I grin at her and shake my head. “No, I’m not. I just want to make sure that I’m not hurting you unnecessarily by staying.”
“Nope, only if you leave,” she admits.
I nod. “Okay.” I glance over at the clock and sees that it’s after seven in the morning. “I gotta get going. I need to shower and get ready to meet my dad. Do you wanna get together later after your practice?”
She grins at me. “Yeah, let’s do that. It should be fun. Just text me later and let me know what you are thinking. And let me know how the meeting with your dad goes.”
I lean in and kiss her gently. “I sure will, baby. I will miss you in the meantime.”
Later that morning, I find myself in the office, waiting for Drew and Maxwell to show up so that we can have this conversation. I have a few surprises planned for my father. One in particular that I am sure that he will not like.
As if on cue Cindy comes into my office, waving the press release I sent her moments ago. “Are you sure you want tohave this press conference? Your father did not approve a press conference,” she reminds me.
“Since when I need my father’s approval to hold a press conference?” I ask her.
“Well, you don’t. But you are saying that you’re staying with the Blaze. I wasn’t aware that that had been decided. And you know how angry your father will be if you force his hand.”
I shake my head. “I’m not forcing his hand. Drew will be coming over later and convincing my dad that he would make a better owner of the new team than I would because he’s very excited for the opportunity. I’m still enjoying my current opportunity. Relax, it will be fine.”
She just stares at me like a deer in headlights.
“Cindy, please, you do work for me, do you not?” I ask her.
She nods.
“Well, alright then,” I say, dismissing her.
“She’s right, you know. Dad is going to lose his flipping mind when he hears about this,” Drew says, entering my office.
I shake my head, “I don’t care. He’ll get the point and it’ll be fine.”
“I just hope you are right. Where are we doing this? I noticed the normal press room that you set up is not ready to go,” Drew says, shifting nervously.
I look down and straighten my tie. “Remember that nice balcony that overlooks the practice field off the main conference room? I thought it would be better to do it there. Makes for a nice setting and all.”
“And Hendrix might be able to catch the show?” he asks me, grinning. “Don’t think that I didn’t notice that she’s out there practicing.”
“Happy accident?” I ask him, shrugging. “Relax, it is going to be fine. By the time Dad gets here, the announcement and the press conference will basically be over. So, it’ll be just fine. Wejust have to sit him down and tell him what we have decided. And how we think this is the best possible solution. You said yourself that he’s up your ass with all the things that he thinks you should be doing with the Marlins. So, this is his way of getting to do those things and everyone is happy.”
I remind him that I love him and I need him to be courageous when it comes to our father, or this is never going to work.
“I got you, Drew. It’s going to work,” I say, patting him on the back and heading out of my office. “Now we gotta get there so that this can go off without a hitch.”
We walk briskly down the hallway to the elevators and head down two floors, where the outdoor space is ready and hopefully has waiting members of the press. It’s truly a beautiful place that we don’t use enough. There is a wrought iron railing that goes all the way around the patio, defining the perimeter with antique elegance. Normally, there are a few tables and chairs out there should someone wish to have lunch with a breathtaking view of the field. But today there is a podium with chairs set up in front of it for the press. It has the most perfect backdrop because right now the girls are out there practicing. And they will be for another hour or so. I made sure to have press here right in the middle of practice.
I let Watts know ahead of time what was happening so that the girls were not distracted from practice by whatever it is the Blaze is announcing.
“I hope you are right about this,” Drew says as I pull open the door that leads to the balcony.
We step into the Tampa Bay sun and I grin at him. “I am—of course, I am right about this.”
“August, August!” I hear members of the press calling out to me. I just smile and wave.
“Cindy will get us started here in just a few moments,” I tell them all, turning my attention to Cindy and nodding.
She shuffles some papers into her planner and steps up to the podium. She smooths her hair and looks at me nervously. I nod. She turns to the press and begins speaking. “Good afternoon, everyone,” she says into the microphone. I may have had some amps set up so that it could be heard on the practice field, just in case any of the girls would like to listen. “August Cromwell has a statement that he will be reading and then we will open it up for questions. August?” she says, gesturing towards me.
I step up to the podium and clear my throat. “Good afternoon, thank you all for coming out here to this press conference. It’s a beautiful day for soccer. And we have the team practicing behind us. The team that I have come to think of as my family, which is why I felt that it would be fitting to do this in front of them. It has been said that I am taking on the new WNBA team that my father is creating right here in Tampa. And while I would love the opportunity to work in women’s sports building something from the ground up, that is exactly what we are doing right here. I wanted to let you know that this team is my family and my home. I will not be leaving the Tampa Bay Blaze to build the Tampa Lightning. That is something that we are hoping that my brother Drew will be doing.
