Page 2 of The Game Changer
He leads me down a short hall and knocks on a door before pushing it slightly open. “Luca, your first interview is here.”
I step up to take his place and put on a professional smile as the door opens more fully. “Mr. Calloway? I’m Isla Forrester.”
My hand, which was outstretched to shake the one of my potential new boss, falls to my side as that smooth, warm voice from the coffee shop says just one word.
“You.”
I can feel my eyes blinking rapidly, as if I’m trying to wake up from a dream. But this is no dream. No, the hot-as-sin man that I spilled tea on just half an hour ago is standing in front of me, a slight smile tugging at his lips.
“I see you were more fortunate than me and had some clothes to change into.” He chuckles, reaching out a hand to me.
Almost mechanically, I lift mine to shake his, and the second we make contact, it’s as if my entire body comes alive from a deep sleep.
“Y-yes. Sorry again about that. And about wearing this to an interview.” I gesture to my shirt. “Hope it’s not too much of a faux pas to wear another team’s shirt.”
He chuckles again, that rich sound vibrating through me. “Nah, I’ll consider it a good omen that you’re enough of a baseball fan to have had another team’s merch in your car.” He points to the chairs in front of his desk. “Shall we sit and get started?”
I inwardly heave a sigh of relief.Thanks for the save, Charlie.
I sit down, angling toward him, and lift my portfolioout of my bag. “Thank you for extending the offer for an interview, Mr. Calloway.”
He nods slowly, that slight smile still on his handsome cheeks. Up close, I can see the thin lines on either side of his eyes that tell me he either smiles a lot, spends time in the sun, or both. I hope it’s both.
No. No, I don’t. No inappropriate thoughts about the obviously older, very handsome man who is my potential future boss.Bad Isla, bad.
“Luca is fine. Let’s get right into it. This is a nine-month contract position, with the possibility of turning into a permanent position. Your primary responsibility will be to head the relaunch of the Cedar Creek Thunder. What makes you think you’ll be the right person to lead the marketing campaign?”
“Well, first of all, baseball is the best sport on earth, and anyone who tries to say otherwise is simply wrong. I don’t care if that makes me a bad Canadian to not pick hockey or lacrosse, but I’ve been a baseball fan since I was six years old and my dad took me to my very first Vancouver Tridents game.” I pause, wondering whether or not to share the next part. My being a former teen mom, now a single mom, doesn’t affect my ability to do my job, but, it is part of why Iwantthis job.
“I’ve got a twelve year old son.”
His eyebrows raise. Yeah, I know I don’t look old enough to have a kid who will be a teenager in a few months. That’s what happens when you have a baby at seventeen. Thankfully, he doesn’t say anything, and I continue.
“He’s just as crazy about baseball as I am. In fact he’swho I have to thank for the wardrobe save,” I gesture to my tank top. “Anyway. Me being a mother has nothing to do with my skills as a marketing consultant, but he is part of the reason I believe in what you’re trying to achieve.”
Luca nods. “And what is it you think I’m trying to achieve?”
I let a small smile break free. “It’s not what I think, it’s what I know. I’m friends with someone who knows one of your players. That’s how I know that you want to make the Cedar Creek Thunder, and their stadium, a cornerstone in Cedar Creek. Which I think is a fantastic idea. Every town needs something that brings them together, and what better way than uniting them as a fan base for a local sports team. The opportunities to engage with the community throughout the process of rejuvenating the Thunder’s brand are endless, and any project that brings business and community together is what I want to be working on. Because a strong community, a town full of connected residents, is the sort of place I want to raise my kid in.”
Luca steeples his fingers together under his chin, looking at me with an expression I can’t even begin to decipher. He’s silent for a moment, and I force myself to keep my hands still and my gaze steady.
“Most marketing consultants would be focused on the team itself at first, not on the connection to community. You mentioned your son, so clearly family is important to you, but if I may ask, why else do you think the connection between the team and community is so crucial?”
“Because without the community behind you, the team doesn’t have a chance to thrive and grow into a brand everyone can be proud of. The two are interconnected.” My voice fills with passion as I continue. “Any successful business, big or small, needs to have the support of the people and infrastructure around it. Who else are you marketing to, and for, if not the community you serve?”
His face softens into a smile. “I can appreciate that.”
Feeling bold, I decide it’s my turn to ask a question. After all, this has been anything but a typical job interview so far. “Can I ask, why did you buy the team? Why does it matter so much to you?”
Leaning forward, he places his elbows on his knees, his gaze drifting down to the floor. “Excellent questions. I grew up in Cedar Creek. This town has been good to me, and I always wanted to find a way to give back. Now that I’m in a position to do so, it seemed logical to combine my love of baseball, with my fondness for the town.” He straightens, and looks at me again. “Did you know that twenty years ago, every seat in the stadium was filled for every game? It was where everyone went on the weekends. There would be monthly fireworks shows after a game. The local little league teams would take turns walking out for the national anthems. Baseball was as much a part of this town as anything. But that started to fade, for some reason. I’m determined to rebuild the Cedar Creek Thunder to what it used to be. In every possible way.” He quirks a grin. “There’s a reason we’re meeting here and not at the stadium, and that reason includes shag carpeting with mysterious stains.”
We both laugh, and he continues. “The Thunder might only be an independent league team, far from the major leagues. But we can still be a team the town is proud of. A team that gives back, that supports and is supported by its town. And that’s where you come in. I need someone equally determined to bring the town of Cedar Creek back to the baseball diamond as I am.”
There’s a second where something passes between us. Something that makes it clear there’s more to Luca Calloway than what meets the eye.
I open my portfolio, and turn it to face him. “Then let me show you some examples of why I think I could be that someone.”
Several hours later, back in the tiny kitchen of the rental apartment my son Charlie and I share in Victoria, I’m having to take my third deep breath in as many minutes.
