Chapter 22
It was the time of year when everyone truly started to pay attention to the standings. It reminded me of school when some kids raced to get assignments in or test scores up before the end of the semester. Our team was great; we just lacked a bit in the middle of our lineup, which was in the report I sent to my granddad almost three weeks ago.
Each time I went to ask him, he would be called into a meeting or out of town at an owners’ meeting. But today was the day, it didn’t matter that it was a Saturday or a game day. He said he wanted to see me, and I couldn’t get in my car fast enough.
As I drove down the winding road, the summer breeze whipped my hair around, but I didn’t care. I loved driving with the windows down, smelling the freshly cut grass and the unique floral scents that belonged to summer.
I popped on my playlist and sang along with my favorite artists. My mood couldn’t have been better. Something told me that Granddad loved my report—how could he not? Plus, if he didn’t or thought I was completely off base, no pun intended, he would have told me sooner than now.
When he called last night, I couldn’t have been happier. My patience started to fray, and each time I saw him in the hall, I’d bite my tongue. Mason also must have known something because he avoided me, as did Gregory. Usually, I would have been able to go to his assistant and finagle some sort of intel, but he was completely tight-lipped. Something seemed a bit off, but it could have been Mason believing I was beneath him.
Even though I’d been confident, as I turned onto the familiar tree-lined street, my heart began to race with anticipation. I hoped my numbers and suggestions were on point. I also hoped that he now believed I was ready to move into the position I was born to do.
God, how I hoped he did. If not, I’d smile like always and try not to have my disappointment make him feel bad. However, I wasn’t sure if I was that good of an actress. Especially because he knew how upset I already had been. Then again, getting saddled with Jimmy Hall hadn’t been the hardship I thought it would be ... well, not now, anyway.
The sight of the large white colonial came into view. To some, it might be intimidating to look at, but to me, it was home. The place where every memory of my childhood, good and bad, was stored. I smiled at the porch swing where my grandmother and I would sit for hours talking or reading books. Sometimes, we’d read quietly to ourselves, and other times, she’d read to me.
That thought reminded me of Jimmy’s plans for Imaginarium Hall. I still couldn’t believe all Jimmy had started already. I couldn’t wait to be a part of it. And I knew if I mentioned it to my grandparents, they’d feel the same. Although Grandma would probably tell me what a catch Jimmy was. She wouldn’t be wrong, of course, but if I gave her the slightest hint that we were together, she’d be pulling out her wedding dress for me to try on.
Stepping out of my car, I walked up the driveway and onto the porch. I reached out to grasp the nickel-plated handle and opened the door. Knocking would never be necessary. I did it once, and I thought my grandmother was going to scold me as though I were a teenager.
“Hello,” I called out. “Where is everyone?”
The scent of peaches and cinnamon hit me head-on as I stepped closer to the kitchen. Grandma’s apple cobbler sat on the counter, steam still billowing off the crumbled crust.
“Hi, sweetie.” Grandma popped out of their large pantry, wearing her favorite apron with WHISK IT REAL GOOD printed in large red letters on the front.
“Hi. This smells delicious.”
“Would you like some? I have ice cream in the fridge.”
“Maybe a little later. Granddad called me.”
Tiny lines shot out of the corners of her eyes as she smiled. “He’s in the office on a call with Mason.”
“Oh, okay.”
“I’m sure he’ll be out soon.” Gram took her apron off, hung it on the hook next to the pantry, took my hand in hers, and dragged me to the kitchen table. “Sit,” she instructed before ignoring me and making me a bowl of her dessert.
She placed it in front of me, handed me a spoon, and said, “Speak. Tell me what’s on your mind.”
How did I explain it to her without sounding like a spoiled kid who wanted to stomp her foot down? Not sure where to start, I decided on where my professional life had made a sharp right and caught me completely off guard. “Well, as you know, I’ve been assigned to be Jimmy Hall’s PR rep.”
“Oh, yes.” She beamed and began fanning herself with her hand. “Such a nice young man—and good-looking, too, wouldn’t you say?”
