Page 12

Chapter

Six

K elby had put off thinking about what to do, career-wise, focusing on her father’s road to recovery. It should be something she began to consider, however.

West’s idea of her starting her own business intrigued her. She was a social media guru and tech expert and knew quite a bit about branding. Could she build a client base and handle social media accounts or build websites, working remotely? It was definitely something to investigate.

Suddenly, she realized West still had his arm around her—and how good it felt.

He had a clean, masculine scent about him, and she had sorely missed a man’s company since her divorce.

She had put up impenetrable walls, so thick that no man had wanted to scale them.

Kelby could count on one hand the number of dates she had gone on since her divorce.

Work had become everything to her, that and seeing her friends.

But could there be more to life? Was she willing to open her heart?

Then again, West was a professional athlete. A football player, no less. Though she had never vocalized it, he was the exact type of man she needed to stay away from. She might lose her head—and her heart—over a man like West Sutherland.

And Kelby decided that simply was not going to happen.

West must have sensed the tension now flooding her body because he removed his arm and exited the booth, returning to the other side and sitting opposite her once again. He picked up his spoon and took another bite from the banana split.

Trying to lessen the sudden awareness between them, she said, “Watch how much of the chocolate ice cream you eat, Sutherland. I might just have to rethink this sharing idea unless you do.”

He laughed easily. “I’ll go for a bite of strawberry next.” He sighed. “There’s nothing like Burger Heaven. I can’t recall the last time I ate a banana split, much less shared it with good company.”

“Ice cream has always been my comfort food.”

West smiled at her. “You don’t have to remind me about that.

Remember the time Tony Gonzales broke up with you in ninth grade?

You went straight to the freezer for a tub of Bluebell.

Back then, vanilla bean was your flavor of choice, with a healthy squeeze of Hershey’s dark chocolate syrup covering it.

I remember you used to beat the ice cream and syrup together until it turned into a smooth, chocolate mess. ”

She grinned at him. “And you used to tease me unmercifully for doing so,” she remembered.

“You used to ask why I didn’t just go for the chocolate in the first place.

I will have you know that my horizons have expanded.

I still am a Bluebell girl, and I go for whatever seasonal offering they have before anything else.

Bride’s Cake. Peaches and Cream. Southern Blackberry Cobbler. ”

Kelby paused and took another bite, savoring the cold sweetness on her tongue.

Then she asked, “Since you won’t start your job for a while, will you stay and visit family and friends for a bit? Or are you off to Rome or Hong Kong or Rio?”

He chuckled. “Someone’s been keeping up with my Instagram.”

She shrugged. “I handle social media. Or at least I did before my boss let me go. It was my job to see what was out there and how I could keep Wyndham & Warren relevant. Unique. Trending. Yours isn’t the only account I follow.”

He pulled out his cell. “What’s your handle? I’ll follow you.”

Kelby looked at him for a moment, stunned. “West Sutherland wants to follow me ? You don’t follow anyone. You’re the guy who has over a million followers and has never clicked to follow a single person.”

His gaze met hers. “Maybe it’s time I shook things up.”

She gave him her handle, and he typed it into his phone.

“There. You’re the first person I’m following.” He grinned. “I had no idea I didn’t follow anyone. To be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever looked at my own account a single time.”

“You had a social media manager who handled your account for you.”

He nodded. “I left all that up to TTM. Touchdown Talent Management. Steve in their office posted to all my social media accounts. I would send him a little something every now and then. Pictures from practice or a few shots from my latest vacation. I don’t know what he posted the rest of the time.”

“Uh, you and whatever gorgeous gal you were squiring about that week. I think you changed girlfriends more often than your socks. You are quite the ladies’ man, West. I don’t know if there’s a beautiful woman out there whom you haven’t dated.”

She’d almost said slept with but managed to correct herself before it came out of her mouth. Why should she care who West Sutherland slept with? It was none of her business.

“Dated is a loose term,” he replied. “I associate that with someone you like and are interested in. Someone you go out with multiple times and have a relationship with.” He hesitated a moment, looking a bit sheepish.

“If we go by my definition of dating, then I haven’t dated anyone in a long, long time. ”

His words interested her. “It was all for show?”

“I wouldn’t exactly say show. I just needed someone to accompany me to events. There were women who, if they were seen with me, it would raise their profile. Sometimes, they’d broken up with someone and wanted a brief fling with a revenge boyfriend.”

West raked a hand through his hair, and Kelby recalled the familiar gesture from years past. It usually was when West was unsure about something or having a hard time expressing himself.

“I enjoyed my twenties, Kelby. I’m not going to apologize for that.

I was playing a game I loved with a team I grew up worshiping.

Going to all kinds of places, with or without a beautiful woman on my arm.

That continued into my thirties, but I found I was ready to make a change, both professionally and personally. ”

He took a bite of banana as she watched him chew.

The man oozed sensuality. His handsome face was simply perfection, with those high, cut cheekbones and sensual lips.

West, like his two siblings, had a remarkable shade of turquoise eyes which stood out, something which drew people in. They were drawing her in now.

She knew he had grown reflective, and she was interested in what else he had to say.

“I left football before it could leave me,” he revealed.

“I always played the game with such abandon. I was fearless on and off the field. Things changed. Not just because of the injury I suffered last year.” He met her gaze.

“I hurt my ACL last year. A serious sprain. Thank goodness, it wasn’t a tear that required surgery, but it still took a hell of a lot of rehab to get back both physically and mentally.

To be able to play this year. It was important to me to return to the field, though.

Not just to show the fans and my teammates.

