“Okay. Sucks for the rest of the season, but glad to hear the prognosis is good.”
Kent nodded, dropping his gaze to the table as if he was having trouble maintaining eye contact with me.
“It’s a loss, but the guys had a good game today. I know we all have our eyes on a wild card spot, but the best thing to do is take it one game at a time.”
“No, we aren’t worried about that.” Cole shook his head. He was about Kent’s height, slim with a gray beard, and he stayed mostly silent in management meetings. He sometimes traveled with Kent, but I’d never been part of a meeting with only the two of them.
“Okay, so then what is this meeting about?”
“You haven’t been on social media today, have you?”
“No, I shut my phone off when I arrived at the field. Did something happen?”
“A few pictures of you were posted last night. You and Rachel from the PR agency.”
I fell back in the chair, clenching my jaw so it wouldn’t go slack.
“What kinds of pictures?” My mind went to that moment at the bar when I’d fingered her under the counter and when I’d pinned her against the wall outside my hotel room. I’d known it was risky, but I’d been too happy to see her and too turned on to care or notice if we’d had an audience.
“Nothing too graphic, but suggestive enough to show you were…together. A few influencers found out that she’s a published author too.”
“Jesus Christ,” I said, the wind getting knocked out of me for the second time in ten minutes.
“We’ve had a word with the photographer. She wasn’t supposed to show faces,” Kent said with a quick wince.
I pulled out my phone and turned it on, my leg bobbing as I waited for it to power up, when what he said hit me.
“The photographer? What are you saying? Whoever took these pictures works for the Bats?”
“Not exactly,” Cole said. “I’m sure you understand. We’re a new team and don’t have the deep history of some other teams in the city and state. Until we start breaking records, popularity is how we keep the ticket and merch sales up. But this went too far, and we’re sorry.”
“Wait just a fucking minute,” I said, my words slow as rage roared through me. “Someone on your payroll followed me, took pictures of what were supposed to be private moments with my girlfriend, and then showed her face bymistakeand took away all her privacy.”
“Yes. And we’ve spoken with Gayle,” Kent said. “We both agreed the agency letting her go is the best thing to do to quiet things down.”
“Best thing for who? She’s raising her teenage sister. Did you even think about what losing her job could cost her?”
“It’s a terrible solution, but sheisin breach of contract by fraternizing with a client. Letting her go and allowing this all to fade is best. We did get more hits on our pages today than ever before.” Kent’s smile faded fast when he met my furious gaze. “You can go back to being a bachelor who had a fun night, and we can keep the hook we have left for the rest of the season.”
I shot up out of my chair so fast, it clanged to the floor behind me.
“I am not a fucking show pony. I had a successful twenty-year career in baseball and have been working my ass off with this team to have a good season. I should walk right now, leave you without a star player and a manager so you can figure out anotherhook.”
“No, don’t do that,” Kent said, shaking his head as his eyes grew wide with panic. “We regret the trouble this caused Rachel, especially because of her sister. The best way to let it die down is?—”
“For me to pretend we’re not together? Nope. Fix this another way, or you’ll be hearing from my lawyer about breaking my contract and then whatever else I could sue you for.”
“Look, Silas, I know you’re angry. And we sincerely regret all the trouble this caused both of you. There’s a press conference for both managers in a few minutes,” Kent said. “Where you can talk about the win and about Nate’s recovery and however you want to set the record straight.”
“Fine. But I want you to remember something.” I stalked over to them both.
“You hired me to manage a team. Whatever your reasons were, that’s what I’ve done. And I’ve done a damn good job. My life with the woman I love is not subject to exploitation, and my love life period is none of your business or part of my employment.”
“We know that,” Kent said, having the decency to look me over with a cautious gaze.
I should have stopped this much earlier, from the minute Kent told me to stay eligible and single for theirnew fan base, but I never thought playing that up would harm the people I cared about. I’d thought the front office’s obsession with my popularity was a harmless inconvenience, and that misjudgment was all on me.
“Again,” Kent began with a sigh, “I’m sure that after the pictures come down, things will go back to?—”
