AN: Hi everyone, sorry it's been a while. Life is busy right now sadly, I'll try to update as soon as I can, but it might take a few weeks in between uploads.

But know that I am still writing and continuing this story, it may just take a while longer...

Anyway, to make up for it, a slightly longer chapter :)

Hope you'll enjoy it!


Chapter 13 - overheard

BPOV

Edward practically ran from the room when Harry dismissed the players and I didn't blame him.

I was glad I hadn't called him or given him my number. He was probably spooked beyond belief now. I was his boss after all.

I sighed and then turned to Harry.

'I'll be in Charlie's office, if you could send the support staff in one by one?'

'It's your office now, Bella.' He reminded me gently.

I gave a small nod but didn't answer him. It would always be Charlie's in my heart probably.

I quickly headed down the hallway but stopped before turning the corner when I heard someone talking.

'What do I do, Jasper?' I recognized the voice instantly as Edwards, but it was filled with desperation. 'I want to know her.'

'I don't think she'll ever agree to date you now, man.' A second voice answered, that would be Jasper then. Jasper Whitlock probably. 'I'm not even sure if it's allowed. You know Harry has a lot of rules in place.'

I quickly slipped into the office then, not wanting to hear anymore. Edward had told me to call him, but the way he was talking to Jasper made me think he really wanted to date me, not just get to know me, and I wasn't sure how I felt about that. Part of me wanted to jump with joy that this amazing guy was actually interested in me, but the smarter more rational part of me knew that that was a bad idea. Not in the least because like Jasper had said, there were probably rules about dating players. Not to mention the press it would garner.

A knock at the door stopped my musings.

'Come in.' I called.

And just like that I was thrown in. I met the physical therapist first, a lovely young man of thirty. He seemed eager to continue in his job and I asked him to give me an overview of the injured or worrisome players to get up to speed. He agreed to get it to me by the following monday. Next was the nutritionist. He explained the overview of the diets he supplied and what his other duties were. He too seemed eager to stay on. I asked him to give me an overview of his costs and special diets. He agreed but said it would take him about a week. I agreed.

Then came the PR people. the communications director and the HR spokesperson. They were all women, which I thought was rather a strange confirmation of stereotypes. But I pushed it away and met the lovely ladies and they seemed absolutely ecstatic to finally have a woman boss.

I asked the HR lady, Mary, if there were any cases I should be aware of. She filled me in that the biggest troublemaker, Paul Lahote, was already gone. No surprise there. But that Laurent Seville was also someone to keep an eye on. He had a few insubordination notes behind his name. The others she'd have to pull records of and I asked her to do just that.

And then it was just the coaches left. First up was the batting coach. He was quite old, late fifties at least and was definitely not looking forward to working with me. His name was Lee jones and his face was like thunder when he stepped into the room.

'Mr Jones.' I greeted him politely.

He grunted in response and I knew this was not going to be pretty. But I didn't let it faze me.

'I understand you are the teams batting coach.' He only nodded in response. 'you worked under mr Lahote, or with Mr McCarthy?' I asked.

'Both.' Was his one worded reply.

God this was like pulling teeth. I took a deep breath.

'Alright and what is your view on the current team? are there any improvements that we need to focus on?'

Somehow he saw that as a personal attack on his skill, because before I knew it he was up and in my face. 'Listen here missy, I don't care who you are. This aint a job for a girl that doesn't know jack shit about baseball. So why don't you just sit right here and look pretty while the men handle the running of the team.'

'Mr Jones.' I said calmly after he finished his rant. 'I assure you I am my father daughter. I know baseball and I know running a business. I would appreciate you not taking that tone with me again.'

'Charlie would never have fired Paul.' He muttered. 'You don't know what the fuck you're doing and letting that bitch fire him told me all I needed to know about you. Charlie would be rolling in his grave if he could see you now.'

I flinched, but quickly sat up straighter. I would not let his words get to me. I would not let him see how much that hurt me. But at least now I knew that this was not a salvageable relation.