Subtle, Gram.
“Yes, he’s a very nice guy. Well, everything has been going well, and it’s just ...”
“You want more. I know all about it, sweetheart. Granddad told me about the report you sent. I think that’s what he’s talking to Mason about.”
“Great.”
She shook her head before nodding toward my bowl. “Eat. No need to sound upset. You know we don’t discuss team business, but I do know how proud your grandfather is of you, Sommer.”
I swallowed the spoonful of deliciousness and moaned with delight. “This is so good. And yes, I know he is. It’s just, well, I want more than to be in PR.”
“One day.” Granddad’s deep voice had me turning in my chair. “Hi, sweetheart.” He kissed the top of my head.
“I’ll go fetch you some cobbler, Earl.”
“Thank you, honey.”
I loved them. I loved their relationship, how they looked at each other as though the sun rose on her side of the room and set on his. All the years I’ve been alive and old enough to notice, their love had never wavered, and it could have ... thanks to my parents and me. Not all relationships could endure what theirs had. I also knew Gram stepped away to give us privacy.
Cutting to the chase, I asked, “So, did you like the report?”
He nodded. “I did. It was very intuitive. Your thoroughness has me contemplating a few changes to our roster next year. Which is why it has taken me so long to talk to you about it.”
“I have a lot of ideas on how to do that. In fact?—”
Granddad held his hand up in the universal sign for stop, so I did. “Nothing is set in stone, so don’t worry. But Mason thinks that we need to rework some contracts. He agrees that our salary cap could use a bit of relief.” I nodded once for him to continue while thoughts rapidly fired in my head. “He’s considering starting with Hall.”
“What?” I practically shouted. “What about him? He’s the best pitcher we have. Please tell me he’s not thinking of letting him go. You can’t, Granddad.”
“Mason thinks a trade?—”
“Mason is wrong. I don’t even care what he thinks. You can’t trade Jimmy Hall. That’s just not acceptable.”
“I don’t necessarily agree with him, Sommer, so please calm down.”
Shit, my heart was about to explode in my chest.
“It was an idea to rework his salary. His original contract is up next year.”
Calm.I needed to be calm and professional about this. Fiddling with the corner of the place mat in front of me, I slowly counted to three in my head and began to regain most of my composure. “Let me look at a few things. I think Mason is looking for the easy way out. We don’t want to lose Jimmy Hall. Believe me, I’ve checked out the prospects, and even considering those on our minor league team, none compare. And any comparable pitcher already in the league has a higher-paying contract than he does.”
Granddad remained silent and looked at me. “You did all that research already?”
I nodded. “Yes. I didn’t put it in the report because I never thought in a million years that you’d consider losing Jimmy Hall. He’s the future of the club, Granddad. You know that, and I do. Our fans would hate us. He has captain potential. I’ve come to know him thanks to your assignment, and he’s a Hawk through and through.”
“We’ll put a pin in it.”
More like a large stake!I thought. “Okay.”
“On the bright side, your report was insightful and thorough. When the season ends, we will discuss your promotion.”
Tears of happiness filled my eyes. “A promotion?”
“Yes, my girl. I want you by my side.”
“By your side?”
“Yes, but please don’t say anything to anyone. You’ve more than proved yourself to me and the other executives. Even if you weren’t a Bennett, you’d be getting promoted. Mum’s the word for now, though. Okay?”
I zipped my lips with my fingers, stood up, and hugged my grandfather. “Thank you so much. I won’t say a word. I promise.”
“I love you, Sommer.”
“Love you too, Granddad.”
“Everything okay here?” Grandma asked, walking in with a bowl of cobbler for my granddad.
“Everything is perfect,” I replied, shoveling a spoonful of her luscious dessert into my mouth.
Absolutely perfect.
* * *
Me: Running late. Have a great game! Go Hawks!
I didn’t expect him to answer since he was most likely either in the pregame meeting or already on the field going through stretches and warm-ups. Even though I promised Granddad I wouldn’t say anything, everything in my being wanted to share the news with Jimmy. Well, not the part that concerned him because that would cause nothing but problems—and there was zero need to stress him out.
