by Nella Tyler
TROWING LOVE
By Nella Tyler
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2015 Nella Tyler
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Chapter One
Studying was becoming a bore, I wasn't sure that I could do much more of it today. Good thing I was meeting my friend Connie for lunch soon. I needed a break, I hated school. But I loved the opportunities that school opened up for me. I pushed aside my text book and lay back down on my bed. Being a student was sometimes so exhausting, I couldn't wait until I graduated so that I could do what I loved. It was tortuous waiting to have your dreams realized. For the longest time I had dreamed of being a sportscaster. Being there during a live game, with excitement and adrenaline of a game and being able to discuss the ins and outs of the sport with my colleagues. I. Loved. It. Although my friends thought that I was a big weirdo for my choice, it was the only thing that made sense in the crazy life I led. My friends often didn't understand my obsession for baseball, but how could I not be obsessed? I was raised on it.
My father wasn't surprised I wanted to have a career in sports, why would he be – he raised me to be that way. He was Steve Fisher, after all, the owner of the Long Island Stingrays, and it was no small feat for my father. I had spent almost all my waking hours immersed in the sport, I knew everything about it; I would be a fool to waste that knowledge.
I had spent so much time on the field, at games, and travelling around with my father that I wasn't sure if I even chose baseball or if it chose me. Sometimes that was how it worked: something becomes such a part of you that you have no choice but to live amongst it. I often wondered how different my life would have been if my father didn't own a team. Would I still have a love of baseball?
That's what baseball was like for me – it chose me whether I wanted it to or not. I loved every aspect of the game, being around it exhilarated me in ways I couldn't even put into words. My friends didn't understand it...well not the female ones, anyways. The guys I knew loved the fact that I could whip out baseball stats on the fly. I knew all the ins and outs of a game and going to watch live games with my friends was the most fun ever. A ballgame with cute guys and beer? How could a girl say no to that? The guys just loved having me around.
Oddly enough, my father didn't have the same love of the game as I did. Sure he did, once upon a time when he first got into it. He had played baseball when he was younger, as well, though he never went pro. But being a businessman changed him, he only did it because it was a money-making machine and it gave us a lifestyle some people could only dream about. His only interest in the players and the team in general was what they could do for him. That was it. He seemed to have lost his love of the game. Sure he still watched the games and cheered the team on, but the passion for it was gone. He just wanted them to do well and that was his sole purpose in choosing players.
It wasn't like that for me; I always focused on the team and the game. I didn't worry about what specific players could do for me or the game. It was all about the passion and love of baseball for me. I was just lucky enough to be the daughter of a man that owned a team. It allowed me to be around it at all times. Soon enough my career would allow me the freedom to do it, as well, on my own terms.
Once I graduated, I would be able to cover the beloved sport and see it from a different angle. I couldn't wait. It would be a dream come true. Although my father wasn't surprised about my love of the sport, he was surprised that I wanted to be a sportscaster. Maybe even disappointed. If anything, my father thought that I would go into the business side of things and follow in his footsteps. No, thank you. I wanted to talk about sports and be right there in the middle of it.
I was studying at Long Island College with my best friend Connie, who was actually taking business. She also couldn't understand why I wouldn't take over as owner one day. Business gave me headaches, and I think there was a part of me that feared that I would lose the love of the game, too, if I went into the trenches with the big wigs. It was my life anyways, and I was going to do what I loved and that was the end of it.
I sat up in bed. I was heading out to meet Connie for lunch and was already running late because of the massive amount of homework I had to do. It was time to get moving.
Cleaning up my books, I hopped off my bed and headed for the door. I grabbed my purse and car keys and trotted down the hallway to the front door. As I was driving to the restaurant, I started daydreaming about someone I had no business daydreaming about.
“Wait! Who are we talking about here? What guy?”
“Connie, try to focus. I told you about him the moment I saw him.”
“Is this a baseball thing?”
I laughed. Connie did not get the “baseball thing” at all. I couldn't blame her, girls typically weren't into sports and even the ones that were weren't into it at the level I was.
“His name is Bennett and he's an all-star pitcher for this Triple A team.”
“And?”
Our salads had just arrived and I was picking at mine with a fork. I had butterflies in my stomach just talking about it. Talking about him. I never got this way at all about players, never. I was in it for the games, I didn't get involved with players – it just wasn't my way. This guy was different, though. I sorta developed a crush on him the first time I saw him.
“And he's so cute, you have no idea.”
“I thought you weren't into baseball players.”
“Let me be clear here, Connie, I haven't even met the guy. It's just a little crush. I don't know, there's something different about him. I heard him in an interview and, I don't know, he's charming. And he has a true love of the sport. He isn't just out for a big paycheck, he really loves it.”
Connie giggled. “That just gets your rocks off, doesn't it?”
