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“Of course it’s a real thing, you halfwit.” Luke spins around in his office chair and waggles his pages at me. “Sports are very important. This softball league is an active, healthy, team building activity that encourages—”
“Drinking,” I finish for him. Pinch the bridge of my nose. “We are running a business here, not a frat house. I don’t know how many times I have to say this when it’s something that literally should never have to be said.”
Luke rolls his eyes. “Well, I’m pro-softball. People love softball.”
“Softball is a sport for high school girls.”
Luke points a finger at me like a little gun, and I’m half-surprised he doesn’t make a “pew pew!” noise to accompany the motion, like we used to do when we were kids. “Brother of mine, that is both sexist and ageist.”
I scowl, not wanting to be either of those things, but also not wanting to commit to playing alcohol-infused-fake-baseball with my employees. I know we’re meant to be making a big push with our HR, and that includes showing that we have a great team environment and atmosphere here at SITL, but we still need to keep things appropriate.
Because goodness knows I’m already developing very inappropriate feelings for a certain new employee. Especially after what went down on Friday evening.
I didn’t miss the way Annie’s eyes moved over my half-clothed body when I picked her up. A blind man would have seen that. And let’s not even get started on the heat that licked my insides as I felt her gaze on me. It’s a no-go zone. A no-go zone I spent the rest of the weekend trying not to think about.
“Why don’t we just… order pizza?” I suggest lamely.
Vanessa gives me a wink. “I like pizza.”
“Good thinking.” Luke’s lips tip up in a grin.
I breathe a sigh of relief. “Good. Now that that’s settled, what I really want to discuss is—”
“Why don’t we do both?” Luke cuts me off.
“Excuse me?”
“Pizzaandsoftball. What do you think, Vanessa?”
Vanessa sits across the boardroom table, looking from Luke to me and back again like she’s umpiring a tennis match. Badly, I’ll add. Luke’s suggestions are definitely out of bounds, and she’s being awfully quiet about laying down the long arm of the HR law. Which should surely state that this is an awful idea.
She fiddles with her notes. Crosses her legs, then uncrosses them. “Hm. Beer league softballisvery common for corporate team building,” she says eventually. “The ‘beer’ part doesn’t promote drinking or anything, it just means it’s casual. Fun. Not too competitive.”
“We could get t-shirts made,” Luke adds brightly.
I raise my eyes heavenwards. “Well, if there aret-shirtsinvolved.”
I mean it to sound sarcastic—because seriously, we have about a thousand actually important things to attend to today, and Luke’s priorities are about equivalent to a toddler’s. But now, my mind is on t-shirts, dammit.
Specifically, an event of late involving my t-shirt and the same new employee who shall remain anonymous. Does she still have it? Has she washed it, or does it smell like her skin?
And more to the point, why in the hell am I thinking about what her skin smells like?
“Liam!” Luke unceremoniously snaps his fingers in my face. “Wakey wakey. Vanessa and I vote for beer league softball. There’s a tournament this weekend, and we’ll provide pizza afterwards—as you so smartly suggested—and beer—which you can choose to partake in or not. K?”
I feel elated. “Sure. Though I can’t make it this weekend. Lana isn’t back until the week after.” I give Vanessa as warm a look as I can muster—because this is really her fault, suggesting team sports and alcohol like a hooligan. “You guys have fun.”
Luke claps me on the back so hard I almost choke. “Nice try. I texted Mindy while you were zoned out. She’ll take Legs to the game to watch.”
“Oh.”
“Come on, it’ll be fun. Take you back to college, the good old days. Plus, it’ll be a great way for everyone to let off some steam after working so hard.”
A pit forms in my stomach. I haven’t picked up a baseball bat in years, haven’t wanted to. I regret nothing.
Would change nothing.
I push the thoughts away and focus on everything I have in my life because of my decision. Everything I’ve built. I have a business and employees I’m unbelievably grateful for, and if they want to play softball, who am I to stand in their way?
