Chapter Two #3
“Is that who the fight was with?” Louis stared at the table as he shook his head, disappointed in himself.
She could tell by the distress in his eyes, but that was the only tell.
“He doesn’t talk much about it. I don’t know how bad it is, but if you can help him, I would appreciate it.
I think it is a lot worse than he lets on, but he isn’t willing to let anyone in. ”
At least she was not the only one that had thought it.
Together, they could keep an eye on him.
Spencer had a lot to deal with. There was the loss of his wife, he was playing for a new team, there was the pressure of the sport, there were many fans to keep happy, he was a single dad, and he also had fights and custody talks to deal with.
It wasn’t going to be easy for him. At least they could try to help. Like a team.
Slowly, she bobbed her head in understanding.
“I know he is a good dad. That little girl adores him, and he adores her. A child is not a battleground. With this going on, he has every right to be distracted. He may not want to tell us much, because he wants to deal with it himself, or maybe he is embarrassed. But we will be there for him when he needs us. Hopefully, we can find a way to make this a little easier for him.”
Was that expression respect from Louis?
“Does Reid go looking for him?” she asked. “Does it happen often?”
Louis winced. “That I do not know. Like I said, Spencer is really quiet about it. I know of a few other incidents. Maybe he does and this time he was caught on camera, but I really cannot answer that honestly.”
It was something she had to consider in her plan. She may be able to help Spencer and limit his actions, but if Reid deliberately went to find him to goad him, she had no control over the other man.
“I promise I will do what I can to help. I will even talk to our legal team and see if anything can be put in place, or if they can offer advice. We may need evidence to protect him, but we will get there.”
“Thank you.” He blew out air in relief.
“Anyone else?” Rosie asked, realising he was embarrassed for talking about his friend and needing to change the subject.
Coughing, he seemed more relaxed now the subject focused on something else. “Morgan likes to bake. Ajax plays the saxophone.”
Music and baking classes would be a great thing to get them involved in.
“What about you?” she asked.
Then blushed so hard, not realising that had been said out loud. Too late to back out the question now.
“I like cars.” He grinned.
These were all things she could work with. What a silly mistake it was not to have had this conversation sooner. So determined to prove herself, she completely forgot about the players and just focused on what she could do and wanted to do. Easy and quick wins.
“Look, you need to see what we are like in the wild,” Louis said. “You need to make connections with us so you can plan accordingly. You can understand where our strengths are, and what our personalities are like. This will all help you work with our team more efficiently.”
“True. What do you suggest?” she replied, raising an eyebrow.
Nonchalantly, he shrugged. “Hank, Spencer, and I are grabbing drinks tomorrow. Maybe you could join us?”
“Why?” Honestly, it surprised her to be asked.
Chuckling, he responded, “Well, we aren’t scared of you, so we could be your research guinea pigs.
You can watch Spencer, which means he is more likely to behave.
You will have Hank and I there to stop a fight if anything happens.
Plus, it gives you a chance to get to know us, too, outside the pressures of work.
When the others see you with us, they will learn to relax with you around. ”
Rosie paused. That could work. And she did want more positive relationships with her colleagues. Drinks could be a small step toward that.
“Perhaps I will join you. Thank you for inviting me, but won’t Hank and Spencer be bothered?”
He paused. “Hank, no. He is very sociable. Spencer may be the problem, but he can be reasonable as long as you are reasonable with him. I will let them know so it isn’t a surprise. It prevents the awkward conversation if you were to suddenly appear.”
“What time?” Rosie blurted out, desperately needing to fit in.
It felt good to be invited, even if it was just for research. It would be nice not to work all the time and just enjoy a drink. Yes, she would be working most of it, but five minutes to relax wouldn’t hurt her or her career. It was time to make friends. Connections.
“We tend to meet at seven, so we can grab food, too.”
“Sounds perfect.”
There was that grin again. “Wonderful. I will text you the address.”
He has such a lovely dimple when he smiles . . .
Focus, Rosie!
Standing up, he opened the door. He was waiting for something and was watching her.
“What are you doing?” she asked, confused. Weren’t they done?
“Waiting for you,” he answered. “Come on, I will introduce you properly to the team. I can tell you more about each of them as we go.”
That was when her stomach decided to growl, demanding food and embarrassing her.
“After we get you some food.” He smiled wide at her. “I suppose it is lunchtime, so a break sounds like a good idea.”
Well, well, well. Who knew the Harpy and Captain would start to get along?