“A little. The thing is, he's dying to get on a team and he apparently worships the ground my dad walks on. He wants on our team. My father is meeting with him tomorrow afternoon and I'm going with him.”
“You're kidding? Why are you going?”
“I'm sure deep down my dad hopes I'm going to take over his job when he retires, so I'm always there when he meets and hires new teammates. I'm sure he's going to snap Bennett up because the guy is amazing, but he still meets them first before hiring. But I'm going to get to meet him. I don't know why I'm so giddy about it, but there it is.”
Connie was looking at me strangely. I took a forkful of my salad and raised my eyebrows. “What?” I said after swallowing.
“I don't get it. He's just a guy and there are tons of guys at school that you ignore regularly. Would you really want to be involved with a guy in baseball? He would be travelling all the time. There would be girls around him all the time.”
“Well, I travel with the games, too.”
“Yeah, you do that now. But once you get a sportscaster job, you're not going to have that luxury anymore. He will be gone and you will have to stay put. Why not date a guy that's here, he doesn't have to be in baseball.”
“Connie, I didn't say I was going to date him. So, calm down. Besides, I don't think of men like that. The whole travelling thing, I mean, I'm more interested in whether we have chemistry. I could live with just about anything if he was the perfect guy. The rest doesn't matter, I imagine we would work around it. There are lots of successful marriages in sports. They don't all cheat, ya know.”
“I just don't understand this. Or maybe it's that I d
on't understand your obsession with baseball.”
“I feel like we keep having the same conversation. How do you not understand me? I've been in baseball my whole life, it's the only thing I know. What can I say? I love it.”
“Okay, maybe you should just tell me more about him.”
“That I can definitely do.”
Connie smiled and I suddenly saw my friend again. I knew I was sometimes hard to understand, but my friends love me and at least she was trying to understand me. Which is more than I could say about some of the men in my life.
“Well, while the guy’s just absolutely adorable.”
“Adorable? He's not a puppy, Emmi.”
I laughed. “I know he's not a puppy, but I can still say he’s adorable. I could also use other adjectives such as hot, sexy, delicious...dare I say more?”
“Okay, okay, I get the hint.”
“The funny thing is I was the one I told my dad about him. It's about time he takes me seriously, I heard all about Bennett long before my dad did. The first up-and-coming star that we've seen in a while and my dad snapped at the chance to meet him.”
“Of course he did, your dad loves money.”
I laughed. “Don't I know it.”
“Not that it's a bad thing. He is just not the baseball fan he once was.”
“Yeah, that kinda makes me sad, though.”
“So do you plan on pouncing on Mr. Bennett?”
I giggled. “As much as I would like to, I prefer to try to rein things in, at first anyways.”
“Yeah, we'll see.”
“I think my dad's starting to see that I'm actually really good at this.”
Connie nodded while looking at her salad. I couldn't really tell if she was interested in anything I was saying. I think baseball pretty much bored Connie to death. It sort of made me sad because I thought it was such a great accomplishment. I did after all find a new player for my dad, without any of his help. But that sort of in information just rolled right off of Connie’s shoulders and she barely batted an eye. I knew she loved me and she was a great friend, but baseball to her was a sport she was once forced to play in elementary school. She didn't think of it as a career goal and didn't like watching it at all. Maybe if I told her I was going to one day be the owner of the Long Island Stingrays that would get her interested. But of course that was never going to happen. Not if I could help it, at least. Daddy wasn't going to get what he wanted this time.
“Well, good luck, girl. I hope it works for you.”
“Gee thanks. I'm just meeting him, after all. It's not like I'm getting married.”
Connie laughed. “Look, I know a gaga look when I see it. You're not fooling anyone.”
I stuck my tongue out at her – I wasn't going to let her ruin my good mood.
Chapter Two
I was really good at pacing. I could pace up and down a football field like a champ. I was on break at school waiting for my father to pick me up for the game. I had dressed over an hour ago and still had an hour to wait before he arrived. You could say that I was a little excited to be going to the game. I had only stayed up all night thinking about it. I was exhausted from getting no sleep, but I was wired and ready to go. I was practically bouncing off the walls. I checked and re-checked my hair and makeup. My long wavy blonde hair fell in waves around my shoulders. They fell softly around my face accentuating my jawline. I kept the makeup minimal for games, after all I wasn't going to a club. But I always had liner on – it made my blue eyes POP! I was wearing a designer tracksuit that afforded me style and comfort all at the same time.
I wasn't sure why I had allowed myself to be taken in by Bennett, there was some truth to what Connie had to say. I could be getting in way over my head. Besides I didn't need someone else talking me into going for the family business. I couldn't help it though, there was just something about him that drew me in.
