Page 13 of Out of Left Field

Our gazes collided and it was as if it was last night all over again, only totally different. His unruly hair had a trim and his scruff of a beard was gone. Instead of a t-shirt and flip flops he wore a very nice suit that accentuated his broad shoulders and trim waist.

He had somehow transformed into very much my type. Like Cinderella.

Except a small part of me missed the scruff and the floppy hair. His mouth opened and closed twice before he gave himself a shake. “Dr. James, it’s nice to meet you.”

Team manager. That was the work taking him out of town for a month. Spring training. It all fell into place.

“This is Anson’s first year leading the team but I’m confident he is the future of the Mantas.” Eli said it as fact and I wasn’t here to dispute it. I was too stunned to try.

“I look forward to working with you Mr. Anson.”

He flashed me that smile and my knees wobbled all over again. “You can count on it.”

5

Isaac

“Do you have a minute?” Kate asked. “I’d love to pick your brain if you have the time.”

The big walking dick and his friend said their goodbyes, leaving me alone in the owner’s suite with the very same woman I flirted with last night.

What were the odds?

“Of course.”

She nibbled the corner of her lips and fidgeted for a moment. “Well this is unexpected.”

“I can’t say I’m upset.” Shocked but…excited? Yeah. The stress and worry that plagued my days and nights since Eli Stirling threw my life into chaos faded—temporarily—into the background thanks to this surprise of a woman appearing out of nowhere. “Are you friend or foe, though?”

She blinked and jerked back just a little. “Oh. Yes. My role can be confusing, but I assure you I’m here to help.”

Kate seemed nice. Really nice. The woman I watched last night had a great laugh and an easy way with her friends. “Help Eli Stirling or the team?”

“If Mr. Stirling wanted someone to do his bidding he wouldn’t have hired me. That’s not what I do.”

Which begged the question, “So what do you actually do?”

“I fix sick workplace environments.” She laughed lightly at the face I made. “I know it sounds bizarre. Look at it like this. Eli brought a virus into the Mantas organization. I’m the doctor that will cure the disease. That means making everyone happy and healthy again.”

“He called you Dr. Kate James. Are you an actual doctor?”

“Not a medical doctor. I was essentially a professional academic throughout my twenties. Classic nerd. I love learning and collected degrees and certifications like candy before stumbling into this line of work. I did actually complete my PhD two years ago.”

Beautiful, smart, and here to save my ass from my evil stepfather. Okay, maybe I should layoff the fairytales with Rosie a little. Casting everyone in my imaginary version of Cinderella was going too far. But my brain was just trying to make sense of life. None of it seemed real anymore. Just a few months ago my days were beaches, tourists, nature, and Rosie. Now they entailed press conferences, practice, lineups, and a boss hellbent on ruining my team. Add on a beautiful woman that was fun to flirt with for a night, who then shows up the next morning? No wonder I was losing it a little.

“So what’s your plan?”

“I don’t know,” she said on a rush, her cheeks flushing a little like she was embarrassed. “I haven’t formed a plan yet.”

“This is the call you got last night?”

She nodded. “I need to wrap my mind around the structure of the team and the front office. Next I’ll start interviews.”

I felt myself moving closer, wanting the inches between us to disappear. Kate had my full attention now that I had the opportunity to talk with her. Like last night her dark hair was down, but today she had one side pinned back. She had on makeup, but it was light and accentuated her dark brows and lashes. I didn’t know if she did it on purpose, but she wore a dark blue blouse. Mantas blue.

“And who will you interview?” I would happily submit to daily meetings.

“Everyone.”