I wanted to show myself what I was capable of doing.

That I could still be the great West Sutherland and play at an elite level that only a few receivers managed to do.

“That part was satisfying, but football had already begun to lose its sparkle for me. I couldn’t see myself playing beyond this year.

I’ll be thirty-two in a week. I found there were no new mountains to climb.

No records to break. The fun of the game seemed to have vanished.

That’s why I’ve come home to Hawthorne, Kelby. ”

Intrigued filled her. “You’re sitting on a bazillion dollars. It’s not as if you have to work for a living.”

“But I want to do that, Kelby,” West said earnestly. “I think I’d go out of my mind if I didn’t have something worthwhile to do. I want my life to mean something beyond football. I want to be useful to other people.”

He set down his spoon, looking at her. “That’s why I wanted to be on Coach Markham’s staff at HHS.”

The idea of West as a high school coach still surprised her.

“You know that with your background and name recognition, you could have done whatever you wanted. Earned millions as a broadcast analyst for a major network. Or if you truly wanted to coach, the Cowboys would have been onboard and hired you themselves.”

He shook his head. “That’s not what I wanted.

I want to be at this level. I need to be here.

I know how much Coach Markham touched my life.

He—and my parents—are the people who molded my character and made me the man I am today.

A man who, at times, forgot that upbringing, the values they instilled in me. I haven’t always been proud of myself.”

The look on his face, along with his words, hurt her heart, and Kelby reached out, covering his hand with hers.

“West, you reached the pinnacle of your sport. It’s okay if you had some fun doing it. Seeing a lot of women while you were breaking records, left and right.”

His free hand covered hers, and he squeezed it.

“But don’t you see? I want to be a better man.

I want to get back to my small-town roots and the values which have carried me this far in life.

In my core, I’m a good man. Yes, I’ve had a little fast living.

Lost my way for a bit. Driven sports cars and taken lavish vacations.

Had more than a few flings along the way.

But I’ve got the chance now to live in Hawthorne.

My hometown. Where I can make a difference in the lives of my players and students. ”

He searched her face. “And I want a family, Kelby. I’m tired of playing around. I want to settle down. Be the kind of parent my own parents were. And I wouldn’t want to do it anywhere other than Hawthorne.”

Their gazes held, and she saw the sincerity in his eyes. this was a man who had sown his wild oats, even as he made a name for himself professionally.

Slowly, she pulled her hand from his, placing it in her lap again.

“I think that’s really admirable, West. It must be a small percentage of professional football players who reached your level and choose to return to the coaching ranks, much less at such a small football program.

I admire you for wanting to be there for teenagers. To make a difference in their lives.”

She took a last bite of the banana split and placed her spoon on the table. “I respect you for what you’re going to do, and I hope you’ll find happiness in doing it.”

“You sound like you’re washing your hands of me, Kelby,” he said astutely.

“I will always have a fondness for you West,” she said sincerely.

“You were so much a part of my years growing up in Hawthorne. You were like a second brother to me, always hanging around the ranch. I know Chance will be thrilled that you’ve come back to stay.

He’s never had as close a friend as he made in you. ”

Kelby looked him in the eyes. “I hope we’ll become friends once again. I cherish the friendship we had long ago, and I’m happy to renew it again.”

“But you’re shutting the door to any idea of romance,” he said flatly. “Of going down that road we chose not to travel because we were headed for different colleges at the time.”

He had vocalized what she had yet to say. Kelby nodded, taking her time before she spoke again.

“You’ve got to understand how brutal things were with Bax.

Everything was absolutely perfect between us in college.

I cheered at his games. I celebrated his victories with him.

I managed to pick him up from the dumps on the rare occasions the Longhorns lost. I married Bax, stars in my eyes, thinking that our storybook college romance would simply continue on as he went pro.

That he would become this bright, shining light, breaking NFL records.

Being named All-Pro. Wining Super Bowls.

Making enough money to secure our future, especially when we had children. ”

She swallowed, looking away. “But not every fairy tale has a happy ending. There was no happily ever after for us. We eloped to Vegas after graduation. Bax started training camp soon after that. Then we trod along the long road to his downfall, with all its twists and turns. He hurt me, West. Not just physically. Emotionally. I lost any confidence I had because of Bax Porter. Once we divorced, it’s been a long way back to finding me.

I’ve poured a solid foundation for myself and began building a life I liked.

One I enjoyed. Unfortunately, Bax had a hand in tearing that structure down.

But my foundation is still rock-solid. Just like hurricane victims who lose everything, I’m going to start rebuilding my house again.

I may even do what you suggested and consider creating a business of my own.

I am not invincible, but I am strong. I will get through this and come out the other end a better person. ”

Kelby lifted her head, once more meeting his gaze.

“But while I like you as a person, I liked you years ago, West. I don’t really know the adult you’ve become.

I’ve changed in my twenties. A lot. I know you’ve done the same.

I simply don’t think I can trust my heart again when it comes to giving it away to a handsome NFL legend.

I will try to be your friend, but don’t ask anything more of me—because I don’t have it to give. ”

West pulled out his wallet and tossed a twenty on the table. “Thanks for sharing the banana split with me, Kelby. It was really good seeing you.”

She tried not to be affected by the hurt she saw in his eyes.

He had bared his soul to her. Told her that he was trying to be a better man and start a new life.

Kelby just didn’t have the bandwidth to start up something with him and then be disappointed.

Or worse, brokenhearted. She told herself that she was glad she had let West know where she stood.

But Kelby couldn’t help but wonder if she had made a mistake and kissed goodbye the opportunity to change her life.

And his.