Last Strike

Pizza & Beer Conversations

Ashton’s POV:

Did Lizzy become bipolar since the last time I saw her? One minute she’s referring to me as a jacka*s and the next she’s asking me what I want on a pizza. I don’t think any sane man could make sense of this woman.

I grabbed my phone and sent a text to Malcolm.

Ashton: [Dude, Lizzy insisted I stay with her due to all the press camped outside my building, but I’m not sure if I can survive this.]

Malcolm: [You don’t have much of a choice if you want to keep playing ball. Would it help if I came over?]

Ashton: [She did say that I could ask you to bring me some clothes. Can you please do that for me? I’ll have her send you the address and any code you might need to get into the building.]

After I finished texting with Malcolm, I heard Liz’s voice from the living room announcing that the pizza had arrived. I hesitated about joining her until my stomach repeatedly growled in protest.

As I entered the living room, the aroma of mozzarella and pepperoni triggered memories that I had locked away in the depths of my mind - memories of pizza date nights with Liz. Just great. The last thing I need right now is a stroll down memory lane.

She handed me a plate, “Help yourself. There’s beer and water in the refrigerator.”

I grabbed two slices and pulled a beer from the refrigerator, noticing it was my favorite lager. “Thanks for the meal. When you have a minute, can you text Malcom your address and any details he needs to get into the building? He’s going to bring me some clothes.”

She avoided making eye contact with me, but nodded her head. “Sure. Does he still have the same number? I think I still have it saved in my contacts.”

“Yeah, it hasn’t changed.”

I watched as she pulled out her phone and tapped away on the screen. Hopefully, it won’t take Malcom long to get here. The awkward tension between Elizabeth and I was causing my mind to wander, and I already had enough to worry about. I didn’t need old memories to visit me.

My phone flashed with a notification.

Malcolm: [Be there in 20 minutes. Please play nice with Lizzy until then.]

Twenty minutes. I can last twenty minutes. Can’t I? It’s not like this is some life-or-death situation. It’s just being in the same room with the woman who once tore my heart out.

“Malcom said he would be here in twenty minutes.”

She didn’t even bother to look up from her phone as she nodded her head, acknowledging that she at least heard me. I busied myself with my own phone, checking the unending number of notifications. I swore under my breath as I scanned through some of the headlines regarding last night’s events.

Her voice cut through my thoughts. “I would advise you not to look at the headlines or any social media posts about you. They will only serve to make you more frustrated, and that’s the last thing you need right now. We need to focus on moving forward.”

A sudden knock on the door kept me from asking any further questions. Malcolm greeted Liz with a massive hug before making his way to the couch and sitting down next to me. His eyes latched onto the shirt I was wearing, and he studied me with laser focus. Before he could open his mouth to speak, I mouthed the words ‘don’t ask’. He discreetly nodded his head and turned his attention towards Elizabeth.

“Malcom, feel free to have some pizza and beer. You can consider it compensation because we’re going to need your help with a few things.”

He leaped off the couch and fetched a plate full of pizza and a beer with gusto. “Well, you know, I’m always willing to help my friends. I’ll do whatever you need.”

She flashed him a sincere smile that reached her ocean blue eyes. I hadn't seen that smile in years, and for a brief moment, my heart ached. Oh hell no, I can’t have thoughts like this about her. It has to be the stress and the beer clouding my mind.

****

Elizabeth’s POV:

Why does Ashton keep giving me the strangest looks? You’d think he’d never seen me before. Having him here is clearly messing with my head. Thank God, Malcom showed up. Maybe now we can start to formulate a game plan.

“You’re going to need to hold a press conference before tomorrow’s game. The longer we wait to address the incident, the worse the stories will become, and any truth will be twisted. It’s all about damage control at this point. So, you need to tell me everything that happened.”

Ashton furiously rubbed his face before downing half a bottle of beer in one gulp. He looked defeated, and I didn’t know if I should feel sorry for him or believe that he would reap what he sows.

He released a loud, exasperated sigh. “I had a bad game, and the loss was weighing heavily on me. I headed to the bar to blow off some steam. Everything was fine until Jackson arrived and started talking sh*t about me. Normally, I’d be able to ignore him, but he was being overly obnoxious with his taunts, which were drawing attention from everyone else in the bar. Then, Rebecca showed up and joined forces with Jackson, spouting off about how I had caused her to have a miscarriage…”

I waved a finger in his direction to interrupt him. “Did you get this Rebecca woman pregnant?”

I could feel the anger radiating from him as I asked that question. “I swear I never had a relationship with her, not even a one-night stand. She tried on multiple occasions to seduce me, but we’ve never been together. She hooked up with Jackson for a while last season, and I flat out refuse to have anything to do with any woman he’s been with.”

My head felt as if it was going to explode from this onslaught of information. These facts add a whole new level of challenges to tackle. “Okay. That’s all going to require further research, and it's not something that will be resolved overnight, but I’ll call in some favors to see what can be dug up on those two. We’ll also need to meet with the lawyer that the team has assigned to you.”

He hesitantly asked, “Do you want me to continue telling you the events of last night?”

“Yes, go ahead.”

Ashton averted his gaze from my line of sight. “I know I should have just left the bar, but their constant taunting got the better of me. I snapped. I smashed a few beer bottles, cursing the two of them out. A man came up and tried to detain me, and in the heat of the moment, I dropped my pants and proceeded to tell him that he could kiss my ass. I had no idea that he was an undercover police officer. So, he hauled me off to jail and charged me with public intoxication and public indecency.”

Malcolm added his two cents of commentary, “Not your finest moment, Ash.”

I anxiously chewed on my lower lip. “The best thing you can do is own up to your poor decisions. We don’t have any proof that Jackson and this Rebecca woman were targeting you deliberately, so you need to steer clear of trying to pin it on them. People respond to someone who takes responsibility for their actions and admits when they’ve done something wrong. No matter who or what provoked you, you still allowed your anger to get the better of you. We need to remind the public that even though you’re a well-known athlete, you’re still human.”

Malcolm let out a low whistle. “Damn, Lizzy, you’re impressive. No wonder the team hired you.”

Ashton glared at Malcolm and then focused on me. I knew he hated being here and having to work with me. I could only hope that he would at least accept that this was his only chance to save his career.

He said, “Schedule the press conference. I’ll say what you tell me to say.”