2. Smithy
Chapter 2
Smithy
“Are you ok?” I ask slowly as I settled on the edge of Macy’s desk.
“I'm fine. What would be wrong?” Her voice is a little too upbeat and the smile on her face is a tad too fake. I know she’s trying to hide something; I just don’t know what.
“I mean, you can pretend to be fine, but you’re not. I know you, Sweets.”
“You know, just because you go by your last name, doesn’t mean you need to call me by my last name.” She huffs and folds her arms across her chest.
“You’re Liliana Sweets. Not only is that the coolest name ever, but you’re the sweetest person I know.”
I reach for her hand and she doesn’t pull away from me. I tug her until she’s standing between my legs and staring down at me.
She looks adorable with her blonde hair pulled into a high ponytail and her pencil tucked behind one ear. She’s wearing dress pants and a fitted top with a little jacket. She looks the part of a female sports reporter, yet she still looks feminine.
“Are you really mad over the name?” I ask softly.
“No,” she whispers.
“Then what’s going on?”
“I just… I don’t want you to flirt with me. We’re friends, nothing more. It makes me uncomfortable when you flirt or make it seem like we’re… more.” She glances down at where I'm still holding her hand and refuses to meet my eyes.
My chest aches as her words wash over me. She doesn’t want me to flirt with her because she isn't interested in more than being friends with me.
“Ok. I’ll try not to flirt with you.” I nod my head as I clench my jaw.
“I need to get back to work. My boss wants this article by midnight and I still need to watch the footage Macy sent me.” She lifts her bag a little higher on her shoulder.
“Ok. Do you want to come over for dinner tonight?” I ask with so much hope in my voice, I’d be embarrassed if I were talking to anyone other than Liliana.
“I can't, Smithy, I have to write this article.” She removes her hand from mine and cups my cheek instead. “I promise we can hang out tomorrow, deal?”
“Yeah, I guess.” I pout like a child, but I don’t care. I want to spend time with her and I'm going to pout if I can't.
“Don’t get sad.” She chuckles and shakes her head. “I’ll bring you some cookies.”
“Fine, but they better be good.”
“Aren't they always?” She arches a brow.
“Yes,” I grumble under my breath.
I take my bat and do a practice swing as Leo glares straight through me. Something’s going on with him but I don’t give a shit enough to ask what it is. I have enough going through my own head to deal with someone else’s messed up mind.
Things like why doesn’t Liliana feel the same way about me as I do about her? Can I somehow make her love me? Can I convince her to give me a shot?
Cord jogs over to the pitcher’s mound and gets right in Leo’s face. Cord isn't going to back down no matter how much Leo doesn’t want to talk to him right now. It’s not because his dad owns the team, it’s because that’s who he is.
Coach Danny storms over to them with his hands on his hips. He’s been pissy since Macy came waltzing into the clubhouse and Cord claimed her before he even had a shot. The same thing happened when Charlie became a physical therapist here and Wyatt, the catch, made everyone know she was his. Danny’s been extra rough on Cord and Wyatt, which isn't going to end well for him. He’s just too stupid to realize it.
“Ah, shit. They’re gonna start fighting,” Wyatt groans as he struggles to get to his feet and hurries as quickly as he can to the mound. Even when injured, the man will try to stop a fight. Luckily, none of them will throw punches… I don’t think.
Wyatt’s been sitting off to the side during our practice and giving the rookie catcher some pointers. He isn't sure if he’ll be able to play the first game and we want the team to be better no matter what.
“Do you want to be benched for the first game?” Danny shoves Cord back and gets right in his face. Huh, I could be wrong about someone getting punched.
A few of the guys come up behind me and watch the altercation continue. If someone takes a swing, I’ll get involved and try to settle things down, but right now, I'm too riled up after my conversation with Liliana and I'm not sure if I can stay calm. It won't take much to throw me over the edge.
Wyatt places a hand on Danny’s and Cord’s chests, keeping them away from each other. Cord instantly calms down, even if it’s only a little bit. Danny’s face grows redder with anger. He can't stand either one of them.
I watch as Wyatt defuses the situation and Leo drops down into a squat on the pitcher’s mound. He runs his hands through his hair and grips the back of his neck. I’ve never seen him this upset. I need to pull him aside later and see what’s going on, but today isn't the day to do that. I need to get my head on straight before I try to help anyone else.
Cord drops down next to him and places a hand on his back. He’s a great friend and always willing to go to bat for those he cares about. Anything to help us out. I truly don’t know what I’d do without these guys in my life.
