you.”
“You wouldn’t have summoned me if you’d meant to turn me down again.”
“Or maybe I’m a sadistic bastard who enjoys making you pay for past transgressions again and again.”
Marisa compressed her lips to keep from giving her opinion. His office was devoid of personal items like family photos and as inscrutable as the man himself. She wondered if this room had been Serg’s office until recently, or whether Cole had just avoided settling in by bringing mementos.
Cole smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes. “So here’s the deal, sweet pea. Serenghetti Construction builds the new gym at Pershing, no questions asked. I don’t want to hear any garbage about handing off the job to a friend of a board member.”
“What?”
“Yeah, surprised?” he asked as he prowled toward her. “So am I. I’ve been almost dancing with shock ever since I discovered you wanted me to be a poster boy for someone else’s construction job. And not just anyone else, but our main competitor. They’ve underbid us on the last two jobs. But that’s quality for you.”
“I’m sure the construction would be up to code. We’d have an inspection,” she said crossly.
“Being up to code is the least of your worries.”
Marisa felt as if she’d shown up in the middle of the second act of a play. There was a context that she was missing here. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. What friend of a board member?”
Cole scanned her face for a moment, then two. “It would figure they didn’t let the teacher in on the discussion. Have you ever sat on a board of directors?”
She shook her head.
“The meetings might be public, but there’s plenty of wheeling and dealing behind the scenes. It’s you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours. We’ll go with the headliner you want for the fund-raiser, but you’ll back my guy for the construction job.”
Marisa felt the heat of embarrassment flood her face. She’d thought she’d been so clever in her approach for Pershing Shines Bright. She hadn’t even let Mr. Dobson know she’d talked to Cole because she’d thought her chances of success were uncertain at best. She’d wanted the option of persuading Mr. Dobson to go with someone else without the appearance that she’d failed.
Now she felt like a nitwit—one who didn’t know what the other hand was doing. Or at least, didn’t know what the school board was up to. She wanted to slump into a chair, but it would give Cole an even bigger advantage than he had.
“That kind of horse-trading is corrupt,” she managed.
“That’s life.”
“I didn’t have any idea.”
“Right.”
“You believe me?”
He made an impatient sound. “You’re a walking, breathing cliché. In this case, for one, you’re a naive and idealistic schoolteacher who’s been kept out of the loop.”
“Well, at least I’ve improved in your estimation in the last fifteen years.” She dropped her handbag onto a chair. If she couldn’t sit, at least she could get rid of some dead weight while she faced Cole. “That’s more than you would have said about me in high school.”
“At this point I have a good sense of when you’re to blame,” he shot back, not answering directly.
“Meaning you have plenty of experience?”
Cole gave her a penetrating look and then said, “Here’s what you’re going to do. You’re going to tell the principal—”
“Mr. Dobson.”
“—that you’ve got me on board for the fund-raiser, but there’s one condition attached.”
“Serenghetti Construction gets the job.”
Marisa had been on a roller coaster of emotions since walking into Cole’s office. And right now elation that Cole was agreeing to be her headliner threatened to overwhelm everything else. She tried to appear calm but a part of her wanted to jump up and down with relief.
Cole nodded, seemingly oblivious to her emotional state. “Let Dobson deal with the board of directors. My guess is that the member with ties to JM Construction will have to back down. If Dobson plays his cards right, he’ll marshal support even before the next board meeting.”
“And if he doesn’t?”
“He will, especially if I say Jordan will show up, too, even though he’s not a graduate of the school. Pershing isn’t a public school that’s legally bound to accept the lowest bid on a contract. And giving the contract to Serenghetti Construction makes sense. The money that the school would save not having to pay a big name to appear at their fund-raiser tips the balance on the bottom line.”
She sighed. “You’ve thought of everything.”
“Not everything. I still have to deal with you, sweet pea.”
His words hurt, but she managed to keep her expression even. “Bad luck.”
“Bad luck comes in threes. Getting injured, needing to take over a construction firm, you showing up...”
“We’re even,” she parried. “I’ve been cheated on, gotten dumped by my fiancé and had to recruit you for the fund-raiser.”
He smiled, and she thought she detected a spark of admiration for her willingness to meet him head-on. “Not so diplomatic now that you know you have me hooked.”
“Only because you’re willing to be ruthless with your competitors.”
“Just like your douche bag fiancé?” he asked. “How did you wind up engaged to Sal? Are you hanging out in sports bars these days?”
“You know from personal experience that I visit boxing gyms.” She shrugged. “Why not a sports bar?”
His eyes crinkled. “You showed up at Jimmy’s only because you were tracking me. You’d probably claim your appearance was under duress.”
“I’m not going to argue.”
“You’re not?” he quipped. “What a change.”
“You’re welcome.”
His expression sobered. “For the record, you don’t know what to wear to a gym.”
“I came from school dressed like a teacher,” she protested.
His eyes swept over her. “Exactly. As I said, you’re a walking cliché.”
“And you are frustrating and irritating.” She spoke lightly, but she sort of meant it, too.
“Talk to my opponents on the ice. They’ll tell you all about it.”
