Chapter 5
Chapter
Five
As Paisley entered the Hawthorne city limits, she wondered what it would be like, living in a permanent place.
Almost a decade of her foster care years had been spent going from one household to another, and she had never truly fit in anywhere.
As an adult, she had traveled to many cities in the US and Europe, playing in two different professional women’s leagues, but she really had never seen those places.
The flight would land, and she and her teammates would be whisked to a hotel or practice facility.
Even during the decade she had played for the Las Vegas Aces, she only went to the same few places.
The practice facility and game arena, with trips to the grocery store or Target in-between.
She had never gambled a single time in Vegas, much less attended any entertainment shows.
Her life had consisted of nothing but basketball.
Maybe she could find more of a work/life balance here in Hawthorne.
She cautioned herself not to become too attached to the town or anyone living in it, however.
As much as she might like to sink roots into this community, she had to remember she was only as good as the last game she’d coached.
If she didn’t put up winning numbers, West Sutherland would not renew her contract, and she would head to the next coaching position, which might be hundreds of miles from Hawthorne.
Knowing that, Paisley resolved not to try to make any friends. She would be cordial to Jen but merely treat her as a roommate, someone she shared a sleeping space with. At school, she would keep to herself, pouring everything into her players instead of buddying up to faculty members.
She reached the town square and turned off on one of the streets which dead-ended into it, driving a few blocks before turning right. The quiet, residential street would offer her solace. She would get to know more of the town’s layout as she walked it every morning.
When she reached Jen’s rental, Paisley was displeased to see several cars parked on the street in front of it.
At least she was able to pull into the empty driveway.
She would need to make sure she got a key from Jen and wondered if there might be room for her to park her car in the garage, especially since so many residents parked on the street.
Paisley knocked on the door, and it was quickly opened by her new roommate.
Jen gave her a wide smile. “Hey, Paisley. A few people stopped by to welcome you to Hawthorne.”
At least that explained all the cars. While she wasn’t up for company, she would play nice. If this welcome wagon included residents of the community, she didn’t want them to leave with a poor impression of her.
As they stepped into the den, she spied four other women present.
She recognized Kelby, West’s wife and Jen’s boss, along with Darby, her fellow faculty member at HHS and West’s cousin.
Hesitantly, she moved closer to them, wondering about the other two women.
Their facial features were very similar, and then she noticed they both had the same turquoise eyes West possessed.
One was tall, blond, and willowy, while the other had auburn hair and was much shorter. And very pregnant.
Jen said, “This is Summer Blackstone, my best friend from our days in New York at Liberty House, and Summer’s twin, Autumn Carson.”
Summer gave her a big smile. “We’re so happy to have you come to Hawthorne, Paisley. The girls basketball team really needs a jumpstart.”
“Let’s hope I can provide that for them,” she said.
“I’m Autumn,” the other twin said. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Paisley. You’re the talk of Hawthorne over the last few days.”
She winced, recalling what Sawyer had said about how everyone knew everyone’s business in a small town.
Kelby and Darby greeted her then, and Kelby said, “I picked up a few pizzas on the way over. It was the easiest to do instead of throwing together a lunch to welcome you. Let’s go into the kitchen and grab some slices.”
Everyone started toward the kitchen. Except Paisley. She stood a moment, trying to center herself. Then she noticed Autumn had hung back from the others.
“You must be feeling a bit overwhelmed from the others, Paisley,” the woman said astutely.
“I can understand that. Kelby and Darby have been friends since kindergarten. Both cheerleaders, with that effervescent personality. My twin was always the more outgoing of the two of us. I was the quiet one, so I know how overwhelming it can be to be around the three of them. They’re all wonderful gals, though.
They just want to open their hearts to you and help you become a part of Hawthorne. ”
“I appreciate their openness. It’s just a lot for me. I’m pretty much a loner,” she admitted.
“I get that,” Autumn said. “I turned into a real loner during my first marriage. I put my husband through med school, working double shifts. I kept doing that during his residency because I thought I should try and make some money since he was never home. Little did I know he was making time for several women at the hospital we both worked at and ignoring his wife. His cheating just about destroyed any self-esteem I had. Overnight, I was broken.”
