by Piper Rayne
I purposely park in the first row and honk my horn to announce our arrival to everyone at the school, because pissing off Sedona is one of my top five favorite things to do.
I’ll probably miss that come next year.
Phoenix’s stomach rumples as she exits the car while Sedona has already raced off to the nearest entrance like that creepy IT clown is following her.
I stroll toward the door, reloading my emails on my phone, hoping I receive the response I’m waiting for this morning and that it contains good news.
Elijah, my star pitcher cuts me off. “Coach. I need some advice.” He runs his fingers through his long hair.
“How to cut your hair? Come see me. I’ve got clippers in my office.”
It’s like a contest these days with the kids to see who can grow their hair and look the most unkempt. I just don’t get the appeal and Elijah is the worst of them all.
“No Coach, Becca broke up with me.”
There’s a hitch in his voice. His eyes scour the courtyard where most of the kids hang out until the first bell rings.
I stuff my phone into the pocket of my jacket. “Why?”
“Well…” He runs his fingers through his hair again.
For the love of God. Once the season starts I’m making a new rule, if your hair covers your eyes, I’m your barber.
Of course, then JP’s mom will call to complain. She always calls. I think if we changed the flavor of the performance drink we give them from strawberry to lime she’d call. You know the type. He’s her only kid, her pride and joy. She probably still wipes his ass to make sure he did it right.
I push JP’s mom out of my head because just the thought of dealing with her will give me a headache. “What did you do?”
I open the door into the hallway. With it being Monday morning, my fellow teachers nod, gripping their coffee mugs like life vests.
A group of three girls lingering around one locker follow Elijah as we head down the hall. I’m not blind. He’s kind of a big deal around here and I can guess what path his teenage hormones led him down. They’re tricky fuckers to manage.
“You know Sara Pylar?” Elijah asks in a tentative voice.
See? Too bad I can’t bet on my player’s screw ups. I wouldn’t be working here, that’s for sure. I’d be a rich man.
I open up the door to my classroom and Elijah heads in first.
Do I know Sara Pylar? Of course, I do. She’s usually the one in the short skirt with her finger twirling a strand of hair. The worse her grades are, the more bubble gum she chews and asks to move to the front row, so she can see the smart board better. Sara would eat up and spit out a kid like Elijah if he ever tried to tangle with her.
“Yeah, I know Sara.”
He sits down in the chair next to my desk. “There was this dare…”
“Nothing good comes from those.” I cross my arms over my chest.
“JP was razzing me about how I’ve only ever kissed Becca and that when I went to college, we’d break up and that the girls at college are on another level.” His eyes widen, silently asking me.
I went to college, I played in college and at one time I thought maybe I’d hit the majors. Not that I even knew if I had a shot, but family responsibilities brought me back to Lake Starlight. Now I teach and try to advise kids like Elijah not to make the mistakes I did. Then again, youth is your free pass to do stupid shit. It’s a rite of passage.
“Girls in college are just girls that you went to high school with but a little older.” I sit in my chair, grabbing a pen. I always have to hold something in my hand. Sitting still is kind of a hard thing for me.
“He said that I’d regret not having experience.”
My gaze lands on the clock. Elijah has about five minutes before first class bell.
“Listen.” I hold my hand up to stop him from his rambling on.
Elijah is good enough to be drafted first round and this town can’t wait to see him succeed. He’ll have plenty of temptation come his way over the years and he needs to decide now how he’s going to handle it.
“Did you kiss Sara?” I ask.
“No, but…”
“I’m gonna guess here and tell me if I’m wrong.” He closes his mouth, so I continue. “You let your friends get to you. JP, whose mom probably follows him on dates you realize, tells you that you don’t have enough experience and should kiss another girl.” He’s nodding now and smirking because everyone knows JP’s mom will probably put up spy cameras in his dorm room next year.
“You thought hey, what if Becca does break my heart and fall for someone next fall. Where does that leave me? So, you went into a bedroom or somewhere private with a very willing Sara. Then Becca somehow walked in on you right before you finished debating in your head if you were going to kiss her?”
You see me trying to make it seem like he would never cheat on Becca? Probably bullshit. He’s seventeen. He would’ve kissed Sara and blown his own relationship with Becca into smithereens and only realized what a mistake that was down the road.
“Exactly Coach.”
“Now you have to grovel.”
I check the clock one more time. Three minutes until first bell.
“I did. I went to her house. I texted her.”
I stand to let Elijah know he’s leaving before my class arrives.
“Sorry,” I smack him on the back. “You need to pull out the big guns.”
His shoulders slump.
“Just think of what makes Becca happy. Why she fell in love with you and you’ll figure it out.”
“How do you know, Coach?”
