Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to be here. I’d rather be just about anywhere elseotherthan here, but I’m sure as hell not going to leave Reese on her own.
I’ve only ever worked for one Major League Baseball club so I don’t personally know many of the other team owners, but I can say for certain that they’re all a bunch of pricks.
Hidden in the back corner of the bar with a bourbon in hand, because I really am done with the socializing part of today, I watch it all unfold the same as it has for the past three hours.
Technically, Reese is with all the other owners on the other side of the room, trying her best to network and include herself in the conversations happening around her. But since we’ve been here, I’ve witnessed every single one of them brush her off.
She might be standing nearby, but they’re doing their best to make sure she knows she is notwiththem.
It’s a sea of white-haired men in ill-fitting suits. The blonde bombshell stands out no matter where she goes but even moreso being the only woman among her peers who are all at least thirty years her senior.
I’m sure they don’t think they’re being absolute dicks by excluding her, and I can guarantee at least half of them don’t even know the meaning of the wordsexist, though they’re the walking definition. But I know the way some of these guys think. Fundamentally, they believe that women should stay out of sports.
They’ll do their one female hire to dodge the scrutiny from the public, but it’s never in a higher-up position.
Then in comes Reese, equal on their level and done so without their permission.
She’s got a glass of red wine in her hand and is doing her best to listen and contribute to the conversations around her, and my heart kind of breaks watching her have to try so hard.
Eventually, Reese says something to a group of men, but then, once again, one of them shifts his shoulder slightly to edge her out of the discussion. She keeps her head held high, not letting anyone notice that being ostracized by her colleagues is bothering her. But I can tell. I’ve watched it bother her all night.
This must be what happened earlier today and that just fucking sucks.
Once again, Reese checks her surroundings, the same as she’s been doing for the last few hours. There’s this nervous energy about her tonight that’s unnatural to the Reese I’ve been getting to know.
She’s the embodiment of confidence, or at least does a good job of putting on that front. But tonight, even though she’s trying her best to seem self-assured, everything in her body language screams that she’s on edge.
As her eyes track the room, they eventually land on me. Her shoulders drop a hair, but her smile is weak, like she’s a bitembarrassed that I witnessed her being outcasted by the fellow club owners.
I nod my head toward the door, silently asking her if she wants me to help her get out of here, but she simply gives me a small, indiscreet shake of her head before focusing on her phone in her hands.
My own phone dings and I pull it out of my pocket to read the text.
Reese:You don’t have to wait for me.
Looking up, I shoot her a glare for thinking I could leave her like this.
Me:We’re on the same team tonight. Also, fuck these guys.
She chuckles, holding up the last of her wineglass in a cheers from across the room. I do the same with my bourbon before bringing it to my lips, keeping eye contact the entire time to watch her finish the last of her glass.
Me:What are you drinking?
But Reese’s phone must be on silent because she doesn’t see my text come through when she turns back to the group of twenty-nine other owners, doing her best to get involved.
“Hey,” I say to the bartender as he makes his way to the far end of the bar. “What kind of red do you have?”
He looks behind him at the uncorked lineup of wine. “We have a Cab, a Zin, and a Pinot. But if you’re wondering what she’s drinking...” He points in Reese’s direction. “She’s drinking the Pinot.”
“How’d you know it was for her?”
He grabs the bottle of Pinot and pours it into a fresh glass. “You’ve had your eye on her all night.”
“Yeah, it’s not like that. She’s my boss and she’s having a rough day, is all.”
He slides the wineglass over to me. “I’m not here to judge. And I signed an NDA to work this event tonight, so I’m not saying a word. Another bourbon?”
“Please.” Over my shoulder, I look back in Reese’s direction, only she’s nowhere to be found. She’s pretty impossible to miss in that blue dress tonight, so I’m assuming she ran to the restroom or something and I’ll get her this glass of wine when she comes back.
