Lucas shrugged. “That’s to be expected. Change sucks for most people.”
“But this works. You know it.”
“Doesn’t mean they trust it. Would you mind if I called the guys and had them start gathering some additional information? We could all get together and look at the data and talk through it. It might help.”
“Do it. Whatever you think might help.” She stood and walked around the desk, pausing next to his chair. “I assumed you wanted to come to Florida with me. If you can’t, I’ll understand.”
“I told you, I’m here for the long haul. Let me know the timing. I’d like to see my mom. She’s been feeling a bit neglected and out of touch.” He stood also, but hesitated. “She’d love to see you.”
“Are you asking me to meet your mother? How so very high school of you.” She teased.
“You already know her. She just asked about you the other day.” He scowled.
She grinned and laid a hand on his arm. “Relax. I was only teasing. You need to take it easy or we’ll be visiting you in the hospital.”
*
Miranda looked atthe clock on her computer for the fifth time, wondering if she were nervous about the upcoming meeting or excited. This was her first weekly update session with Lucas and she wasn’t sure how it would go. She had some progress to report, but nothing concrete to show for success. He’d been involved in all of the discussions so she couldn’t help but think this was all a formality, a technique he used to keep himself in control and separate from the situation.
She had been observing him for the past couple of weeks. He was formal with most of the management team, polite but distant, and he had no interest in getting to know the regular staff. He barely remembered Maggie’s name, first or last, and during any hint of social time, Lucas was gone. Even during Maggie’s birthday cake earlier today, he had been scarce and only appeared after it was over.
A quick, rapid knock at the door came just before it opened. Lucas peered at her, so she waved him in.
“Want a cup of coffee or tea before we start?”
He grinned, showing a flash of white teeth. “I’m all caffeinated, thanks. So, how are things going?”
“Shouldn’t you be telling me that? You’ve been in every meeting, every discussion, every decision. We’re still in spring training, so I can’t point to a record to show progress or even ticket sales, not really. In other words, your guess is as good as mine right now.”
He nodded and pulled out a paper. “Your season ticket sales are still down, no real bump with pre-season.”
“Our record hasn’t been great in early games and our players aren’t doing anything to draw any attention. In fact, the number of errors and losses have brought us very negative attention from the media in particular.”
“Your fan message boards and social media sites aren’t very positive either.” He laid the pages down and fixed her with a stern look. “In fact, I have no idea how you can turn this around for the first payment.”
“True, things are still rocky. But you said these changes take time. Some teams had to have a couple of losing seasons before they fully rebuilt. What more can you expect from us?”
“Yes, you need time. But how can you make the payment?”
“Let me worry about that. You just help us find the right players and the right strategy to field a decent team.” She decided to change tactics, throw him off balance a little. “I noticed you didn’t come to Maggie’s birthday celebration.”
His expression never changed but remained carefully blank. “I make it a point not to get too personal with the people I work with.”
“So what was our dinner all about?”
“That was personal, nothing to do with business.”
“And our kiss?” She suppressed a smile at the confusion crossing his face.
“Again, personal. I don’t make a habit out of kissing people I work with,” he replied in a cool tone.
“That’s good because neither do I. And I’d hate to think you kissed me out of obligation.” She casually shuffled papers on her desk, keeping an eye on his reaction.
He leaned back in his seat, a smile crossing his face. “Obligation? Is that what you got out of that kiss?”
“Since you bolted from me like a teenaged boy who’d been told his girlfriend is pregnant, I’m not sure what to think.”
He grimaced and hunched his shoulders. “I’m sorry. It wasn’t you.”