Page 17

Chapter

Nine

“ H ey, Doc,” West said as Dr. Linda’s image appeared on his phone’s screen. “You get my T-shirt? You know, the one which reads Dallas Cowboys, Super Bowl Champions . I wanted to make sure you had something new added to your wardrobe besides a pathetic Packers shirt.”

She pursed her lips, trying not to laugh. “I did indeed receive it in the mail. I bunched it up and placed it in my chihuahua’s pet bed. Tiki loves it.”

He roared with laughter. “Perfect way to start a session.” Then he grew serious. “I have a lot to unpack today.”

“Then let’s get started. What do you want to talk about first?”

“Something that I don’t want to talk about, so I’m going to tell you about other things before we get to that.

First, I got the job at the high school.

I interviewed yesterday with Coach Markham.

He has an assistant coach moving on to an administration job, so a slot on his staff was already open.

He texted me first thing this morning to go over to the admin building and sign my contract.

Got that done, so the job is officially mine. ”

“Tell me about how it makes you feel, going back to work with a man you respect so much.”

“I’m excited. A little nervous. I know how much Coach influenced my life, and I want to do the same thing with today’s young men.

I’ll have to temper my expectations, though.

Not every player is going to be all-in, like I was.

I was a sponge, soaking up everything Coach said.

Every suggestion, I acted on. Every criticism, I took to heart.

But I get that to some of these kids, it’s just a sport they play. Not the be-all, end-all in life.”

“What about working under your mentor?” she prodded.

“I don’t want to let him down. Again, I know the Hawks won’t win every game, but I’ll be in charge of quarterbacks and receivers.

It’ll be great to work with receivers and a challenge to manage quarterbacks.

I’m up for it, though. And I plan to keep learning from Coach Markham.

That’s something I want to pass along to my players.

You never stop learning. It’s a lifelong process.

A person can always pick up new things. I was at the top of the food chain in football, Doc.

These kids will know that. So if I tell them that I’m still learning, from Coach Markham and others around me, that may be the biggest lesson I can impart. ”

Dr. Linda smiled. “I haven’t heard you this excited in a long time, West. That’s a really good thing.”

“It’s good to be back in Hawthorne. No one ever took the small-town out of me. I may have appeared to be city slick, but inside? I’m pure Hawthorne, through and through.”

“Do you know what your duties will be beyond coaching?”

“I’ll be teaching Social Studies. I have what’s called a composite, which means I’m certified to teach any subject in that area.

History. Government. Geography. I’ll have to meet with the department chair closer to the end of the year before I’ll know what my assignment will be.

When creating the master schedule, they have to take into consideration who’s left.

Retired or transferred to another school district.

What class sizes are. I’ll be prepared, whatever subject it is. ”

He reached for his water bottle and took a long swig.

“Okay, ready to talk about Kelby Blackstone.” He paused.

“Long story short is that she’s my best friend’s sister.

I thought of her as another sister all those years growing up.

Then we both wound up out of relationships the last couple of months during our senior year in high school.

We went to things as friends. Prom. Parties. I kissed her once.”

West shook his head. “It was ... magic.”

Dr. Linda said, “What happened after the kiss?”

“We decided it would be foolish to do a long-distance relationship. We were headed to different universities. Football players don’t get to come home on weekends.

And she was a cheerleader, so same thing.

You’ve got games. She also had tournaments to cheer at.

We only saw one another a couple of times during college and none since we graduated. ”

When he paused, the therapist said, “Have you thought about Kelby over the years?”

“Yes and no. I never found the kind of connection I had with her with any other woman. She married. Divorced. I really didn’t know where she was. Come to find out, she was in my backyard the past five years, working in Dallas. And I ran into her yesterday in Hawthorne.”

He raked his hands through his hair. “Doc, all kinds of feelings flooded me when I saw her. She’d always been so easy to talk to, and I wound up opening up to her, just like I do you.

I told her about my new job. How excited I was to come back to Hawthorne.

