Page 16 of Sweet Spot

Mom pointed at the group surrounding the laptop. Sure enough I saw his red hair between two sets of shoulders. “He’s excellent with the customers and okay with the books, but he’s terrible with a hammer.” She frowned. “Don’t look at me like that. We’re hiring Duke to be the on-call handyman. Your father is enjoying his retirement and being a grandfather. He has no intentions of doing the work himself.”

I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. “Good.”

She shook her head again. “You’re a born father. You’ll be an amazing manager.”

My need to make sure everyone around me was always taken care of was strong. I didn’t realize how strong until Rosie came along. It short circuited my brain and turned me into an overprotective, overbearing pain in the ass. At least that’s what everyone told me.

“Time will tell.” I still had serious doubts about my ability to balance a high stress job and fatherhood. It was why I left baseball in the first place. Just the idea of being away from Rosie that much killed me. I didn’t want to be an absentee father when she already had a mother married to her work. Something had to give. I was happy for it to be me. I wouldn’t change one single thing about my life.

“When do you leave?”

“Seven.” One night at home with my daughter and then off to camp. I would stay here and make the hour drive into camp each day, but the days were long and I made the decision to rent a house right next to the training complex and focus on the team. If I wanted, it was easy to come home for a night, plus Mom and Dad would bring Rosie to me on the weekends and watch some games. It wasn’t like I was on the other side of the planet.

I was crazy to think my attraction to Kate might lead to something more. I looked around. Looked at my life. Split between islands, a daughter to raise, an entire team to manage. When would I have time for a love life?

6

Isaac

“Carlos looks good. His swing is smooth and his fielding is tight. I think he might be ready by midseason,” Gordon, my bench coach said, pointing at the names on the board. “And Joe, that kid from Oklahoma? I like him. Too young still. Makes mistakes he shouldn’t but give him a year and you’ll like him too.”

“I like them all.” Making decisions on who went back to their lower division teams and who might get to stay and make the opening day roster was hard. I remembered all too well being in their shoes, hoping that this year was my year.

“Any word from Wes Allen?”

That was one huge chunk of stress off my shoulders. “Should report tomorrow. There was a little negotiating still taking place this morning but I was told it was minor and the deal should be done tonight.” Stirling finally gave me my catcher. Not only did I need Wes behind the plate once the season started, but I really needed him to help work the kinks out of Zane and Willy. Both were promising catchers but they hadn’t quite put it all together just yet.

“Rhett and Erik?” Gordo took his round glasses off. He had short-cropped hair, no facial hair, and the lanky build of a guy who played infield during college, then moved over to coaching.

I rubbed the bridge of my nose and took a cleansing breath instead of spewing the line of obscenities in my head. “Nothing. If push comes to shove Kit can cover centerfield.” I couldn’t bring myself to think about the players Stirling might be pushing to trade for instead of paying my players what they were worth. It had been five days since I last saw Kate, but I knew she was out there making changes already. I had her to thank for Wes getting signed back on. Plus there were other, more subtle changes that made everyone relax just a little.

“June sent up a report from the training office on the player’s injuries.” Gordon stood and stretched. “Other than that, I think we’re square.”

“Go home, Gordo. Get some sleep.” I rubbed my eyes. “I’m right behind you.”

“Good. You need your sleep too, Captain.” The coaches all started calling me Captain on the second day of camp when Seth Butler wore a pirate hat to the field and called me Captain No Beard. My brother’s former college roommate had turned into a royal piece of work, but he was a damn good hitter. He’d already hit four home runs and only played seven innings.

As I started shoving things in my backpack someone knocked softly on my door. “Come in.” Not too many people should be left. The players went home hours ago and most of the staff not long after that.

Kate peeked around the corner. All my muscles locked at once and time seemed to stop. Just as beautiful as ever, but now dressed down in jeans and a Mantas t-shirt. She looked much younger. “Sorry it’s late.”

“No,” I said way too quickly. “Come in. Thank you for getting Wes signed.”

She stepped inside and closed the door. “It’s a start. Eli is…stubborn.”

“Very diplomatic way of saying he’s a controlling asshole. Sit.”

She took the chair with a nod and a glance. “I’ve hit a wall over Erik and Rhett so I was hoping talking to the players would give me some insights. Would you mind if I do interviews tomorrow or will that interfere with your practice?”

“The players you’ll want to interview will be the easiest to fit back into practice. Their positions on the team aren’t in question, just their conditioning.”

She nodded like that all made perfect sense. Maybe it did. Maybe Kate was an athlete herself. I had no idea because I didn’t really know her.

“I appreciate your flexibility.” Her voice still had that warm vibration to it that I liked so much at Red’s.

After my night back home I swore I would keep things professional with Kate when I saw her again, but I already felt my resolve slipping. What was it about her? She was a woman. There were lots of women. Why her? Sure she was beautiful and smart, but all she had to do was walk near me and I was drawn to her like a damn magnet. I couldn’t stop memorizing every detail of her body or wanting to find something—anything—to make the conversation last just a little longer. I felt good when she was near.

“Where did you grow up?”

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