Page 2 of Play Like a Girl

Most of the time, working for my dad is fine, but every once in a while he goes into what I call panic mode and freaks out about what usually ends up being no big deal. Then we all have to shuffle to fix whatever he perceives is wrong. The last time he acted like this was a couple years ago when Jack Reagan’s ex wrote a tell-all book about him. My dad had the misguided notion that the book stained the team’s image and he was on a mission to do damage control.

This week he’s going crazy over a lack of pitching, which in my mind isn’t really a thing. Our general manager concurs, but that doesn’t seem to matter to my dad and all week he’s had us in meeting after meeting scouring trade prospects as well as our minor league teams. In the end, we’ll probably just call someone up from our Triple-A team in Fayetteville, but that won’t happen until after he sees facts and figures on every other option.

My father has built an incredible organization here. He doesn’t tolerate cocky players or nasty behavior, which has created an amazing team that’s well-respected and easy to work with. And I admire that, I just wish he’d loosen the reins a little, let people do the jobs they were hired for, and relax and enjoy the fruits of his labor. But I don’t see that happening any time soon.

“Can you still stay through the weekend?”

“Yep. I don’t have practice until late Monday afternoon so I don’t fly out until noon.” She leaned closer and kissed me. “So I’m all yours for three whole days, one morning, and now an extra night.”

“You’re notallmine,” I said. “We’re going to Dale and Karen’s Saturday, right?”

“Just for a few hours. We have to take a break sometime, right?”

I nuzzled my nose against her neck then nibbled her jaw.

“Hmm, that’s debatable.”

“When I go back on Monday I need to be able to walk,” she said with a chuckle.

“You’ve only been on the road five weeks. Don’t tell me you’ve lost your stamina.”

She smirked and opened her mouth to give what I’m sure would be a snarky comment when we were interrupted.

“Kenny, can you double-check these budget numbers? I think” Hannah Reagan stopped speaking when she realized I wasn’t alone. “Penny!” She dropped the folder she’d been carrying on the desk and rounded it as Penny jumped out of my lap to give her a big hug. “I didn’t know you’d be here today.”

They released each other and Penny stepped back and rested her hip against the back of my chair.

“I got an early reprieve and decided to surprise everyone.”

“Jeremy will be thrilled. He and Karen just got here and he mentioned how excited he is that he’ll see you Saturday.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize they were going to be here today. I thought Jeremy had his own game.”

“It was rescheduled to Sunday.”

Penny looked over her shoulder at me.

“I guess we’re busy Sunday, too,” I said with a smile.

She and her brother are super tight and that’s extended to his new wife and stepson. Dale was less than thrilled when he found out Penny and I were interested in each other, but dropped the protective big-brother routine when he realized I was looking for more than just a quick fling with his sister. It did help that Karen and Jeremy came along shortly after giving him something else to focus on.

Penny stood and shifted her gaze between Hannah and me.

“I’ll go say hi to Dale, Karen, and Jeremy and let you guys get back to work.”

She leaned down and gave me a quick kiss then picked up her purse and slung it over her shoulder.

“I’ll be down in a little bit,” I said.

“Um…” Hannah said. I looked up at her and raised my brow. “Your dad wants to talk to us after you look at this budget.”

I took in a deep breath and let it out then rubbed my eyes.

“I’ll be down eventually,” I said. “Hopefully.”

Penny gave me another kiss, said her goodbyes, and left the office. I didn’t take my eyes off her the entire time and I continued to stare at the empty doorway until Hannah cleared her throat. I shifted my gaze and watched her sit in the chair on the other side of my desk.

“I’m guessing things are still going well.”

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