Joy saw Kate's expression darken for a moment but she shook it off and continued to ask Joy questions.
"How did you get so interested in softball?"
"My dad," Joy said. "He loved baseball but my brother didn't show any interest in it so when I came along softball became our thing. Something special for just the two of us."
"Wow, your father encouraged you to play? That's great! I wish Dana's dad was more supportive of her interest in the game."
Joy didn't want to break Dana's confidence by letting Kate know what she'd said about her dad but she couldn't help but wonder how Kate had gotten into a relationship with a man who seemed so unlike Kate or her father.
"Have you always known you wanted kids?" Joy asked instead of inquiring further.
Kate let out a boisterous laugh. "Well, to be honest, Dana wasn't exactly planned." She handed Joy another dish and then stared into space for a moment as if she was deciding whether or not she was going to say more.
"My mom died when I was pretty young," she finally continued. "And my dad and I weren't as close then as we are now. I was kind of a mess as a teenager." Kate's shoulders slumped. "The result of losing my mom and ...," Kate paused. Her eyes flashed in Joy's direction and then back to the dishpan. "And I was struggling to understand some of the feelings I was having." Kate paused and wiped her forehead with the back of her gloved hand. "I didn't really have anyone to talk to about it so I tried to figure it out on my own."
Kate paused again and passed several clean dishes to Joy before continuing. "I thought if I slept with a boy the feelings I was having for girls would go away."
Joy paused before she spoke, masking her amusement with the sobriety the conversation deserved. "How'd that work out for you?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.
Kate just burst out laughing. "Not exactly the way I thought it would," she said with a chuckle.
"So, definitely gay," Joy said as she took another wet dish from Kate.
"Yep. Definitely gay. And a few months later -- definitely pregnant. Don't get me wrong," Kate said quickly. "I love my daughter and I really couldn't imagine my life without her but if I had to do it all over again I at least would have chosen the other participant in my little experiment more carefully."
"So, there was never anything more between you and Dana's father?"
"Nope, not a thing. In fact, he tried to pretend like Dana wasn't his until she was born and came out looking just like him."
"You were pretty young to take on the responsibility of a child. I admire you for that," Joy said softly.
"Thanks, but the choice was actually easy. Becoming a mom gave me something positive to focus on. Making sure that my little girl had all the love I felt like I missed from my own mother. It also brought my father and I really close," Kate said with a smile.
Joy felt a twinge in her chest as she thought about the love she'd witnessed between the members of the Warner family. Sure they probably had struggles just like everyone did, but from Joy's point-of-view it looked like they faced most of their battles together. She couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy.
"Last dish," Kate said handing Joy a water glass.
When Joy grasped the glass her fingers wrapped around Kate's. She looked into the woman's eyes and felt a warm peaceful feeling that she wasn't sure she'd ever felt before. Joy didn't know how much talking to Dr. Turner was going to help over the next three weeks but spending time with the Warner's -- especially Kate -- was making her feel better than she'd felt in a very long time.
Chapter 7
As soon as Kate opened her eyes the next morning she felt a queasy feeling rise up from the pit of her stomach. Only half awake, she wondered at first if something she'd eaten had caused her to become ill. But as soon as she came into full consciousness she realized why her stomach was churning. She'd come out to Joy.
"Argh!" Kate groaned as she pulled her pillow over her head muffling her voice. It was bad enough that at thirty years old she'd never admitted to anyone that she was gay but it was worse that the person she'd finally decided to come out too was a gorgeous stranger who'd be in town for less than a month.
"Good move, Kate. Set yourself up for heartbreak right away," she chastised herself out loud.
Suddenly Kate realized she had boarded an emotional rollercoaster that she'd managed to avoid for more than a decade. Being focused on raising Dana -- and growing up herself -- hadn't left any time for Kate to really explore her sexuality. One night with Sam had proven she didn't want to go down that particular road again but there wasn't anyone around she could explore a more natural path with. Popular statistics might say that one in every ten people are gay or lesbian but Hersh Falls must have missed its cosmic quota. Now, three decades into her life, Kate woke up feeling like a silly teenager in a Lifetime movie of the week with all of the prerequisite butterflies.
Why was she thinking about any of this anyway? While Joy wasn't judgmental when she heard Kate's coming-out story, she hadn't said anything about being gay herself. And even if she was gay what's to say that she wanted to explore a relationship with Kate? She was probably just being nice when she complimented Kate's looks, spent time with Dana and offered to wash dishes after a meal. None of that was a big deal. Those were just kind things to do. They weren't marriage proposals! Plus, there was no way someone like Joy was going to stay around a place like Hersh Falls once her vacation was over.
