by Jody Holford
Despite…everything, Isla smiled. “Thank you.” For all of the things you’ve done to be a friend. A sister. For not hating me for all the trouble and aggravation I’m about to cause. For standing by me. Sharing my dreams.
Addie’s smile dropped. “What’s wrong?”
Swallowing the thick lump in her throat, Isla tried to wave off Addie’s concern. “Tell me your news first.”
Stepping closer, analyzing her like she was running through an Isla-checklist in her brain, Addie gripped her shoulders. “Something is wrong. Tell me.”
So she told her everything. In one long, exhausted, overwrought breath. Or at least, it felt like it, because when she finished, she had no energy left. She’d fortunately cried all her tears earlier and at the moment, she was heading into the numb stage.
During the story, she’d leaned back on the counter, and now she stood straight, expecting Addie, sweet, motherly, Addison, to pull her into one of her super-hugs.
What she didn’t expect was for Addie—currently not so sweet—to grip her arm just above the elbow and pull her into the dining area. The table was littered with Post-it notes, files, pictures, lists, and her friend’s laptop.
“You’re telling me this is all for nothing?” Addie whirled on her, dropping her hand.
She’d never heard this tone before. “You have every right to be mad. I promise, you’ll still have a job. I’ll pay for—”
“You can keep your money. For that matter, you can keep your job. That’s not what this is about. I can’t believe this. Who are you?”
She almost laughed at that. She didn’t know. She’d been so sure she knew and now, she couldn’t even answer the question.
Addie pointed at the table, and Isla saw her hand shake. Isla stepped forward, brow creasing. “Are you feeling okay? You’re shaky.”
Moving to the other side of the table, she slammed her laptop shut. “Am I okay? Let’s see, my mentor, my kickass idol, my best friend just informed me she’s had a personality transplant and will now be leaving things to the boys. I think I’ll pack up our stuff and get us on the first flight back to Colorado. When we get back, I’ll set up some nail appointments, maybe a spa treatment, and we can see about sitting on the board of a goddamn charity. As volunteers!”
Isla shouldn’t have laughed. She didn’t mean to. But Addison mad was like a puppy gone rabid. Her friend had also described what had become Isla’s mother’s life. A life she didn’t begrudge but certainly didn’t admire her mother for.
Addie stopped, hands on her hips, glaring so hard, Isla felt the sting. “I just got off the phone with All Business.” She paused like she needed to catch her breath.
Isla knew the magazine well. Her father’s name and company had been mentioned several times. Even for Isla’s ideas. It was a milestone in the business world—getting your name on the cover.
“Okay,” Isla said, trying to pull Addie back into the conversation.
“They want to do a special issue on women in business. Specifically, they want to feature you and talk about women in the business of sports. Do you know that there’s, like, under a dozen female owners for professional teams? And some of those women are partnered with their spouses. Do you have any idea the ripple effect you have the ability to create by being the owner of a freaking major league team? You knew the value yesterday. You knew it the day before. You’ve known all along you were better than the cookie-cutter box your dad placed you in and now, when you have the chance to break out, to break the damn mold, you’re caving.”
Isla’s breath came in sharp. “He threatened to ruin me professionally. To ruin Liam.”
“He can’t do that. He can make you think he can do it. But look at the kinds of scandals that have existed in politics and business. In sports. You fight back. You play dirty if you have to. Not dirtier than you’re comfortable with, because I get it, at the end of the day he’s your dad, and you’re miles above him on the decency scale. But it’s time to decide, right now, who you are. Are we going home, or are you going to drop the damn gloves and fight?”
Isla thought about what Addie said, about heading home and returning to…what? Her father’s company? Her old life? She thought of Corey and Tommy, both of whom she knew didn’t want to move from Nashville. Corey and his wife had just bought a house. She’d found that out when she’d talked to him about the school partnership. His wife was a lovely woman. Someone she could imagine sitting with in the owner’s box, watching a game.
