising on the fly. Penny got right into it, going as far as dropping the songbook and flirting with the boys in the front row. When she finished, the classroom exploded in applause.

  Tess sat perfectly still, watching it all. After about ten seconds, she grinned, realizing she now had a plan.

  “Thank you, Penny,” Tess said, trying not to leap out of her seat.

  After three more sub-par renditions of Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful,” the bell rang and class was dismissed.

  “Penny,” Tess said, catching the girl before she left for lunch hour, “will you stay after for a minute?”

  Penny nodded. “Sure, Jo.”

  Tess began stacking loose pieces of sheet music. “How was your summer?” she asked. “Did you take private voice lessons?”

  “Was…was that okay?” Penny asked dubiously.

  “Of course! You sounded wonderful. I was blown away.”

  “Really?” Penny looked relieved, like she’d been about to faint. “Because when I finished, you didn’t say anything. You were just staring at me.”

  “You were really amazing. You’ve improved so much.” Tess leaned an elbow on the top of the piano. “And you certainly don’t seem inhibited.”

  Penny stood a little taller. “I can sing anything, Jo,” she said, confidence flowing. “I’ll totally prove it to you right now.” She unzipped her backpack and pulled out her songbook—almost like a challenge. “Any page. I can do it.”

  Tess laughed. She would
have loved to simply take Penny at her word, but with the plan she was concocting, she needed to be sure the girl really did have the chops to pull it off.

  “Okay,” Tess said, moving to the piano and sitting down. “Let’s try page nineteen.”

  Not hesitating, Penny flipped to that page, glanced at it, and then nodded at Tess.

  Penny sang one verse and one chorus of that first song, leaving Tess even more impressed. She picked a more challenging song next, but nothing seemed to faze Penny. She had a natural gift that was blooming at the perfect time.

  Tess was certain she’d found her star.

  “Penny,” Tess said after they went through one last song. “If your schedule allows it, I would love for you to be in the show choir.”

  The girl’s eyes lit up. “Really, Jo? I thought auditions were last spring.”

  “Well, since you’re a senior, I’m sure we can make an exception. And”—Tess moved around to the other side of the piano—“I’d like to talk to you about something else.” She didn’t divulge the whole story about the budget cuts right then, but she did share with her student that she wanted to try something extra special and maybe even a bit edgy at the two musical contests that fall.

  “I’ve been thinking that it might be really interesting if the group’s competition piece centered around one person, just one vocalist, and all the numbers were kind of tailored to that singer. It would be like a showcase—really different from anything the competition has seen. If it works, we would be a complete standout.”

  “That sounds so cool,” Penny said.

  “I’m glad you think so.” Tess grinned at her. “Because I want to showcase you.”

  Penny’s eyes went wide as she slowly processed this information. “What? Me? Why?”

  “Because I see your talent and I know you can do it,” Tess said. “Your voice is unique and pure and rich. And I saw the way you worked the crowd earlier. I think you would be fantastic. But only if you want it.”

  “I do want it,” Penny said, even though she was beginning to look green. “I’m just feeling a little…” She took a step backward and sank into a chair. “Scared,” she mumbled.