'Mr Jones. I'm afraid that with this type of attitude I cannot work with you. You've insulted me and the memory of my father. I'm going to respectfully ask you to resign, start your retirement early and leave this club with dignity.'

He started to get upset again but I held up my hand.

'If you refuse and make a scene I'm afraid I will have to draw up termination papers and do this the hard way, alright? The choice is yours. I expect an answer by the end of the day tomorrow.' With that I dismissed him.

My adrenaline was pumping and my heart was beating widly. I was sure he was going to snap at me again, but he surprised me by turning on his heel and leaving the office, slamming the door behind him for good measure.

I leaned back as I breathed deeply, trying to get my emotions back under control. That had been terrifying. I'd dealt with stuck up entitled men before. But never in a setting like this.

I'd always been a bit timid and on the shy side, but I knew I couldn't afford to be like that anymore. I needed to be decisive and unafraid if I wanted to run this club successfully. And I was secretly proud of how I had handled this situation. I was sure that tonight I would have a breakdown or two from all the stress and anxiety I was burying right now. but I was sure it would make me stronger in the end.

The last person on the list, beside Harry was Emmet McCarthy. The team's Assistant coach.

He'd worked directly under Paul so I was filled with a little trepidation as the bulking form of the man stepped into the office.

My god the man was like Swarzenegger at his peak; bulking muscles that seemed to want to burst out of his clothes. Broad shoulders and arms to match. And he was tall. I had to crane my neck up as she approached the desk.

When I asked him to sit down he absolutely dwarfed the chair.

But then he smiled at me, and I suddenly couldn't help but smile back. His face grew youthful with a dimple in each cheek and his eyes sparkled with mischief.

'Mr McCarthy.' I started.

'Please, that's my dad. I'm Emmett.' he insisted.

I nodded. 'Emmett. I understand you're the assistant coach. And you've been working under Mr Lahote for the better part of the last two years. Correct?'

He nodded. His foot bouncing and his thumbs twiddeling like a child who couldn't sit still. 'Yes. Although I would like to point out that I did not agree with Mr Lahote on a great many points.'

'And what would those be?'

'Well, for starters he's an ass.' He threw out, then clapped a hand over his mouth. And that's how I learned Emmett had trouble thinking before he spoke. I stifled a chuckle and tried to look serious.

'Great observation.' I deadpanned. That sent Emmett into hysterics and also relaxed him so we could just have a conversation.

It was easy to talk to Emmett. He might look impressive but he was a big softy underneath it all. He joked and made merry and I couldn't help but enjoy his company he made me smile more in these past fifteen minutes than I'd had all week.

We talked about his experience and how he'd like to see the manager position filled. We talked about where he felt the team was headed and what pitfalls to watch out for. By the end I felt like I'd really gotten a good idea of how the team was doing and where our weaknesses were that needed to be fixed. I couldn't help but be impressed with Emmett and an idea formed in my mind that I decided to discuss with Harry.

'Alright. well this has been great, Emmett. Really. Thank you. I haven't laughed since… well since I lost my dad.' I said honestly.

'Anything I can do to help.' He said earnestly. 'hey, would you like to perhaps come over for dinner?' he asked, taking me slightly aback.

'oh I'm … not sure…'

'My wife, Rosalie... she cooks a mean steak and well… I just thought you'd might enjoy some more company if only to get your mind off of all the other things going on in your life right now. Plus I can fill you in on all the hot gossip.' He said winking at me.

I smiled and I couldn't help but find myself agreeing. 'but only if you're sure I wouldn't be imposing. I wouldn't want to put your wife out.'

He shook his head. 'Definitely not. We usually have company over every few nights. So she's used to it.' He said.

'Alright then.' I handed him my card which had my cell number on it. 'Text me the time and place.' I told him.

He smiled and pocketed the card and then waved as he headed out the door.

When Harry came in next he was smiling. 'so how did it go?'

'Harry, can I run something by you?' I asked, smiling as well.

He nodded. 'Of course. What's up?'

'What if we made Emmett manager?'