I open the door and wait for him to walk through.
“Because I was you at one time. And another piece of advice?” He waits for me on the other side of the door. “Don’t go listening to your friends. They usually give shit advice and, honestly, you usually get a lot more experience with a girlfriend then by flipping around with multiple girls. Teenage boys have shit for brains. Don’t listen to them.”
I really don’t want to know how far he’s gotten with Becca. Especially with Phoenix and Sedona being the same age as Elijah.
“Well, we have…” He looks up at me sheepishly.
“That’s a conversation I don’t want to hear and no one else should either. Don’t be a dick and kiss and tell.”
The bell rings. “Go to class.”
He turns around. “You mean assembly.”
“Assembly?”
We walk out into the hallway where everyone is filing toward the auditorium.
“Yeah, remember Principal Miller had the baby?”
Shit. Now I’m running my fingers through my hair. All the teenage angst this morning had me forgetting that we all have to meet the new Principal of Lake Starlight High School this morning. The last principal I’ll ever be under because next year I’m heading to the college level—I hope.
“Yeah. Go. You don’t want to be late.”
“Thanks Coach…for everything.” He jogs down the hall, catching up to his friends.
I turn to go through the back entrance since I’ll have to sit in a chair in front of all the students so that we appear as a united front for the new principal. A symbol that says we have their back.
I run smack dab into Fay Murphy, the office assistant.
“Hey, Fay.”
“I’m so happy I found you.”
She seems a tad flustered, and her face has that beet red overlay she gets when Principal Miller used to reprimand her for not refilling her stapler. It’ll be a nice change around here without that dictator. Let me tell you—pregnant women do not like it when they have to give up coffee—something we all paid the price for.
“What’s up?” I start walking because we’re going to be late if we don’t hurry.
“We need you to introduce Principal Radcliffe.” She peers behind me and then pushes up on her tiptoes to whisper in my ear. “Dick, I mean Vice Principal Ealey, called in this morning. I think he was stil
l…”
Fay doesn’t have to finish the sentence. Dick Ealey went through a very public divorce last year and has been spending a lot of his time at the Lucky Tavern drowning in a helluva lot more than his sorrows.
“Why me?”
She hands me a piece of paper. “The kids look up to you and everyone thinks that the kids will welcome Principal Radcliffe if you introduce her.”
Her. Another woman.
Hopefully, this one is well caffeinated and not pregnant. We’ll all stand a better chance that way.
I accept the piece of paper, looking over what I need to say.
“Fine.”
I’m not scared of public speaking. I’ve got two teenage girls at home. You don’t know a hostile environment until you’re trying to break up a fight between those two.
“You’re the best, Austin.” Fay squeezes my forearm and walks down the hall.
My footsteps slow as I read over the new principal’s bio. What the hell is a Yale graduate doing in Alaska at Lake Starlight High School? I fold up the piece of paper, after skimming over her education. I can wing it from there, besides the kids could care less about what’s printed on that sheet.
Heading into the auditorium, I search out the new face of our principal, but I know everyone here.
“She’s running a tad late, so if you could stall, I’ll tap you on the shoulder when it's safe to announce her,” Fay informs me.
“I’m not a zoo keeper.”
Fay laughs.
I will not miss this part of my job next year. I sure hope when I decide to stroll in during second period, Principal Radcliffe doesn’t raise a paddle to my ass.
Before I realize it, I’m in front of the podium, clearing my throat. My gaze searches out Sedona who rolls her eyes and looks away. I have no fucking clue why she’s so embarrassed of me. I mean, look at me. Six foot two, two ten, short and neat haircut. I work out four times a week, hike, bike, ski. My muscles aren’t from just the gym…
Okay before I keep sounding like a male seeking female want ad, let’s get on with how my day went into the shitter in a matter of twenty minutes.
I tell a few jokes, and the kids loosen up a bit. Maybe I should rethink the whole college baseball coach thing and go for standup comedy, I’m pretty good at this.
Fay taps my shoulder and thank God because I’m running out of material. I pull the paper out of my back pocket and clear my throat one more time.
“Alright everyone. We all know that Principal Miller has left us to enjoy her new baby and so we’re welcoming a new principal into our school. Our new principal for the remainder of the year is Dr. Radcliffe. She graduated from Yale with her doctorate in education. She comes here from the lower forty-eight, so make sure you give a big Alaskan welcome!” About half the kids in the auditorium clap while the rest of them stare at the stage with an expression that only a bunch of unimpressed and uninterested teenagers can manage. Time to grab their interest and get them to buy in. “Principal Radcliffe’s hobbies include streaking during football games, ferret racing, and taking surveys for money.”
