AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Cord decided to fuck up practice. After disrupting our practice game to talk to Leo, he told everyone to go to the locker room.”
“Ok.”
“He can't do that, Owen! I'm the fucking coach! I get to make the calls.” Danny’s face is so red, he almost looks like a cartoon character. If steam starts billowing out of his ears, I wouldn’t even be surprised.
“Cord, speak.” Dad turns his attention to me. He folds his arms across his desk and leans in closer to me. His eyes lock on mine and I don’t look away. He does this to make people uncomfortable and to see if they’re lying. He wants to see if I’ll break eye contact, but I didn’t do anything wrong here. Not really.
“Leo was throwing like shit. He’s stuck in his head because of something going on. He was too tense and was going to end up hurting himself. So, I pulled him aside and talked to him. It would’ve been fine if Danny didn’t storm the mound and try to get in my face.”
“What’s going on with Leo?”
“It’s personal.” I barely motion with my head to Danny, but it’s enough for Dad to get the drift. This doesn’t pertain to Danny and he doesn’t need to know.
“Nothing is personal when you’re getting paid millions of dollars to play ball,” Danny growls.
“I think I’ll be the judge of that.” Dad’s voice is hard and stern, surprising Danny. “What else happened, Cord?”
“When Leo started pitching again, I could tell Smithy was in the same headspace. He couldn’t hit shit. If they kept playing, they’ll hurt themselves or be shit when the season starts. They needed a break and I think giving them the rest of the day off would be a good idea. Let them go home and figure out their lives. They can come back tomorrow with a fresh head.”
“Did you tell Danny that?”
“No, I can't tell him shit because he’s decided I'm a piece of shit who only got on the team because you own it.” I settle back in my chair and watch Dad’s eyes flare with anger.
He’ll always be protective of us, but hearing someone say we didn’t earn something pisses him off. He dealt with it a lot when Aunt Logan started working at Scott Powell and Coleman. He dealt with it when he and Mom started dating and people said she didn’t deserve him.
“Cord, I want you to go talk to your team. Get them in the right headspace, then send them home. If you need to talk to them individually, then do it. I have a feeling Wyatt’s already started, but help him. Then tell everyone else to go home too. We’re taking the rest of the day off.”
“Everyone?”
“Take Macy home, Cord.” He rolls his eyes, knowing exactly who I'm talking about.
Danny scoffs and shakes his head. He’s such a douchebag. I used to really like him, but ever since we came back for spring training, he’s been different and I lost a lot of respect for him.
“Do you have something to say?” Dad turns his hard gaze to Danny.
“He gets everything handed to him, Owen. He has no respect for anyone! He thinks he can walk over everyone without a care in the world.”
“Take a fucking seat.” Dad points at the chair next to me and the look he gives Danny leaves no room for arguing. “I was going to wait to talk to you until after he left, but you’ve given me no choice. I won't have him slacking on the field tomorrow because he’s too stuck in his head about what shit you’re spewing today.”
Danny’s eyes widen and he slowly moves over to the chair and drops into it. He’s trying to appear strong and keep his chin held high, but he looks like he’s about to piss himself.
“Obviously you have some pretty shitty opinions on my son, and I’d like to clear them up.” He gives himself a second to regain his composure.
I’ve heard about what a loose cannon he used to be in the boardroom, but Dad’s matured a lot over the years and has learned to control himself… most of the time.
“Cord shouldn’t have put himself in charge on the field today-”
“That’s what I'm saying!” Danny cuts him off.
“He shouldn’t have put himself in charge because you should’ve seen what he saw. Maybe I should call one of the other coaches in here and see if they saw it too. No matter what, you should’ve seen it. You should’ve been the one to call practice and send everyone home.”
Danny opens his mouth to respond, but Dad holds up a hand. He doesn’t want to listen to whatever bullshit he’s about to say.
“I hope all of my players have the balls to stand up to their coaches when they’re fucking up. If they don’t, they should.” Dad sits back in his chair, but his eyes never leave Danny. “And as far as my son goes, he’s here longer than anyone else every fucking day. He comes in before you do and stays long after you. He works out harder, practices longer, puts more of himself into this game than ninety percent of the guys on this team. Don’t fucking diminish the work he puts in because of his last name. If anything, you should have more respect for him because he could possibly skirt by without putting in as much work.”
This time, Danny’s smart enough to keep his mouth shut and accept the ass chewing he’s getting. No matter what he does, it won't get easier, but it could get harder.
“But I think this has a lot more to do with a new employee than it does with Cord. You’re pissed you lost Charlie to Wyatt and you’re livid Cord claimed Macy right away. My employees don’t belong to you. As a matter of fact, you can't date anyone who works in this franchise.”
