Page 2 of Resisting the Running Back

“No, I’m calling to talk to you about the post you made to your message board a half hour ago. I, uh…” She stutters and trails off. “I’m going to have to place you on administrative leave while the district investigates this.”

“My message board?” I glance around the guest room and realize I left my laptop on the kitchen table. “I didn’t post to my message board a half hour ago.”

My heart leaps up into my chest as I realizeIdidn’t post…but I did have my message board open because I was responding to students before Tyler got home. I abandoned my laptop to break up with him.

Oh no. Oh, God, no.

What did he do?

“There’s a post here from you, Sophie. As I said, you’ll be on leave until further notice.”

“What does it say?” I beg.

She clears her throat. “Surprise! I’ve been publishing books under a pen name for years. Buy my new erotic romance,Second Chancesby Summer Love, available now.”

“What?” I screech. “Elizabeth, be serious. Why would I post that to my message board?”

“I don’t know, Sophie. That’s what the district plans to investigate. I will be in touch when I know anything more.” She cuts the call, and I stare at the phone as my hands shake.

Anger plows into me, and I’m done remaining calm.

I leap out of bed and throw the door to the guest room open. It hits the wall behind it with a thud, and I storm through the apartment back to where the asshole was sitting not a half hour ago.

He’s not on the couch. He’s not in the kitchen, and my laptop is sitting right where I left it. He’s not in the bedroom or the bathroom, either, and I storm toward the slider to check for his car in the space outside.

It’s gone.

He did what he did, and then he left like the fucking coward he is.

I’m positively quaking with fury. I can’t believe he did this to me.

Fear plows into me. I’m going to lose my job. I’m going to lose my friends. I’m going to lose the respect of this entire community. I’m going to lose the niche I carved out for myself.

And I’m not going to be able to find another job—at least not one teaching high school students after this scandal.

It won’t matter that I’m not the one who posted it. It’s under my name, and they’ll do their investigation, and I will look guilty as sin because I do, in fact, publish romance novels, though I would never categorize them aserotic.

Shows what that stupid asshole knows.

The anger turns into grief as I start to cry.

I pick up my phone and dial the one person who is always there for me. He’ll know just the right thing to say to help me figure out where the hell I go from here.

CHAPTER 2: Miller Banks

Who Did This to You

I rub my hands together nervously, and that’s when I realize…I shouldn’t be nervous.

It’s that damn twintuition at work again.

This is my twin brother Tanner’s deal, not mine. He’s about to propose to his girl tonight on our thirtieth birthday.

Maybe I’m nervous about turning thirty. The whiskey hasn’t really helped calm that nerve. There’s something in my chest that feels off, but I’m chalking it up to Tanner.

I pull him aside. “When are you going to do it?” I ask.

He shrugs. “I think I’m ready.”

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