How I’d sowed my wild oats but was ready to settle into marriage and start a family. ”

“Tell me what I’m hearing in your voice, West,” she nudged.

“Hurt. A little anger. Basically, she told me we could try to be friends, but she didn’t have anything to give me, as far as a relationship goes.”

“You asked her out?”

“No. But I think she knew the conversation was heading that way.” He shook his head.

“She’s a hot mess right now. Her dad just had a stroke, and she’s worried sick about him.

She also lost her job recently because the husband she divorced five years ago wound up in the news.

He killed his bookie and then was shanked in jail. ”

“I read about that. Pretty awful. It seems he was troubled. An addict.”

“Yes, that’s why they divorced. I don’t think Kelby harbored any feelings for him. They seemed to have ended on a pretty bitter note. But his murder spooked her very proper company, and they terminated her.”

“I’m sure you can understand why Kelby would be reluctant to start up a relationship with you, West. The rug has been pulled out from under her.

Her father is gravely ill. She’s unemployed.

And even if she didn’t have feelings for her ex-husband, she did at one time.

Hearing of him murdering someone and then being murdered himself has to cause her a great deal of conflict.

She probably needs a good therapist now, not a former almost-flame trying to rekindle the spark with her. ”

“I know,” he said, a little too harshly.

“Sorry. I truly get why she wanted me to back off. But I saw her again last night. Chance, her brother, called. Had me meet them, along with my cousin, for dinner. I don’t know, Doc.

She gave off a different vibe. Like she might be receptive to at least seeing where things could go between us.

In fact, I’m going with her in an hour to see her dad at the rehab center where he’s recovering from his stroke. ”

“Read the cues we’ve discussed before, West. It’s not only what a person says. It’s what they do. Their demeanor. How they respond to you. Take it very, very slowly,” she cautioned. “She might just need a friend and not a lover. Would you be willing to step up into that role?”

“Yes,” he said firmly. “I do want to be her friend. I know things are tough for her now. They are for me, too, as I’m transitioning, but she’s got a tougher row to hoe than I do.

Then there’s the fact that she won’t stay in Hawthorne forever.

Once Big Jim is better, she’ll probably leave and look for another job. ”

“And you’ve told me you’re tied to Hawthorne.”

“For now and the future,” he asserted. “It’s where I want to be. With or without Kelby. So, what’s your advice, Doc?”

“I think you’ve already laid out a good plan, West. You want to be her friend. You already know she has a lot on her plate and her emotional state is shaky. Be her friend. Don’t push anything. You can’t just think about yourself. You have to think about Kelby, too.”

“Got it. Okay. I’m good.” He glanced at his watch. “We’re about out of time, so I’ll sign off. Next week okay at this time?”

She reached for a pen and jotted something down. “Yes, that’s perfect. In the meantime, if you need anything, you know you can contact my office.”

“I do.”

Dr. Linda smiled. “I’m proud of you, West. For taking a huge leap of faith by moving back to Hawthorne.

For landing a job which I think will become more satisfying than your previous one, though it will pay a heck of a lot less.

And for respecting Kelby’s boundaries. You’ve come so far in the year we’ve been working together. ”

“I appreciate all you do for me,” he said. “I mean that. It’s not lip service.”

“I know it’s not. You’ve always been frank. You speak from your heart. You don’t give false compliments.”

“Okay. Give Tiki a pat and tell her to enjoy her new T-shirt.”

“I’ll do that. Bye, West.”

He clicked out of FaceTime and set his phone down.

Talking over things aloud with Dr. Linda always brought them into perspective for him.

Yesterday, it had been all about him. How he was hurt that Kelby didn’t leap into something with him.

Telling his therapist all that Kelby was going through, however, let him see how fragile she was emotionally.

That was not the way to start a relationship.

He determined to keep things light and upbeat when in her company today.

An hour later, West texted Kelby that he was on his way. She texted back a thumbs up.

He was more nervous seeing her now than he’d ever been for any big game.