Thank goodness Granddad didn’t have any immediate plans to change Jimmy’s status on the team and hopefully saw things my way. If he hadn’t, that could have been bad for several reasons. Not only his career, but he’d no longer be in Utah, the thought of which depressed me more than I expected it to. Aside from the team, there was Remington and his family, including their baby on the way.
Then, there was the building that he was renovating. I’d seen the plans but hadn’t been there yet. We were going to go last week, but time slipped away from us. Jimmy told me that we’d go soon, and I couldn’t wait.
I pulled into the lot, waved to the guard, and parked in my private spot. Fans were streaming in, and the music from the sound system filtered into the parking lot. Game days were the best days. Ever since I was little, I’d loved the smell of popcorn and hot dogs, the vendors shouting whatever item they were selling, and fans cheering for our team.
My heart couldn’t have been any fuller, thinking that one day I’d help mold the team. I felt as though my skin was two sizes too small, and I could burst through it, thanks to the excitement running through my veins.
With my badge proudly displayed around my neck, I waved to Manny, one of the security guards, and made my way to my seat, navigating the bustling crowd with ease. Just as I suspected, the stadium was alive with energy. Trying to keep my focus on the steps, I still managed to glance at the field, and like a moth to a flame, my gaze landed on Jimmy, bent over, stretching his hamstrings. I could stare at him all day.
Finally reaching my row, I spotted Meg enjoying a bag of popcorn. She glanced my way and smiled. “Hi, Sommer.”
“Hey, Meg.” I sat down. “How’s it going?”
“Good.” She angled the bag toward me. “Want some? I have been craving salt lately. Well, that and anything made with sugar. If I keep eating like this, I’m going to be the size of a house before I give birth.”
“The most beautiful house ever,” I said, declining the snack.
“I knew I liked you.” She looked at the field before turning back to me. “I’m so glad you’re with Jimmy. I honestly have never seen him happier. He’s a wonderful man, but I know you know that.”
“I do, and thank you. I’m glad I’m with him too. It’s just complicated ... for me. He’d skywrite it if he could.”
“Don’t challenge him on that because I think you’re right.”
We both laughed, and the announcer asked everyone to stand for the national anthem. With my hand proudly over my heart, I sang the words before the crowd shouted, “Play ball!”
Jimmy wasn’t pitching tonight, so my opportunities to see him during the game were few and far between. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been this happy. Although, things could have been the opposite if Mason had gotten his way. On what planet did he think getting rid of Jimmy would be a good idea? Another example of why I should be in that position.
The crack of the bat pulled me from my thoughts. I watched the batter for Denver toss the bat and race toward first. Just as he rounded the bag, Aaron caught the ball, and a collective sigh rang out from the crowd.
Thanks to Omaha winning last night, we were still two games back in our division. We needed this win and a win tomorrow with Jimmy on the mound. Of course, Omaha would need to lose tonight to get us in the tie-breaking game for first, but the only team I could worry about at that moment was the Hawks.
Martinez, the pitcher on the mound, struck out the next two batters, ending the first half of the inning.
Meg put her hand on her stomach. “This baby is so active. He’s been kicking me since the end of my first trimester. I’ve read books that say it can be earlier the second time around, but at this rate, he might be a tap dancer.”
“That’d be fun.”
“It would. Although the dance moms would have a field day at recitals.” My brows tugged together, trying to figure out what she meant. “Not because he’s a boy. But because of his dad and Uncle Yimmy.” I laughed, loving the way she said his name like her daughter did. She went on to explain. “We put Ariel in toddler gymnastics. It was more jumping around, somersaults, that type of thing. They had a family viewing day so the kids could show off what they learned. Keep in mind these are two- and three-year-olds.”
“So organized chaos?”
“I suppose that was one way to describe it. Anyway, I got there first with my parents because the guys had practice.” I had a feeling what would be coming next, but I let her go on. “Then Stud One and Stud Two entered the building, and I swear even the grandmas’ panties were filled with excitement ... if you know what I mean.”
