Luke couldn’t say to Amanda he wasn’t pretending—not until after the dance. He didn’t want to scare her off. Violet needed their crazy plan to work, and he didn’t want to jeopardize that.
So he needed this moment to be true. He needed to tell Amanda that Cupid had struck for real. Without using words.
Luke flattened his hand at the base of Amanda’s spine and pressed the two fingers under her chin with a gentle force.
As her chin tilted up, her lips parted slightly. The simple instinctive move drove him to the point of insistence. He closed his eyes and lowered his head.
The instant his lips joined hers, all the words Amanda had quoted earlier filled his mind. He felt the fire of the sun, the glow of the moon, and the emotional drive of two young lovers plotting on a star-lit balcony.
Luke brushed his hand down her neck and curved it behind, deepening the kiss. Amanda didn’t pull back and Luke knew this was one of those times when all the science and logic in the world couldn’t quantify what had happened in this room.
Slowly, he pulled back. He wanted to see her eyes. Wanted to know if she’d felt the same electric force that had danced between them. He took a small step away, clearing some space between them, but he didn’t move the hand across her lower back. His palm still fit to her lumbar like a glove with a heat that he could feel deep inside.
Amanda’s eyes were wide. For the first time since he’d really started paying attention, he didn’t see even a fleck of gray in them. They shone as green as a light at an intersection, stuck in the ‘go’ position.
Luke felt a kinship with that light. He wanted to go for more, to taste the warm tingle of coffee on her lips again.
They stood there for a moment, neither saying anything. The silence made Luke nervous.
“Did I make the coffee too strong?” Amanda finally said.
Luke released his hand and brought it back to his side. The solar-like spark he’d been feeling just extinguished. Of all the reactions he could have envisioned, having Amanda just laugh off that kiss hadn’t made his short list.
“Now you know why I can’t go in a Starbucks. Can’t keep my hands off the baristas.” Luke decided to just play along. Only seconds ago, he’d wanted to convey to her exactly how he felt. Now all he could do was hope Amanda thought it had been a caffeine-induced joke.
As ridiculous as that was, it beat the alternative.
It beat knowing that he’d finally let his guard down to someone who was just biding her time until Friday night, when Cupid would go off-duty.
THE CUPID CAPER
Chapter Five
Amanda stopped by Luke’s classroom after a hectic Thursday to deliver her day’s present for The Cupid Caper, only to find a gray-haired lady sitting behind the tall desk at the front of the lab.
“He has a meeting today at the Administration Building about the STEM Academy. I’ve been here since lunch. You can just leave that up here and he’ll get it tomorrow.”
The substitute teacher took the paper hand of the giant balloon in the shape of lips, complete with arms and legs. She guided it to a corner by the computer and pushed it to the back.
Amanda couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but watching the woman wrinkle her nose at the oversized gift made her feel self-conscious. Since last night, Amanda had been running all sorts of scenarios in her head.
She’d bought this crazy balloon to show that she wasn’t taking yesterday’s kiss too seriously.
Amanda knew the whole thing was part of an act—so she figured she’d just poke fun at what happened. That way, Luke would never know how his hand on her waist kept her from falling to the ground because she’d gone weak in the knees the moment his fingers brushed through her hair.
If she brought a pair of giant walking balloon lips into his classroom, she hoped he’d never find out that the only thing she’d thought of for hours was the feel of his mouth as it pressed to hers. And if she acted like all she cared about was winning the grand prize in The Cupid Caper, he’d never find out her little secret—that the only love story she wanted to hear about was her own with him.
Except that there was no love story between them.
There was no chance to make light of what had happened.
And there was no Luke to brighten her day just by looking at him.
“Are you sure you should be leaving that in here?” The older woman looked back at the balloon, gently swaying like a dancer as the draft from the air conditioner hit it. “Seems kind of inappropriate for a teacher to be bringing a big kiss to another teacher. Times have changed since I had my own classroom, I guess.”
