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Not that I planned to call her anyway. When someone asks about paying out of pocket it usually means they can’t afford for their insurance rate to go up. At the same time, I got the impression Chloe couldn’t spare extra cash to fix what I can repair no problem. She’d probably hate me for thinking that way, but my mind is made up.
I smile. Damn, she was feisty. And pretending she didn’t know who I was? Insanely refreshing.
“What are you smiling about?” Mike asks from beside me. On the other side of him is Giancarlo. The three of us are known as a triple threat—our on-base percentages what helped us get to the postseason the past three years. We’re sitting in the club conference room waiting for Rena and a couple other marketing and PR team members to arrive. I’m not the only one getting a social media manager. “Good weekend?” Mike arches his brows in the standard you-got-laid-didn’t-you expression.
“Not exactly.”
“Still in pain?” He looks at my sling and for the thousandth time I want to throw the damn thing away.
I cradle the annoying material with my good arm to adjust my position in the office chair. “Worse. My mom got me a puppy.” Sammy has decided she wants no part of her crate, preferring to spend the nights in my bed. I’ve gotten zero sleep. If I wasn’t taking her outside so she could relieve herself, I was worried about rolling over and crushing her. She slept sprawled out like she owned the place, her legs stretched out without concern for my comfort. All of this when she wasn’t nipping at my sling. Pain radiates from my neck just thinking about it.
Mike cracks up.
“Why is that so funny?”
“Dude, have you ever had to take care of anything in your life? You do know you need to feed and walk it, right?”
“Shut up.”
He laughs again then leans over to tell Giancarlo. Great. The two of them love to give me shit for having the last name Auprince. It’s all in good fun, I know, but my life hasn’t always been easy. Not by a long shot. Thank God for baseball.
I’m saved from further discussion when Rena and a few others enter the room. The meeting goes off with one hitch—my social media manager is running late due to a family emergency. Extrovert One and Two—Mike and Giancarlo—are thrilled with this new plan to guide their social media presence and take off with their assigned sidekicks, leaving me and Rena to wait alone when the other execs say goodbye.
“Don’t look so happy,” Rena jokes. “This is a good thing.”
I nod. “I know. Thanks for arranging it.” I may not like the idea, but I’m a team player on and off the field. I’ve been with the Landsharks since day one. I’d like to be with them on my last day, too. I regret some of my recent behavior and this is a way to show my remorse and dedication to the team.
Voices sound from the hallway. Laughter. “Good luck with Auprince,” someone says with a thick New York accent—Mac, manager of the umpires’ clubhouse.
“That must be Chloe,” Rena says, getting to her feet.
Chloe?What are the chances…
Damn good because Chloe Conrad fills the doorway. She’s wearing light blue jeans, a body-clinging gray sweater, and a Landsharks baseball cap, and I’m immediately bowled over by her for a second time, surprise and some rare magnetic pull making my skin tight. Our eyes meet briefly before hers dart away.
“Hi, Rena. I’m so sorry I was late.”
“Hi. Is everything okay?”
“Yes, thanks.”
“Happy to hear that.” Rena gives Chloe a quick smile then glances at me. “I was just telling Finn how great this is going to be.”
“Absolutely,” Chloe says.
“Finn, meet your social media manager, Chloe Conrad. Chloe, this is Finn Auprince.”
I stand. “Hey, Webster.”
Rena frowns. “We’ve met,” I tell her.
“Briefly,” Chloe is quick to add. “And at the time I didn’t know we’d be working together. Hi, Finn. It’s good to see you again. If you wouldn’t mind using my first name, that would be great.”
“And if I do mind?”
A grumble I’m pretty sure Chloe didn’t want heard slips out of her pretty pink mouth.
“Is this going to be a problem?” Rena asks, her tone stern.