She thought about Liam, and her heart wanted to burst out of her chest. She thought about the team and the front-of-house people who had welcomed her. The janitors and the security guards. The community. And she thought of the people Bruce bullied, her father walked all over. Her breath whooshed out.
The last time she’d felt this empty, this lost, was the night she’d arrived in this town. She couldn’t even get her family to call her back. Her step-grandmother hadn’t offered her a room to stay in.
She gripped the edge of the counter, feeling overheated.
“Isla? You want some water?”
She nodded, literally holding herself up by leaning against the cool cupboards. Addie passed her a glass of water.
“My phone?”
Addie dug through her purse and passed it to her, glancing down at it. “Whoa.”
Isla took it, took a long swallow of water, and then set the glass down. Her phone buzzed and lit up like a carnival toy. Phone calls, texts, with Liam’s name, Josiah’s, and Jennifer’s were just the ones she could see.
“I’m not alone anymore,” she whispered.
Addie laughed and shoved her shoulder. “You never were, you doofus.”
Isla laughed, her ribs aching with the movement. “Only cowards run away.”
Addie’s eyes glinted, and Isla recognized the challenge. “You see any cowards in this room?”
She met her friend’s gaze. “Hell no.”
“Tell me what to do.”
…
When she arrived, the security guard met her and walked her into the building.
“Real shame to see you go, Ms. Bennett,” he said, opening the door to the stadium offices.
“I appreciate you saying that, Patrick. Thank you. Do you know if my father has arrived?”
“He didn’t leave after the press conference, ma’am. Not usually so much action around here in the off-season,” the guard said with a smile.
“I like to keep things entertaining,” she said.
He barked out a laugh. “Keeps me young, so keep at it. Have a good night.”
“You, too. Thanks for the escort.”
Taking her time, she made her way to the conference room in which she’d first introduced herself to the team. Her father was waiting for her, his suit jacket tossed on a chair. He had a stack of papers in front of him.
“What did you want to talk about?” Her father stretched in the chair, like he belonged there.
Taking a deep breath, she walked to the table. “The terms of the contract. I don’t think you should keep Bruce.”
Folding his hands behind his head, he leaned back as if he was considering her opinion. “Not really your concern. You don’t like the man. What do you care?”
Isla leaned on the desk. “I need his percentage and a higher cut. I’ve changed my mind. I understand that you want me to give you the team, but it isn’t my first choice. I want to be part of this, and you cut me out of your business. Now that I have a chance to prove myself, a chance to do something…special, you’re trying to snatch it away.”
He sighed. Like he was tired of placating her. “I’m not snatching anything away. I’m taking back something that should rightfully be mine.”
She tried to settle her pulse, but her breath was coming unevenly. Calm down or you will blow this, too.
“If Granddad had wanted you to have it, he would have left it to you. And blackmailing me doesn’t erase that truth,” she said.
He stood slowly, deliberat
ely, and leaned on the table. Because she was leaning against it, their faces were close, and she could see the hardness in his eyes ran deep. A shiver racked her spine.
“The truth is, you don’t know one goddamn thing about baseball. The truth is, if you push me, I’ll kill your career and your boyfriend’s. You haven’t got the guts or know-how to run a baseball team. The truth is, I never gave you a bigger piece of my business because you’re soft. Emotional. Weak, like your mother. You think it’s about relationships and connections.” He slammed his hand down. “It’s about being ruthless enough to do what needs to be done. Push me one more time on this, and I’ll tell Bruce, before I find a way to fire him, to make the call and finish the deal to transfer Cruz. He’s washed up anyway.”
Isla stood, the smile feeling foreign on her lips. Probably because ruthless smiles weren’t her thing. Ice settled in her veins, and though he was right about her emotions in most cases, he’d stripped her of them this time.
He wasn’t her father…he was a stranger. She’d connected more easily with Josiah, with Mickey, with Liam’s father, than she ever had with her own. Being born into a family didn’t make a person belong.
