Dropped Third Strike (Portland Pioneers #1) (3 page)

Fortunately, “Professional Kate” mode kicked in.

“Reid Benjamin?” she asked in a cool, even manner.

“Yeah,” he mumbled. “Who is this?”

He didn’t recognize her voice. Given their history and the time that had lapsed since their last conversation, this shouldn’t have shocked her or even bothered her. But it did. She felt a distinct and familiar twinge of pain. Somehow, she found a way to push on without sounding affected.

“Kate Marks, general manager of the Portland Pioneers,” she said. “I’d like to talk to you about the hitting coach position in our organization.”

There was a silent pause on the other end, and she wondered what was going through his head. Then she heard a rustle of fabric, which suggested he was sitting up or getting out of bed. The mental picture rattled her as much as his voice had. She closed her eyes, but that only made the image more vivid. She snapped them open and turned to look out the window, nearly pulling the phone off the desk in the process. She scurried to catch it and reposition it smoothly. She wondered if he had heard any of the clatter in his silence.

“Sorry, you woke me up,” Reid said finally. “Can you repeat that?”

Kate repeated what she had said, though she could hear a slight tremor in her voice that hadn’t previously been there. She hoped he didn’t notice it. The odds were in her favor though as Reid had never been particularly observant where she was concerned.

“Oh,” Reid said. “I guess the good news of my release traveled fast.”

She heard a catch in his voice. She couldn’t tell if it was hurt or annoyance, maybe a combination of both. Kate, in turn, felt a little bad for her negative thoughts about him.

“Yeah, I heard it last night,” Kate admitted. “I know it’s probably too soon for me to be calling you about this opening, but I felt like I needed to jump on you before someone else did.”

Kate immediately regretted her choice of words, especially when she heard him chuckle. Apparently, he heard the unintended innuendo as well.

“Well, you might be a bit late for that,” he said in a low voice, still clearly amused. “Except in terms of employment; I’m still open on that front. I could fly out next week.”

“Actually, I’d like to talk to you sooner than that,” Kate said. “I could make arrangements for you to be here this afternoon. We would cover the costs, of course.”

“This afternoon?” Reid asked. “Wow…you must really be desperate. Well, OK, but I can handle the costs. As you know, I made a pretty good living while I was employed. I’ll call the airline and get back to you with my ETA. What was your name again?”

Kate rolled her eyes and gave him her name again along with her number.

As he hung up the phone, Reid smiled to himself. He hadn’t heard that voice in a long time, but he’d recognized it instantly. He’d never heard the woman speak in such a business-like tone – but he still knew who was on the other end of the line before she identified herself. Despite the years that had passed and the substances he’d ingested in the interim, Reid had never managed to erase Kate Marks from his memory, even though he preferred to have her believe that was the case. He would have preferred that to be the case too, but it hadn’t happened. Clearly. His reaction to hearing her voice on the phone was unsettling, to say the least. And now he would have to face her in a matter of hours. He really wasn’t in any shape for a reunion or a job interview, but he had already agreed, and now he had to go. Plus, he needed a job, and for the first time in his career, there weren’t multiple teams fighting over him.

Scouts had drooled over Reid, the third overall pick in the 2005 draft. Managers begged their GMs to trade large chips for him. Many GMs had tried to do just that, but the Mets had clung to their prize prospect. They’d invested millions in him immediately and saw the fruits of their investment returning as Reid’s raw talent and well-developed skills materialized on the field. Reid started in Low A, but found himself in AA by the end of his first professional season. The following season, he spent just two weeks in AA before being promoted to AAA. He remained there for a few seasons, waiting for a call-up. Unfortunately, Reid’s rise was stunted by a crowd of very talented outfielders already on the big league roster, and none of them were performing in a way which put their jobs at risk. Several teams continued trying to pry Reid from the Mets organization, but New York wasn’t keen on giving up on their investment, even if they had no immediate need for his services.

Reid’s big break came when the Mets’ All-Star right fielder dislocated his shoulder and strained several muscles on a highlight reel diving catch. Facing at least a few weeks of recovery time and a tough August schedule, the Mets brought Reid up to the majors. For the first few games, he remained on the bench, but finally the outcry from the public – and undoubtedly the GM – won out, and Reid made his much-anticipated major league debut against the division-leading Philadelphia Phillies. Reid lived up to his hype in that first game. He went 2-for-4 with a double, one RBI, and one fantastic outfield assist to nail the Phillies third baseman trying to get home during a tense eighth inning. Reid managed to maintain that performance for the rest of the season, impressing the front office enough that they traded one of their veteran outfielders for a couple pitchers and let Reid have a shot at the starting nod. He earned the centerfield duties during spring training and was standing in Citi Field on Opening Day the next spring.

Reid’s sparkling September had set the expectations very high with very little room for the typical rookie growing pains, so when they inevitably hit, fans grew agitated. At first, the Mets faithful were quiet about it, merely mumbling when Reid struck out. As the weather grew hotter, so did the fans’ temperament. Reid was no longer just striking out; he was flailing at horrible pitches outside the zone. Occasionally, he would have a good game with a bomb of a home run or timely double, but this success only further angered the masses, as they got their hopes up about his struggles ending, only to watch him strike out four times in the next game. The Mets missed the playoffs that year, and while a team certainly isn’t made of one player, much of the blame fell on Reid’s shoulders. Fans and local media argued the traded player would have made all the difference and Reid was a waste of money. He bounced back a little in his second full season, but Reid was still the most popular target of message board ire. His extracurricular activities rivaled his on-field failures, making him the punch line of nearly every bad Mets joke told. His rise had been short-lived, but his fall seemed as though it would never end.