Amanda nodded briefly and mumbled something about The Cupid Caper, and how it raised money for students. She turned and left the room without a backward glance.
She returned to her classroom to find Cupig staring right at her, and she felt her heart break a little at the site of the oversized Valentine.
“I wish you were for real, Cupig,” Amanda said flatly.
“You wish the stuffed pig was real?” Lisa stuck her head in the doorway, purse in hand. “That would be interesting. A giant, live pig wearing a diaper. Would probably generate just as much intrigue as what actually goes into the sauce on spaghetti day down in the cafeteria.”
Amanda turned away from Cupig and tried not to blush at getting caught talking to a stuffed animal. At least it was just her best friend. She’d still have to do some explaining, but not quite as much.
“No, I don’t wish he was a real pig. Just that the sentiment behind him was.”
“What do you mean?” Lisa leaned against the door frame.
“I know that Luke and I agreed to go big or go home on this whole thing with The Cupid Caper. I’ll let you in on a secret. Once we found ourselves involved, I took your advice and we committed to doing what it takes to win that car lease and turn it over to Violet.” Amanda sat on the top of one of the student desks. “But it’s hard.”
“It’s hard pretending to be Luke’s Not-So-Secret Cupid?”
“No, it’s hard pretending that’s all it is to me.” Amanda threw her hands up in the air, then slapped them down on her legs. “Do you know how hard it is to get kissed by the guy you’ve had a crush on for years—and to know that it doesn’t mean a darned thing to him?”
Lisa popped off the doorway. “Wait. He kissed you?”
“Last night.” There was no use trying to deny it to Lisa. She’d just sniff it out like a bloodhound within seconds.
“Where?” Lisa’s eyes narrowed as she began to ferret out details.
“At my place.”
“He was at your house?”
“He wanted coffee. MugBugs was packed, so I said I could make us some.” Amanda’s mind thought back to the look on Luke’s face when she brought him the coffee as he checked out her photos on the wall.
Lisa nodded deliberately. “Mmm-hmm. And then he made dessert?”
“Lisa. Really.”
Her dark blonde curls shook. “Look, I’m just calling it like I see it.”
“Well, stop, because you’re not helping things one bit.” Amanda began to feel even more uneasy than she had felt only moments before under the steel gaze of the substitute teacher.
“You want my help?”
Amanda didn’t quite know how to respond. “I think I’m beyond help, Lisa.”
“Come on, let’s go.” She lifted the hand that carried her smaller bag and waved it in Amanda’s direction. “We’ve got work to do.”
Amanda slid down from where she’d been sitting. “What are you talking about?”
“The Cupid Caper. You need a dress. Maybe you’re right. Maybe he is just in it for the outcome of tomorrow night’s drawing. But it’s up to you to make him think about something other than a car lease. You need to knock him dead tomorrow night. And if there’s one thing I know about, it’s costumes. We are going to get you a dress that’s going to knock his socks off. Grab your stuff and let’s go.”
Amanda wanted to protest. She wanted to argue that it wouldn’t matter.
But it had been a long day. And a little bit of retail therapy sounded nice.
Even if it sounded completely futile.
Luke stopped by the school on his way home to pick up some materials he’d wanted to read over again before tomorrow’s lesson. The last bell for the day had rung hours ago, and only a handful of students remained on the campus.
He took the long way back to the parking lot, down the middle downstairs hallway where the English classrooms lined up. He saw a light on at the end of the hallway, a glow coming from the Globe Theatre.
Luke’s feet moved a little more quickly when he noticed the light, and he felt the corners of his mouth turn up in a smile.
He remembered last night, the feel of Amanda in his arms, and the taste of the warm coffee on her lips when he finally got up the nerve to kiss her. Luke was one of fewer than two thousand people in the world with a BASE jumping number. He’d taken leaps from buildings, antennae, spans and earthand had the certificate to prove it.
