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in treacherous waters. The near kiss was all she could think of when she wasn’t focused on students.
    “Why are you blushing?” Beth asked as they walked toward her classroom.
    Since Dani had prep period right after lunch, she was in no hurry. The area around them was free of eavesdropping students, so she let her guard down for a moment. “Nate and I stayed really late last night to get some work done. We got locked in the supply closet when we were looking for toner.”
    “How romantic! Is that what’s making you blush?”
    “Yeah, well… We almost kissed.”
    Beth cocked her head. “You were trapped in a closet and you almost
kissed
? Weird reaction.”
    “I know. I know.”
    “And?” Beth prodded.
    “And I certainly wouldn’t mind if he tried to kiss me again.”

Chapter Five
    Noise assaulted Dani’s ears the moment she opened the doors to the gym. One thing she could say about Douglas High—the students always turned out to support their sports teams. Even a sport that seemed less popular, like volleyball.
    Scanning the bleachers, she was relieved none of the usual school gossips were there for the match—especially Mary Henry. After Dani had been locked in the closet with Nate, Mary had somehow found out and the story had spread like a rampant virus. While the grapevine at Douglas was extraordinarily efficient, it was also highly inaccurate. By the time someone worked up the guts to tease Dani about the closet incident, the tale involved them not just kissing but shoving their tongues down each other’s throats and having their hands in inappropriate places when the principal happened to discover them.
    The reason she’d decided to come to Nate’s volleyball match was to show that they were nothing more than colleagues. Friends. When people saw them being cordial yet distant, the stories would finally die, hopefully replaced with more juicy gossip about other people that was every bit as exaggerated as the “closet clinch,” as it had come to be called.
    The announcer, fellow English teacher Jeremy Pratt, was introducing the players, so Dani worked her way up the bleachers to sit by herself in what she hoped was a rather inconspicuous place—where if she were seen, no one would think anything of it. Just a teacher out to cheer for her students. As she settled herself on the uncomfortable seat, Nate’s gaze caught hers as though he’d somehow known she’d arrived.
    A smile, dimple and all, lit his handsome face. He hadn’t shaved in a couple of days, judging from the light brown stubble covering his cheeks and chin. The rugged look suited him, and damn, she really needed to stop thinking about him with any inclination toward romance.
    Why?
Beth’s voice echoed in her head.
What harm would there be in getting to know him?
    The harm would be if their names were linked often enough that the administration got wind of it. Nate was a new teacher, which meant he needed to prove himself. Dani was the new department chair, which left her in the same position—trying to show the principal that she could handle the job.
    It simply wasn’t the right time to even
consider
getting involved.
    He tossed her a goofy half-wave and then focused on talking to his team.
    Volleyball.
The poor guy had clearly been roped into coaching the sport, judging by how uncomfortable he looked pointing to his clipboard and trying to explain something to his girls. One thing that was expected of new teachers was to fill any openings in extracurricular activities. She’d coached everything from cheerleading to academic teams to the philanthropy club. All in their season, and each easily passed on to a newer or more enthusiastic teacher. With the exception of training the spring distance runners, Dani had shed all her extracurricular responsibilities, and she’d become selfish with her personal time.
    The match was close, and she lost herself in cheering for the students she either had in class or had taught in years past.