'McCarthy?' he asked thoughtfully. Then he started nodding enthusiastically. 'yeah I can see it. He's a bit immature sometimes and a bit goofy, but he loves the sport. He was a a college player you know, real promising, but he got injured before the draft. Never bounced back fully enough to play major league.'

'Damn that's rough.' I lamented. He nodded in agreement.

'But making him manager might be the best thing you could do. The boys like him. he's really good at his job and if we combine him with a more serious assistant coach I can see this working out great.'

I nodded. 'alright, then we'll need to start the hiring process for an assistant. Oh, and probably a batting coach too.' I admitted sheepishly.

Harry stilled and looked at me questioningly.

'Mr Jones and I had a difference of opinion on whether girls could know as much about baseball as guys.'

He shook his head with a smile. 'Good for you. that old miserable bastard was getting on my last nerve. He's good though. So he'll be hard to replace.'

'Perhaps Emmett has some ideas?'

Harry nodded and we quickly started the necessary processes to open up the vacancies. Although we explicitly told HR not to post them yet. Harry then told me that on Monday we'd be meeting with Kate again to go over press statements and all that came with it to formally announce my taking over the cubs. The team had been informed today they were not to tell the media anything until after that press conference. I agreed and then Harry sent me packing, telling me I'd done more than enough today and needed to rest.

I agreed as I was feeling the tiredness and exhaustion seep into my mind and body. It would be good to head home and walk Jake before taking a nice long soak.

Despite still grieveing, I did feel slightly okay today. As if I was slowly getting back to my life again. Doing these club affairs made me feel closer to Charlie, like he wasn't really gone and I was sure that helped.

As I sunk down into the bubbles I sighed in relief as my muscles relaxed. Jake was lying on the bathrug snoring softly next to me as classical music played in the background. I sighed and tilted my head back on the cushion. My emotions were high and I couldn't stop the tears that rolled down my cheeks. It was a strange feeling. My body was relaxed but the pain was fresh in my mind and the tears rolled down without my conscious say so.

But I knew that was good too. I shouldn't keep my feelings bottled up. Crying was good. Even if it felt absolutely horrible some times. Afterwards I did always feel a bit of relief that it was out of my system.

My phone buzzed on the side of the tub and I picked it up. It was a text from an unknown number.

I opened it curiously and I noticed it was from Emmett and I smiled through my tears. In the text he invited me over for steaks and company tonight. He listed his adres underneath.

I quickly texted back saying I would be there and asking if seven was alright. The response back was instantaneous; a big fat smily face with a thumbs up.

I giggled.

Jake perked up at the sound and looked up at me. I stared at him for a moment and then grabbed my phone again. I texted Emmett if he minded if I took my dog along. Warning him that he was a giant. I got a response a few minutes later that they had a friend with a large dog too so they didn't mind at all.

I was glad that I could take him with me. he'd been alone quite a bit this past week and I had been fairly useless otherwise. So taking him with me and giving him some extra attention would be nice. I glanced at the time and noted it was four thirty already.

Although Emmett's place wasn't that far from mine, I still needed to walk Jake and get dressed, not in that order...

So I hurried out of the bath after dunking my face in the water to erase the tear tracks. I grabbed a towel and dried myself off quickly befores lipping tinto some fresh underwear and browsing my wardrobe for something to wear. I settled on some jeans and a wrap sweater with some regular vans underneath. I gathered Jake's food and bowl and a toy in case he got bored, which I doubted, and headed out the door with him.

It was a little before seven when I located Emmett's apparment building and was let inside by the doorman.

'Ms Swan.' They greeted me and I stared at the man for a moment, thinking we might have met. But he was stranger.

'Mr McCarthy told us to expect you.' he explained, probably seeing my surprised face.

'Oh right, of course.' I said quickly shaking myself.

'You can take the elevator right up, it's on the fourth floor.'

'Thank you.' I quickly headed to the elevator slightly creeped out by the doorman, but I figured he was mostly harmless, just a bit overzealous at his job perhaps.