Some people would regard his stunts as crazy.
But nothing came close to what he felt when he’d held her so close that there was no space between him and Amanda last night. Nothing matched the thrill of closing his eyes and leaning in.
And no jump from a structure, no summit of a peak, and no dive beneath the ocean matched the adrenaline rush he felt not pulling back from the spark they shared in that kiss.
He’d gone crazy alright. Crazy for the Shakespeare-quoting redhead.
Luke kept a steady pace walking down the hall. He was three classrooms away and he realized he couldn’t wait to see her.
He opened the door without knocking or hesitating.
“Hey, beautiful.” Ok, it wasn’t Shakespeare, but it was the honest truth. Amanda Marsh was beautiful, and Luke didn’t care if she thought he was crazy for saying so.
“Dr. Baker?” A woman stood up from behind the desk where she’d been picking up the trash can.
“Ivanna?” Luke noticed the large cart on wheels belonging to Port Provident’s beloved custodian and the small woman standing behind it.
“Are you looking for Miss Marsh? She’s been gone a long time.”
Luke’s heart sank quicker than someone at the end of a bungee cord. “Ok, thanks for letting me know. Have a good night, Ivanna.”
She smiled and picked up a new bag to line the trash can with. “You too, Dr. Baker.”
Luke headed toward the parking lot, realizing just how much he’d missed not seeing Amanda today. It blew him away how quickly she’d become a fixture in his life.
As he walked toward his car, he noticed an older Toyota executing a shaky three-point turn. As the car pivoted, he caught a glimpse of the driver. When the car came to a stop, he walked up and knocked on the window.
“Violet?”
The teenager rolled down the window, and her ear-to-ear grin shone clearly. “Dr. B. Check it out! This is my Uncle Will. My granny is moving in with him at the end of the month and won’t need her car anymore. He was going to sell the car, but when my mom told him about the STEM Academy, he said he’d let me have it if I help out with Granny after school. Isn’t that awesome? Now we can send in my application!”
Luke felt a sense of pride. This girl wanted to get to the STEM Academy and her family came together to make it happen. He wished all his students had parents who would move mountains like that.
“Awesome, Violet. Let’s get it submitted soon. I know you’ll have no problem getting in. This car is going to take you places you’ve never dreamed.”
The man in the passenger seat reached his hand across. Luke stuck his own hand inside the window and shook it.
“Dr. Baker, thank you for believing in Violet. She’s always been a smart girl, but no one has pushed her like you have. She’ll be the first person in our family to go to college. You don’t know what that means to her mother and her granny. And to me. Thank you.”
They may have paid out hefty bonuses in Luke’s tenure at Global Health and offered matching funds in a 401(k). He knew he’d done quality work there. But nothing compared to this. Nothing compared to changing the entire path of a family, and seeing it face-to-face.
“The pleasure is all mine. Violet’s a bright, determined young lady. One of the best students I’ve taught.” He clapped his hand on Violet’s shoulder. “Now, go practice that three-point-turn. You’ve got to be ready to be road-legal.”
Violet continued to beam. “Yes sir.”
Luke tried to get out of Violet’s path before the car started moving again. She needed a little more practice to become a seasoned driver. In spite of checking over his shoulder a few times, he felt good about what this meant for Violet.
But then he started to wonder what this meant for him. And for Amanda. And for The Cupid Caper.
If Violet now had the use of her grandmother’s car, then Luke and Amanda no longer needed to pull out all the stops to win the grand prize at tomorrow night’s dance.
And if they didn’t need to pull out all the stops to win, then he didn’t need to put on public displays of Secret Cupid affection.
He didn’t need to take Amanda to a high school dance.
And he didn’t need to kiss her again.
Except that he did.
And again.
And again.
The fact was, Luke realized as he got in his car and turned the key in the ignition, he’d fallen for Amanda Marsh. And he’d fallen harder for her than he ever thought possible in just a few short days.
