Patricia Kay – Oh, Baby! (страница 3)

“Hey, Dillon, we need to talk,” Brian said, his affable face sporting a worried frown.

“What’s up?” Dillon said, dropping the load of files he’d carried from the main office onto his already-littered desk.

“It’s Jimmy.”

Crap. Jimmy Ferguson was the Cougars’ quarterback. Right now he was sidelined with a knee injury, and even though the knee was healing nicely and Jimmy should be able to play again by the end of the month, the kid wasn’t handling his inactivity well. He’d caused one problem after another in the past few weeks, and Dillon was seriously considering banishing him from the locker room as well as the field.

“You know what the problem is,” Brian said.

“Yeah.” If the team hadn’t been doing well during Ferguson’s forced absence, things would probably be fine—at least as far as Jimmy was concerned. However, the team was doing well. In fact, they’d won their last two games, mostly because their backup quarterback, Devon Washington, had performed spectacularly. Dillon knew Jimmy was worried he’d lose his starting spot if things continued to go well while he was sidelined.

“We need to do something,” Brian said, plopping down on a corner of Dillon’s desk.

Dillon sank into his leather armchair and sighed. “I know. I just hate to make an example of him. It’s hard enough for the kid right now.”

“Yeah, but if the other guys see him getting away with this crap, that’s not good, either.”

“I know.” Jeez, Dillon was beginning to wonder if he was cut out for this coaching gig. Or for the fatherhood gig he’d found himself in. And yet what choice did he have? It was important to establish a stable home for Aidan and it was just as important to establish some kind of stable career for himself. He was damned if he wanted to become one of those ex-jocks who tried to become actors or spent their days pitching products nobody needed. And he had no interest in spending his days in a monkey suit and tie, either. He sighed again. “I’ll talk to him, Brian. I’ll make it clear he’s on notice, and if he keeps causing trouble, he’ll be kicked off the team for good.”

Brian nodded. His still-worried expression mirrored Dillon’s own misgivings. Because Dillon knew removing Jimmy Ferguson—the cosseted and spoiled only son of Crandall Lake’s mayor—from the varsity football squad in his senior year would cause a huge uproar in the community. And Dillon had enough strife in his life right now.

* * *

Joy Ferrelli yawned, then glanced longingly out the window. If only she’d been able to skip school today the way Aidan had wanted her to. Any one of her friends could’ve gotten away with it, but they didn’t have older sisters teaching here as she did. No way Joy could skip school without Sophie finding out about it.

Sophie would have a cow if she knew about Joy and Aidan. That was the biggest reason for keeping their relationship a secret, but it wasn’t the only one. Truth was, Joy didn’t want to share what she had with Aidan. She didn’t want her girlfriends teasing her about him or asking her questions or giving her advice.

She especially didn’t want them guessing, although she was afraid they probably had guessed. Megan, her BFF, had hinted as much the other day, but Joy had managed to squirm out of a direct answer. That probably wouldn’t be the case much longer, especially because it was getting harder and harder to disguise the way Joy felt about Aidan.

She thought about last night. The way she’d sneaked out of her room after Sophie went to bed. The way Aidan was waiting for her at the corner of the street. The way they could barely wait to get to the lake before making love. And it was making love. Joy refused to even think of their relationship and the sex between them any other way. What they did was romantic and wonderful...and, and...beautiful. She guessed that was why she didn’t want anyone else to know. Because even Megan might snicker and give her sly looks and say something that would belittle what she had with Aidan. No, Joy couldn’t bear that.

Joy sighed, remembering how Aidan always made her feel. And how much she loved him.

“Miss Ferrelli, would it be too much to ask you to answer my question?”

Joy blinked. “Huh?”

“That’s what I thought,” Mr. Gardner said, frowning. “You didn’t even hear the question.” He shook his head, obviously disgusted. “If this class is that boring, maybe you’d like to drop it and take something more to your liking.”

Joy swallowed. American history was a required subject for sophomores. She couldn’t drop it, and old sour-face Gardner knew it. “Sorry, Mr. Gardner. I—I didn’t sleep well last night. I promise it won’t happen again.”

“Hmmph. See that it doesn’t.” He gave her his fish-eyed stare. “Or you’ll find yourself in detention.”