Cord and Leo talk for a few minutes before Leo nods his head and they both slowly stand. He grabs his glove and ball from the ground and launches it towards me. I barely even register the ball leaving his hand before I hear it hit leather.
I mutter under my breath as I lift my bat a little higher and try to focus. This time when the ball flies my way, I swing, but I'm not fast enough and I miss.
I shake my head and roll my shoulders, trying to release some of the tension building in my body. That interaction with Liliana is screwing with my head. Something was off with her and I know it.
I watch Leo carefully. I’m the best batter on this team and if I can't hit off of him right now, I shouldn’t be playing. I almost never miss one of Leo’s pitches.
The last pitch lands with a thud in the catcher’s mitt. I growl in frustration and hurl my bat across the field. I'm so pissed off right now. The last thing I want to do is be out here practicing. Not when my head isn't in it.
“We’re finished!” Cord cups his hands around his mouth and hollers across the field. Everyone’s eyes snap to him and watch him carefully. “Get in the locker room.”
“No, we’re not!” Danny’s face turns red as his furious glare lands directly on Cord.
“Yes, we are. Everyone go!”
Everyone’s gaze bounces from Cord to Danny, and then to each other. No one knows who we should listen to.
Leo’s the first to make a move. He marches past Danny, making sure to keep a decent amount of distance from him. That’s probably a good move on his part because he looks seconds away from smashing his fist into something.
I trail after him, more than done today. No matter what we do, practice isn't going to improve our game right now. We need some time to get our heads on straight and I only know one way to do that. I need Liliana.
I'm packing up my stuff, planning to ask Owen if I can slip out early. There’s no way I'm asking Danny. He’s already a hothead today and if he sets that attitude on me, things will get heated.
As soon as Cord and Danny step foot inside the locker room, he pounces. “Powell, my office!”
Cord lets out a loud groan. Danny likes to pretend Cord isn't good at his job, but the man’s amazing. One of the best first basemen in the league. Danny thinks everything traces back to his last name, but he’s wrong. He doesn’t get special treatment because his dad owns the team. Owen’s fair and doesn’t play favorites.
I'm sure Cord doesn’t want to deal with Danny’s wrath. There’s been so much of it since spring training started. I swear it’s because Danny has blue balls from getting turned down by Charlie and Macy, but that’s not our fault.
“Nah, let’s go to my office.” Owen’s leaning against the threshold of his door. His arms are folded across his chest and he’s not happy.
I swallow hard as I watch them. I'm not scared of Danny or anything he can do to me, but a pissed off Owen Powell? Yeah, I'm terrified of him. I’ve heard stories of what he does when he gets pissed and I’ve made it my mission to never be on the receiving end of it. I'm fairly certain if I ever was, I’d probably cry.
As soon as Owen’s office door shuts, we all glance around at each other and stay silent. There’s no telling what will happen next. Normal team owners aren’t involved in the day-to-day operations, but Owen is different. He loves to be in the middle of it all. He likes to get his hands dirty and he isn't afraid to check in with his players on a personal level and make sure things are good.
Danny’s voice raises enough for us to hear him, but we can't make out what he’s saying. Wyatt rolls his eyes and turns his attention towards us. He takes his job as captain seriously and he’ll make sure we’re in the right headspace.
“We need to keep our heads focused on baseball, guys.” Wyatt stands and wobbles slightly on his crutches. He’s still struggling with his knee and tries to stay off of it for the most part. “We’re getting close to the season starting. One bad practice isn't a big deal. We can go home and brush this off, but if this becomes a normal thing, it will be a bad season. We don’t want that. If you need help, talk to your teammates. We’re a family. We’re here to help and support each other.”
The door to Owen’s office opens and a hush falls over the room as we all watch Danny stomp into his office and slam the door. He’s in there for less than a minute before he’s stomping through the locker room, glaring at us as he goes.
“What do you think happened?” I murmur quietly as I stare at the door Danny just left through.
He rarely works late, but normally he tells us goodbye or that we can leave before he goes. This was… different. Strange.
“Do you think Owen fired him?” Leo asks quietly enough only I can hear him.
“Why would he fire him?” I frown, thinking over what happened during practice.
Sure, Danny got heated during practice and took it out on Cord, but Owen doesn’t give his son any special treatments.
“He didn’t pay attention to either one of you. I saw how tense Leo was and how stuck in your head you were, Smithy. Cord just stopped the game to get to the bottom of it.” Wyatt shrugs. “All the other coaches noticed and made comments to Danny, but he brushed it off. He should’ve taken their concerns and done something about it. Owen won't take that lightly.”