I stopped pacing on the field and decided to head into the corridor where I could look up some stats. I needed to have my game face on when I talked to my father. I went inside and looked up the stats about Bennett Thomas. I had to make sure that I had all the information I would need to make sure my dad snapped him up. This wasn't about some crush, Bennett was perfect for our team and we would be foolish not to grab him while we had the chance. The other teams would be more than happy to have him. Our major league baseball team needed him and I had to convince my father that Bennett was worth taking a look. I didn't want our meeting with him to be some meet and greet. I wanted Dad to hire him on the spot before another manager started whispering in his ear.
When my father finally arrived, I ran towards him as I saw him coming through the front door. “Dad, what took you so long?”
He looked down at his watch and looked up at me with confusion on his face. “I'm 15 minutes early.”
I blushed. “Never mind then, let’s get going. We don't want to be late.”
My dad looked at me sternly, clearly unimpressed with my behaviour. “Are you okay? You're not taking drugs are you?”
I laughed. “Dad! Let's go.”
We headed outside before he could ask me anymore questions.
Chapter Three
“I'm just saying, Emmi, that I don't like making decisions like this on the fly and I think you know that.”
“Dad, we have gone over the figures and stats aggressively, you know that I'm right. This is our moment to grab an amazing player, and he's interested in us, too. He's a huge fan of you, which gives us an edge. It's not long before other scouts are going to be hounding him and then we will lose our edge. Fan or no fan, he may just get a better offer.”
Steve looked over at me and I could see I had finally got him thinking. We were heading to the game and arguing in the car. I had gone over all the stats on the drive and my dad was just stubborn and bull-headed. He always had a system and rarely strayed from it. I just knew that this was our moment, and I needed him to see that, as well.
“It's clear to me, Emmi, that you have done your homework on the boy, I get it. It's actually pretty impressive that you snapped up an unknown player with such a stellar background. But what's the rush? Why should I hire him on the spot? I like to get a feel for the players, it's a process. I meet them then I take some time to think about how well they are suited for my team. It's simple. If Bennett wants on the team bad enough, he will be there when I'm ready for him.”
I sighed, it was so exasperating being in the car with him at that moment. Sometimes he made me just want to scream. I knew I was right and he was risking losing Bennett over his “process.”
“Your process is outdated, Dad. These days we need to move fast when it comes time to acquire a new player. Bennett is it this year – there is no better. We haven't seen anyone else with his stats. Let's just get him on the team already.”
He chuckled, “You definitely are passionate about the sport, Emmi, that's one thing I love about you.”
“And where is your passion, Dad, because I haven't seen it in a long time.”
“What are you talking about? You know I love baseball.”
“Not like you used to. Dad when you first started this thing, you would have snapped Bennett up in a second. Now you want to do this whole process that is really about crunching some numbers.”
“I resent that, Emmi.”
“I'm sorry, Dad, but it's true.”
My dad turned back to face the front and stared out of the windshield. He sighed deeply. “Look, Emmi, let me meet him and we'll go from there.”
There was no point in arguing further, we would only get into a fight. He had given all that he was going to at that point. I would have to wait until he met Bennett and hopefully he would win my dad over immediately. There was that chance, if not I would start working his gears again until he broke. I was determined to win this argument; after all, it was what was best for the team and the business.
“How are classes going, Emmi, are you enjoying the curriculum?”
�
��To be honest, Dad, I love every minute of it. There is a lot of homework, which I could live without, but it's not boring content and either way it's the road I need to take to reach my goals.”
“How are your teachers? Do they know what they are talking about?”
“Yes they know their stuff, though I have caught a few of them off guard with all the stats I know.”
He laughed. “That's my girl. Yeah, I'm betting there aren't too many girls your age that have the knowledge behind the sport of baseball that you do. Not only were you raised around it, but you are incredibly bright.”
I smiled over at him. “Thanks, Dad, I appreciate that.”
“Well it's all true. That's why I was hoping you would go into business with me. I think you would be really good at it.”
“Dad...”
“I know. I know. It's not what you want, and that's fine with me. I can't be happier with the choice you made to become a sportscaster. I really think you will do well. You probably know more about the sports than most of the men sportscasters out there.”
I laughed. “Well maybe. I just wish I could do it now, I'm so excited to get in there and get started.”
“Oh enjoy your college experience, Emmi, there is really nothing like it. College shapes you for the next stage in life and it's also a hell of a lot of fun.”
Laughing, I said, “Yes, I am enjoying it, Dad. Don't worry.”
“Good, I'm glad to hear that.”
I smiled at him as I watched him go back to driving. I loved my dad more than anything and although there were times that we argued, we were incredibly close. For the longest time it had been me and him against the world. I grew up around him and everything that he loved. Now that I was getting into a career involved with sports, I knew that our bond was going to get that much closer. We would be able to talk shop more and I would have a finger on the inside track. I just hoped I would also have a say in whether we got Bennett or not.