I hurried Jake inside the elevator and pressed the floor number four. The doors dinged closed and we went up. When the doors opened I stepped out into a hallway and was just about to get my phone to check wich number it was again, when a door opened and Emmett's bulky form appeared.

'Bella.' He said happily waving at me.

I waved back and walked over, towing Jake behind me. His eyes widened slightly as he took in Jake's massive form. 'yeah… he's big.' I said slightly uncomfortable. 'I warned you.'

'No I know…' he said looking slightly apprehensive at Jake. 'it's just.. there's big and then there's … you know miniature pony…'

I chuckled. 'yeah just put a saddle on him and you can ride him.' I joked.

Emmett chuckled at my bad joke and gestured for me to come inside.

'Oh just let him sniff you before you try to pet him and then you'll be fine.'

Emmett stared at Jake again for a moment but then nodded. I grinned. Such a large man and so apprehensive around a dog. Okay it wasn't just any dog, but still it was quite fun.

We walked into the living area which was an open plan kitchen/living area and absolutely modern and gorgeous. There was a tall blonde statuesque woman standing near the kitchen, pouring wine into three glasses.

Jake bounded into the room after giving Emmett a tentative sniff, but the woman was fair game. He bounded right into her and I wanted the ground to swallow me whole.

He jumped up at her and she never saw it coming. The wine fell from her hands – thankfully into the sink next to her- and shattered as she fell against the counter before falling almost in slow motion down to the ground while taking two barstools with her.

It was silent for a beat before Emmett started laughing loudly next to me, doubling over and clutching his stomach in his merriment.

I unfroze and hurried over to pull Jake off of the woman and was throughtouly apologizing over and over asking her if she was okay and righting chairs after telling jake to back off.

I think she was in shock slightly as she stared at up at Jake's giant face. Emmett came over and helped her up still chuckling under his breath.

'Well that's a nice welcome if I ever saw one.' He said. 'You okay?'

The woman finally found her voice. 'Oh my god. he's amazing.' She burst out, bending over to start petting Jake who was at my side, wagging his tail happily. 'you're just a little goofy aren't you?' she cooed at him. Emmett smiled and winked at me.

'I'm so sorry' I said again. 'I hope he didn't hurt you.'

She waved me off. 'I'm fine. The amount of times I've been knocked over by Mike.. let's just say I'm used to it. Although this one packs a bit more of a punch I have to sad.'
She said rubbing her ass.

I giggled. 'If you're sure.' I hedged though.

She nodded. 'I'm fine. I'm Rosalie by the way, but call me Rose.'

'Nice to meet you. I'm Bella.'

And that was that. Rose was really amazing. She was kind and loving and she fit Emmett perfectly. They were loud and fun, but she brought him into the real world a bit more, while he in turn made her more open and funny. They complimented each other and watching them interact was absolutely interesting to witness. Their pull and push. It was like yin and yang… amazing really.

We bantered and talked and though Emmett and rose clearly stayed away from the heavier subjects, I never once felt like they were tiptoeing around me or mincing their words. It felt nice. It felt liberating. It felt so good that I even found myself opening up without being prompted. Sharing stories of growing up around baseball with Charlie and seeing the cubs more as a big extended family.

I learned about them as well. Emmett and Rose had met in college and had been together ever since they'd seen each other at an after party and Emmett had flashed her on a dare and she'd just raised a brow at him and told him she was unimpressed. They'd married last year and were really happy. Rose was of all things, a car mechanic. It was not the occupation I would have guessed having seen her. but shew as really good Emmett assured me.

She had her own garage and it was really successful. I was glad to hear it and asked her about it thoroughly. When the door rang Emmett announced the food was here and I frowned.

'Take out?' I queried.

Rose shook her head. 'No, Edward was going to the store and promised to pick up the steaks.'

'Edward?' I asked incredulous.

She nodded and smiled and then I spotted Mike bounding into the room, making a beeline for Jake. I struggled to compose myself before Edward stepped around the corner and our eyes locked.

Fuck. I was fucked.