"You didn't sleep at all?" Coach Beard sounded both accusatory and marveled by this information Ted shared as the three Americans rode to the A.F.C. Richmond clubhouse from the airport.
"Nah, me and Bailey watched a couple movies and then when I was ready to try to fall asleep, all I could think about was not sleeping and next thing I knew it, they were landing the plane. I'll be alright though." Ted assured them.
The Driver pulled into a small parking lot in the back of the clubhouse. They exited the vehicle and took a minor detour onto the pitch. There the small group encountered Nate, the equipment manager, or his official title, the kit man. Nate the Kit Man escorted them all to the office of the owner, Rebecca Welton. He made a prompt quiet exit from the room as Ted made introductions.
Rebecca Weldon looked exactly like Bailey imaged a wife who'd won ownership of a sports team in a divorce would. She was thin as a rail with a sharp jawline. Her hair was perfectly styled as if every single strand had been specifically placed. She was smiling, but unlike Ted, her smile didn't seem to reach her eyes.
"So exciting to finally meet you all face to face." Rebecca greeted before introducing Leslie Higgins, the Director of Communications. Higgins was a small jovial man who eagerly peeked at the world through round thin rimmed spectacles. He reminded Bailey a bit of a mole, but she was sure she hadn't meant it as an insult.
"Higgins, could you please take Coach Beard and Ms. Kennedy and help them get their IDs, housing information and all that sorted out?" Rebecca asked.
Higgins led Bailey and Beard back through the halls of the club house to his office. He confirmed that all the necessary paperwork both internally for the club and externally for government had been filed successfully. He produced ID badges for each of them, which would gain them access to nearly any room or office in the building. Lastly it was time to delve out housing assignments which caused Higgins to frown.
"I'm terribly sorry Ms. Kennedy. We had anticipated the additional of Coach Beard when our offer was first extended to Coach Lasso, however, we had not anticipated he would want to bring his personal assistant. Poor planning on our part I'm afraid. As a result, I do not have permanent housing available for you at the moment." She watched Higgins, who fidgeted nervously. "On a positive note, we will be happy to accommodate you in a hotel until a permanent arrangement can be made."
"How far away is the nearest hotel?" Beard asked before Bailey had the chance to.
"With vacancies?" Higgins asked. He fumbled with paperwork at his desk to buy himself some time. "We are still working on that. I hope to have something by the end of the day."
"I mailed my stuff over weeks ago." Bailey sighed. "I don't think it's outrageous for me to have assumed that there would be a place to put everything when I mailed it over."
"I do apologize for the inconvenience, Ms. Kennedy. I assure you this will be taken care of as promptly as possible. In the meantime, all of your things are safe in a storage facility, which I also have the address for." Higgins provided her the information for the storage facility and Ted's housing information. "Well, that appears to be everything. If we hurry, I think we can still make it to the Press Conference before it starts."
"Press conference?" Bailey mouthed to Beard behind Higgins back as they followed the latter out of the room. Coach Beard simply shrugged.
Back into the halls of the Richmond clubhouse, Higgins led Bailey and Beard into the small press room. A hoard of bloodthirsty reporters was waiting for their first opportunity to have it out with Coach Lasso. They weren't kept waiting very long. Ted and Rebecca entered the room mere minutes after Bailey and Beard leaned against the wall adjacent to the door.
It wasn't a shock to anyone in the room that the surprise press conference was an unmitigated disaster. Unlike at the University, Ted didn't have the home court advantage here. The reporters were all actual sports journalist with hard hitting questions. Not one of them a teen from a newspaper club doing a column for free like would happen back home. Despite one of the reporters actually asking, "Is this a fucking joke?" the Head Coach himself seemed undeterred.
"Everybody's got to start somewhere." He said to Bailey and Beard as they left the press room and walked towards the locker room. "I'd rather start low and work our way into their hearts. Now, I do love a locker room." Ted inhaled deeply. "Smells like potential. And am I getting notes of…Axe body spray?"
"Spot on Coach." Beard agreed. "Though I think it may be called something else here."
