Page 27 of Agent of the Heart (Hearts in Hawthorne #3)
Chapter
Seventeen
U nfortunately, Darby hadn’t been able to schedule the movers until the Saturday morning she was leaving. They arrived at seven-thirty, though, and loaded everything quickly and efficiently. One even took both her suitcases down to her car for her.
She signed the papers presented to her, learning that her things would not be delivered to Kelby’s house until sometime Monday afternoon.
She thanked them and headed to the manager’s office, where she dropped off the keys to her apartment.
It was the last thing on her to-do list as she jettisoned her life in KC and turned an eye toward Hawthorne.
She waited until she got out of Kansas City proper and was headed south on I-35 before she called Sawyer.
“Hey, Darby,” her brother said cheerfully. “Do you have an ETA?”
“I should be there around four-thirty. Five at the latest. I’ll have to stop once for gas and a restroom break. Other than that, it should be a clear shot to Hawthorne with no other stops. How’s the chili coming?”
“The chili’s coming along fine,” her brother assured her. “It’s on top of the stove now. Two big Dutch ovens of it. I’ve got Mom’s old Crock-Pot that you didn’t want for one batch. I borrowed a second one from Aunt Meg and will put the rest of the chili in it to take to West and Kelby’s house.”
“Thanks for putting together the welcome home party for me, Sawyer. It means a lot to me.”
“I think you’re going to be really happy here, Darby.
Moving back to Hawthorne was one of the best things I’ve ever done.
I know the dazzling lights of the big city lured me to Dallas, but I’m a much happier, more relaxed person ever since I moved back last spring.
I know West would agree with me.” He chuckled. “Kelby, too.”
“Isn’t it cool that they reconnected all these years later?
I know they dated those last few months of high school, but with West playing football at A&M and Kelby and me cheering at UT, their lives just went in different directions, in college and after.
It’s nice to see them come back together.
I know from talking with Kelby that she’s the happiest she’s ever been. ”
“West, too. And it’s not only that they found each other again, but they have rewarding careers. West is happy as a clam coaching high school football, and Kelby is a dynamo, running her own social media business. How are you feeling about shifting careers?”
“Right now, I believe it’s the best decision I’ve ever made. Don’t get me wrong. I enjoyed all my years at Cheer USA, but the opportunity to come back to live and work in Hawthorne was too great to resist.”
“Do you know when you’ll be starting the new job?” he asked.
“I talked with Uncle Joe yesterday. He said not this week but mid-week of the next one. Still, I’ve been in touch with Kay Timmons.
I’m going to meet with her. She’ll hand over lesson plans and talk to me about the JV and varsity cheer squads along with what I need to know regarding the schedules for both publications.
Kay is making a reference list of things which need to get done throughout the year for each group, along with tagging some responsible students who will help my transition into the classroom. ”
“I know we both received an excellent education in the Hawthorne schools,” Sawyer said. “It’s one of those full circle moments, you coming back to teach after graduating from HHS.”
“It’s what I wanted a long time ago, but the timing wasn’t right. I’m actually glad that I lived away from Hawthorne this past decade. Being on my own taught me a lot about myself. I think I’m a better person now and will certainly be a better teacher because of my experiences away from Texas.”
“You’ve done a lot of traveling these past ten years. You must be happy you can sink some roots here.”
“Yes, it’s something important to me. So is family, Sawyer. I’m happy to be back near you. Aunt Meg and Uncle Joe. Our cousins. And Kelby, of course. She’s like a sister to me. I’ll let you go now. I need to touch base with Kelby and let her know not to expect the movers today.”
“I’ll be at home all day, nursing the chili, in case you need anything done here before you arrive. See you soon, Darby.”
She couldn’t help but smile. Sawyer had always been not only a protective older brother, but he was a good sounding board for her.
It was nice to have a sibling who was also a friend.
Though they’d both been busy since they’d left Hawthorne, she looked forward to growing closer to him with them being in the same town.
Darby called Kelby and explained how the movers had two more stops today before they headed south.
“They said it should be mid-afternoon on Monday when they would deliver my stuff,” she shared. “If you don’t mind, I’ll come over and wait for them so that you can keep working.”
“That would be appreciated,” her friend said.
