Clutch Hit by Faith O'Shea (most popular ebook readers txt) 📗

He clicked the arrow to go back and chose another headline.

Greenliner’s name Nilsson VP of Baseball Administration

This article gave a detailed list of her duties, which had surprised him when he’d first read it. She had a lot of responsibility on her shoulders and from what he’d learned, she carried them well.

The next was the front office bio. This was the one he was looking for. He began to read it aloud.

Alicia Nilsson was named Vice-President, Major and Minor League Operations, in January 2017, and the fourth female in Major League Baseball to achieve that benchmark.

In her role, she actively oversees the daily operations for both Greenliner clubhouse and the team’s affiliates.

For two years prior to that, she worked under Daniel DeLorenzo, president of Baseball Operations, in administration, handling all minor league players and staff such as contract negotiations, budgets, and all transactions.

In 2018 she won the Gilbert Demers award, given to a member of the club who demonstrates the same dedication, resourcefulness, and work ethic as the man the award is named for.

Nilsson is a graduate of Boston University with a BA in sports management and was awarded an MBA from Questrom Business School. She is single and lives in Malden, MA.

She was still sitting quietly when he finished.

“That award is an honor. It speaks to how you do your job.”

There was a twinkle in her eyes and a glowing smile on her face. “That was a surprise. I had no idea it was coming and…it was one of the best nights of my life.”

He looked over and asked, “Who is Gilbert Demers?”

“He was a left fielder who played for the Greenies for close to fifteen years. He won six Golden Glove awards and came close to beating Ted Williams’ batting average record. When he retired, the team kept him on as scout and special assistant coach. He was one hell of a player, man, and resource. His number “twenty” has been retired and hangs on the right field wall at Harborside, and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame the first year he was eligible.”

“Is he still alive?”

“He is. Ninety-three and still attends most of our celebrations, although he does less now than he used to.”

“You’ve met him, I presume?”

“He’s the one who presented me with the award. That was the honor.”

The next article had to do with her being a key component in the extension the second baseman signed at the end of last season.

“You talked Reyes into another three years here.”

“Yeah, I was lucky. We developed a connection while he was in the minors and it carried over. When his son was born a month early last year, I held his hand. Talked him through some tough nights. His signing didn’t have much to do with intense negotiation, just a desire on his part to stay here.”

He closed the laptop. He knew what he needed to, and it would be a privilege to call her wife. He hoped she’d give him the chance to do that and prayed that she could say she was proud to call him husband one day.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Allie was in the bathroom, getting ready for their early morning meeting with Jelani, the lawyer who’d be handling the Mariposa Arteaga immigration visa. She could hear Mateo rambling around. He’d been dressed since she’d gotten up, wearing a shirt and tie, wanting to impress the woman who’d be helping him get his mother here.

While applying her mascara, she heard a muffled yell, “Will we leave soon?”

She stopped, the wand in mid-brush, not wanting to smear it, and yelled back, “I’ll just be another minute. Relax. Our appointment isn’t until nine. We’ve got plenty of time.”

She was wearing pants again but had chosen a black blouse with a lace yoke this morning and a red fitted jacket. It might be a bit dressy for her afternoon meeting with the new manager of the Pittsfield Transit, but since Mateo had dressed for the meeting with the lawyer, she didn’t want him to think this wasn’t important to her. She didn’t have to pretend. It was. The sooner she could get his mother here, the sooner she could move forward with the divorce. She was beginning to like him. Add to that the attraction she felt, and she was swimming into dangerous waters.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror, fingering her hair back and pressing her lips together to smooth out the lipstick. After buttoning the jacket that nipped her waist, she shimmied her feet into her heels and went out to join the man she could hear pacing the length of the kitchen. She’d decided she wouldn’t feel comfortable so dressed up for the afternoon task, so she had grabbed her satchel, tucked away another blouse to change into, and slung it over her shoulder.

He spun around to face her, and she could see the appreciative gleam in his eyes.

“You look very nice.”

She tried hard not to let his compliment affect her, but it was a lost cause. She didn’t want to admit it, but it was another reason she’d primped this morning. The Jaws theme sounded in her head as she saw the shark fins appear in the distance. Yup. Dangerous waters.

“I have to go and meet with the new manager in Pittsfield after seeing Jelani. Do you want to come along for the ride?”

He didn’t hesitate. “Yes, I would. Seb’s going to visit his folks, so he’s not around and Rique isn’t answering my texts.”

“You’ll meet everyone at the wake tomorrow. You’ll soon have more friends than you know what to do with. This team’s a community within itself. Everyone reaches out.”

“Yes, I know. Several players have done so.”

She was curious, wanted to see if it matched her mental list of who would have called or texted already.

“May I ask who?”

He ticked them all off on his fingers. “Reid, Reyes, Ovitz, Motts, Ritter, and Heredia.”

No one on the list surprised her. Not even Heredia, who’d been the