Ted began to move methodically from locker to locker. He studied the contents of each player's station. He would look at the photos tacked and taped inside, personal effects, anything to give him an indication of what the man they belonged to might be like. He was particularly excited to find an aerosol can of Lynx body spray, the English counterpart of Axe, in a locker. At one point, Nate wheeled a laundry hamper into the room and began placing a fresh towel at each station. Ted had just completed his lap around the room when the stampede of players began to file in.
The players sat at their individually assigned benches and began changing. Each of them seeming to ignore the presence of Bailey, Ted and Beard. The three of them stood at the front of the room, just outside of the Manager's Office. Bailey, becoming suddenly very aware that she was the only female in the room, began to wonder if her presence was appropriate. She listened to Ted and Beard exchange some of their classic banter quietly, before Ted proclaimed,
"I'm gonna say something." He clapped his hands together trying to get the team's attention. "Hey there fellas, don't stop what you're doin', I know Y'all wanna get out of here. My name is Ted Lasso. This here is Coach Beard, and my assistant, Bailey. Now I know we haven't officially started just yet, but we just wanted to say howdy…"
"Knock, knock!" A small woman, only a handful of years older than Bailey, entered the locker room with her hands over her eyes. She couldn't have been much taller than five feet but swayed into the room with more confidence than anyone'd ever seen. She was likely a model or an actress or some combination of both. "Is everyone decent?" She asked before dropping her hands from her eyes. "Well, that's disappointing." She commented when she realized the men in the room were still mostly clothed. This earned a few chuckles around the room, but she apologized as soon as she spotted Ted. "Oh, sorry am I interrupting?"
"No, no, that's okay." Ted assured her. "Can I help ya with something?"
"I'm just here to pick up that one." She pointed to one of the players. Bailey knew from his number, and Ted's snooping, that the woman meant Jamie Tartt. She introduced herself as Keeley Jones before sauntering out of the locker room with Jamie following closely behind her. One by one the players finished changing and began to leave after that.
Bailey helped Ted and Beard rearrange the manager's office to their liking. They pushed together the two available desks so that the two men could do their work facing each other. Beard began tacking up posters and photos of athletic underdogs like the 2004 Red Socks and Muhamad Ali. Ted focused on decorating his desk with trinkets and items that reminded him of home. Notably a handmade card from his son Henry found a place of honor where Ted would be sure to see it every day.
"Say, Bailey, did Higgins happen to mention where your office might be?" Ted asked her as he collapsed in his chair. "I hope it's not too far from here."
"Actually, he didn't. But he was a little preoccupied when Beard and I talked with him." She relayed to Ted all the information she had received from Higgins about the housing situation earlier.
"A hotel?" Ted frowned. "Naw, that's ridiculous. You can just stay with me until they're able to find you a place of you own."
"Oh, Ted that's really nice of you but I couldn't invade your space like that." She attempted to deflect his offer. The last thing she needed what to spend more time with him. That would absolutely ensure she never got over her crush. "I mean your place will be full enough with Henry and Michelle." Beard made a face at you over Ted's shoulder, like She'd said something she shouldn't have. Ted saw her look at Beard over his shoulder before her eyes shot back to him.
"Well, the thing is, Bailey, me and Michelle, we're taking a little break at the moment." He confessed. A break? She had to bite the inside of her cheeks to stop from smiling. An evil thought crossed her mind. If Ted and his wife were on the outs, perhaps her wild daydreams weren't so wild after all. "This is the first time I've had an apartment to myself since I was in college. So actually, you'd be helping me out a great deal if you'd consider stayin' with me until your place is ready. That is if you don't mind being around me twenty-four seven. Heck if you're open to it, I'll even have another desk put in here for you. No sense in you being on tucked away somewhere on the second floor when you can be here with me and Beard in the action. What do you say, Bailey?"
A/N: I have so many big plans for Bailey, Ted and the rest of the team! I'll be updating this story as often as possible. Ia also want to thank butterflydance21 for this story's first review! To everyone else, thank you for favoriting, following, and enjoying the story so much.