Page 27 of Not On Your Life

I cross my arms. Connor is making a joke of the judicial system. But the kids are loving it. Kids who don’t have to be here after school. Kids who could no doubt be in worse places. He’s keeping them here. Keeping them safe.

My heart lingers on that thought for far longer than it should.

“This is the woman here for the coaching position,” Millie says to my left, and I whirl around, meeting the kind eyes of an aging gentleman.

He thrusts out his hand. “Principal Thompson.”

“Maddison Cardozo.” I shake his hand.

“You were an athlete yourself?”

Does the interview start now? I roll my shoulders and straighten my blazer. “Uh… yes, I played volleyball throughout high school and college.” I certainly wasn’t the best, though.

“Wonderful.” His grin grows. “I think you’d be perfect for the job if you want it.”

My gaze flicks between him and Millie. It can’t be that simple. “Just like that?” Doesn’t he want to run a background check on me before he lets me work with children? Never mind, he probably shouldn’t do that. My attempt to strangle Connor was an isolated event that will never happen again.

“We don’t have many options,” he says, wasting no time. “We are already understaffed. We have an open gym starting next week but no one to coach. You don’t have to agree right away, of course.”

I clear my throat and run a hand down my pantsuit. Why did I break my lucky suit out of the closet for this?

“This will only be until a permanent coach is found, right?” Or until I get back into law. Where I should be.

“Of course. We can keep the position available if that’s better for you.”

“I…”What do I say?I was under the impression this was a short-term thing.

“Great!” He takes my nonanswer as confirmation and is already turning away. “See you next Tuesday.”

And…interview over?

The second he’s gone, I turn to Millie. “What just happened?”

“He’s a little much.” She shrugs. “But he’s right; the school doesn’t have many options. No options, actually. These girls need a coach and a team, or they aren’t going to be able to qualify for scholarships.” She frowns. “None of them will make it to college without scholarships.”

My shoulders droop. I paid my way through my undergrad with scholarships.

“Are you going to do it?”

I shouldn’t. My mom will be livid and it will waste time I could be training or interviewing for prospective jobs. But I won’t leave these kids in a bad position if I can help. I sigh, giving in to the inevitable.“Of course, I will.”

She claps her hands. “Yay! I knew you would. I have a good feeling about you.”

I hold up a hand, warding off her excitement before it can get too out of control. “But only until I can get back into law.”

“Of course.” Millie nods eagerly. But there’s a hint of something mischievous in her eyes.

I’m not sure how to feel about Millie. Her bubbly and contagious perkiness is impossible to dislike. I can tell she isn’t pretending to be genuine, but she truly is. She’s one of those rare souls who makes me feel seen from the moment I meet them, and I can’t help but want to be like her.

But then there’s the undeniable fact that she’s related to Satan.

It ruins things a bit.

Chapter 10

Maddie

I take a deep breath before I step out of the car, preparing myself for the evening with my parents. They require my presence for dinner at least once a month to ensure proof of life. I was supposed to train Connor tonight but rescheduled to be here. If I didn’t attend, my mother would most likely send a police officer to my apartment. And who knows if I’d get an actual officer.