Chapter 4
Chapter
Four
On her last morning in Waco, Paisley did her usual morning workout.
Stretches, followed by her walk, and then she entered the facilities at Baylor.
It didn’t surprise her to find Maggie already working out there herself.
The coach nodded to Paisley, who went to the weights and began some light lifting.
They completed their workouts in companionable silence, for which Paisley was grateful.
Maggie was the closest thing Paisley had to both a mother and friend.
Her college coach had taken a young player under her wing and had continued supporting Paisley even after she left the university for the pros.
When they both finished, they grabbed bottled waters and sat a moment.
“Are you packed? Leaving soon?”
Paisley nodded. “I’ll leave after I get home and shower. Packing didn’t take long.”
Even all these years later, the little Paisley owned easily fit into her sedan.
She supposed it was left over from her foster care days, where everything she owned needed to fit into one brown grocery sack.
It really hadn’t changed once she landed with Coach Callahan’s family.
She never had a bedroom of her own there.
Instead, she slept on a couch in the office, her clothes neatly folded and placed in a corner of the room on the floor.
Paisley had dreaded her feet growing because Coach Callahan bitterly complained about having to keep her in new shoes.
As an adult, she now realized how little Callahan had given to her foster child, merely using Paisley to climb the athletic ladder and further her own career.
Only after Paisley had graduated did Maggie share that Callahan had angled for a job at Baylor once Paisley had accepted a full ride to the school.
Maggie had told the coach that her staff was set and that she had no openings.
It was then that Callahan cut all ties with Paisley, seeing that her foster child had no more use to her.
Because of that, she’d had nowhere to go during holidays from school.
Maggie had stepped in and become Paisley’s go-to.
She ate Thanksgiving and Easter dinners with Maggie’s family and even stayed at their house over long breaks, such as Christmas, since the dorms closed.
Fortunately, her athletic scholarship allowed her to remain on campus year-round, allowing her to take classes during both summer sessions while having access to the workout facilities and gym.
It was during her years at Baylor that Paisley truly honed her basketball skills.
She’d spent hours working on her free throws.
Three-point shots from different spots on the court.
Dribbling solely with her left hand so that it was just as comfortable doing so as her dominant right hand, a required skill for a good point guard.
Looking gratefully at Maggie now, she said, “I’m not going to go all mushy on you.
You know I never do sentimental, but you saved me in every way, Maggie.
You taught me so much about basketball, but you taught me even more about how to be a gracious person.
I can’t thank you enough for how you’ve influenced my life in a positive way.
I’ve been a better player, teammate, and person, thanks to your influence. ”
“You’re family to me, Paisley. You always will be. And remember, coaching is in your blood. You’ve got this.”
“You’re the only person I would admit this to. I’m terrified of being a coach and in charge of a team of my own.”
“You’ve been around enough coaches and players over the years.
Think back and draw the best from the best and then make it your own.
You’ll be in charge of your own program, able to run it as you see fit.
Not only to teach your athletes about basketball but teach them about life.
Once you have a few years of experience under your belt, you know you’re welcome here in Waco.
I can always make room for another assistant of your caliber as soon as you have a little seasoning. ”
“I appreciate that more than you know, Maggie. For now, I’m going to be laser-focused on this job in Hawthorne. The team is in a bad place. Two losing years in a row and a coach who abandoned them. I’ve got to win their trust first. Then I’ll work on the basketball end of things.”
Maggie hugged her. “If you ever need any advice—or even a sounding board—I’m here for you, Paisley.”
“I know that. Thank you.”
She returned to the small, furnished apartment she had been renting since March, when she had completed the rehab which had been provided by the league.
Her gut had told her that she needed to be away from everything in Vegas.
No coaches or players were calling her by the end of those six months since they had been gearing up for their new season.
It had been the right move to return to Waco and be in familiar surroundings once again.
Maggie’s support had also helped tremendously.
