Page 1 of Rounding Third

Chapter 1

Liliana

“Knock, knock!” I rap my knuckles on the open door and wait. I’ve never met Macy Hayes before, but I’ve heard a lot about her from the guys.

She’s been dating Cord Powell, the first basemen for the Philadelphia Pit Bulls, and she’s the new PR person tasked with making sure the entire team is ready to face the media. That’s no small task.

A gorgeous woman with dark brown hair glances up at me with a big smile and kind eyes.

“Can I help you?”

“I’m Liliana Sweets. I’m here to speak with Macy Hayes.”

“That’s me. C’mon in and take a seat.” She shuffles around a few papers on her desk. She looks slightly nervous and I'm not sure if that’s because we don’t know each other or if it’s because she’s nervous talking to someone with the press. Both options are understandable.

“Please, don’t clean up on my account. You should see my office.” I wave my hand around in the air and shake my head.I'm the least organized person I know. “I swear, sometimes I don’t know why anyone would hire me. Half the time I can't find anything in there.”

“Well, this is worse because I just got this office and it’s already a disaster.” She chuckles and I watch some of her hesitation melt away. She’s slowly becoming more comfortable. If I do my job correctly, she’ll be at ease by the time we finish here.

I wait patiently for her to finish organizing things the way she wants it. I know that helps some people relax and I'm not here to rush her. If she needs some time to collect her thoughts, I’ll allow it.

“So, what can I do for you? You said you had a story you need mysteriously leaked?” I ask when she seems like she’s ready to talk.

“Yes. Stubbs is dragging everything Owen Powell has built through the mud and I don’t like it one bit. There are multiple pieces of footage showing how detrimental Stubbs was to this team and our players and staff. I want them leaked with no connection to us. Do you think you can help me with that?”

My face lights up with a smile. I was hoping this had something to do with Stubbs and the negative press he caused. Anything to keep that man from being seen as a good guy sounds great to me.

It helps knowing Owen Powell, the owner of the Pit Bulls’ team and what an amazing man he is. It doesn’t hurt that I have a personal relationship with Stubbs and know exactly what type of man he is.

Over the years, he’s gone out of his way to flirt with me and make me feel uncomfortable. He didn’t care if I asked him to stop or tried to walk away, he’d just follow me. Stubbs wouldn’t stop until he got what he wanted, or I left. Thinking back,sometimes I'm surprised he didn’t follow me home and keep going.

“Of course! Is this an exclusive thing? I’d love to have something no one else has, at least for a day. I can make sure it gets shared with other reporters, but could I hold on to it for a short while? It would really earn me some brownie points at work.”

“I don’t care if you keep it forever, as long as people see it and stop believing Stubbs about Owen and the team.” She lets out a long breath like this has been weighing heavily on her mind.

“Oh, I could definitely do that. Give me all the dirty details. I’ll write up a story to go with the videos and make sure this is perfect.”

“Thank you so much for all of your help today, Liliana. I promise to keep you in mind for my future press needs.”

My smile spreads even wider. This is a dream come true. I’ve wanted to work with a specific team for as long as I can remember, but it’s hard to get that sort of position.

“That would be great.”

I stand and hold my hand out to shake Macy’s. She’s been so sweet with me throughout this entire meeting. She’s the type of person I could imagine hanging out with after work.

I’ve heard plenty of stories about her and Cord from Smithy, and Macy sounds like she’s fun to be around. Maybe I’ll have to see if she and Charlie want to meet for drinks some night.

“You’re really friends with Smithy?” She arches a brow.

“Yeah, we go way back. I don’t know what I’d do without him in my life. He’s always been a constant and someone I can lean on.” I smile wistfully, knowing he’ll never be mine. The shy girldoesn’t win over her professional athlete best friend. That’s not how the world works.

“I’m glad to hear that. Sometimes I wonder if the guys are really as sweet as they act when they’re here. I know some of them aren’t and they’re just trying to get my attention.” She rolls her eyes.

“Is it hard working here?”

I work with professional athletes all the time, but not in the same capacity Macy does. I’m sure things are a lot different for her. She’s seeing the bad and ugly, where the players only show me what they want the world to see. I get the dolled-up versions and she gets the just rolled out of bed versions of them.

“Nah, Owen’s a fantastic boss. He always makes sure you’re taken care of and have everything you need to do your job.” She leans forward, resting her forearms on her desk. She glances away for a moment and I know exactly where her head is going.

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