Paisley was surprised by Autumn’s candor.
“You exude calm. A quiet confidence. I can’t imagine anyone cheating on you.”
Autumn smiled. “That’s thanks to my new job and a husband who truly loves me.
Who believes I can do anything. I divorced Flint and left Houston and all the ugly memories behind.
It took returning to Hawthorne to realize how isolated I had become.
Fortunately, I had family here to help pick me up.
I took a position which involves supervising the entire nursing staff at Triple H. ”
Autumn’s face softened. “That’s where I met Eli. His faith in me has helped me to become a stronger, more capable person. The person I was, all along, deep down inside. He believed in me—and now I truly believe in myself. I feel I can do anything now, thanks to Eli.”
Autumn’s hands went to her belly. “And I plan to raise this little girl to be someone who can stand on her two feet.”
Still a little startled by how much of her personal life Autumn had revealed, Paisley asked, “When are you due? It looks soon.”
“I’ve got about six more weeks to go. Sarah Elizabeth is named after her two grandmothers, and she’s going to kick butt.”
Paisley laughed. “I hope you’re going to have her play basketball then.”
Autumn placed her hand on Paisley’s and squeezed gently. “You don’t have to be alone in Hawthorne, Paisley. Plenty of people are already rooting for you. I hope you’ll let down your walls a little bit and let others in. Mine surrounded me, and that’s why I recognize that in others.”
Kelby stuck her head around the corner. “Are you two coming?”
“We are,” Paisley said, giving a nod to Autumn and feeling a little closer to her. Quietly, she said, “Thanks for sharing some of your story with me. I can be a little closed off.”
The table in the kitchen only seated four, so they carried their plates of pizza back to the den. She answered a few general questions, but she mostly listened. Kelby and Jen told her about Social Synergy Creations, the business Kelby had started after returning to her hometown.
“I worked in several areas of business around the country,” Kelby shared. “My ex-husband moved us around a lot. I came back to Hawthorne because my dad had a stroke. He passed away a year ago this past spring.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Paisley said, realizing that Kelby, too, had been married previously since she knew West had played for the Cowboys for many years.
“You would have liked him. Everyone liked Big Jim Blackthorne. He was one of those larger-than-life people who entered a roomful of strangers and instantly made friends. Once he was gone, I decided to stay in Hawthorne and start my own business. It began growing faster than I ever anticipated and I knew I needed help.”
Kelby glanced to Jen. “That’s when Jen came to town. She’s been a godsend.”
“I had no idea when I left New York to visit Summer that I’d be staying here,” Jen said. “But SSC gives me the chance to do something new every day. We create websites. Mission statements. We work with individuals, corporations, and organizations with their branding. We handle social media.”
Paisley shook her head. “I am not someone who’s ever been bitten by the social media bug. My only account is on Instagram. I never even look at it. I think I’ve only posted half a dozen times on it. After I’ve won a championship. That kind of thing.”
“That surprises me,” Kelby says. “You’re a big name in the sports world.”
“Was,” she said neutrally, not wanting any bitterness to bubble up.
“Why didn’t your agent press for you to post more?” Kelby asked. “Or hire someone to handle your social media accounts for you?”
“My agent only helped me in negotiating my contracts. He never mentioned social media to me. I wasn’t the Olympic gymnastics all-around gold medal winner or the men’s decathlon star. Those are the kinds of athletes who get their pictures on cereal boxes. I was just a member of the basketball team.”
“You never had any endorsement deals?” Darby asked, clearly surprised.
When Paisley shook her head no, Darby added, “That’s plain wrong. You are definitely a role model others can look up to, especially young women.”
She shrugged. “That boat has already sailed. I’m nobody now. It’s far too late to try and get an endorsement deal. Not that I want any. I’m committed to this job at the high school.”
“You might be surprised,” Darby said. “My husband is a sports agent. He reps West. If you ever change your mind, let me know. I can put you and Jace together.”
“Thanks,” Paisley said, touched at how strongly Darby seemed to feel about this.