Page 26 of Sweet Spot

“I could eat.”

“Perfect!” She grabbed an oversized purse and slammed her laptop shut. “I need to get out of this place for a little while. Do you mind walking?”

“Not at all.” As part of my casual outfit today I wore flats. I didn’t know the area around Sunshine Stadium as well as I knew other parts of the area, so I let Eve take the lead and pick our lunch spot. We ended up at a restaurant that served enormous salads, had a shady outdoor porch, and overlooked the busy street and water in the distance.

The March weather was warm, but not unbearably hot and humid quite yet. “So what do you want to talk about?” Eve Spencer had long dark hair like mine, but straighter. She was closer to my sister’s age than mine and had two daughters. Her father, Papa Joe Daniels, was a baseball legend and former scout for the Mantas. Her sister, June, also worked for the team as a trainer.

“The Mantas.”

She grunted. “What in particular?”

I didn’t know exactly what I was looking for, only that Eve was the person I suspected would lead me to the information I needed. “What was special about them last year? And I don’t want stats or anything I can get from an article. As someone who’s been with the team as long as you have, someone who literally grew up in the sport, what was it about the team last year that made them the team they were?”

Her eyes unfocused as she leaned back in her chair. “Love,” she said with a chuckle. “A few of the guys fell in love with their now fiancés, wives, and girlfriends. It was catching and I don’t know, it bonded them? Of all the teams I’ve seen over the years this one was more like a family of brothers than any other. They literally stole a plane for Erik.”

“What?”

“Okay, steal is a bit of an exaggeration. They had permission to take it on an unscheduled trip so Erik could get to his girlfriend faster. It was an emergency. Everything’s fine.” She looked away like she just told a secret.

But I was beginning to get a better picture. “And how do Erik, Wes, and Rhett fit into that brotherhood?”

“Well,” she flicked her sunglasses back down over her eyes when a car parked across the street throwing a reflection our way, “Wes is the goofy younger brother. He’s always got a joke or a prank up his sleeve. He keeps everyone laughing. Rhett is his complete opposite. Like a steady older brother. Serious, grounded, really focused on the game and strategy. Erik is the balance between and plays almost directly in between the two on the field.” She moved the salt and pepper shaker and then placed the sugar container between them. “Catcher, center fielder, second baseman.”

“And Erik?”

“They call him Papa Bear for a reason. He’s the team father. He’s from a big family and used to managing lots of personalities. He mentors all the younger players, keeps the hot heads cool, brings out the personality in the quieter ones. Honestly, I always assumed Erik would play for the Mantas until he retired, then become one of our coaches. I don’t like this game Stirling is playing.”

“Who causes drama? Anyone?”

“Seth Butler is probably the closest we have to a drama queen. He can push his teammates buttons when he wants to. But most of his drama is that he only dates celebrities. And…sometimes mixes up which ones he’s dating at the same time. But he also houses all the younger players who need a place to stay when they get called up. Seth has always confused me.” She shook her head and sipped on her iced tea.

“What about the Anson brothers being added?”

“They couldn’t be a better fit if they tried. You’d think Everett was always in our bullpen. He gets along with all the pitchers and catchers.”

“So there’s no weirdness or jealousy about how he got his spot?”

“None. These guys are thrilled for him. All any of them want is to play.”

“But a manager who’s never managed? There had to be some doubts there.” Although the picture Isaac sent me earlier said otherwise.

Eve thought for a moment before replying. “I think…I think Isaac has one of those personalities that tells you exactly who he is from the moment you meet him. He’s got this steady confidence, but he also knows the game inside and out. The guys all felt instantly sure he was the right man to lead them into a new era for the team. It comes back to that brotherhood thing they’ve got going on. They all know Isaac’s story. He’s one of them, finally back in the game.”

If I’d been walking I would have stumbled. Isaac’s story. She said it like it was a legend. “What do you mean they all know his story?”

She shrugged. “It’s not exactly a secret so I don’t feel weird sharing. Isaac was easily one of the biggest up and coming ballplayers in the game. He had a phenomenal rookie season. And then he quit. He hasn’t played a game of professional baseball since. But now he’s a team manager. His legend just keeps growing.”

He quit a promising baseball career to…be a ranger at a park sanctuary? “Was he hurt?”

“If he was, no one ever knew about it. But he became a father that year and the rumor is that it had something to do with that.”

It had to be more than that. He would have made millions with a career that promising. I shook myself out of my spiraling thoughts. “So Eli Stirling is essentially carving the heart out of the team?”

“Yep.” Eve stabbed at the lettuce in her bowl. “Everyone’s mad. We should be celebrating! I should be excited to see all the fans back in the stadium next month. Instead I’m pulling out my hair dealing with season ticket holders who’ve been with us for ages, celebrities that see us as toxic, and fans not buying tickets.”

“If I convince Eli to extend a contract to Rhett and Erik, will your problems go away?”

“Mostly. There’s still damage control, but the fans will get excited if they know their favorite players are coming back for more than one season. I can’t be a one-year deal.”

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