Chapter 3 #2
“In each city, we tried to do some day trips. From London, we took a tour to the Cotswolds. Saw Stonehenge and Bath. Another day we took the train down to Canterbury and saw the town and cathedral. Versailles was just a short train ride from Paris. The palace is phenomenal, but we enjoyed the gardens and the Queen’s House quite a bit.
And Italy is for eaters, Sawyer. My gosh, every meal was better than the one before it.
The pasta. The pizza. I only hated that I had to forgo the wine.
Jace said it was terrific, both the whites and reds.
We’ll have to go back someday.” She grinned.
“Maybe even take the kids with us, unless we leave them with their uncle Sawyer.”
“That would be fine with me. I’m glad you got to see some of the places you’ve always wanted to go,” he said wistfully.
He and Elizabeth had planned to spend their honeymoon in Florence and Rome. He had a deep love of history and architecture, and she was a fan of Renaissance art. A lump formed in his throat, and he swallowed hard, forcing it down. Even after all this time, it hurt to think of her.
Darby stood and came to him, wrapping her arms around him.
“I’m sorry. I forgot that you and Elizabeth had planned to go to Italy.”
“It’s all right,” he assured her, kissing the top of her head. “If I ever do go someday, she’ll be with me in spirit.”
She pulled away, her gaze connecting with his.
“I didn’t know it still hurt so much. Sawyer, you need to move on.
I’m not saying forget Elizabeth. I know you’ll never want to do that.
But I think it’s time for you to date a little.
Have some fun. You’re everyone’s go-to guy.
You solve all our problems. Give great advice.
Listen when we need a friendly ear. But you don’t do anything for yourself. ”
He removed the buns from the toaster, setting them on the table. “Well, the dating pool isn’t huge in Hawthorne. I’ve actually gone out a couple of times since I came back.”
“Obviously, no one interested you enough for you to pursue a second date.”
“You’re right about that.”
“There are some single teachers at HHS. Say the word, and I’ll set you up with a few of them.” She brightened. “In fact, I met someone today who’s just been hired. She would be perfect for you.”
Before he could balk at going on a blind date, Jace appeared with a platter of burgers and a skillet of veggies.
“Set everything here,” Sawyer said. “I’ll take the beans out of the oven. And we’ve got watermelon for dessert.”
It took a few minutes to fix their plates, and then they sat at the kitchen table. He asked Jace a few questions about their trip, and his brother-in-law was all too happy to tell Sawyer about visiting everywhere from Churchill’s War Rooms to the Vatican Museum to Notre Dame Cathedral.
“And the gelato is to die for,” Darby told him. “We would eat it twice a day. My favorite was a stracciatella, a smooth vanilla gelato with crunchy chocolate shards. Jace was wild about gianduia, which was a blend of chocolate and hazelnut.”
“I would like to go to Italy and eat my way through the various regions,” he said.
“I watched a show on CNN where Stanley Tucci visited different areas. It blended travel and architecture, plus he focused on the foods each region in Italy is known for. He’d make the recipes with locals.
It was definitely food porn for the eyes. ”
They ended the meal with the slices of watermelon, and Darby mentioned how much sweeter fruit tasted to her now that she was pregnant.
Jace offered to clean up, allowing brother and sister to sit a bit longer and talk. As he had anticipated, Darby turned the conversation back to him dating. His sister could be like a dog with a bone, relentless.
“Seriously, I met a new hire at Kelby’s today.
And no, I didn’t tell Kel I was pregnant, but I think she guessed.
She was sweet enough not to say anything, though.
Kel is smart enough to know I would officially want you to be the first to know.
” She paused. “But I’m calling her in the car on the way home once we leave so she’ll know for sure. ”
Darby stopped speaking, looking scattered for a moment.
“Sorry. My thoughts go haywire a little bit every now and then. I guess it’s pregnancy brain.
Anyway, she called me to come over because West had just hired a new girls basketball coach and thought it would be a good idea for her to meet a fellow teacher. ”
“Yeah, he told me Coach Finnerty had left.”
Sawyer had not been a fan of the basketball coach and was glad someone had finally replaced her.
“West brought her home to meet Kelby and Kate. Of course, Jen was there since she’s working out of their house these days.
Kelby’s starting to ease back into work, but she still hasn’t arranged childcare for Kate.
I think they want to find someone who can come to the house and watch Kate.
That way, Kel could keep nursing without much fuss. ”
She paused. “What was I saying? Oh, yeah. West brought the new coach home. He and Blanche had interviewed her this morning, and he’d shown her around HHS.
They ate a few slices with us, and then he was going to take her to admin to meet Uncle Joe so she could sign her contract and get her badge.
Anyway, she’s really nice. And very tall.
Confident. Very striking. I didn’t know who she was, but Kel and Jen certainly did.
It seems she played for the US in the Olympics.
Chocolate brown hair and very expressive eyes but a little closed off.
Then again, she was just meeting everyone for the first time. ”
Sawyer had an inkling who the new coach might be and asked, “Was her name Paisley Roberts?”
Darby brightened. “That’s her! I think it would be great if you’d ask her out. Just show her around Hawthorne. See if anything sparks between you.”
“We’ll see,” he said.
She shook her head. “You look and sound exactly like Dad. I’d ask to do something, and I’d get a ‘We’ll see’ from him.
” Darby frowned. “And that was usually a big, fat no. Come on, Sawyer. What have you got to lose? Paisley’s single.
She obviously plays basketball, so you have that in common. She’s a new face in town.”
“We’ll see,” he repeated, causing his sister to laugh.
Jace appeared, a container in his hand. “The kitchen is sparkling. I took the liberty of putting a few watermelon slices in here since Darby is wild about fruit these days.”
“Good. Even though I bought just half a watermelon, there is a lot of it. In fact, give me that container. You can take the other one. There has to be more in it than this one.”
Jace made the switch, and Sawyer walked the couple out to their car, congratulating them again on the baby.
“You better call me the minute you know the gender,” he told them.
“We will,” his sister promised. “And you call West and get Paisley’s number.”
Jace looked at his wife quizzically. “What do you have up your sleeve?”
“I’m trying to set Sawyer up with the new basketball coach. I think they’d be perfect together.”
“Baby, let’s let Sawyer make his own decisions where his love life is concerned.”
“Thank you, Jace,” he said. “Take her home and get her out of my hair.”
Darby rolled down her window after Jace started the car. “Call West. Get the number. That way, when I talk with you tomorrow, you can tell me where you’re taking Paisley on your first date.”
Sawyer waved as Jace’s sports car pulled away, thinking his brother-in-law would need to get a more family-friendly car so that a car seat would fit. Those two would have a lot of changes coming their way, but they would be terrific parents.
Something tugged at his heart, and he decided that Darby might be right. It was time for him to put himself out there. See what the world had to offer a guy in his mid-thirties.
He pulled his cell from his pocket and touched the screen.
West answered. “Hey, Sawyer. What’s up? Darby just called Kelby, and from what my wife says, your sister is pregnant.”
“She is. She’s officially telling Kelby now. But I’m calling about something else. I have a favor to ask.”
Sawyer took a deep breath. “Would you be willing to pass along Paisley Robert’s phone number to me?”