It had been more than four months since the surgery on her rotator cuff and even though Joy's physical therapist had released her to resume routine activities, the doctor had warned Joy that she still might experience a little soreness from time to time when she participated in anything strenuous. Slamming her hand onto the dashboard obviously fell into the strenuous category.
The problem was Joy just wasn't used to her body telling her what she could and could not do. As an athlete, she was accustomed to being in control of her body, not the other way around.
Joy slowly rotated her shoulder clockwise, then counter-clockwise, trying to ignore the little electric pulses shooting through her arm muscles. She hadn't experienced this much pain since right after the surgery. Even the repetitive motion required to maneuver the roads she'd been driving since morning hadn't caused any pain. Why in the world had she hit the dashboard so hard? That's all she needed right now -- on top of everything else -- was to re-injure her shoulder.
Joy held the steering wheel tightly with her left hand and tried to give her right arm a break. She eased off the gas and took each curve carefully wondering if she'd been wrong when she told her brother that she'd be up to the ten-hour drive from Richmond, Virginia to Hersh Falls. Thoughts of that morning's conversation played back in Joy's mind.
"I can drive you there if you want," Gary offered. "It's no problem. Hersh Falls doesn't look that big on the map. You probably won't even need a car to get around once you're there."
Joy had seen the concern in her brother's eyes but she really couldn't imagine being trapped in a car with him on an all-day drive -- even if he was finally speaking to her again.
Gary's wife Carla just glared at Joy without saying a word but the look on her face spoke volumes. Carla was clearly looking forward to her sister-in-law being gone for three weeks even though the scowl on her face made it clear that she didn't think the trip was going to do any good.
"I'll be fine," Joy replied as she turned away from Carla's disapproving stare. "I can handle the drive by myself. I'll call you when I get there."
"Okay," Gary responded with a sigh that made it apparent he was actually relieved -- in spite of his worry about her driving alone -- that Joy had passed on his offer to help.
Joy tossed her carryon bag into the front seat of the rented convertible she'd been driving for the past few weeks and Gary placed her larger bag in the tiny rear trunk.
"I just want you to know that I'm not mad." Gary's eyes dropped to the ground as if not looking directly at Joy would help him believe what he was saying. "I know you'd never do anything to put Garret in danger -- at least not on purpose."
That last phrase hit Joy like a punch in the chest. She reached up to touch the place on her sternum where the life-saving airbag had left a small bruise. A flash of an accident scene floated through her mind and she felt a little bit of the toast from that morning's breakfast trying to make its way up from the pit of her stomach.
"I appreciate you saying that Gary, but we both know it's not exactly true," Joy said, somehow summoning the courage to be honest. "I don't know how I'd ever forgive myself if..." Joy's words trailed off and she sniffed back the tears that were forming in her eyes. "All I can say is I'm going to work things out. This trip is what I need and I'll be better when I get back," she said, repeating what almost everyone else kept telling her. "I just need to get away for a little while and get my head straight."
Joy let out a long sigh as the morning memory faded into the uncomfortably introspective silence that floated around her. She knew she was going to have to deal with her thoughts over the next several weeks but she didn't want to start that process right now. Right now, she just wanted her shoulder to stop throbbing and to have a little distraction on the last few miles of her trip. Anything to take her mind off of all the shit she'd left back in Richmond.
As Joy rounded the next curve it was as if some benevolent road trip god heard her prayers. There, by the side of the road several yards ahead, she saw something that definitely took her mind off of her problems. An old pick up truck was pulled off the side of the road and sticking out from under the open hood was a very, very nice pair of long, tanned legs.
Something inside Joy twitched and she felt a throbbing in a place distinctively lower than her shoulder.
"Down, girl," she mumbled to herself. "I know it's been a minute but try not to lose it over the first woman you see!"
Being in the company of women was something Joy enjoyed almost as much as her chosen career. In college, her roommate called her a player -- and she wasn't referring to Joy's membership on the school's softball team. It was true that Joy had a bit of a reputation back then but who could blame her? Being in college had opened up a whole new world of possibilities. There were women of all shapes and sizes and Joy had every intention of enjoying as much variety as possible.
Of course, women had been the last thing on Joy's mind when she returned to Richmond from Japan four months ago. At that time the only thing on her mind was the injury to her shoulder and how long it was going to keep her out of the game she loved.
Joy could still remember the moment things went wrong like it was yesterday. It was only the second game of the season. She was standing in the pitcher's circle scanning the crowd. She wasn't looking for anyone in particular. She knew there weren't any familiar faces in the stands to cheer her on but the people gathered were more than excited to see her pitch. As the only American player on the Tokyo Hurricane Women's Softball team she had plenty of fans -- but no friends -- in the stands.