For a while, Joy forced herself to pay attention, even though she’d much rather have relived the night before. Where was Aiden now? she wondered. Had he skipped out? Had he gone out to the lake? Was he sitting in the sun, smoking a little weed?

That was another thing that would cause Sophie to have a fit, Joy thought, squirming inside. If her sister’d had any clue Joy was smoking pot once in a while, she’d... Joy didn’t know what she’d do. Probably ground Joy for the rest of her life. Plus, she’d be so disappointed. Joy could imagine the look Sophie would get on her face. And even though Joy was totally in love with Aiden and didn’t really see anything wrong with having some weed now and then—after all, what was the big deal, anyway?—she loved Sophie, and she didn’t want her to get upset.

So quit, then. Tell Aiden the truth. That you don’t like him smoking weed and you’re not going to do it with him anymore.

“Miss Ferrelli! I told you earlier if you were bored, you could leave this class. I’m sending a note to the office. Report to Mrs. Woodsen immediately.”

Joy’s heart lodged somewhere in her throat. She couldn’t believe she’d drifted into another daydream. Face flaming—how she hated the way she blushed so easily—she hastily gathered her books and mumbled, “Sorry, Mr. Gardner. Sorry.”

“That’s what you said the last time.” He didn’t look up from his cell phone where he was texting the office.

Joy swallowed. Oh God. Now she was in for it. On top of the detention she’d almost certainly get, Sophie was bound to punish her. And Friday night was homecoming. Joy had been planning to actually tell Sophie she had been invited to go by Aiden, kind of test the waters. Now she’d be lucky if Sophie let her go anywhere this weekend, let alone on a date with a senior boy.

You’ve totally screwed up.

Joy just hoped her sister was in a good mood tonight. Maybe the fact that Joy had never caused Sophie any problems before would make a difference. Maybe Sophie would be in a forgiving mood and Joy would get away with no more than a talking-to.

Sighing heavily, Joy headed for the office and whatever fate awaited her.

Chapter Two

“You what?” Sophie said, staring at Joy.

Joy grimaced. “I got sent to the office because I wasn’t paying attention in history class.”

“I don’t believe it. You of all people. Why, I thought you loved history.”

“I do love history. What I don’t love is old sourpuss Gardner.”

“Don’t call him that. It’s disrespectful.” Sophie kept her expression neutral, even though privately she had called Philip Gardner worse. He was more than a sourpuss. He was downright nasty.

“I’m sorry. But he’s so mean.”

“No excuses, Joy. You weren’t paying attention in class, and Mr. Gardner was perfectly justified in sending you to the office. So, what happened there?”

“Mrs. Woodson gave me a week’s detention.”

“Good.” Connie Woodson was the assistant principal.

Joy hung her head. “I’m sorry, Sophie. I really am. It won’t happen again.”

Sophie suppressed a smile. She knew why Joy was so apologetic. She didn’t want to be punished by Sophie, too. “You’re not going to escape punishment because you’ve apologized, you know.”

Joy bit her bottom lip. Her eyes, the same soft blue as their mother’s, never failed to elicit tenderness and sympathy in Sophie, although she fought to conceal it.

“I should ground you,” Sophie said.

“Please don’t. Not now.”

Sophie knew exactly why Joy had said not now. Homecoming was Saturday night. And Joy wanted to go. Of course she did. All her friends would be going. Weakening, Sophie said, “Well...if you promise...”

“I do! I promise! I’ll pay so much attention in all my classes, I’ll bring home straight A’s this semester.”

Sophie chuckled. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep, sweetie.”

Joy gave her a sheepish grin. “I’ll make you proud, Sophie.”

Sophie sighed. “Oh, all right. I won’t ground you...this time. But see this doesn’t happen again.”

“It won’t.”

“So you have a date for homecoming? Is that why you’re so eager to go?” Sophie picked up the mail, which Joy had placed on the gate-legged table in the entryway of the home that had belonged to Joy’s parents.

“Um, sort of...”

Sophie idly leafed through the advertisements and credit card offers. When would these banks quit sending her this stuff? She never responded. Suddenly realizing that Joy was standing there quietly, Sophie looked up. “Sorry. I wasn’t paying attention. What did you say?”