“I’ll have Josiah finalize the paperwork. It’ll take a couple of days,” she said.
He raised his hands in the air like he was giving thanks. “Finally. Common sense.” He grabbed his papers, shoved them in his briefcase, the envelope right there for her to see. He took his time putting on his jacket and stopped in front of her on his way out.
“I said you could stay on, but I think it’s better for both of us that you don’t.”
“I don’t plan on working with you, Dad.”
“Good.” He nodded and walked out.
Her heart hammered so hard against her ribs that she felt they might crack. Bending in half, she placed her hands on her knees, let the dizziness pass. Tears threatened, but she wouldn’t cry any more over her father. As Tom Hanks would say, there’s no crying in baseball.
When she heard a noise behind her, she had a smile on her face as she turned. Josiah’s expression was tight, his skin flushed. Jennifer looked…exhilarated.
“That was awesome,” the woman said, coming closer to give Isla a hard hug.
“You got it?” Isla felt shaky but willed herself to keep it together for a little longer. The conference room was outfitted with recording and listening devices so her grandfather could participate in meetings from his office or his home. She’d overlooked it…forgotten about it. Until she’d been wishing someone other than Bruce had been listening in to her earlier conversation with them.
“Every despicable word. Don’t you worry. We’ll take care of this. I look forward to bringing him the papers,” Josiah said.
Weariness washed through her, and she wanted nothing more than to go…home to Liam. But not yet. She had to make sure his career and reputation were safe first. Hopefully, when it was all finished, he’d understand and forgive her. Tonight had been the first step toward standing up for herself, something she’d needed to do for a long time.
Jennifer’s grin was infectious. “We’re going to nail him to the wall.”
Isla laughed. “Just get me my team and get rid of Bruce and I’ll be happy.”
As they walked out together, Isla breathed in the cool air, pushed back the sadness still threatening to overtake her. As she started to slide into her car, Josiah called her name. She looked up, caught his gaze.
“You’re not alone. You maybe have been for most of your life, but you aren’t anymore.”
She nodded because her throat was too thick to speak.
As she drove down the quiet back roads of Nashville, she hoped she was doing the right thing. It bothered her to take this route with her father but he wouldn’t respond to anything other than his own style of business tactics. In the future, as she had in the past, she planned to continue letting her head and her heart guide her decisions.
As much as she was happy to be able to keep the team once everything was brought to light, she already knew, it wouldn’t matter if she lost Liam. She’d promised to trust him and more, she’d promised he could trust her, and she’d let him down. She’d lied, withheld information, and cut him out of a major decision.
She’d almost packed up and left as easily as she’d come. It didn’t matter that her reasons had been valid. She was wrong, and she needed to see him, to make sure he knew that she’d made a lot of mistakes, but taking a chance on him was not one of them.
She couldn’t tell him right away, though. For now, she had to keep things as they were until she was absolutely certain that his personal and professional life would not be impacted by her decisions. When she finally went to him, she planned to tell him how much she cared about him. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be too late.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Liam stormed into Ethan’s office, ignoring his secretary’s complaints. Ethan covered the phone and glared at him.
“What the hell? I’m on a call,” he said.
Liam was done playing around. He hadn’t talked to Isla in two days, and he was losing his mind. “Get off the call now.”
Ethan’s brows rose, and he spoke into the phone. “I need to call you back… Yes. Okay.” Disconnecting, he tossed his phone on the desk. “What do you want, Cruz?”
“Tell me what’s going on.” His breaths heaved in and out. His skin was too tight; his chest felt crowded.
“Don’t know what you’re talking about.” Ethan glanced down at the desk. He’d played poker with this man. He was lying.
“I’m going to The Spot tonight,” Liam said.
Ethan came around his desk so they were standing almost toe to toe. “You don’t like bars. Especially ones notorious for hookups and hangovers.”
Liam crossed his arms over his Slammers T-shirt. “Might get drunk, too. A hookup and hangover sound pretty good to me right now.”
