Julia was already in her car. She waved as she backed out. Sheila was nowhere to be seen. She must have been highly motivated to get away from him.
Not everyone had to like him—he was cool with that. But hewantedSheila to like him. She was, well, she was a surprise. He’d thought he had her pegged the other day and even today with her wagon full of Redrocks swag, but there was sincerity in what she did. She may have been raising community awareness, but not once did he feel like she was using the children. It was more like she was an ambassador for the Redrocks, being the goodness she wanted people to associate with the team.
He’d not done much to improve her opinion of him. In fact, he’d behaved poorly every time they were together lately. That was why it grated: because he didn’t have anyone to blame for his poor reputation but himself. And no one else could fix it but him. The problem was, he had no idea what to do.
Chapter Five
Sheila
Sheila sat in the owner’s box during the last game of the season. There was a large buffet table against the back wall, stuffed with buffalo wings and mini hot dogs wrapped in bacon as well as trays of vegetables and fresh fruit in a rainbow of colors.
The front office staff mingled. Some of them stayed for a few minutes and left. Others camped out. She was one of those who staked out a seat and hunkered down for the game. Being in her office when the team was on the field was like trying to ignore a chocolate bar next to the keyboard. This was the last game of the season. And the Redrocks were on a winning streak. She wasn’t going to miss a moment.
The batter from Chicago ground out to short. The game wasn’t a nail-biter, but it still felt oh so good to win by three.
And just like that, it was time for the after-party. Sheila migrated with the staff in the box down to the lobby. A local band played, their mix of country and pop music rising up into the two-story vaulted ceilings. Redrocks players and their families mingled in and out of the room along with the front office staff, grounds crew, and anyone else who was considered part of the Redrocks family. Some of the players were more excited than others to get out of town. As the celebration of their first season with a new owner and a new coach wound down, Sheila got a text from Harper.
Will you stop by my office before you leave?
Sheila scanned the room, wondering when the owner had disappeared. She’d been here earlier, kicking off the party with a speech about her dad, who’d passed away and left the team to her. Jake Richmond had hired Sheila, but that was the extent of their interaction. He preferred to hang with the executive team. Harper was different; she mingled on all levels of the corporation. Still, hearing the ache in Harper’s heart made Sheila want to text her dad and tell him how much she loved him. The band had a few more numbers to play, but Sheila didn’t want to keep Harper waiting.
She made her way up to the top floor. Lauren, Harper’s personal assistant, motioned for her to go ahead. She knocked on Harper’s office door before popping inside. “You wanted to see me?”
Harper gulped down water. She waved Sheila into the room. Behind Harper’s desk was a giant picture window that afforded her a beautiful view of the baseball field below and the red cliffs beyond. Sheila loved the symbolism of having the field built into the cliffs, like the Redrocks were born to be part of the St. George landscape. On the left wall was a family portrait of Harper, Coach Wolfe, and his adopted son, Logan. The three of them stood in front of a brick building with peeling paint. They wore matching shirts and smiles. The image stirred something in Sheila’s soul—made her envious of Harper. But it wasn’t the billions of dollars in her bank account Sheila coveted. It was a slice of heaven built in a loving family of her own.
Sitting in a chair facing Harper’s desk was David Butler, head of marketing and Sheila’s boss. David was a thin man with a big personality. He had an egg-shaped head, bald on top with dark gray ringing the sides and back. He liked to wear blue button-up shirts and had thick, silver-rimmed glasses.
Sheila’s heart sank to the floor. She couldn’t imagine what she’d done that would bring her into a meeting with these two, but having them both look at her like she was Maria von Trapp and they weren’t sure what to do with a problem like her didn’t bode well. The season was barely over. The band hadn’t packed up yet. If they were going to fire her, now would be a good time.
Ugh, sometimes it didn’t pay to have an active imagination.
“What’s up?” She forced herself to sit in the chair and appear relaxed.
Harper nodded for David to start.
He took a deep breath and folded his hands together. “You’ve done an excellent job, once again.”
She let out half the air she’d trapped in her lungs. There was a “but” in there somewhere, and she wasn’t going to get caught unawares.
“Your work with The Pantry and the elementary schools and the hospital has brought in a third of our ticket buyers.”
Sheila couldn’t help but smile. She’d taken the players into the elementary schools to talk about everything from bullying to drugs and dealing with divorce and abuse. Some of the players had personal stories they shared. Some had a knack for inspiring others to chase their dreams. Linking the right player with the right program had taken some time, but she’d figured it out. Along with the visits, they handed out coupons for 25% off tickets to home games, making it easy to track how much revenue those visits brought in. A third of the tickets sold was huge! The year before, it had been an eighth.
“Thanks, boss. I love what I do, and I feel blessed to work with the Redrocks family.”
Harper smiled. “I can tell. You put your heart into your job. That’s why David and I think you’ll do a magnificent job with a new assignment we’ve cooked up.”
Sheila perked at the mention of a challenge. The off-season was slower in the outreach department, but it wasn’t like she twiddled her thumbs from October to February. Still, she could take on more. “What do you have in mind?”
Harper sighed. She took another long drink from her water bottle before continuing. “Can I be frank with you?”
“Sure.” Sheila lifted a shoulder in an effort to appear casual when her nerves were wide awake.
“The Redrocks are in the red.”
“Uh …” Sheila wasn’t privy to the financial statements, but after what David had just said, she thought they were bringing in bank. “How is that even possible?”
Harper’s eyes flitted to the painting of her father that hung on the east wall. He had on a Redrocks red polo shirt and a pair of gray slacks. His hair was gray and his cheeks lined with age. He had soft blue eyes and a proud smile. “Dad had big dreams and promised the moon to a lot of people. Which means that he put the team in debt. More than he should have. Bless him, this was his field of dreams.” Her face softened. “We have a large loan coming due in the middle of November.”