I nod my head as what Wyatt said sinks in. Owen cares about us as individuals. I’ve known that since I started on the Pit Bulls. He cares less about us winning and more about making sure we’re ok. That’s what makes him an amazing boss.
“Do you really think he’d fire him though?”
“Not for this. My guess is Danny’s taking a few forced days off. That being said, he’s screwed up a lot recently. If he doesn’t get his shit together, there’s no telling what Owen might do.”
Owen’s office door opens and Cord exits, followed by Owen. Their expressions are serious and neither one seems happy.
“Alright, men. I'm sure you’re all whispering amongst yourselves like a bunch of little girls.” He folds his arms across his chest and meets each of our gazes before he continues. “Danny will be out for the next week. If his attitude towards me and this franchise changes, he’ll be back. If not, I expect I’ll receive a resignation letter soon.”
He lets his words settle over us like a thick cloud. The thought of going into a new season without a head coach is overwhelming.
“I won't put up with a coach saying each and every one of you don’t belong here. You guys have worked your asses off to play on my field and I don’t take that lightly. I’ve watched the hours and effort you put in. I’ve seen many of you skip things you wanted to attend for this team and your dedication to this game. I want you all to know I see it. I notice you and the sacrifices you’ve made to get here.”
I swallow hard and drop my gaze to the floor. Most people don’t think about the hours we put in. They think our entire job is played out on TV, but that isn't true.
Sure, we’re paid a lot to play a game, just like every other athlete. For us, we’re on the road most of the season and miss our families. We can play a longer number of years on a field than a football player or hockey player can, but at the end of the day, our career will end before the typical person retires. We’re risking our entire career every time we take that field or practice.
If Leo’s rotator cuff tears, he might never be able to pitch again. Wyatt’s facing the very real possibility of not being able to play again after tearing a ligament.
It’s easy to look in from the outside and criticize us, but until you’ve done it, you don’t know the reality of our situation.
“I care when you’re going through something rough. You know you can always come talk to me. You can vent or ask for advice. I'm happy to listen and help anyway I can, but I can't help if I don’t know what’s going on. For today, I want you all to take the rest of the day off. Relax and get your heads on straight, then be back here in the morning for training.”
“Who will be our coach for the next week? We only have a few weeks until the season starts,” Leo speaks up.
“I’ll be calling a friend to come in. I think you’ll all like him.” Owen grins to himself. If he’s excited, it might be good if Danny leaves. I trust Owen and whatever decisions he makes. “Now, get out of my locker room.”
The rookies all make a mad dash for the door. They’re excited to get a little extra time off. I couldn’t care less about it. Liliana already told me she wasn’t free tonight, but I'm going to make that change somehow.
“Smithy, wait up.” Wyatt hobbles towards me as I reach the locker room door.
Cord is already talking to Leo, which means Wyatt’s sights are solely set on me. I swear him and Cord always have their fingers on the pulse of this team. They know exactly what’s going on at all times and how to fix it.
“What’s up, man?” I slow down and walk down the long hallway towards the parking lot at his pace.
“I'm guessing it’s Liliana screwing with your head?”
“Damn, Everson. We’re going straight in for the kill, huh?” I arch a brow and glance over at him.
“Listen, my knee hurts and I don’t have much energy left. We need to cut to the chase before Charlie comes out here and starts yelling at me for being on my knee too much.” He rolls his eyes, but he doesn’t mind being yelled at by her. He loves having her back in his life and bossing him around.
“Yeah, she’s… I don’t know. She’s just so guarded. Every time I think it’s safe to flirt with her, I can see her putting up a wall between us. How am I supposed to deal with that?”
“It’s rough. Some days you’ll want to give up, but you have to decide if having her in your life is more important than having her in your arms. I did both with Charlie. I knew having her in my life but not in my arms would be torture. I couldn’t watch her date someone else. She had to be mine, so I took the risk. It’s all about calculating your risks.”
“Yeah, well, I'm bad at math so when I take a calculated risk, sometimes my math is wrong.” I sigh and stop at the end of the hallway.
“Go see her. It will help you get your head back in the game. Tell her the captain said you had to.” He grins.
“I will. Then when she doesn’t meet her deadline, she can come after you instead of me.” I grin as I push open the door to the parking lot.
“Remind her I'm a wounded man!” He calls, making me chuckle.
“She won't care!”