Ethan’s jaw tightened. “You’re an example for the younger guys on the team.”
Shrugging, he walked away, made a show of checking out the books on Ethan’s shelves. “Didn’t ask to be that. I’ve been wasting opportunities to show Nashville I’m here to play.”
“You’ll screw things up with Isla. Don’t look at me like that. What am I, stupid? I know you’re head over heels about her. You’re telling me you’re going to risk that for a hookup?” He rubbed his hand over his beard. Another tell.
“Isla won’t return my calls. Guess I didn’t mean that much to her after all. I’m a free agent. Again.” God, he hoped that wasn’t true. He didn’t know what he’d do if it was.
“Don’t do this. I have enough to deal with.”
Done skirting around the issue, Liam stalked over, got in his face. “Tell me what the hell is going on, or tonight and every night until you tell me, I will make it my mission to cause so many PR nightmares for this team, you’ll have to get me traded just to make it go away.”
Ethan’s jaw dropped. “Jesus. You’re in love with her.”
Liam’s breath caught. “Tell. Me.”
Shoulders sagging, Ethan moved around him, shut the door. When he turned back, faced Liam, he sighed. “You’re going to be pissed.”
…
Liam let himself into the press conference room. The room had seen almost as much media action in the last month as it did during the season. He tugged his ball cap lower on his head and stood at the back, keeping his head lowered, but he caught sight of Isla at the front. Her father, the smug bastard, was chatting with Bruce.
Even from so far away, it was like she could feel him. His heart beat heavy in his chest. Their eyes connected and held, and air whooshed from his lungs. He’d missed her to the point of aching. And as soon as things got sorted, he was going to make sure she knew walking away wasn’t an option. Maybe from baseball, even from Nashville if necessary. But not from them.
She’d been willing to sacrifice everything for him, so he knew he wasn’t alone in his feelings.
“Ok
ay. We’re going to get started,” Ethan said into the microphone. “Thank you for coming out again. I am truly hoping that tonight’s announcement is the last one until spring training starts.” He glanced back at Isla. “However, I’m learning to expect the unexpected with our new ownership, so never say never.”
The crowd laughed. Cruz expected her to speak, but instead, she kept her eyes locked on his as Josiah approached the microphone.
“Thank you for coming tonight. It’s been a rocky start for Isla Bennett, but we’ve been working hard, behind the scenes, to pave the path and make it smoother. I worked with her grandfather for years, and I am very pleased to say”—he paused, looked at Isla—“he’d be very proud of you. For your strength, your humility, and…excuse my language…your balls.”
The crowd laughed again, and Isla covered her mouth, smothering her smile. Liam couldn’t wait until this was over so he could kiss that mouth, feel her lips against his. It felt like it’d been a lifetime. In less than two months, this woman had turned his world upside down and made it more meaningful. He hadn’t even known that was possible.
“At the last conference, Ms. Bennett mentioned a letter of intent. You may or may not know that this is not a legally binding document. If there are circumstances preventing a proper transaction, say, a deal made through extortion, the agreement becomes null and void. Ms. Bennett will not be selling her team to her father.”
Henry Bennett puffed up, his chest expanding, his skin going a mottled shade of red like a cartoon character. “What are you talking about? I warned you!”
When he stepped forward to go to Isla, Liam’s hands balled into fists. If he touched her… A security guard and Ethan stopped her father from moving. Isla took the mic.
“You did warn me.” She looked out at the audience. “He warned me, you guys. That’s about the only thing he hasn’t lied about. He warned me that I didn’t know how to play dirty, and I don’t. He told me I was too emotional for this game and for business in general. But he was wrong. And so was I. Because I was right there with him, not believing in myself.”
Her eyes came back to Liam. “This city and the people in it have shown me more kindness in six weeks than I’ve ever known. I’m going to admit that baseball is not my forte, which I think I proved quite publicly.” The crowd laughed again as murmurs rumbled through.