He glanced at the woman in his bed and sighed. After he’d learned of his release, Reid had sought solace in the only two things he could count on – alcohol and women. He turned to the two more often than most people liked, but they were always available and willing to take his mind off his worries. He was several drinks in when Megen showed up at his place. She had knowingly planned for his level of inebriation and wore minimal clothing that was easy to remove. He divested her of it pretty quickly, and then she turned her attentions on him while he continued to down vodka like it was water. Before long, his mind was numb and his body was alive. And that was just what he needed. He was grateful for his two vices. They’d both gotten him in some trouble, but he could quit either one when they were done serving their purpose.

With a dull ache in his head, Reid wandered into the living room of his condo and called his usual airline. He was able to book a ticket on a noon flight. That gave him two hours to get Meg out of his place, nurse his hangover, and get to the airport. He took a deep breath and padded back to the bedroom to take care of the first of those tasks. It wasn’t actually that difficult of a feat. Meg knew how their arrangement worked, although she did talk him into a quickie before he hit the shower. When he emerged clean and shaven, she was gone, but she’d left him a plate of eggs and toast along with aspirin and big bottle of water. He ate in his towel and made a mental checklist of what he needed to pack. He didn’t really know how long he’d be gone, but he figured he should prepare for a few days. Easy. As he rode in a cab to the airport in a suit with just a carry-on in tow, he realized of all the things he’d learned in his time as a ballplayer, packing for a road trip was certainly a contender as the most valuable.

Settled in his seat on the plane, it occurred to Reid that he’d never interviewed for a job before. He knew he should be nervous, but he’d detected a bit of desperation in Kate’s voice that morning so that took some edge off. Plus, he knew how to charm her. There was little need for him to be nervous. He held all the power in this situation, and as soon as the aspirin kicked in, he would be able to walk into Kate Marks’ office full of confidence.

Kate’s stomach was a bundle of nerves as the clock approached two-thirty and her appointment with Reid grew closer. She’d been on the phone when he called back with his flight information, but he left a message. With the time difference between New York and Oregon, he would arrive around two and head straight to her office. A few hours didn’t seem like enough time to prepare for this meeting. Then again, she wasn’t sure any amount of time would be sufficient in preparing to see Reid again.

She had listened to his message multiple times, and Kate tried telling herself it was only to double-check (OK, quadruple-check) the details. But she couldn’t even fool herself. It was about hearing his voice – especially the part where he said her name. It still sounded so familiar on his lips even though he’d made it clear he didn’t remember her at all. She was still bothered by that fact … and annoyed that it bothered her. How could he have forgotten her? Despite her best efforts, she’d failed at erasing her memories of him. There were just too many, and most of them still qualified as significant moments in her life. Those were the kind of memories that never went away. Apparently they were not as significant to him. She shook her head before her thoughts could go down that road. She was sure it would catch up with her later, but for now, she needed to focus.

Reid didn’t have an actual résumé, so Kate had spent the morning researching his playing career and calling the coaches at the college where he’d reportedly tutored players on their hitting. The staff members at North Carolina practically fell all over themselves to praise Reid. As soon as she finished telling them who she was and why she was calling, the positive words about Reid came pouring through the phone. She had a hard time getting the men off the phone. The head coach was the most fervent in his support for Reid.

“Look, ma’am, I know Benjamin’s got a reputation, and his own offensive numbers don’t show it, but he knows how to hit,” the coach said. “He’s helped a lot of my boys, not just on the field, but in the classroom. I’m not sayin’ he tutored them himself, but he got ’em to care about their grades and work a little harder. He’s a good guy, and he can relate to players who have ego as well as those who don’t quite believe in themselves. I hope you’ll give ’im a chance.”

This did not help support Kate’s belief – or hope – that Reid was underqualified for the job.

Kate thanked the coach for his time and hung up with a sigh. Looking for another out, she called a few contacts she had in the Mets organization. They offered their support of Reid as well. Many of them were dismayed by their GM’s decision to let him go. They still believed Reid would turn a corner and become the All-Star so many had projected. They echoed the UNC coach’s sentiments that Reid knew more about hitting than his stats conveyed.

By the time Kate’s assistant buzzed her to announce Reid’s arrival, Kate already had a strong sense about the outcome of this interview. This was probably a blessing, since his presence was likely to wreak havoc on her ability to think clearly. She told Sara to send Reid in and took a deep breath before the door opened. Silently, she began to prepare herself for the sight of him. She felt calm and collected as she stood and crossed toward the door. But then he walked in and any illusion she had of feeling of calm and collected walked out.

Reid wore a simple but well-tailored charcoal grey suit with a black shirt. He had skipped the tie and left the top few buttons of his shirt undone. It might have been a bit casual for a typical job interview, but on him, it worked. Then again, Reid looked good in everything. He also looked good in nothing, but Kate quickly squelched that recollection. Her gaze drifted up from his attire to his face, where his lips were curved into a slight smile and his hazel eyes were full of amusement and recognition.

He closed the door behind him, and Kate only hoped her intelligence wasn’t on the other side of it.

“Kate,” he said, holding out his right hand.

“Reid,” she responded, shaking his hand and praying he couldn’t feel the slight tremors running through her.

“It’s been awhile,” he said.

“Yes, it has,” Kate said. “I wasn’t sure you remembered me.”

“Of course I do,” Reid said. “I’d ask how you’ve been, but I don’t think I have to.”

He gestured to their surroundings and Kate nodded, grateful for the excuse to avert her eyes from him and look around her office instead. Yet even the carefully-chosen artwork and fine furnishings tastefully done in the team’s colors – brick red and grey – could not distract her from the fact that Reid was standing so near. His scent had invaded her personal space, and Reid had always had a presence about him that was hard to ignore.

“You could say I’m doing well, I guess,” Kate said, hoping her breath sounded steadier than she felt.