Page 130 of Hiding in the Outfield

I pull back. “Oh? How did that go?”

“Good, actually. O’Neil and Slater were super chill. They, uh, had been kinda hurt that I’d been passing them over for Michaels, Winters, and Nebs. So, when they found out the real reason was that I was hung up on you, I think it made them feel a little better. They like you a lot. Think they were kind of impressed I landed you, to be honest.” His smiling eyes catch mine. “Henderson was quiet, but he didn’t really cause any trouble. I know his views are similar to Dev’s, but it seems like he’ll be keeping to himself at least.”

I lace our fingers and squeeze. “I’m glad it went well, babe. And tomorrow you talk to the skipper?”

He nods. “Yeah, Chuck is taking the train up, and we’ll have some meetings with the front office and Dominguez. Then I’ll probably do a quick announcement in the locker room. Just to get it out there. I’ve talked to Shane, Easton, and Paulie a bit about it, and they’re all ready to make sure I don’t lose my balls. Slate and O’Neil too.”

“Look at you,” I say thickly. “I’m so proud of you, Jackson. And I’m so damn happy for you.”

His smile quivers slightly. “It’s scary, but I told you back at that hotel, you make me want to be brave. I meant it. I’m ready to be brave. For me. For you.”

I grip the back of his neck and pull his forehead against mine. “For us,” I whisper.

“For us.”

FORTY-SEVEN

JACKSON

“You ready for this?” Chuck shoots me a smile.

I grin. “Can’t believe it, but yeah, more than ready.”

“Remember, I’ll do the majority of the talking when we meet with the Farm Director and GM. They aren’t aware of what the topic of this meeting is, just that it’s sensitive in nature. But I have very few concerns about their reaction. I’ve done this before with Stone. The Jetties are a progressive franchise, ready to move beyond the old attitudes that still linger in baseball.”

I nod, thinking back to Dominguez’s locker room speech a couple months ago, to my meeting with him in his office. He’s just one person in this massive franchise, but having a supportive manager is the start. Everything extends from there.

We’ll be meeting with him first, just informally, then we’re scheduled to see the Farm Director in an hour, and the GM will phone in. We turn down the hall that houses the skipper’s office.

Chuck’s phone rings, and he glances at it and pauses. He frowns. “One minute. It’s the GM. Let me take this.” He holds his phone up to his ear. “Hello, Chuck Wentworth speaking.”

His frown deepens. “Yes, we’re actually here now, so we’ll head right over.” He hangs up and pockets his phone.

“What’s going on?”

“The GM wants to push up our meeting. We’ll meet with them now.”

“Okayyyy,” I say slowly. “I’ll just let the skipper know really quick.”

I jog over to Dominguez’s office and pop my head in. “Hey, Skip.”

“Olander.” He smiles at me, but it doesn’t reach his eyes.

My stomach tightens. “The GM needs to meet with me early, so can we talk after?”

He nods. “Sure thing.”

I head back over to Chuck and can’t shake off the feeling that something is off. “Any idea why they want to meet early? Is that weird?”

“Maybe, maybe not. The GM is a busy woman. She may have needed to reschedule because something popped up.”

We step into the hall that houses the front office and stop at reception. The man behind the desk smiles at us and stands. “Phil and Sherry are ready for you. Follow me.”

He leads us to the Director’s office and delivers us inside. A man with graying hair at the temples shoots us a smile. That’s Phil, the Director who oversees the Jetties’ farm system. His monitor is already facing our way.

Sherry, the GM, smiles warmly at us, her deep bronze skin glowing on the screen. “Thank you so much for your flexibility,” she says.

“Please take a seat,” Phil says, gesturing to the armchairs in front of his desk.