Page 53 of Sliding Into Love
The rest of the team, at least, seemed less tense around him; not friendly, exactly, but less standoffish than before. They didn’t seek him out, but the outright avoidance was gone.
Another Monday came around, and Ethan wandered through the halls without purpose, lost and out of sorts.
"Ethan!” Derek's voice sounded far away, and Ethan realized Derek had been calling him for a while.
“What?” Ethan heard the old sharp edge in his voice, exhausted with putting on a front but unable to curb his tone.
"How are you? You’ve been out of commission for a while." Derek seemed genuinely concerned.
"Yeah, I'm good. I saw Ivy a few times."
Derek bounced on the balls of his feet, grinning from ear to ear. "She told me. I'm happy for you guys. You both seem... different.”
Jen’s platinum head poked out of a door.
“Johnson, Ford, team meeting. Now.”
Both men followed Jen into the meeting room where the rest of the Hawks were already seated and waiting. Gregory Marshall was, thankfully, not present. They’d heard from an assistant about his suspension and subsequent dismissal.
Now, a woman with silvery hair and a well-cut suit waited at the front of the room. Stern, but not unkind, blue eyes watched them like their titular Hawks as Ethan and Derek slid into the final remaining chairs.
“Ah, good. Everyone is here.” Her voice was familiar and authoritative, and Ethan wondered if they’d met before. “I’m Emily Harkness, team manager of the Hawks.”
He knew that name.
Shit.
“As you all may have discerned, Gregory Marshall has been released from his position as head coach after the incident with Mr. Ford, and the Hawks are under new coaching leadership. Mine.”
When her piercing blue eyes narrowed at him, Ethan knew she remembered him, too. He didn’t have time to process the information because Emily Harkness wasn’t finished.
“We’ve also traded for a new relief pitcher.”
Oh, no. Ethan had a bad feeling about that.
“Everyone, please welcome Isaac Reyes. As you may know, he used to pitch with the Tornadoes.”
A smattering of welcomes sounded through the room as Isaac jumped up from his seat in the front row, turned to wave at his new teammates, and smirked his signature cocky smirk.
Beside him, Derek perked up and paid attention to Isaac. Interesting.
“Hi, guys. I’m so excited to be here!”
Ethan slid low in his seat to avoid catching Isaac’s gaze, tugging his hat low over his eyes to hide his face.
“Thank you, Reyes.” Harkness patted his shoulder. “So, I’ve looked at Mr. Marshall’s stats and notes, and I have to say, I disagree with his philosophies and ideas about baseball. But we’ll get to that later. Right now, I’d like to meet with all of you individually in my office. Ethan…Ford, you’re up first.” She beckoned with a manicured hand, and Ethan followed reluctantly as she left the meeting room and headed down the hall to the office formerly belonging to Marshall.
Already, Harkness had claimed it as her own. Framed art and certificates adorned the walls, and potted plants lined the top of the bookshelves. A large photo of college-aged Emily and Laura Lorne sat front and center on her desk, and Ethan felt a pang at seeing his mother so young and happy.
Behind the desk, Emily sat in the imposing black leather chair, steepling her fingers before her with her elbows resting on the desk, holding Ethan hostage with her icy gaze.
“So, Ethan.”
“Yes, Coach?”
“I assume you remember me.”
“I do.” Emily Harkness was one of Laura’s oldest, best friends. Fierce like Ethan’s mother, Emily was now the only female head manager in the League.
