Home is Where the Heart is(68)

Cassie knew Jordan was being purposely calm about her rejection, even though she wasn’t sure what to expect from him anyway. She figured it could have just as easily gone the other way too. She could have been welcoming him into her arms and into her heart again, but there was a tiny piece of her heart that was still left broken from the last time Jordan had stomped on it, crushing it into a million little pieces. Cassie wasn’t prepared to risk it happening again, even if it meant she was turning her back on the possibility of love in her heart. Cassie was sure she could feel that way again, just not with Jordan, and certainly not with someone who lived his life mostly out of town.

And then just like that, he was gone, leaving Cassie reeling from the events of the night.

She didn’t want to talk about it, but she knew once she got inside the house, Gabby and maybe even Nick would want to know the gory details. She wouldn’t be able to stop the interrogation-style questions. Questions would always arise when Jordan showed his presence in Cassie’s life.

Cassie took in one deep breath, and then slowly blew it out, turning the handle to open the door and stepping inside, where she found a half-asleep Nick sprawled out on her comfy couch.

“Hi,” she said, scanning the room for her other friend. “Where’s Gabby?”

Nick sat up into a sitting position, scratching his head with a half-dazed look still planted on his face. “Well, after Jake went to bed, she didn’t see any point in both of us being here, so she went home.”

Cassie could swear she detected a hint of disappointment hidden in her friend’s voice.

Nick looked her up and down.

“How was your night? Did you have fun?” Then he peered past her as if he was looking for Jordan.

“Where’s Jordan?”

“He’s gone... I suspect back to your place.” Cassie bent down and slipped her boots off, placing them in the hall next to the table where she kept notes, pens, and odd and ends. She then took a seat on the couch next to Nick. “My night was good.”

“That’s all?”

Cassie shrugged her shoulders. “What? I had fun. How was your night? Was he a good boy for you?” She changed the subject.

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right. Date night between you and Jordan is probably the same as it was when we were in high school, except for the fact when you said it wasn’t a date—even though we both know it was.”

Not really, Cassie felt like saying, but she kept it to herself and instead, bit down on her bottom lip.

“Jake was an absolute champ, like always. He’s a pleasure to babysit and be able to call him my godson. He’s a great kid. Besides, he gives me the opportunity to unleash the inner-child inside me and play video games with him—which he is awesome at, by the way.”

Cassie laughed. She certainly didn’t know where her son got his gaming skills. They weren’t from her; that was for sure.

Cassie nudged Nick playfully in the arm. “Oh, but you’re just a big kid at heart anyway. That wouldn’t be hard for you to do.”

She rose to her feet to make her way in to see her son before she too headed off to bed, ready to sleep off the events she experienced tonight.

Cassie laid one hand on Nick’s knee as she got to her feet, whispering “Thank you.”

She really was grateful for everything her friends did to help her out. She couldn’t have wished for better friends than Nick, Gabby, and even Gabby’s parents.

“Anytime. Like I said, he’s no trouble. I’ll see myself out. Goodnight.”

With her back turned, she waved goodbye as she walked toward Jake’s bedroom, entering softly to stand at the foot of his bed.

Her motherly instincts kicked into overdrive, and she couldn’t help but gently brush the top of his forehead with her hand knowing she would be okay without Jordan as her boyfriend. She had made it this far without him. She just knew she could make it even more, because Jake’s life depended on her being as strong as she could possibly be as a single parent.





Two weeks had passed since Cassie rejected the idea of a possible reunion   between her and Jordan. Since then, though not by choice, he had quietly retreated back to Miami for training camp before football season officially began—which the entire town of Yellow Valley was ecstatic about. Cassie hadn’t realized she resided in such a football-crazed town until now, but thankfully, Jordan hadn’t just bailed without saying goodbye to Jake or spending some quality father-son time with him, which—Cassie knew—Jordan and Jake now cherished, telling him how he would return, just as soon as he was able to come back.

Summer vacation was on the verge of winding down, and school would resume very soon, but in the meantime, on the days when Cassie had to go to work—despite being the boss now, which was still very new to her—she made arrangements for Jake to either play with his friends or spend the day with his surrogate grandparents, otherwise known as Gabby’s parents, which was where he was today.