Page 13 of Sweet Spot

He flashed me that smile and my knees wobbled all over again. “You can count on it.”

5

Isaac

“Do you have a minute?” Kate asked. “I’d love to pick your brain if you have the time.”

The big walking dick and his friend said their goodbyes, leaving me alone in the owner’s suite with the very same woman I flirted with last night.

What were the odds?

“Of course.”

She nibbled the corner of her lips and fidgeted for a moment. “Well this is unexpected.”

“I can’t say I’m upset.” Shocked but…excited? Yeah. The stress and worry that plagued my days and nights since Eli Stirling threw my life into chaos faded—temporarily—into the background thanks to this surprise of a woman appearing out of nowhere. “Are you friend or foe, though?”

She blinked and jerked back just a little. “Oh. Yes. My role can be confusing, but I assure you I’m here to help.”

Kate seemed nice. Really nice. The woman I watched last night had a great laugh and an easy way with her friends. “Help Eli Stirling or the team?”

“If Mr. Stirling wanted someone to do his bidding he wouldn’t have hired me. That’s not what I do.”

Which begged the question, “So what do you actually do?”

“I fix sick workplace environments.” She laughed lightly at the face I made. “I know it sounds bizarre. Look at it like this. Eli brought a virus into the Mantas organization. I’m the doctor that will cure the disease. That means making everyone happy and healthy again.”

“He called you Dr. Kate James. Are you an actual doctor?”

“Not a medical doctor. I was essentially a professional academic throughout my twenties. Classic nerd. I love learning and collected degrees and certifications like candy before stumbling into this line of work. I did actually complete my PhD two years ago.”

Beautiful, smart, and here to save my ass from my evil stepfather. Okay, maybe I should layoff the fairytales with Rosie a little. Casting everyone in my imaginary version of Cinderella was going too far. But my brain was just trying to make sense of life. None of it seemed real anymore. Just a few months ago my days were beaches, tourists, nature, and Rosie. Now they entailed press conferences, practice, lineups, and a boss hellbent on ruining my team. Add on a beautiful woman that was fun to flirt with for a night, who then shows up the next morning? No wonder I was losing it a little.

“So what’s your plan?”

“I don’t know,” she said on a rush, her cheeks flushing a little like she was embarrassed. “I haven’t formed a plan yet.”

“This is the call you got last night?”

She nodded. “I need to wrap my mind around the structure of the team and the front office. Next I’ll start interviews.”

I felt myself moving closer, wanting the inches between us to disappear. Kate had my full attention now that I had the opportunity to talk with her. Like last night her dark hair was down, but today she had one side pinned back. She had on makeup, but it was light and accentuated her dark brows and lashes. I didn’t know if she did it on purpose, but she wore a dark blue blouse. Mantas blue.

“And who will you interview?” I would happily submit to daily meetings.

“Everyone.”

“Everyone?”

She nodded again. “Everyone. From the top to the bottom. Everyone has a role and everyone has an opinion. They also all have different experiences. I start with interviews and then sort of serve as a negotiator between the executives and the staff. Will the players who haven’t been signed cause you problems with spring training?”

Being reminded that three of my best players weren’t even technically on my roster at the moment sent my stress level skyrocketing again. “Not for a couple of weeks. But the closer we get to opening day, the closer we get to disaster. These guys are good players and if Stirling won’t make them offers they will sign somewhere else.”

“And he if he signs the younger, cheaper players he wants instead?”

“There will be no chemistry.” She seemed to have a very firm grasp on the sport, which was very hot, but then I remembered Mark saying something about athletes last night. “The Mantas are a well-oiled machine right now. They could go out and win games without me. A new catcher can throw off the whole team. Especially if there’s communication or style mismatches with the pitchers. But a new second baseman and a new center fielder? That’s the whole spine of the team.” I barely slept at night trying to plan for worst case scenarios. Eli Stirling made things much harder than they needed to be.

Kate cocked her head to the side and studied me. And I can’t say I disliked being studied by her. Any chance to keep her eyes on me seemed like a great idea, even if her mind was on work and not pleasure.

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