Chapter 10
Chapter
Ten
They arrived back in Hawthorne a little after one, and Paisley entered Burger Heaven with Sawyer. A few tables were occupied, but she supposed the weekday lunch rush had come and gone.
A woman with a puff of white hair and merry blue eyes greeted them. “Hello, Sawyer. Always good to see you.” She turned her focus to Paisley. “And you must be Coach Roberts, the new basketball coach. Boy, are we happy to have you here in Hawthorne.”
She was finally getting used to people already knowing who she was. She remembered Sawyer saying that he liked the fact that he could walk down the street, and people in Hawthorne knew his name.
Paisley was beginning to understand that feeling.
“It’s nice to meet you,” she said, offering her hand. “Paisley Roberts.”
“I’m Miss Caroline. Well north of eighty and still going strong. I pretty much know everyone in town. At least the ones worth knowing,” she said, a mischievous look in her eyes. “Come have a seat. We’ll get you fixed up.”
Miss Caroline led them to a booth, and she and Sawyer faced one another.
“Do you like burgers, Paisley?” Miss Caroline asked. “I’ve got the best griller west of the Mississippi. You look like a Swiss and mushroom kind of girl to me.”
“How did you know?” she asked. “Yes, that’s exactly what I’d like to order. With some fries, please.”
Sawyer spoke up. “We can share the fries, Miss Caroline, since there’s plenty of them. You know what I want.”
“A double bacon cheeseburger. What to drink?” The old woman glanced at Paisley. “I make a damn fine strawberry lemonade.”
“Well, then, I’d better check it out.”
“Make it two,” Sawyer said.
“Be back in a flash.”
“Miss Caroline is quite the character,” Paisley said once the older woman was out of earshot.
“She’s a sweet soul. This used to be the place I took dates when I was in high school. Miss Caroline would always give me extra fries because she liked me.”
“I’ve never known that kind of continuity,” she told him. “Growing up, going to the same place. And here you are, a grown man—and still coming to Burger Heaven.”
“This was my dad’s favorite place to eat, so I do have fond memories of coming here with him, Mom, and Darby.”
“Do your parents still live in Hawthorne?”
She saw a shadow cross his face. “No. We lost them several years ago. They went to see Darby graduate from UT and were struck head on while they were on their way home from Austin. Drunk driver.”
Paisley heard the hurt in his voice—and she hurt for him.
“I’m so sorry, Sawyer. I know you were an adult by then, but it didn’t make it any easier for you.”
“You would have liked my parents,” he predicted.
“They were good people. My mom and West’s mom were sisters.
Aunt Meg and Uncle Joe really stepped up afterward.
Darby and I had practically grown up between our two households, but they made certain that we understood we always had a place to stay and could come to them whenever we needed advice or a shoulder to cry on. ”
“I think I’m going to like working for Dr. Sutherland.”
Miss Caroline returned with their lemonades and placed them on the table. “Give it about seven more minutes,” she told them, leaving again.
During the time she was gone, Sawyer told Paisley about a few other people in the town whom she might encounter. It seemed everyone in Hawthorne was a sports fan and that the Lady Hawks games would have a lot of spectators cheering for them, not just students from HHS.
“I met with Hope Sewell yesterday, I heard how the team began to fall apart. West didn’t say a word to me about that.”
“He would never do that. West is someone who wants you to form your own opinions and not be influenced by others. He wouldn’t color your view of the team by saying anything bad about it or Coach Finnerty.
Hopefully, though, Hope did tell you a little bit about how things went south.
Her insight will be valuable as you begin to put your own mark on the team. ”
“I know I have my work cut out for me.”
When the burgers and fries arrived, Paisley’s stomach growled noisily, causing Miss Caroline to cackle.
“Dig in, kids.”
The first bite of her burger made Paisley a believer.
“This is the best cheeseburger I’ve ever eaten. It’s really juicy. And the mushrooms are so plump.”
“Told you so. Try some fries.”
She dipped a fry into the ketchup and took a bite, chewing thoughtfully.
“These are as good as the burger.” She smiled brightly. “The perfect post-skydiving meal.” Shaking her head, she added, “I still can’t believe we did that.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
They finished their meal, and Sawyer drove Paisley back to her house.
He pulled up at the curb, and she didn’t want their time together to end.
She didn’t know how to keep it going, though.