Paisley showered and dressed. She placed her things in the car and then returned her key to the office, where the manager thanked her for being such a good tenant.
Once she was in her car, she texted Jen Adelstein.
Leaving Waco now. Should be in Hawthorne between 11:30 and noon.
Almost immediately, Jen texted a thumbs up.
As Paisley started her car and left Waco behind, she hoped she was doing the right thing by renting a room in Jen’s house.
She had met Jen at West and Kelby Sutherland’s house the other day.
Jen was from the Midwest and had worked with Summer, West’s sister, at a publishing house in New York.
Jen had recently left that job and come to Hawthorne, trying to figure out what to do next as she visited Summer.
The timing had been perfect, with Kelby’s baby due soon.
The entrepreneur had been looking for someone to bring aboard her social media and branding business, and Jen’s skills fit the bill perfectly.
Since Paisley needed a place to live, Jen had mentioned over the pizza lunch that she was renting a three-bedroom house a few blocks off the town square and that she was more than happy to rent out one of the rooms to Paisley for as long as she wanted it.
Jen worked at West and Kelby’s house and would be gone during the day.
She told Paisley they could see as much or as little of each other as Paisley wanted.
Jen had said she was open to becoming friends but if Paisley wanted just to be a roommate, that would be fine, too.
She figured she would be spending a majority of her waking hours at the high school.
Renting a room from Jen meant she wouldn’t have to look for an apartment.
Since Jen’s rental had come furnished, she also wouldn’t have to worry about buying any furniture, much less kitchenware and towels.
She could come and go as she pleased, so the arrangement suited her.
Jen seemed to be really nice, with that Midwestern, open friendliness Paisley had seen in a couple of her teammates on the Aces.
Maybe they would become friends, after all.
Darby Tanner had also been at that lunch.
She was the cousin West had mentioned who taught at the high school.
Darby and Kelby had been best friends for many years, and it was obvious they had a shorthand between them.
Darby had looked pregnant to Paisley, but she hadn’t mentioned anything, so Paisley kept quiet.
Darby had given Paisley her number, telling her to text any time if she had questions about the high school.
She had also told Paisley that she’d be at the school frequently between now and the start of school in August. Her cheerleaders would be putting in practice time there, and the newspaper and yearbook staffs she sponsored would also be working.
Darby said she hoped Paisley would text so they could have lunch a few times and get to know one another better.
Paisley had liked Darby and Jen. West’s wife, too.
Kelby Sutherland was a true beauty, and it was obvious that she was very bright.
Kelby also appeared to have taken to motherhood and their six-week-old daughter Kate.
Paisley had never once thought about having children.
She had never even been around a baby before, but little Kate Sutherland had stolen her heart, with her large, inquisitive eyes studying Paisley.
It made her wonder if somewhere down the road she might think about adopting a child. Saving someone from the foster care system and giving that child all the love and attention she herself had never received.
Then again, the life of a coach was nomadic in nature, with frequent job changes. The hours, too, were long and unpredictable. Nights and weekends taken up with games and tournaments. Maybe she would simply learn to mother her players a little bit and give them a safe harbor to speak their minds.
She passed through Ft. Worth easily, the Saturday morning traffic light compared to what she had experienced just a few days ago.
As she reached the other side of Ft. Worth and turned to head toward Hawthorne, her phone rang.
That was unusual. No one ever called her. These days, few people even texted her.
Glancing down at her phone, she saw it was an unknown number. Still, she’d better answer it. It might be someone connected with Hawthorne ISD or the high school itself.
She tapped a button on her steering wheel. “Hello?”
“Is this Paisley Roberts?” a deep voice asked, causing goose bumps to dance up her arms.
Cautiously, she replied. “This is Paisley. What is this about?”
“You’re going to think this is pretty odd, Paisley. My name is Sawyer Montgomery.”
The name sounded familiar to her. She associated it with Hawthorne and then realized where she’d heard it before.
“You’re West’s cousin, right?”