He didn’t know when his rational, analytical brain had been taken over by poetry and prose and love.
Luke blamed Cupid.
But more than that, he blamed himself for never noticing Amanda’s beauty and charm before. He blamed himself for deriding a mock-up of the Globe Theatre when he should have been amazed by the creativity of a teacher who would immerse herself so fully in her work. He blamed himself for writing her off as scurrying from one activity to another instead of seeing someone who cared so deeply for her students and their well-being that she stretched herself far too thin just so she could support them and grow their dreams and knowledge and skills.
And he knew he’d blame himself for the rest of his life if he let Amanda Marsh get away.
But without the cover of The Cupid Caper, how could he tell her that without scaring her off? She’d played along for Violet’s sake. Now he needed to convince Amanda that this wasn’t a game anymore.
He just didn’t quite know how to do that. Like any good experiment, though, he knew he’d need a plan. Luke had been headed to meet some friends for his usual Thursday night pick-up basketball game. But as he drove over to the gym where they played, his mind began to race. He U-turned at the light and headed back home, certain that there was a way to match the scientist who’d always been inside with the romantic he knew Amanda needed.
THE CUPID CAPER
Chapter Six
Friday started with a blur and never slowed down. All day long, the hallways were filled with the smell of roses and a constant buzz of chatter about that night’s grand finale for The Cupid Caper. Finally, the bell rang and the students all jumped up with more nervous energy than a mug full of coffee topped with a shot of espresso.
“Violet, can you come here for just a second?” Amanda raised her voice to be heard above the din.
Violet slipped against the tide of teenagers and wormed her way to Amanda’s desk.
“I’ve got your essay here. It looks great. Really nice work.” Amanda handed a manila filing folder back to Violet, the hard copy of the essay tucked inside. “I made a few minor edits, but overall, there wasn’t much I needed to do.”
“Thanks again for taking a look at it, Miss Marsh.” Violet smiled as she took the folder and slid it into her backpack. “Hey, did Dr. B. tell you about what happened after school yesterday?”
Amanda wrinkled her brow. Luke hadn’t bee
n at school yesterday afternoon. She didn’t know what Violet was talking about. “No, I don’t guess he did.”
“I got a car!” A smile leapt onto Violet’s normally composed face. “I’m going to get my granny’s car once she moves in with my uncle next month. It’s older and it’s not fancy, but it’s going to be mine.”
Amanda’s jaw dropped slightly and she tried to grind her teeth together to keep Violet from noticing.
“Now I won’t have any problems getting to the STEM Academy. Well, that is if I can get in.”
“Of course you’ll be able to get in. You’re exactly the kind of student they’re looking for. Congratulations on the car.”
She couldn’t zone in on the conversation like she wanted to. Amanda felt awful short-changing Violet with a lack of true focus. But a thousand thoughts began to whirr in her mind, like the buzz of a hive of honeybees.
If Violet now had a car, what did that mean for the plan Amanda and Luke had concocted for The Cupid Caper’s finale tonight?
And if Luke knew about Violet’s new-to-her car, why hadn’t he said anything?
The second bell rang. “I’ve got to run, Miss Marsh. I don’t want to miss the bus. Thanks again.”
Violet took off out of the classroom at speeds that could best be described as a strong jog. Although plenty of students still conversed in the corridors, Amanda’s classroom fell silent.
Except for Amanda’s still chaotic thoughts.
She looked at Cupig, sitting in the large chair behind the rectangle table. She remembered how first seeing him perched behind her desk made her smile. She’d loved the fun, romantic gesture, and had even convinced herself that it wasn’t just part of some made-up plan.
She’d told herself that if she could only make it through the week, she could find a way to get Luke to see her as more than just the subject of some silly poem.
Against her better judgment, Amanda had allowed herself to begin to think that maybe this was her chance to have one of those moments like in classic literature or fairy tales. She’d thought that it would all be so romantic when it worked out.
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