She supposed she could ask if he’d like to come in, but she already felt guilty for taking up so much of his day as it was.
“Thank you for one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.”
“I’m glad it was something we both wound up enjoying.” He hesitated. “If you need someone to watch the opening ceremony with you, give me a call. Or that first game.”
“The game will actually be broadcast when we’re over at West and Kelby’s. Kelby invited me. Said that a group of you get together a few times a month.”
“The game will be on,” he said. “There’s always a TV tuned to sports in that household. Do you think that you’ll want to have it on?”
“Honestly, I’m not sure,” she replied.
“Just say the word, and I’ll make sure something else is on if you feel uncomfortable.”
She liked how protective he was. She liked how easy things were between them. Paisley didn’t know if this could be called a date.
Wanting to clarify that, she asked, “Was this a date, Sawyer?”
He grinned. “Only if you want to call it that. It was planned as an outing between new friends, but I’ll tell you that I’m interested in seeing you again, Paisley. As more than a friend,” he added.”
“Oh!”
His own honesty gave her a bit of a scare, yet she thought if she ever might try to date a guy, it should be Sawyer.
“I’m going to be busy with my team. My new role as a coach. But I wouldn’t mind seeing you. As more than a friend.”
He reached out and took her hand. That same electricity shot through her again. Having never held a guy’s hand before, she didn’t know if this was supposed to happen every time or not.
Something told her it was unusual.
“Then let’s go to West’s house together on Saturday,” Sawyer suggested. “Would you mind if people know we’re seeing one another?”
She replied instantly. “Not at all,” feeling good about her response. Withdrawing her hand, she added, “We’ll talk soon.”
Paisley got out of the car and went inside the house, wondering exactly what she was getting herself into.
She already had so much on her plate. Moving to a new town.
Holding a teaching job for the first time.
Making a career switch from player to coach.
She didn’t want to shortchange her professional life, but she was eager to see what might happen between her and Sawyer.
And she might have found the perfect person to help her navigate these new, deep waters.
She made a decision based upon what Sawyer had told her and texted West Sutherland, asking him to call her at his earliest convenience.
The text barely had time to go through when her phone rang. West’s name lit up the screen.
Answering, she said, “Hey, West. Thanks for calling me.”
“How are you settling in?” he asked. “I hope Hawthorne is treating you right.”
“Well, I’ve eaten at both Dizzy’s Diner and Burger Heaven. I’ve met with Hope Sewell. We plan to meet again, hopefully with Marsha Zelman, later this week.”
“I’m glad you’re making such a good start, Paisley. What can I do for you?”
“I saw Sawyer today. He told me that you zoom with a therapist.”
“Dr. Linda is the best,” her new boss said with enthusiasm. “She specializes in working with athletes. Have you ever done any talk therapy before?”
“I did for a few months after my injury. That therapist retired, though. I might be in the market for another one.”
“I’ll text you Dr. Linda’s info. She’s tough but compassionate. She uses zoom or FaceTime to work with patients all over the country. She’s based in Dallas. I began seeing her in person after my own knee injury. I’ve kept it up because I see how valuable therapy is to me.”
“Thank you, West. I appreciate it.”
West sent her a text with the therapist’s phone number and told her to add it to her address book. He said he would check in with Dr. Linda now and have her contact Paisley.
She went to the kitchen and claimed a bottled water from the fridge, remembering that Andy said to continue to hydrate throughout the day.
She’d only taken a couple of sips when her phone lit up with a FaceTime call.
Paisley answered it, seeing a pretty Asian woman who looked to be in her mid-forties on the call.
Smiling, the woman said, “Hello, Paisley. I’m Dr. Linda Tomahacheouli. You can see my last name is pretty complicated, so I just go by Dr. Linda. West Sutherland asked me to give you a call. I hear you might be interested in a new therapist.”
Paisley explained how she had been seeing someone after a sports injury but that the therapist retired from her practice a few months ago.
“Let’s chat a bit and get to know one another, “Dr. Linda suggested. “Then you can take some time to think about whether this is something you wish to pursue, whether with me or another licensed sports therapist.”
Already, Paisley was drawn in by the woman’s warm manner and knew if she did decide to continue with therapy, it would be with Dr. Linda.
“I’ll start,” the therapist said, surprising Paisley. “I have two teenagers. I’m a rabid Green Bay Packers fan, which irks West to no end.”
She laughed. “I’m sure it does.”