Page 13 of Rounding Third

I love Winnie. She’s fun and easy going. She’s always the life of the party, but she also has a sweet and sensitive side. I’ve seen her care for children and be the most compassionate person in the world.

Even now, Winnie’s been working for the same family since we were freshmen in college. She started nannying for them to make some extra money, and every time she’s tried to quit, they’ve offered her more money to stay with them. At this point, I'm fairly certain she makes more money than I do and works half of the amount of time I do.

The kids love her though. She has this amazing connection with them and now that they’re both in school full time, she helps the parents by running errands and cleaning up the house while the kids are in school. She can come and go as she wants and just needs to pick up the kids from school at the end of the day. She starts making dinner and helps the kids with their homework until their parents come home around six o’clock at night. It’s her dream job and gives her so much freedom.

I step through the door of my office and let out a soft sigh. I wish I had more freedom. I wish I didn’t need to work and I could look for a job I actually enjoyed.

“Liliana! Drop your stuff in your office, then get your butt in my office,” Bill hollers as I walk past his door.

I don’t bother answering. I clench my fist to keep myself from flipping him off and place my things under my desk. I want to check my emails and put off this interaction with Bill, but there’s no point. The longer he has to think about whatever he wants to discuss, the worse this is going to be for me.

“You wanted to see me.” I give Bill a tight smile as I enter his office. He motions for me to shut the door and I happily comply. I know I'm getting yelled at and I’d rather not have an audience for it.

“What is this piece of trash?” He tosses my printed article across his desk. I emailed it to him last night before I cuddled up in Smithy’s arms.

“That’s the article I wrote yesterday after meeting with Macy Hayes. She gave me insider information about what happened with Stubbs and videos.”

“Did you send me the videos?” Bill scowls at his computer.

“Yes, right after I sent the article.”

I want to roll my eyes, but I stop myself. He’ll flip out if he thinks I’m being disrespectful in any way. Bill isn't shy about disliking me. He doesn’t believe a female reporter deserves to be anywhere near sports. He thinks I should be covering celebrities or the newest weight-loss trend. He has no respect for women and it shows.

“Ah, I see it now.” He must click on the video from Owen’s office because soon Stubbs’ screaming fills the office and makes me wince.

I’ve never been comfortable around Stubbs. He’s grabbed my ass more than once and made crude comments about what he’d do to me if he could get me alone. I swear he did it hoping I’d tell Smithy. He was always looking for a way to push Smithy’s buttons and get him to react. That’s why I’ve kept my mouthshut. Why I’ve never paid attention to anything he’s done or said.

After that, he clicks on the video of Stubbs injuring Wyatt on purpose. There’s no way to deny it. Stubbs was aiming for Wyatt’s knee and he accomplished exactly what he wanted to.

Bill sits back in his chair and rubs his hand over his mouth. He’s looking for a way to spin this story, but he doesn’t know how.

“I guess I’ll have to run the story the way you have it if I want to use the videos,” he sighs like I'm an annoyance for him to deal with. “I don’t think I can spin this the way I want to.”

“I presented the facts in my article, nothing else.”

“Which isn't what I wanted and you know it. Owen Powell isn't a good man.”

“I’ve met Owen Powell on multiple occasions and he was very nice and humble.” I frown at my boss.

“How have you met him? During an interview?”

“No. My best friend works for him.”

“Doing what?” Bill arches his brow and I swallow hard. I shouldn’t have opened my mouth. He’s going to use this to his advantage and I don’t want that.

“He plays shortstop.” I keep my voice and my entire demeanor emotionless. If Bill sees any sort of a reaction, he’s going to pounce.

“You’re best friends with Smithy?” His eyes widen and he watches me in shock and disbelief.

“Yeah, we met in college and have been best friends since.”

“Ok. I can work with that.” A slow smile spreads across his lips, making my stomach churn and bile creep up my throat. I don’t trust this man as far as I can throw him. Considering I don’t think I could even lift him, I obviously can't throw him at all.

“I'm sorry? You can work with what?”

“I want you to get close to Owen Powell. Dig up as much as you possibly can and then expose him for the terrible man he is. I’ll give you until… two weeks after the season starts. You won't have any other assignments the entire time. Your sole focus should be taking down Powell.” His grin turns wicked as his plan takes shape. He wants this so badly he can taste it.

“What if I can't find anything negative about him?”

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