Joy clutched the yellow softball to her chest and then began her wind up. It didn't hurt at first but as she made a full circle -- preparing to release her record-breaking fast pitch across the plate -- she screamed out in pain. A strange burning sensation shot through her arm and she dropped the ball right there on the ground in front of her.
That was four months ago. Since then Joy's life had been filled with surgeries, post-op doctors visits, physical therapy sessions and trying not to go crazy wondering if she'd suffered a career-ending injury. Dating wasn't anywhere on her list of things to do.
Joy slowed her car down and passed the sexy roadside legs. She pulled over a few feet in front of the pickup truck and cut her engine. Before getting out of the car she glanced up into the rearview mirror and ran her fingers through her short brown hair. She wasn't one of those women who spent a lot of time worrying about what she looked like -- she'd never had any trouble attracting the same sex -- but after ten hours in a convertible she at least wanted to make sure she didn't have any bugs in her teeth before she approached the attractive damsel in distress.
"Are you okay?" Joy asked as she approached the tan legs standing beside the out-of-commission truck. She scanned upward and was pleased to see that the face that lay above the neck was as pleasant to look at as everything below.
"Yeah, I'm fine," the woman said shaking her head. "But Betsy isn't." She tapped the side of the truck affectionately.
"Any idea what's wrong?" Joy asked.
The woman leaned under the raised hood and screwed a greasy cap back on an opening in the engine. She wiped her now oil-covered hands on a rag. "I'm pretty sure it's the transmission. My mechanic warned me a few months ago that I might be headed for trouble but I was hoping to keep her moving until the Fall."
As much of a tomboy as most people perceived her to be Joy didn't have a corner of a clue about cars but she didn't want to miss an opportunity to be chivalrous. She stepped closer to the vehicle and looked down at the engine. Joy couldn't even name most of the metal parts she saw so instead of playing mechanic she decided to offer more reliable assistance.
"My name is Joy. Can I give you a lift somewhere?" Joy asked extending her hand.
"Hi, Joy."
The sound of her name on the woman's lips sent a pleasant chill down Joy's spine and almost anesthetized the pain of her still throbbing shoulder.
"I'm Kate," she said, apologetical
ly lifting both hands in the air to reveal her dirty palms. "I don't need a ride, but I could use some help getting a tow truck. The cell service is really spotty along this stretch of road and I have absolutely no bars on my phone." She picked up the cell phone laying on the hood of the truck and held it in the air to double check.
Joy reached into the back pocket of her jeans, pulled out her own phone and looked at the screen. "Same here," she said. "And my radio signal cut out a few miles back too."
"Yeah, it'll clear up a little further up the road." Kate nodded her head to the side awkwardly without looking into the distance. "There's a service station just after the turn for Hersh Falls. If you wouldn't mind stopping there. A guy named Randy will be behind the counter. Just ask him to call a tow truck for me if you don't mind."
Kate's voice was soft, warm, and Southern and Joy found herself smiling so wide her cheeks hurt. Just then another car appeared in the distance. As it approached, it was clear the driver was going a lot faster than Joy had been comfortable driving with one hand. As the car whizzed by a cloud of dust flew into the air.
"Slow down you idiot!" Kate yelled as if the driver -- who had already vanished from sight -- could hear her. Much of her sweet Southern charm disappeared along with the car. "They drive around like no one lives up here," she said with more than a little anger in her voice.
Joy tensed, knowing that if it weren't for her slamming her hand against the dashboard she probably would have been taking the mountain curves at a similar speed.
"Are you sure you'll be okay waiting here?" Joy asked trying to make up for the rudeness of the speeding stranger who'd just past. "I'd be happy to give you a lift to the gas station."
"Oh, no. No need for all that trouble," Kate said, the pleasantness slowly returning to her voice. "I'm fine waiting here."
Joy didn't want to leave Kate sitting by the side of the road but she couldn't exactly force the woman into her car.
"Okay. If you're sure," Joy said with a pang of disappointment. Some part of her was hoping that meeting someone at the beginning of her trip would mean she'd have something else to focus on other than the real reason she was in the area. Joy turned and walked back to her vehicle.
Just before folding her five foot ten frame into the low sports car, she glanced back over her shoulder. Kate had closed the hood and gotten back into the cab of the truck. The sound of music floated through the open window but Joy couldn't put her finger on the name of the song. She waved back at the damsel who obviously didn't need -- or want -- to be rescued.
So much for a distraction.
Chapter 2
Just as Kate said, about three miles up the road Joy saw the sign that read Welcome to Hersh Falls. Maybe it was just a random coincidence that Kate's car had broken down so close to Joy's final destination but at the moment, Joy was looking for any signs that her time in Hersh Falls was going to be beneficial. She desperately needed a win right now and she wasn't really picky about how it showed up.
