Chapter 45
Forty-Five
Two days after the parade wound through Downtown Pittsburgh, Cassie sat across from Stan in his office. Confetti still clung to her shoes. Stan leaned back, his grizzled face unreadable.
“So,” he said, steepling his fingers. “You going to do it?”
Cassie took a breath. “Yes. I’m taking the broadcast job when the WNHL expands to Pittsburgh.” She swallowed. “And… Luke and I are together. I didn’t want to hide it anymore.”
Stan exhaled, a small smile cracking his stern facade. “About time,” he said. “I’ve known for a while.”
Cassie’s eyes widened. “What?”
“I’m not blind,” Stan said, chuckling. “I see you two looking at each other like you’d melt the ice. But you never let it affect your work. That’s why I didn’t say anything. Also, my daughter loves his hair.”
Cassie laughed, relief flooding through her. “Will you be okay without me?”
Stan’s smile softened. “We’ll survive. You’ve built something here. You deserve to build something new. And the women’s game needs voices like yours.”
She spent the next week writing her farewell column.
It was the hardest piece of her life. She started with her internship eight years prior, when she had sat in the press box with trembling hands.
She wrote about the smell of stale popcorn, the camaraderie of the night shift, the thrill of a late goal.
She wrote about learning to ask tough questions and to apologize when she made mistakes.
She wrote about the fans who sent her hate mail and the ones who sent thank-you notes.
She wrote about the players who trusted her with their stories and the coaches who glared at her.
She did not mention Luke by name but wrote about “the relationships that both fueled and challenged me.” She ended with hope: “I’m not leaving hockey.
I’m just moving to another angle. I’ll still be talking about passing lanes and penalty kills—only now, you’ll hear my voice live. ”
The afternoon after her farewell column ran, the network announced Cassie Pearson as the lead color commentator for Pittsburgh’s forthcoming WNHL team. Social media buzzed. Fans were thrilled.
At home, Luke opened a bottle of champagne. He poured two flutes and handed one to Cassie. “To us,” he said.
“To us,” she echoed. They clinked glasses and toasted to a future filled with fewer secrets.