Kate shook her head hoping to jar herself back to reality. Clearly, she'd been reading too many romance novels. Only characters in books wound up finding true love under such odd circumstances. That kind of thing didn't happen in real life. And it certainly didn't happen in Kate Warner's life!
Kate forced herself out of bed. Coffee. That's what she needed. Something to sober her up and get all these crazy thoughts out of her head. Kate hurried toward the kitchen hoping a good dose of caffeine would clear everything up.
"Dana! Hurry up!" Kate bellowed as she poured the dark hot beverage into her favorite mug -- the one Dana made in her art class when she was six. "Coach Thompson is going to be here any minute!"
Kate took her coffee out to the porch to get some fresh air. Being out in nature always helped her get her thoughts together and today she needed that assistance more than ever. She lifted the coffee mug to her nose and inhaled the pungent smell mixed with the humid morning air. Her fingertips brushed the letters on the lopsided vessel as if she was reading a message in braille. There was no need to look at what was etched into the bright red fired clay. The loving message scrawled with childlike penmanship brought her comfort -- even if she didn't always believe it to be true. Worlds Greatest Mommy.
"Don't forget the permission slip and the deposit for your trip to Florida," Kate yelled in the direction of the open front door. "They're both sitting on the dining room table."
Last night after Dana went to bed, Kate and her father stayed up for hours trying to figure out how they were going to afford a new truck and pay the $400 field trip fee for Dana to visit the USSSA Pride softball camp next week. Coach Thompson had already extended the deadline for the deposit because she knew things were tight financially for the Warner's.
For a moment Kate had considered asking Sam for the money -- he certainly wasn't hurting for cash -- but giving Sam too many details about Dana's life always created problems. Over the years, as the sole-custody parent, Kate had learned that it was best to involve Sam on a need-to-know basis. Especially since he never seemed very enthusiastic when it came to Dana playing sports.
Even though Kate wasn't much of a softball fan herself, Sam's antiquated notions about women in sports made Kate nuts. He wanted his daughter to be some kind of delicate flower who only cared about fashion magazines and boys and that simply wasn't who Dana was. No, it was better for Kate to shoulder the financial responsibility of the trip herself.
The weather was still warm enough for Kate to walk to work and if they had any unseasonably cold or rainy days Elaine was always
willing to give her a ride. Mr. Warner could do his end of summer landscaping rounds on foot until they figured out how to get a loan for a new truck. Kate was a little concerned about her father walking in the heat but the sound of Coach Thompson's SUV trudging up the road drove the thought from Kate's mind.
"Thanks, Mom," Dana said as she came rushing through the front door waving the permission slip -- and the attached check -- in the air. She gave her mother a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek.
Kate's heart clenched as she looked up at her daughter's beaming smile. I made the right choice this time, she thought as her fingers brushed against the letters on her coffee mug. Today was a day Kate felt almost deserving of the inscribed title.
"Good Morning, Kate," Coach Thompson greeted through the open passenger side window. "It's a beautiful day isn't it?"
Kate looked up at the clear mountain sky. It wasn't even nine o'clock and there wasn't a cloud in sight.
"It sure is Coach," Kate said to the older woman as she watched her daughter scramble into the car.
Kate had known Rita Thompson since she was about Dana's age. Coach Thompson had been the girl's physical education teacher at Hersh Falls High School for as long as Kate could remember and even though a good part of Kate's own high school life had been spent excused from gym because of her pregnancy she still had a warm rapport with the woman who also coached the girls basketball and softball teams.
"Here's my permission slip, Coach." Dana handed her coach the piece of paper and the check.
"So everything is set for you to go on the trip?" Coach Thompson asked looking past Dana and through the window at Kate when she spoke.
"Yeah. It's all worked out," Kate said with a smile.
"Great! I'm really glad to hear that," the older woman said with a sigh of relief.
Kate knew Coach Thompson well enough to know she'd probably been trying to figure out a way to pay part of Dana's trip fees herself on her meager teacher's salary. That was just the kind of person she was. Always looking out for her students.
"I think it will be good for Dana to see USSSA Pride in action. They're one of the oldest teams in the National Fast Pitch League."
At the mention of the league, Dana's face lit up with even more excitement.
"Coach, you're not going to believe who's staying in our guest apartment! Joy Sizemore!" Dana blurted out before her coach could even take a guess.
"Joy Sizemore? Wow! That's amazing, Dana. I didn't know your family knew her."
"We didn't until two days ago," Kate explained, finally allowing herself to look in the direction of Joy's temporary home. She'd been trying to avoid thinking about their guest and the unexpected post-dinner conversation between the two of them last night.
