Page 8 of Accidentally Sliding Into A Second Chance

“He’s the Smokies catcher.” She gives me a gentle nudge with her elbow and winks. “You’ll want to start learning the names and positions of all the players…not just David James’’

Heat rushes to my cheeks, and her grin widens.

“I didn’t realize the Smokies’ shortstop David James is the David James I knew when I was younger.” I chuckle nervously.

“That sounds like a fun story,” she teases, and I find myself liking her already. She stops and points. “This is your office. You only have time to put your stuff down and run to the bathroom if you need to go. The restroom is straight down the hall to your right.”

“I’m good for now, thank you,” I reply, glancing around the room, as I put my things on the desk.

“I’ll be right back,” Hope chirps.

There isn’t anything remarkable about it except for the view. The first thing I see when looking out is first base, looking into the outfield. I’m not a huge baseball fan, but I can admit that this is impressive.

Looking down at the field, I see someone setting up for what I think is practice, and it hits me—I’ll be seeing David all the time, in more ways than one. My heart leaps.

“Ready?” Hope pops her head in and sees me looking out the window. “It’s quite the view, right? And unless I’m mistaken, it’s pretty good for viewing the shortstop position.”

My eyebrows knit together, and she laughs.

“Looks like I’ll be helping you with the players' field positions too.” She signals for me to follow her out of the office. “You must be really good at what you do.”

“I am,” I say softly. “But please don’t tell anyone I don’t know these things yet. I was supposed to learn all about the team before I arrived.”

“Promise.” She makes a zipping sign across her lips and pretends to toss away the key.

“Thank you,” I say gratefully, trying to remember which direction we’re going in.

“Don’t worry about knowing where you are,” Hope says, eerily reading my mind again. “I’ll give you an official tour when the meeting’s done. You have the big guys here today ready to meet you.”

“The big guys?” I spoke with the VP of fan experience, Travis Foster, for the first part of my interview before meeting over Zoom with Travis and Charles Evans, the senior VP of business operations.

“The owners and CEO,” Hope whispers, and my eyes widen. I wasn’t expecting so many people here today for my presentation. I straighten my jacket and wipe my hands down my skirt. “Don’t worry, they’re great. They probably won’t stay the entire time, but they always like to meet new team members on their first day.”

The knots in my stomach loosen, and I breathe a smidge easier. Then I remind myself that I earned this position. My pulse slows down, and I feel myself relax.

“Here she is,” Hope says, as we walk through the door. She holds her hand out for me to walk in front of her. I’m greeted by a group of excited faces, and I feel my cheeks pull up.

“Hi Catherine.” A pretty brunette in her early forties walks over to me with her hand out. “I’m Kim Tate, and this is my husband, Felix.” She turns her head to the tall man walking behind her.

“Hi Catherine,” Felix says, reaching out his hand. When I finish shaking Kim’s hand, I take his.

“Is it Catherine or Cat?” Travis asks from behind Kim and Felix.

“Either is fine,” I say, looking over at him.

“Please tell us which one you would prefer,” Kim insists as she places her hand on my back. “We want you to feel comfortable. Besides, however, we learn your name now is how everyone at the Smokies organization will address you.”

The corner of my lip curves up at the warmth radiating from everyone in this room. “In that case, I prefer Cat. It’s a nickname my Aunt Dottie gave me when I was around five, and it stuck.” My smile dips at the mention of my aunt.

“Cat it is,” Felix says, as Kim walks me over to an empty chair at one of the heads of the table.

As I sit down, Kim whispers. “We were so sorry to hear about your aunt’s passing.” She rubs her hands up and down my arm before heading to the other end of the table to take the empty seat next to her husband.

“We’ve heard such wonderful things about what you did for your previous company,” Felix starts. Travis beams, and Charles nods. “I can’t wait to see what ideas you have to share with us today.”

I turn around to find Hope setting up the projector and loading my presentation on the laptop. She also placed a bottle of water by my seat. Gratitude for the team I have around me blossoms in my chest, and a wide smile crosses my face as I get ready to do what I love.

Bring people together.

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