Win Me Over Read Online Free PDF Page B

lip. Now things were getting sketchy. Bribery had never sat well with her. She’d been a witness to all kinds of manipulation and backstabbing on the pageant circuit, and she hated it. But damn it, this wasn’t just about her but also her girls. They had a fund-raiser in a few weeks—a dance clinic for younger girls—but this being her first year coaching, Callie had no idea what kind of money to expect. She swallowed.
    He smiled. He had her, and he damn well knew it.
    â€œIf Coach Clark already said no to the country club, why do you think he’ll change his mind now?”
    Principal Jensen looked sheepish. “The problem is that … I took it upon myself to go ahead and sign him up anyway. Told them he’d changed his mind and said yes. They even scheduled it on a Thursday evening so he wouldn’t miss a game. They were so excited, and if he turns them down now it will make us all look bad.”
    In other words, it would make Principal Jensen look bad. Callie didn’t know what to think. This was quite a manipulation for something that seemed rather insignificant to her … school ratings, a coaching award. But the thought of announcing new uniforms to her team made her happy.
    Could she win a dance competition? Hell yes, every day of the week and twice on Sundays. Did she have time for another project? Absolutely not. Never mind that this coach would probably be a horrible dancer, old and uncoordinated … oh lord. Just thinking about it made her wince.
    â€œHe’ll need himself a partner, one that will give him a good chance of winning,” Principal Jensen interrupted her thoughts.
    Callie blew out a breath. “This could backfire on you; have you considered that?”
    â€œAbsolutely, but I have faith in you. When you talk with him I’d start with all the positives, let him know that you’re a very experienced dancer. He should feel better about it then. His plan period is seventh hour.”
    â€œWait a second.” Her eyes went wide again and she pointed at her own chest. “You expect me to break this news to him?”
    â€œI just thought maybe he’d be more likely to say yes to … well, you know. You’re a cute girl. I don’t mean that in any inappropriate way, I’m just thinking since he’s a man—”
    Callie lifted a hand to stop Principal Jensen from going any further. It was always mind-boggling when a man didn’t even realize how offensive and sexist his comments were. Even more mind-boggling that women were used to putting up with their idiocy. And to think he’d just reminded her of the last two dance team coaches’ inappropriate behavior . Poor women, they hadn’t stood a chance. “Listen, I make no promises, but I’ll try.”
    *   *   *
    She should refuse, Callie thought to her herself as she made her way down the science wing of Preston High School. She was running behind and now had only ten minutes until the first Pep Assembly started. A harsh reminder of why this was a bad idea: she didn’t have time for it. But here she was, with ten minutes to convince this no doubt masochistic and old-school coach to be her dance partner.
    She’d lain in bed last night stewing over it. It went against everything she believed in, because at the end of the day Principal Jensen had asked her to do extra work just to make a man look good. Not even just one man … but two! Unbelievable.
    Part of her wanted to march into the office and give Principal Jensen a piece of her mind on not only his style of asking for help but also his assumption that he could so easy manipulate and bribe her.
    The problem was the other part of her, the one that heard only “dancing competition” and immediately went into let’s win this bitch mode. That part was in the lead, and she couldn’t help it. Whether she liked it or not, she thrived on