Dropped Third Strike (Portland Pioneers #1) (20 page)

“Hi,” she replied, hoping she sounded calmer than she felt.

“Haven’t seen you in a few days. How’d your date go?”

“Pretty good.”

“That doesn’t sound very promising. Was he ugly? A jerk?”

“No. He was very handsome and very nice.”

“So then why was the date only ‘pretty good?’”

“It was just one date. First dates are rarely better than that.”

Kate didn’t bother to tell him they’d actually had two dates. It didn’t seem relevant. Or any of his business. None of this was any of his business, actually.

“I guess that’s better than ‘fine.’ But seriously, what was wrong with him?”

“Nothing. Nothing is wrong with him.”

“Well, then what’s the problem?”

“Who said there was a problem?”

“Well, your lack of excitement about him tells another story. It’s okay if you didn’t like him. Just say that and move on.”

“I did like him. I do like him. I just haven’t heard from him.”

“Well, then there’s the problem. He’s an idiot.”

“Nah. I guess he just can’t deal with my job and the travel.”

“Well, then he’s still an idiot. You’re worth the hassle.”

Kate grew flustered at his words. Mostly because it didn’t line up with his past decisions. But she didn’t comment on that. She wasn’t about to say anything that would make them revisit their past.

“Whatever. It’s fine,” Kate said with a shrug. “I don’t need a relationship right now anyway. I have a baseball team to run.”

“A pretty good baseball team at that,” Reid replied. “The guys look good this year.”

She was glad he seemed content to change the subject. She wasn’t comfortable discussing her dating life with him. Baseball was much safer. She even turned up the speed on her treadmill, matching his pace as they began discussing the team and various memorable games. His insight was good, and he remembered a few game moments she’d forgotten. She also enjoyed hearing his impromptu mid-season reviews of each player. She agreed with most of his assessments, and he had solid facts to back up each one of his opinions. It helped pass the time, too. Before she knew it, they’d been talking and running together for almost half an hour.

“It really is a good team right now,” she agreed. “I’ve been trying to decide what we need to do midseason, and the answers aren’t as obvious as they were in previous years. That’s a good thing.”

“Starting pitching might be the biggest weakness,” he said.

“Yeah, that’s what I’ve discovered, and I don’t think there’s going to be much available at the deadline. None we can afford anyway. We’ll have to get creative with internal candidates.”

“Like who?”

“I’ve been thinking about moving Derek Beaman up a few spots in the rotation.”

“Really? That’s not a bad idea. I think he can handle it.”

“After the way he closed the game last night, I think he can too. I didn’t know how he’d deal with pressure, but he was fantastic. The kid impressed me.”

“Make sure you tell him that.”

“I’m sure he’s heard it from plenty of people.”

“Well, he can’t hear it enough. Derek could use some reassurance.”

Kate studied Reid for a moment.

“What do you mean by that?” she asked him.

“I’ve gotten to know him well,” he said. “He’s a talented pitcher and a good kid, but he’s definitely got some issues he’s dealing with. I think a few kind words from the big boss would go a long way.”

Kate nodded. “OK, I’ll say something next time I see him.”

“I think it’s great you want to move him up in the rotation,” Reid said. “He was once projected to be an ace. Maybe he can still get there.”

“I’d love to see that happen, but I don’t think it’s possible,” she said.

“Why not?”

“Because I think his past will always be a barrier.”

“It doesn’t have to be.”

“Derek is lucky he’s still alive let alone playing baseball, but I think he blew any chance he had of becoming a top pitcher in the league. He’s a recovering addict, Reid. That’s bound to mess with his focus and long-term health.”

“Or maybe it’ll be the motivation he needs to prove everyone wrong.”

There was something in his voice that made her slow the treadmill down to a walk and turn to look at him. It wasn’t quite anger, but it was close.

“There’s no need to get upset, Reid.”

“Well, I am upset. Derek’s a good kid. He’s overcome a lot, and I think we’ve only seen a little bit of the strength and talent he has in him,” Reid said. “You better be ready to fight other clubs when he becomes a free agent because I think he’s going to draw a top dollar contract. And if you don’t gain some faith in him, he’ll leave. I’ll make sure of it.”

For the first time, Reid was the one to walk away from their conversation. Before she could come up with a response to his rant, he had stopped the treadmill and was out of the workout room. Kate was stunned as the door closed behind him. She hadn’t heard that kind of indignation in Reid’s voice in a long time. Clearly she’d struck a chord with him. She was struck by his fierce devotion to one of the players. It was perplexing and endearing at the same time. As she finished her workout, she tried to make sense of the conversation and Reid’s actions. But after two more miles, she still didn’t have any answers. She gave up and went to shower and get ready to head to the ballpark.

It was Reid’s turn to avoid Kate.

He steered clear of her for the rest of the road trip, which took the Pioneers to Kansas City for a sweep after they claimed two of three in Chicago. The team’s morale was high, but Reid’s mood was not. His brain kept replaying Kate’s words from their fitness center conversation, and his irritation deepened with every passing repetition. He still couldn’t believe what she’d said.

He’d gone into the hotel fitness center for a good workout, and he’d been glad to see Kate in there. He hadn’t seen her since their brief conversation in Minneapolis. Not surprisingly, she was guarded about her date. He still didn’t know what to think of that. But that wasn’t the part of the conversation that filled his mind. It was her comments about Derek and her lack of faith in him. The remarks bothered him enough that he quit after just a few miles and stormed out of the workout room. But not before letting Kate have an earful about how she would someday regret giving up on Derek. Even though he left in a hurry, he could tell Kate was surprised by his reaction to her comments. She’d been speechless as he stormed out. She didn’t know how close he’d gotten to the kid. On top of what Derek was doing on the field, Reid had seen him battle some personal issues and beat them. He believed in Derek.

