Quitting the Quarterback (The Nash Brothers #4)

CHAPTER 53 Cassie Fields

Motivation to Start Putting My Life Back Together.

The kids asked about Tanner all weekend.

“Why aren’t you at his house today?”

“Can we come with and swim again?”

“Is he all better?”

When I told them I’m no longer working with him, they were devastated. Luca cried. Lily went to her room and slammed her door.

When I told him it was a mistake introducing him to my kids, this is what I meant. It’s not just him and me ending things. It’s all of it. It isn’t just my heartbreak to suffer alone. It’s theirs, too, and knowing they’re sad about it only hurts me all over again.

They fell for him. Admittedly, it was in a different way than how I fell for him, but they still did, and now their feelings are hurt. The last thing I ever want to do is hurt my kids, and that’s why I find myself standing at the bus stop chatting with Jess long after the bus is out of sight .

“Did I make a mistake?” I ask softly when it’s just the two of us.

“You want my brutal honesty?”

I purse my lips. “No. I want you to lie and tell me I did the right thing.”

“You know I won’t lie to you.”

I sigh.

“Yes, you made a mistake,” she says flatly. “You’re putting blame in the wrong spot because you’re hurt you were fired, and you’re sad over losing your job. But just for a moment, I want you to visualize your future. Think beyond high school. Lily’s graduating college, Luca’s finding success in his chosen field, and you’re officially an empty nester…is it your job that you’re turning to, or is it your partner?”

“It’s not that simple,” I whine.

“Yeah, it actually is, Cassie. And I’m not going to protect your feelings by sugarcoating it. You have to do what’s right for you and your kids, but at this point, you’re the only one who can fix it.” She shrugs at the end, and maybe she’s right.

It doesn’t feel that simple, though.

Maybe I should call him.

I flip on the television as I start breakfast, and the channel lands on some celebrity gossip show—one I never watch, to be honest, but I just cracked an egg and I can’t grab the remote to change it. Just as I’m drying my hands on a towel, my ears perk up as my head whips to the screen at the mention of his name.

“In celebrity sightings, Tanner Banks, injured quarterback of the San Diego Storm, was spotted last night at a club in Vegas.” The screen shifts from the host to a video clearly recorded on someone’s phone. It’s definitely Tanner, and he’s chugging from a glass while someone sprays a champagne bottle nearby. He slams the glass down with a laugh, and it feels like divine intervention .

It’s a sign.

I’m sad and sulking, and he’s…

Well, he’s in Vegas. At a club. Like the one we met at.

And he’s chugging liquid from a glass and laughing with people I don’t know.

I flip off the television—both with my finger and with the remote—and I decide that I need to use it as motivation.

Motivation to start putting my life back together.

And with that in mind, I finish my eggs and head over to the gym where Lily takes her gymnastics lessons.

I spot the owner at the front desk, and I march over toward her. She’s shuffling some papers around as she spot-checks something from the paper on the computer.

“Good morning, Janet,” I say brightly.

“Cassie, it’s good to see you in here. What can I do for you?” she asks. She sets the papers down and focuses her attention on me.

“I’m sure this is a longshot, but I’m a practicing physical therapist, and I was wondering if you have any staff openings. I’ve loved gymnastics my whole life, and I’m really interested in working with athletes.” I stand confidently even though I’m no longer feeling that confidence inside.

“Oh, I had no idea you were a physical therapist. Unfortunately, we’re not hiring, but I’ll keep you in mind,” she says, and her voice is apologetic.

“Do you have a PT on staff?” I press. “Because I’d even consider part-time work where I could do some additional training with the athletes before or after their sessions.”

“We don’t. But you bring up an interesting idea, and it’s something I’ll discuss with Nate,” she says, naming her husband.

“I appreciate that,” I say with a smile. “I’m transitioning from stay-at-home mom back to the work force, and it’s not as easy as you might think. ”

“I’m sure it’s not,” she says. “Best of luck to you, and I’ll certainly be in touch if something opens.”

“I appreciate that.” I don’t want to get too pushy, so I walk out toward my car after that. I went in with such hope, and I’m leaving it all there in the lobby.

I don’t know what to do with myself. I realize this is just one of what will likely be many rejections, and it was a soft one at that since she’s going to consider a new position—if she really meant that. But getting the job at Motion Orthopedics felt so easy.

And it was all taken away pretty easily, too.

I head toward home because I’m not sure what else to do. I put on Expedition Unknown , grab the bracelet supplies, and give in to both my kids’ favorite hobbies even as I realize how much this episode makes me think of Tanner.

I find myself stringing a bracelet with his name on it, tears in my eyes, and I realize that even this task, doing my kids’ hobbies, somehow connects back to him.

Maybe it’s time to find some hobbies of my own.