“I have a meeting in Ft. Worth with two clients. I’ll be leaving Hawthorne about nine-thirty Monday morning.
I’ve already had a key cut for you and can give it to you tonight when I see you at dinner.
And if things get too cramped at Sawyer’s, you know you can come and stay with West and me. ”
“Thanks for the offer, and thanks for hosting dinner tonight.”
“I hope you don’t mind, but I asked Chance to come tonight.”
“I haven’t seen your brother in forever. You know he’s one of my favorite people. I’ll be glad to visit with him and hear how the ranch is going.”
Kelby sighed. “We’re so happy to have you coming back to Hawthorne, Darby. Do you realize we haven’t lived in the same place for over ten years? To think I’ll have my best friend back permanently has me walking on air.”
Kelby chatted a little bit about a project she was working on, and then said, “I’m getting another call from a client. I’ll see you tonight at seven. You will be here by then, right?”
“Easily. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
The rest of Darby’s drive was uneventful. She did stop for gas and a restroom break, picking up a Dr Pepper and a package of peanut butter crackers to tide her over. Sawyer’s chili was legendary in the family, and she wanted to have plenty of room when it came to dinner this evening.
She pulled up to the curb in front of Sawyer’s small, two-bedroom frame rental.
Her brother had told her that because of Triple H opening this past summer, housing was at a premium.
He was biding his time, waiting to see if he wanted to buy an existing home when it came on the market or if he wanted to build from scratch, as West and Kelby had done.
As she got out of her car, her brother came out to lend her a hand. He took her two suitcases from the trunk, while Darby grabbed her backpack.
“Good drive down?” he asked.
“No problems on the road,” she confirmed. “I’ll need to get gas the next time I go somewhere, though. I’m pretty low now.”
“Want me to gas up for you while you unpack?”
“Would you? I appreciate the offer.”
Darby fished in her purse for the key fob and handed it over to Sawyer.
“Your room is ready for you. As you know, it’s nothing fancy. We’ll have to share a bathroom.”
She laughed. “We haven’t done that in years. I think we’ll manage just fine. Did you have any luck with listings for me?”
“Nothing yet. As I told you, things are tight right now. A new apartment complex is being built near the hospital, though. That’s a possibility if you want to go the apartment route.
I looked to see what houses were available to rent.
Not much to choose from. Only two are available.
I drove by both. One looked like a shack about to fall down. The other had four bedrooms.”
“Nope. Way too much house for me. I’ll stay with you for a while then. If you get tired of me and need some space, I can always go to Aunt Meg’s or Kelby’s.”
“We’ll be fine together, Little Sister.”
He carried her suitcases into the house and deposited them in the spare bedroom.
Darby unpacked, hanging clothes in the closet and placing others in the empty dresser.
All her cosmetics and toiletries were in a long, folding bag.
She went to the only bathroom and found a hook on the back of the door.
She hung the bag there. This way, it would leave the entire countertop free for Sawyer’s things, as well as the medicine cabinet.
She had lived out of this toiletry bag while on the road for years now.
A couple more months wouldn’t make a difference.
Sawyer returned and gave her the fob, which she dropped into a side pocket of her purse, zipping it closed. They sat and talked for a few minutes, and then he said it was time to dish up the chili into the crockpots.
As they did so, he said, “Kelby said she would have all the trimmings for us. Onions. Cheese. Whatever chili needs. Autumn is bringing the cornbread.”
Before Darby could protest, he said, “Don’t worry. I provided her with my recipe. She promised to follow it with no deviations.”
“Thank goodness. My mouth has been watering for your cornbread all day. I don’t know what you do to make it so different from everyone else’s, but it’s the best I’ve ever tasted.”
He laughed easily. “I could share my cooking secrets, but they would probably be wasted on you. Dare I ask to see if you’ve learned to cook anything?”
She flushed guilty. Cooking had never been something she was interested in.
Sure, she could toss a salad together with ease, but the rest of the time she was home, she either snacked on fruit and raw vegetables or depended upon takeout.
On the road, it was easier because she could order fish and sautéed vegetables from her hotel’s restaurant.
“Maybe that’s something we can do together, now that I’m back in Hawthorne. You could cook even when we were teenagers, Sawyer. I know it was simple stuff. Spaghetti. Tacos. But you knew what to do.”