Joy pulled into the service station and before she could even get out of her car a voice yelled from inside one of the service bays.
"Be right with ya!" came a male version of Kate's sweet Southern drawl.
A moment later a young kid appeared. The embroidered stitching above his shirt pocket read 'Randy'.
"Hi there. Can I help you?"
"Hi. Uh, Kate asked me to stop and have a tow truck sent to her. Her truck broke down about three miles back down the hill."
Joy had barely finished talking before Randy pulled a cell phone out of his pocket and hit a button.
"Man, Steve's been telling her that she needs to dump that old truck for months," he said while he waited for the person on the other end of the line to pick up. "Hey, Steve. It's Randy. Kate Warner needs a tow. She broke down about three miles down Hwy 27. No, don't stop here. She must be waiting with her truck. She sent some lady to ask me to call you. Yeah. Okay, cool." Randy hung up the phone and addressed Joy. "He's on his way to get her. Shouldn't take long, he's just up the road a bit at Sally's Diner."
The thought of food made Joy's stomach grumble. She'd been snacking on popcorn and trail mix for hours but now she was hungry for a real meal. "Sally's? Is the food there good?"
Randy smiled. "Well, I'd get in trouble if I told you the food was bad. Sally is my cousin." He snorted a laugh. "The place isn't as busy as it used to be since we got a McDonalds and a Wendy's one town over but she still has the best desserts you'll find for miles. You can't miss it. It's just up the road on the right."
Joy let Randy top off her gas tank and then headed up the road to the diner. She thought for a moment about going back to wait with Kate, but since she said she was going to be okay -- and since everyone in this town seemed to know each other -- Joy figured she'd be safe.
Sally's Diner was nothing like the diners Joy was used to seeing further north where she lived. There was no silver chrome siding covering the exterior of the building. There was no sprawling neon sign pulsing Sally's name or any smaller signs along the roofline indicating the diner's specialties. Instead the restaurant kind of blended in with the rest of the mountain scenery. The log and stone exterior reminded Joy more of a hunting lodge than a diner. She was half expecting to see a bunch of old men dressed in plaid shirts and furry hats hanging around in the parking lot.
"Good afternoon, young lady," a woman with a cheery voice greeted from behind the counter. Her name tag read Sally. "Have a seat anywhere. I'll be right with you."
Joy looked around the large room. She had her pick of places to sit since there were only a few other customers inside the diner. An older man sat at a table reading a newspaper -- the empty plate in front of him indicating he'd been there for a while. A young mother sat in one of the window booths trying to coax a toddler in a highchair into eating something the child was more interested in throwing across the room than ingesting.
Joy walked toward another window seat and slid into the brown leather booth. She picked up the laminated menu and perused the diner's offerings but what really caught her attention was what she saw behind the counter as she walked into the restaurant.
A colorful array of handles stood like soldiers waiting to be pulled the necessary forty-five degrees into service. Joy recognized a few of her favorites by the logo alone: the red double XX's, the bright green fish and the gold star called out to her and made her mouth water at the thought of the frothy contents they dispensed.
Joy momentarily considered skipping a real meal and going straight for a liquid lunch. After all, she deserved a treat, didn't she? She'd managed a ten-hour drive into the middle of nowhere without once picking up a cold one when she stopped for gas or to use the restroom. Joy's taste buds began to betray her with memories of a cool, tart liquid swirling in her mouth. She hadn't had a drink since the night of the accident.
Abstaining had been a lot harder than she thought it would be. For months she'd been telling herself that her drinking was under control. She only needed the alcohol to take the edge off -- to keep her from worrying about whether she was going to be able to play softball professionally again post-surgery. She didn't need to drink, it just made relaxing easier.
"How did I get here?" Joy mumbled to herself as she pulled her gaze away from the on-tap soldiers and looked out the window to the rural environment outside. She wondered if this little retreat to the woods -- and the mandatory meetings with the addiction and trauma specialist Gary found for her -- was going to do her any good at all.
"Can I get you something to drink?" the cheery voice asked interrupting Joy's thoughts.
Joy met Sally's smiling eyes with something just shy of a scowl. " Water with lemon, please," Joy answered as if she was ordering a beverage laced with cyanide.
Sally stepped away to fill Joy's request. Joy knew the avalanche of thoughts roaming around in her mind wouldn't be stilled by citrus infused H2O but what choice did she have. She had promised her parents, Gary and her sports agent that she'd stop
drinking and try talking to the therapist. The strange part was drinking had never been a problem for Joy before. Sure she'd indulged some during college like most of her friends and while living in Japan she'd become somewhat of a sake connoisseur but she'd never drunk enough to affect her game. No, it was only recently that Joy's challenges with the bottle started.
Christmas All Around Us ; The Perfect Time for Love ; Playing for Keeps Page 35