Page 41 of The Perfect Pass
Calla slid him a look as she gathered the last few footballs from the floor and placed them in a mesh drawstring bag. “That was an eerily accurate guess.”
A grin tugged at the corner of Jackson’s lips. “I have a knack for knowing the exact second when the bell’s going to ring.”
“I bet Principal Dean loves that,” Calla said, tongue firmly planted in cheek.
“I’m hardly his favorite, but I think I might be growing on him.” Jackson held his finger and thumb mere millimeters apart. “Just a tiny bit.”
Calla brushed her bangs from her eyes. The wind had really picked up since it had gotten dark outside. Overhead, a full harvest moon hung low in the sky, glowing like liquid gold.
She took a deep breath and met Jackson’s gaze. Then,one by one, the lights in the parking lot flickered off, wrapping them up in a blanket of velvety darkness. As if by a stroke of Halloween magic, their little carnival booth felt cozy and intimate again.
“It seems like you’re growing on a lot of people around here,” she said quietly.
Something had shifted between them today. Avoiding him again starting tomorrow was going to be next to impossible, but right here, right now, she didn’t much care.
“You think so?” He tucked a wind-whipped lock of hair behind her ear, letting his fingertips linger against her cheek in a whisper-soft touch.
“I know so,” Calla said, smiling into his eyes.
They still hadn’t done anything wrong. Not technically, although she had a feeling Stan might disagree.
Calla didn’t want to think about her editor. In fact, he was the farthest possible thing from her mind, which made it all the more strange when she thought she spied his familiar silhouette walking toward them from the school’s main building.
“My boss,” she blurted and then stumbled backward so fast that she nearly hit her head on the wooden ghost cutout.
Jackson caught her by the elbow just in time. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” Calla lied.She definitely wasn’t okay. She was developing feelings…for afootball player. She couldn’t pretend otherwise anymore, and just as she was trying her best to get used to the idea, along came Stanley Miller to burst her bubble. “I mean, not really. My boss is here, and it looks like he’s coming this way.”
“Now? But the carnival is over.” Jackson turned to follow her gaze.
“I know. This can’t be good.” Panic coiled in the pit of her stomach.
He must’ve heard what happened with the football toss and the crowd they’d attracted. Couldn’t the lecture wait until Monday morning? Tracking her down like this seemed extreme, even for Stan.
Jackson’s jaw clenched, and even in her nervous state, Calla could appreciate the effortless masculinity of his rugged features. “Don’t look now, but Principal Dean is with him and they’re definitely headed in this direction.”
Oh, fun! Maybe we’rebothabout to get fired.
Surely not. They were fully grown adults, not a couple of kids who’d just been caught making out on school property.
But as the two men grew closer and their tense expressions became visible in the amber light of the moon, Calla wasn’t so convinced.
“Calla.” Principal Dean nodded at her and then shifted weary eyes toward Jackson. Something was most definitely wrong, and she was beginning to think it might be more serious than anything to do with their carnival booth. “Coach Knight.”
“Stanley Miller.” Stan introduced himself to Jackson and extended his hand for a shake. “I’m the editor-in-chief at theLone Star Gazette.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Jackson said.
Stan folded his hands in front of him and cleared his throat. “I wish it could’ve been under more pleasant circumstances.”
“What’s going on?” Calla asked. She couldn’t stand the wait another second.
Principal Dean drew in a long breath before answering. “Mr.Miller just received word via the newspaper’s police scanner that one of our students has been taken to County General Hospital. He made a few calls, and once he found out the nature of the student’s injuries, he came by to apprise me of the situation.”
The words were such a shock that Calla could scarcely make sense of what the principal was saying. She’d known in her gut that something bad must’ve happened, but this was the last thing she’d expected to hear.
“What’s this about?” Jackson asked, and the weight of his tone frightened her even more.
