Chapter 401: Jamlyn

Wednesday, February 8th, Evening

The sun hung low in the sky as Brett arrived at Jamlyn from Beaulieu Manor. Coming through the hall, she went up to her bedroom and dropped off her bags. Quickly closing her bedroom door before one of the younger kids would come to see her, Brett promptly stripped out of her clothes and pulled on shorts and a t-shirt.

Brett left her bedroom and headed downstairs to the kitchen. Looking through the fridge, Brett pulled out a bowl of fruit salad and a bottle of water. Taking her stuff to a table, she started to eat.

Being active, Brett always found her fuel tank near empty. So, she felt like she was constantly eating to keep her engine running.

Once finished, Brett cleaned up after herself. Looking at the clock, it was almost time for the Miami game. Brett nodded and headed towards the TV room.

Brett found Ashlyn in the TV room. Her mom sat on one of the couches, watched the pre-game show, and had her feet up on the couch covered with a blanket.

"Hey Brett, how was the final fitting?" Ashlyn asked.

"Intense," Brett said, finding a place to sit down.

"Yeah, Brooke can be that way," Ashlyn said, "Most times."

Brett nodded. "You've gone through it for her shows before, right?" she asked.

"How did you know that?" Ashlyn asked.

"Aunt Bobbi told me," Brett said.

"Your Aunt Bobbi can overshare sometimes," Ashlyn said.

"Like you don't?" Brett asked.

"Touché," Ashlyn said, "Yes, I've walked a few times for Brooke, but I've dealt with incensed Brooke before that."

"How?" Brett asked.

"Brooke made both my prom dress and wedding dress," Ashlyn said.

"How did you manage that?" Brett asked.

"Your Daddy James is Brooke's godson; I believe her first, and well, you know Brooke," Ashlyn said.

"Yeah, I get it," Brett said.

Ashlyn nodded, "Are you looking forward to New York this weekend?" she asked.

Brett nodded, "Yeah, funny thing, Brooke said I had to bring my homework," she said.

Ashlyn nodded, "You might be a senior, but you still have a few months left in the school year," she said.

"Is that my mom, coach, or guidance counselor talking?" Brett said.

"Yes," Ashlyn said, "But I was never your counselor."

Brett chuckled, "Sure," she said.

"Anyway, have your stuff you're bringing over to your dad's packed; I'll bring it over for you," Ashlyn said.

"Thanks," Brett said.

"There's more on your mind," Ashlyn said.

"What did it feel like when you were heading to Duke but didn't finish high school yet?" Brett asked.

"A lot of pain and rehab," Ashlyn said.

"I meant with basketball," Brett said.

Ashlyn shrugged, "I didn't think I was originally going to play in college. That's when Duke invited me to walk on; that's when I knew I had an opportunity to keep playing," she said.

"Oh," Brett said.

"Ask Auntie Tall or Daddy James," Ashlyn said.

"Okay?" Brett asked.

"They were in the same boat as you are in now," Ashlyn said.

Brett nodded, "So, who's playing Miami tonight?" she asked.

"They're in Milwaukee," Ashlyn said.

"Ugh! A road game," Brett said.

"Well, remember we're going to be playing games on the road," Ashlyn said.

Brett shook her head. "Okay," she said and leaned back in the chair.

The game started, and the two women watched the game unfold. Brett watched intently, breaking down what Miami and Milwaukee were doing. It gave her practice because she would need to do this more and more.

Ashlyn just curled up on the sofa. Every so often, she would adjust the blanket or take a sip of her water. Watching her husband play was an old hat for her. Ashlyn generally found it boring, but she still watched anyway.

The two women sat and watched the game. Brett would lean back in the chair and gently close her eyes. After what seemed like a few minutes, Brett picked her head up and opened her eyes.

Ashlyn was sitting up on her couch with several books open. Brett studied how Ashlyn slowly went over a few things and made notes.

"Mom, what are you doing?" Brett asked.

"You were napping, and I figured I'd go over some of the scouting reports," Ashlyn said.

"I was just resting my eyes," Brett said, "Why anyway?"

"You were snoring, and we're playing Laney in the first round of the conference tournament," Ashlyn said.

"They decided already?" Brett asked.

Ashlyn nodded, "Yes, they have, it was easy, we're number one," she said.

"I'm not worried; we've beaten Laney three times already," Brett said.

"You should worry about them even more," Ashlyn said.

"Why do you say that?" Brett asked.

"They know our plays; they know our players, in short, they know us," Ashlyn said, "Perhaps they know us too well."

Brett shrugged, "Okay," she said.

"What else is on your mind?" Ashlyn asked.

"Baylee is obsessed with the Bear Creek photo," Brett said.

Ashlyn laughed, "Yeah, that pic, I don't even know why we were doing that," she said.

"She said we need to do something like that," Brett said.

Ashlyn nodded, "Let me guess you're bored with our huddle breaks too," she said.

Brett nodded, "Kind of," she said.

"All that stuff just happened organically Brett. Someone thought it was a good idea, and we just went with it," Ashlyn said.

"I just, I don't know, I think we need to stand out," Brett said.

Ashlyn laughed, "The last championship doesn't stand out; there's nothing special about them," she said.

"And no one talks about them," Brett said.

"It's high school sports; almost no one talks about it. Also, the second championship is notable because five players won their second championship, don't lose sleep over it," Ashlyn said.

"I just do Mom," Brett said.

"Just be Brett, and you'll be fine," Ashlyn said, "I do have to go over these scouting reports."

"Okay," Brett said.

Ashlyn went back to her book while Brett watched the game. At half time as she usually would, Ashlyn checked on the younger children. Once Ashlyn returned, she went back to her scouting reports. Brett watched the basketball game. Miami beat Milwaukee 106 – 88, with James Scott leading the team with seven assists.