I’m not ready to leave the Pilots, but I’d do it all again if it meant standing up for Shay.
Rio’s office door swings open, and he somehow looks even more annoyed than usual. “Go home, you two,” he barks, and my friends blow him a kiss before heading for the exit.
He retreats to his desk, and I step inside. His office is as tidy and clean as the first time I sat here before spring training with Jon, who gushed about how great I would be for the Pilots’ organization.
“He never causes problems. Does whatever you need because that’s Cade.”
That’s what makes Jon’s texts this morning so ironic.
Jon Sweeney
See. You can’t do this without me.
I’m tired of these games. Call me back.
Instead of freaking out like I did the first few times, I deleted those without hesitation.
My butt isn’t fully seated before Rio turns the television-sized monitor toward me. Scott Butts’s cheeks are red with what I hope is shame, while I stand behind the podium, giving him an earful. It’s odd to witness an emotion on my face that isn’t happiness or contentment. I look furious, and it’s nice to see and feel something else.
Somethingreal.
“I’m not going to apologize,” I say quickly. “Not to Scott.”
I didn’t say anything last night that wasn’t true. Shay doesn’t deserve disrespect, and I’ll personally make sure she never has to hear that shit again. If that means I get demoted, then so be it.
Rio’s brows lift. “And why is that?”
“Is it not obvious?” I jab an angry finger at the screen. “That’s my agent. When have you heard of reporters bringing up how attractive male agents are and letting that trump professional conversations? Nobodyhas asked me if a man I work with distracts me from my job, so why was it okay for him to say that about her?”
Rio clasps his hands together. “It’s not okay. I actually don’t have an issue with anything you said or did last night.”
Now I’m stumped. “You don’t?”
“Nope. PR isn’t happy, so you’ll be hearing from Amber soon, but I’m proud.” He turns the monitor back toward him. “I like Shaylene. She’s smart. Before your player development meeting, she walked in with a list of questions for me. It was refreshing to see an agent who worried about your physicalandmental health. It’s clear she has your best interest in mind.”
A brief smile touches my lips. Even with our history, she keeps proving that she’s always on my side.
“And this morning,” he continues, “she emailed me an article by Summer Moore with theCarolina Gazettethat got me thinking.”
The Energizer Bunny from the farmers market. “What did it say?”
“So much.” Rio chuckles. “But my favorite part is when Summer tore Scott Butts a new asshole for his comment about Shay. Then she listed off every great thing Shay has done for her clients. It’s impressive.”
“She’s impressive as hell, and I’m glad everyone will finally see her like I do.” I stand. Dawson and Marcus will be happy to know I didn’t need to stress about this meeting. “Thanks, Rio. See you tomorrow.”
“Oh no, rookie. Sit your ass down,” he orders, bending over to rummage through a drawer. “Do you know the average amount of time a player spends in the league?”
I’m confused by the switch in discussion. “No, sir?”
“Me either, but I know it’s short. Wanna guess why?”
I shrug. “My first guess is injuries. Especially for pitchers. The body isn’t meant for this high-impactlifestyle.”
Rio nods. “What about the mental side of baseball? Do you think that could have any sway?”
“I don’t know,” I say, but it’s a lie. I’m sure it is. I’ve spent many nights wondering if quitting would free me.
Ink fills my nose as I take the yellowed and worn newspaper Rio hands me. It almost looks like it could be from the nineties until I see my face looking back at me. Fifteen-year-old Cade had no idea what this headline would do.