The kids roar with laughter finally looking like they’re interested and want to be here. Fay steps up and nudges me.
“Sorry,” I mumble an apology. “We’ll bring Dr. Radcliffe out to explain her hobbies more in depth.” I turn from the podium at the sound of heels clicking across the stage.
This is the part where my mouth drops open in surprise and my testicles jerk up seeking out protection.
See the auburn-haired woman walking right toward me?
The one who looks as pissed off as Sedona did when I honked my horn in the parking lot this morning?
Yeah, that’s my new boss.
The new Principal of Lake Starlight High School.
I don’t believe in kissing and telling, but I’ll tell you—this is the first and only principal I’ve ever given an orgasm to in the backseat of my Jeep.
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Cockamamie Unicorn Ramblings
That’s it. The end of the Blue Collar Brothers series. We’re sad to see the Bianco brothers go, but we have a feeling we’ll be revisiting them often.
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This series was so much fun to write and we couldn’t be happier with the way you’ve opened your hearts for each one of our Italian brothers. All three of them are like our unicorns, magical and unique, making us love them all equally. Just like Mama Bianco.
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The story for Luca’s book started with us trying to figure out a title that worked with EMT that had an alliteration to it. (Insider Tip: Piper is a HUGE sucker for alliteration.) When we thought of the word engaged, it worked perfectly because the fake engagement/fake relationship is a storyline we haven’t attempted yet.
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From there we had to think of a reason WHY Luca would want to enter into a fake engagement. Since we are writing romantic comedy, we knew we had to tread carefully and not make the book too sad. This is where Mama Bianco’s heart arrhythmia was born. Rayne’s dad has been living with Atrial Fibrillation for over five years now. Although her family is comfortable with his diagnosis now, those early years and surgeries were scary times. Which made it easy to see why Luca, the baby of the family, would be the perfect hero to do something crazy like fake an engagement for his Ma’s benefit (or so he believed). Of course, the only girl he’d want to do it with is the one he loves to hate…or at least pretends to.
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We enjoyed giving Luca and Lauren a run for their money. She loves to call him on his shit and he loves to pull reactions out of her. Hopefully you agree with us, that these two were only meant for each other.
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It takes a village and we’d be remiss if we didn’t give thanks to ours:
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Letitia from RBA Designs
Wander Aguiar
Ellie from Love N Books
Shawna from Behind the Writer
Dani Sanchez and the whole Inkslinger PR gang
All the bloggers who carve out time to read and review our books.
All our early ARC readers
And of course, all our unicorns. <3
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Thanks to each and everyone of you for helping get this book out in the public. We literally could not do it without all of you.
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A huge thanks to all the readers who embraced these characters and want to join the Bianco family as honorary members! Hey – maybe we should put that on a t-shirt or something? LOL
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Next up for us, is the start to a brand new series in a brand new world, The Baileys. BUT after the first three books from that world are released, we’re heading to NYC to spend time with the Bianco’s NYC cousins. That’s right! Remember Enzo? All three of the Mancini brothers will be getting their own book in our White Collar Cousins series. And just wait until you meet the three ladies who get these Italian men hot under the collars! ;) Look for the first book, Sexy Filthy Boss, out in June 2019.
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Until then unicorns, stay fabulous!
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Xo,
Piper & Rayne
About Piper & Rayne
Piper Rayne, or Piper and Rayne, whichever you prefer because we’re not one author, we’re two. Yep, you get two USA Today Bestselling authors for the price of one. Our goal is to bring you romance stories that have "Heartwarming Humor With a Side of Sizzle" (okay...you caught us, that's our tagline). A little about us... We both have kindle’s full of one-clickable books. We're both married to husbands who drive us to drink. We're both chauffeurs to our kids. Most of all, we love hot heroes and quirky heroines that make us laugh, and we hope you do, too.
www.piperrayne.com
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Also by Piper Rayne
The Modern Love World
Charmed by the Bartender
Hooked by the Boxer
Mad about the Banker
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The Single Dad’s Club
Real Deal
Dirty Talker
Sexy Beast
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Hollywood Hearts
Mister Mom
Animal Attraction
Domestic Bliss
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Bedroom Games
Cold as Ice
On Thin Ice
Break the Ice
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Charity Case
Manic Monday
Afternoon Delight
Happy Hour
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Blue Collar Brothers
Flirting with Fire
Crushing on the Cop
Engaged to the EMT
The Baileys
Lessons from a One-Night Stand (2.7.19)
Advice from a Jilted Bride (3.21.19)
Birth of a Baby Daddy (5.2.19)
White Collar Cousins
Sexy Filthy Boss (6.11.19)
Dirty Flirty Enemy (7.23.19)
Wild Steamy Hook-up (9.3.19)
