Page 11 of Playing the Field
“Sounds good.” I meet his stare.
He slides the folder across the desk toward me.
Inside, I find the set of preliminary calculations I emailed him a week ago. “Oh. Okay. Is there anything you want me to clarify?”
Gerald points at the page and leans back in his chair. “I circled it.” His brown eyes, which looked warm and friendly a moment ago, now look darker and more challenging.
Flipping through the neat stack, I find a circle on the third page. My heart drops to my stomach because next to the name he’s circled, there’s a large X. I don’t have to read it twice to know the name is Hunter Reyes.
“I know he’s had a pretty challenging season.” I hope my gaze looks just as unflinching, but after a moment, I glance down at the sheet of paper, double-checking that he didn’t circle a different name. Nope, still Hunter.
“I’d say. Some here in management think he should go. He’s expensive, and we could get some fresh talent with that money.”
“He’s undervalued, even at his current salary,” I assert.
Gerald keeps tapping his fingers, but instead of seeming jolly, now they seem impatient. His smile looks stiff. This is where people start to lose faith in me before they know how hard I hammer the numbers to get results.
“Look, I like him, but I’m between a rock and a hard place when he’s so volatile,” he says.
“I can see where you’d have doubts.” I need him to know I spotted every detail. “There are other options in case you think his, um, baggage is too much to deal with, but I disagree.”
It’s no secret that Hunter holds the distinction of having the most red cards in the history of the sport, even after a lot of hotheaded players preceded him. Red cards don’t mean he’s not a good player, but his off-the-field antics are legendary as well, and it’s no secret Liverpool wants to poach him.
“Fans love a hothead. He gets people riled up. That can be a good thing, a very good thing. At the end of the day, pro sports is a business,” he says.
On one hand, I breathe a sigh of relief. I’m glad Gerald isn’t questioning my methods. It would be a bad start to my new job.
“But Reyes is polarizing. Some teammates can’t deal with his antics, but that’s their problem. If you can convince me his talent outweighs the rest, I’m listening. I like that you’re a contrarian. That’s what made you stand out among the other candidates, frankly,” Gerald says.
My data doesn’t lie. If I’m sure of anything, it’s that I know how to do my job.
Unfortunately, my analytics show that, by far, the team’s best move is to sign a new contract with Hunter Reyes, the player with the worst attitude in Major League Soccer. I can only hope that means he’ll find a more permanent place to live.
Until then, I’ll stay holed up in the corporate offices looking at game tape and statistics. He’ll stay on the soccer pitch doing what he does best—racking up penalties and keeping opponents from scoring.
And I probably won’t ever see him. Fine by me.
CHAPTER 6
Hunter
Two days since the fire,and it feels like a lifetime.
I’m wearing Devils gear because the team equipment manager had a box waiting on Kyler’s doorstep this morning. Right now, it’s all the clothing I have to my name, other than a suitcase full of stuff that still smells like smoke after three washings.
The worst part is that I lost the majority of my books. They went up like kindling—no surprise—so I bought myself an e-book reader. At least I can load that up. The ease of downloading books is the one bright spot since Monday. Well, two if you count seeing Gracie Albright again—and I do.
The sight of her fresh-scrubbed face has kept me from circling the drain in despair over how my life is crumbling, and now I’m here at the corporate offices to weather the final blow from Gerald Moder, who has warned me several times that I may be traded. Guess today is the day to make it official.
Moder looks pleased as he slides a sheaf of papers across hisglass desk and gestures for me to read it with a nod of his head. “It’s for three years. Terms are similar to your last contract, except for salary. Your agent can begin negotiations on that, but we’ve floated a preliminary number.”
I can’t believe what I’m hearing.
“You…you’re reupping me for three years? I thought I was on the trade list.” I can’t help stating the obvious because it’s been rattling around in my head for so long.
Moder nods. “I know. We’ve been considering all possibilities, but this is where we’ve landed.” It’s code for the fact that I’m lucky as hell to be here.
“I assume there are conditions. Keep the penalties under control…”