As if she'd heard them talking about her, Joy appeared at the top of the apartment stairs. Kate smiled awkwardly and just stared as Joy walked toward them.
She was dressed in a pair of dark blue sweatpants with the matching sweatshirt cinched around her flat stomach but it was Joy's t-shirt that caught Kate's attention. The white t-shirt had a huge rainbow-colored heart across the front. On top of the heart, the words LOVE WINS were printed in big bold letters and under the heart was the date June 26, 2015. Kate's breath caught in her throat.
She curled her bottom lip between her teeth -- a gesture she wished she'd done last night instead of talking a mile a minute -- to keep her mouth from falling open as Joy drew nearer.
"Joy! Joy! Come here, I want you to meet my softball coach!" Dana yelled as she jumped out of Coach Thompson's car.
"Good Morning," Joy said in a throaty morning voice that Kate found undeniably sexy.
"Good Morning," Kate replied trying not to sound as nervous as she felt.
Her mind was all a buzz. Did Joy's t-shirt mean what she thought it meant? Was Joy gay? The celebratory date noted on the shirt made it's message clear but had Joy chosen to wear that shirt this morning for a reason? Was she trying to send a not-so-subtle message to Kate?
Kate shook her head. Don't be ridiculous, she told herself. Joy probably just threw on the t-shirt because... because it just happened to be what she wanted to wear today, Kate explained to herself in her internal conversation.
While these thoughts were running round and round in Kate's mind, Coach Thompson got out of her car and walked around to where Kate, Dana, and Joy were now standing.
"Joy, this is my softball coach, Coach Thompson," Dana said enthusiastically.
Joy stretched out her hand to greet the woman. "It's nice to meet you," Joy said. "I've been wondering who was responsible for Dana's great pitching form."
"Well, I can only take credit for some of that," Coach Thompson said with a smile. "Our girl is a natural," she said patting Dana on the shoulder. "If I'd had an arm like hers I probably would have made it to the Olympics in '96."
"Well, hopefully, that will be something for Dana to aspire to since the Olympic committee has added softball back in the roster for 2020," Joy said.
Kate glanced over at Dana smiling with pride. Watching her daughter bask in all of this positive attention made Kate forget the reason for her own nervousness.
"How long are you going to be here in Hersh Falls?" Coach Thompson asked.
Joy's answer floated like a dark cloud in Kate's mind.
"About three weeks," Joy said.
Three weeks. She's only here for three weeks. Don't get all emotional about someone who's not going to be around for long, Kate reminded herself.
"Well, if it's not too much of an imposition, I'd love to invite you to one of our softball practices to share some of your professional experience," Coach Thompson said. "I know the rest of the girls would love to meet you."
"Please!" Dana begged before Joy could answer. "Please!"
A familiar sexy smile spread across Joy's face. "I'd love to," she said with a wink in Kate's direction.
Dana almost jumped out of her skin and Kate exhaled the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding since Joy first walked over to where they were standing.
"Well, Dana, we'd better get going," Coach Thompson said. "It was nice meeting you, Joy. I'm looking forward to seeing you again real soon."
Kate and Joy stood there and watched Dana and Coach Thompson drive away.
"I hope you don't feel obligated to help accept the invitation," Kate said in an apologetic tone. Her parental concern momentarily banishing her own feelings. "You're here on vacation. I'm sure the last thing you want to do is spend your time with a bunch of teenagers."
"Like I told you before. I really don't mind," Joy said. "I like showing the next generation that there are options available that will allow them to keep playing the sport they love. And even if they choose not to play professionally, we need fans to keep the game alive."
Kate couldn't help but admire Joy's selflessness and the thought of a professional being able to give Dana some tips made Kate's maternal nature swell with appreciation. There were also some other parts of her beginning to swell as well.
"So what are you up to today," Kate asked wanting to change the subject. "If you're planning to go hiking you might want to bring along a pair of shorts. It will be pretty hot by midday."
Kate looked down at Joy's legs remembering how toned they were when she saw her on the side of the road.
"Oh, I thought I'd wander around in town a little," Joy said. "So, how do you get to work?" she asked since there was no other vehicle in sight.
"Oh, I'm just going to walk," Kate answered. "It's only two miles away and as you can see I could use the exercise." She patted her midsection.
"Well, you don't look like you're in desperate need of exercise to me but I'd be happy to give you a ride this time." Joy's voice was filled with sarcasm and once again Kate questioned why she had passed on Joy's offer for a ride the day they met.
Christmas All Around Us ; The Perfect Time for Love ; Playing for Keeps Page 40