But it was more than that.

Reid’s reaction wasn’t just about defending Derek. It was also about defending his own ego. If Kate couldn’t believe in Derek’s ability to bounce back, how could she believe in Reid? His history was as spotty as the younger player’s, and his relationship with Kate was a lot more entangled. So if she believed Derek’s mistakes would keep him from achieving success, she must believe the same about Reid. And that killed him. He wanted her to believe in him. Her approval mattered much more than he wanted it to. He thought he’d earned a little of her respect through his work so far this season, but now he wasn’t so sure.

By the time they arrived back in Portland for a much-needed home stand, Reid was done stewing in his thoughts and doubts. He knew the only way to gain Kate’s respect was to keep doing his job. He also planned to focus a lot of attention and encouragement on Derek. Together, they would prove Kate wrong – about both of them.

With interleague play approaching, Reid had a good excuse to spend extra coaching time with Derek. All of the pitchers were hitting the cages extra hard over the next few weeks as they prepared to face teams from the National League. Most of them were pretty excited about the rare opportunity to swing a bat in a game, and Reid couldn’t blame them. Hitting was part of the game they fell in love with as children. It was one reason Reid had never considered pitching. He had a decent arm, but strikeouts didn’t excite him. On either side of the ball. Hits were a lot more fun. He wanted to hit. He needed to hit. For him, there was nothing more exhilarating than the sound of solid contact between a wood bat and a white ball with 108 red stitches. He enjoyed the defense part of the game, and he’d had his fair share of highlight reel catches, but if anyone asked, he would much rather hit a home run than take one away.

Reid’s Kate-less streak ran out when he and the rest of the coaching staff met with the front office staff and the ownership group. The Pioneers did this at the mid-point of each season to discuss the state of the team as they prepared for the second half run. His morning workout ran a little longer than he expected, so he was the last one to arrive at the restaurant for the lunch meeting. The only empty seat remaining was next to the GM he’d been avoiding for nearly two weeks. He was still irritated by their last conversation, but he didn’t have any other choice. He took a deep breath and put on a smile as he settled in the open chair. He noticed that Kate shifted in her seat a little when he sat down. Clearly, she was bothered by his proximity. This was nothing new, but it still caught his attention every time. Usually he was amused, but today he was just annoyed. He decided to spread that feeling to her.

“How’s it going, Katie?” he asked as he picked up his menu.

“I’ve told you several times not to call me that.”

“Sorry, I keep forgetting. Old habits are tough to quit. Sometimes they can get in the way. Of course, I don’t have to tell you that.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her mouth open and close as though she was going to say something but thought better of it.

They didn’t speak to each other again for the rest of the lunch meeting. At least not directly. Reid gave his input on a few players as they came up in discussion while Kate took notes and sometimes offered a rebuttal, but it was more like she was talking at him than to him. Her voice sounded different when she addressed him too, but Reid acknowledged that might just be his biased imagination. As far as he could tell, the other people at the table didn’t notice any tension between the hitting coach and the GM, and that was encouraging. He and Kate might never solve their issues, but it was important that they were able to discuss the business of the team with some semblance of professionalism. Being friends again was obviously a long shot, but they still had to work together.

When they finished lunch, James Scott pulled Kate aside for a private conversation. Reid stopped briefly to chat with the pitching coach, but he made sure to cut it short so he could escape without another interaction with Kate. He heard her calling his name as he unlocked his car. He briefly thought about ignoring her and just continuing on like he didn’t hear her. But he decided that probably wasn’t in the best interest of his employment.

“Reid,” she repeated as she hurried over to him.

“What can I do for you?” he asked, opening the door and turning to face her.

“Do you have a minute to talk?”

“About what?”

“About why you’re so mad at me.”

“I’m not mad at you.”

“Then why are you avoiding me?”

He smirked and shook his head. “Odd question coming from someone who avoided me for the first several months of the season.”

“I didn’t ...”

“Oh yes you did, Kate. You can’t possibly think I’m stupid enough that I didn’t see it.”

“I don’t think you’re stupid.”

“Just a loser then, right?”

“I never said that either. Why are you putting words in my mouth?”

“Because you aren’t saying much of anything to me, so I guess it’s easier to make up my own version of what you’re thinking.”

She sighed. “So let’s hear the rest of this version.”

“No thanks. I have work to do.”

“Seriously, Reid. You’ve never been this short with me. What’s going on? I know you’re upset about something I said in Chicago, but I don’t understand why.”

“I’m just surprised you’d take such a chance on someone if you think he’s just going to fail anyway.”

Understanding registered in her expression.

“I never said Derek Beaman was going to fail. I actually think he’s going to do just fine. I’m sorry if I don’t share your opinion that he’s going to be an ace.”

“And your opinion is based on what?”

“His history. He’s an addict, Reid. I’m pleased with how he’s bounced back, but let’s face it, he’s always going to have issues. And those issues are going to hold him back.”

“Do you always judge people based solely on their past?”

“Well, I can’t see the future, so the past is the only thing I have. So far, I haven’t been wrong. I do know a little something about this business. I thought you agreed with me on that.”

“You do know the business. I’m not taking that away from you at all. It’s just a shame you don’t think people can change and overcome their past. Maybe it’s that you’re no good at judging people.”

Kate took a step back and her expression hardened.

“You might be right there,” she said. “Look at you, for example.”