A snort flew out of me, and Meg nodded. “I’m not kidding. It was borderline embarrassing. Not for Rem or Jimmy, of course. Those two ate it up. Well, mostly Jimmy, since he was single. I’d never seen anything like it. The divorced moms especially. I think he got about ten phone numbers that night.”
“Wouldn’t surprise me. I already witnessed him getting one after a game.”
She shook her head and popped a few more buttered kernels into her mouth. “Doesn’t matter anymore, that man is in love.”
All I could do was blink. “Um ... I don’t think so,” I finally admitted with a bit of uncertainty.
She nonchalantly shrugged.
“You’re serious? You think he loves me?”
“Girl, I know he does. Never, and I mean never, has he brought a woman to our house. And before you say it’s because of the team, it isn’t. Trust me. That man has it bad. B-A-D bad.”
My heart skipped a beat at the conviction in Meg’s tone. All outside noise and the game on the field seemed to blur around me. I wasn’t sure what to feel except a multitude of emotions ranging from disbelief to curiosity, and I couldn’t help but feel happy. But love? Could that be true? When we lay in my bed and talked about kids, he never indicated he wanted that with me. Then again, why would he bring it up? Did I bring it up?
I couldn’t help but feel a bit dizzy, thanks to all the thoughts swirling around in my head. Did I love him too? Was that why I reacted so harshly at my grandparents’ house? Had my outburst been more about him than the team?
No, it couldn’t have been. Could it?
“You’re thinking about it, aren’t you?”
I looked at Meg and gave her a shrug of my own. “Let’s just watch the game.”
She winked and went back to her popcorn. “Uh-huh.”
Playfully scowling at her made Meg laugh. When a vendor walked by, I waved him over and bought a blue and a pink cotton candy. I gave the blue to her. “Here, for your sweet tooth.”
“You just don’t want me to talk anymore.”
I laughed. “You know, you’d fit in perfectly with my friends,” I couldn’t help but say.
“Well, since you’ll be around for a long time, I can’t wait to meet them.”
“Just eat your sugary snack.”
“Let me say just one thing. How hard has your PR job been lately? It must be easy. Has he been tagged in anything? Talked to any women ... of his own accord, not theirs. Has he even mentioned anything?”
Meg was right. None of that had happened. Yes, women looked at him, but I couldn’t exactly fault them for that. There were a couple of instances where women gave him their numbers or at least attempted to, but as far as my job, I hadn’t had a notification that didn’t have to do with his performance on the field since we’d been together.
“No,” I answered honestly.
“I rest my case.” She peeled off a fluffy chunk and proudly put it in her mouth. I did the same, and thankfully, she didn’t mention me and Jimmy for the rest of the game. That didn’t mean he wasn’t first and foremost on my mind.
If I hadn’t just been told about the promotion, I’d tell my grandparents about us. They were the most important people in my life, but I couldn’t risk it. Not yet. Maybe once I had the job, things would be different. Until then, we were status quo. All I could do was hope Jimmy would be on board with that.
I’d hardly paid attention to the game we had just won. The large scoreboard at the end of the field displayed the score of the Omaha game. “They lost,” I whispered. The fans noticed because they erupted in chants of “One more game!”
The announcer thanked everyone for coming, gave the usual rundown about drinking and driving, and provided directions to the rideshare gate. Then he said, “Be here tomorrow night when our ace, Jimmy Hall, takes the mound. Next stop, playoffs!”
He played the Hawks’ theme song. Some people hung back and sang while others filed out of the stadium. I waited for our section to clear a little before walking out with Meg. We headed toward the secure, cordoned-off area.
When Remington and Jimmy walked out freshly showered and looking like delicious treats, she leaned toward me and whispered, “Our men are hot.”
I laughed but didn’t disagree because she was right. Jimmy walked up to me, gave me that killer smile, and, despite the women calling his name, kept his focus on me.
Maybe Meg had a point after all.