Page 8 of Sliding into Love
All the players and support staff were told to show up early for today’s practice to ensure I’d have a chance to speak with them in an official capacity. As I approach the door, I can hear a familiar voice speaking to the group of men gathered inside. I’m frozen at the sound.
Kenneth Meyer.
I’ve spent years working to avoid him. Every gathering where I knew he’d be present, I would either decline the invite or spend most of my night ensuring I was out of his line of sight. It was easier that way.
Yet now, here we are. The same place at the same time all over again. Only, I’m not going to let his snarky attitude get to me. He’s the man on the way out the door. I’m the new boss in town. I don’t want to come across as an asshole to the others, but with Kenneth, I’ll show him just how stern I can be if he gives me any flack.
I push the door open to the sound of the group laughing. It cuts off immediately as their gazes all sweep in my direction.
A lesser person would be intimidated with so many eyes upon them.
I’m not.
Instead, I give the smile my sister’s called ‘charming’ more than once as I stride over to Kenneth. Extending my hand to his, I greet him with a formal tone.
“Good morning, Mr. Meyer. Thank you for coordinating this meeting.”
He gives me a wide-eyed stare as his hand latches onto mine. I ignore the spark of heat that moves through me at his touch. His hands are surprisingly rough for someone who spends so much time behind a desk.
Or maybe I’m wrong. Maybe his job hasn’t been all pushing paper and making phone calls. Maybe I won’t be bored to tears after all. I have enough paperwork between my other businesses. Occasionally, I like to get out and about to be a part of the action. I’d hoped this venture would prove to fill that need.
I turn my focus back to the man before me instead of letting my mind continue to wander.
Kenneth is in a neatly pressed suit, though there’s no tie. The tiny detail unlocks a host of questions about him that I don’t want to dwell on.
Rough hands. Well-dressed, but not over the top. Mysteries abound.
Someone in the front row coughs violently. It almost sounds like they say “Kenny” but I’m not sure. I only know that it does the job of getting him unstuck.
“It’s no problem.” As he says the words, he looks over my shoulder. It’s just like before when he could barely stand to look me in the eye even as he pushed all my buttons.
Asshole.
I face the room to gauge what I’m dealing with. There’s a mixture of friendly faces with a few suspicious ones in the mix. I even spot a lip curl that tells me we’re bound to have an upset team member or two given the shifts coming to the organization.
“Alright, everyone,” Kenneth starts up. “By now you all know about the change in ownership. The Bellports are going to invest in this team to help bring you all to the next level. I’ll still be around for a while to help settle the transition, but come regular season, I’ll be less authoritative and more of a fan.”
They all laugh at his teasing joke. I fight not to roll my eyes. He’s clearly got everyone else fooled if his ‘nice guy’ act is working so well. Then again, he was really only ever mean to me when we were kids. And his meanness was mostly by proxy. Clark was my true tormentor. He’s why I do what I do with all the vigor of a person possessed.
I could never understand what made me so special to them back then. I doubt I’ll ever truly know.
A guy in the back raises his hand.
“Yes, Charles?” Kenneth calls out.
“We gettin’ fired or anything?” The older guy tugs on his baseball cap as he stares us down.
Before the man beside me can answer, I step forward to garner their attention. “There are no layoffs set as of now. If any do arise, you’ll have plenty of notice, as well as fantastic severance packages. I truly believe it won’t come to that.”
“Thanks… uhhh.”
“Royce. You can all call me Royce. Mr. Bellport is my father. And since we’re on the topic, my pronouns are they/them, hence no Mr. for me. Any questions?”
A few of the guys mumble that they’ve got nothing else to say. I smile at them, giving off as much of a relaxed vibe as I can considering I’m a couple of inches away from the man I despise.
“This first week will mostly consist of me shadowing Mr. Meyer to see how things work. I’ll likely confuse names for a bit, so please forgive me. Any concerns you may have or ideas you think could help us along would be greatly appreciated. I’ll admit that I know way more about football than baseball, but I’m willing to learn for the sake of this team. I want what’s best for every single one of you. Understand?”
There’s more nodding as Kenneth takes over to discuss schedules for the day. It’s a quick rundown, then the team is corralled out by the coaching staff. I watch them leave with a sense of dread. Without them around, I lose my barrier. I’ll have to face the man from my past alone.
