Seeing Stars
31: Gentle On My Mind
"That keeps you on the backroads, by the rivers of my memory, that keeps you ever gentle on my mind..."
“This class is not going to be easy, and it is not going to be fun. I’m not here to be your friend, I’m here to get you internships that will teach you the ways of the business world, so that when you leave the confines of this campus and pursue your own career, you will not only be able to survive, but thrive as well. I will not hold your hand through this process, and I will not listen to the petty cries of a young adult. Go to your mother, father, or lover for that. If you have any further questions about this course, come speak to me during my office hours. Other than that, you will be notified of your placement via email; please keep checking. I’ll see you all next Saturday.”
Cassidy sat frozen in her seat, looking around the lecture hall to see everyone else just as confused as her. Had that really come out of her professor’s mouth?
Jesus.
It was already early evening by the time she parked on Jamie’s driveway, bags in tow. The humid end of summer air was stifling, choking out her breath. It had now been over a month since Jamie’s birthday. With September only a few days away, it meant there was about a month before hockey season started back up again. This would be the end of their carefree days and nights, as Jamie would begin the process of skating on a daily basis, making sure he was strong by the time his season started. And he’d have time to devote to hockey, considering their escapade of his birthday weekend hadn’t led to another pregnancy.
But all that would be put on hold; for tonight at least. When she pushed open the front door, the house was seemingly empty. Only when she stepped into Jamie’s bedroom, could she see him washing his hair vigorously.
“My phone!” He yelled over the thrumming of the water.
Cassidy dropped her bags on his bed and ran for the bathroom sink, picking up his vibrating phone and glanced at the caller ID. Great, Rich Evans; Cassidy’s number one fan. She flashed it to Jamie, and he nodded, giving her permission to answer it.
Although it was the last thing she wanted to do, she walked back into the bedroom and slid her finger across the screen before holding the phone up to her ear. “Hello,”
“Can you put Jamie on the phone,” Rich sounded displeased, as usual, to hear Cassidy’s voice.
“He’s in the shower. Do you want me to give him a message?”
“Just tell him I’ll be by the house with a car and driver around seven. Tell him to wear the light gray suit with the pale gold tie. He won’t need a pocket square, and match it with the brown leather wingtip oxfords.”
Cassidy clenched her jaw, holding back any snarky comment that may slip past her lips. Rich already had something against her; she didn’t want to give him another reason. “I’ll pass the message along.”
The phone clicked and the line went dead. Slowly, she pulled the phone away from her ear, and walked back into the bathroom, where Jamie was now, leaning over the sink shaving off the stubble on his cheeks. Cassidy passed the message along, like an obedient woman. But apparently Jamie could tell something was bothering her, as he leaned in and kissed her lips quickly, smearing his shaving cream over her cheeks.
“Richie… I told you she was coming,”
Cassidy could hear Jamie on the phone. He was in the living room, dressed up and ready to go, while she made final touches to her hair and makeup. He was trying to defend her honor, and while he seemed to chuckle at Rich’s disappointment, it was disheartening that Jamie’s agent didn’t respect her more.
“Because I invited her… It’s not like I’m going to be the only one bringing someone along. Nathalie will be there, and I’m sure Jason Spezza will be bringing his wife along. God, Val will probably bring someone too.”
Cassidy took a deep breath as she stared at herself in the mirror. It was now or never. No more time for the self-doubt.
“Yeah, I see the car; hold your water, we’ll be out in a second.” Jamie hung up and slid his cell phone into the inner pocket of his suit jacket. He glanced up the staircase, “Cass, the car’s here!”
Just a second later, Cassidy was gripping the railing with one hand, holding her clutch in the other, and carefully making her way down to the foyer where Jamie was waiting… or more appropriately, staring at her. It was the first time he’d ever seen her dressed up like this, and when she had descended the last stair, he reached out for her to take her hand.
“You look beautiful,”
She smiled and ran her fingertips across Jamie’s smooth cheek, and then down to the light gold tie that matched the shimmery color of her dress. Even in her three-inch heels, she was dwarfed in comparison to Jamie, and still had to look up into his eyes.
Jamie ushered her to the door, kissing the back of her hand quickly, before he linked her arm around his, “Rich is going to try to tell us what to do tonight… Stay composed, stay classy, don’t throw any punches at him, and we should be good.”
“You may be asking too much of me,” she murmured in response as the driver opened up the rear limousine door. Using Jamie’s hand as support, Cassidy lowered herself into the car and slid further in, seeing Rich sitting across from her, eyes buried in his phone.
Jamie sat besides her, nodding to the driver, and then waited for the door to be shut. “Richie…” He placed his hand on top of Cassidy’s as the car began to move.
“One second…” Rich trailed off, typing something before he put his phone away and looked up. “Jamie, you handsome devil,” he joked. “Miss Knox,”
An awkward silence fell over the three of them. Jamie took the moment to clear his throat, “you know I just had my twenty-fifth birthday; I am capable of dressing myself.”
Rich smiled and waved off his hand, “I know, but this event is important to the team. It’s vital your shoes match the suit. I can’t have you showing up to this event in Converse. No one would want me to represent them if that was the example being made.” He paused, glancing at Cassidy’s dress, “the tie does match quite well.”
“I told you it would,” Jamie retorted. He truly was trying to have Cassidy’s back, and for that, she was grateful.
“The media will want to talk to you first and foremost. I know it’s been awhile since you’ve seen Tyler, but make a point to talk to the press before you buddy up to him. As captain, you’re the face of the franchise; people want to hear from you. Also, associate with the children; smile, laugh, take time for autograph and photo ops.”
Without mentioning anything about what she was supposed to do, Cassidy figured her role was to keep her mouth shut; something she was getting used to. When they arrived at the event, rows of reporters and photographers were already getting quotes and shots of the athletes who had already shown up.
The car stopped and Jamie pushed open the car door, stepping out and buttoned his suit jacket, before reaching back down into the car and helping Cassidy out. She took his hand and stood beside him, taking a deep breath in as this started to get all too real for her.
“Deep breaths,” Jamie murmured in her ear, smiling and kissing her temple quickly. The press hadn’t begun to pay attention to him. With Cassidy’s arm linked around his, he began walking towards the madness. “Children’s Medical Center; we do events here every year to raise money… usually they’re not this formal.”
Shortly after they stepped into the crowd, Jamie moved his arm and set it on the small of Cassidy’s back, guiding her forward, until they were ultimately stopped, photographed, and questioned.
“First event of the 2014, 2015 season… how’s it feel to be back?” A representative for Stars Insider asked, immediately thrusting a microphone towards Jamie.
“Feels good. We like coming out, seeing the kids. Uh, some of them are not in the best of situations, and we like spending time here, seeing their smiles and everything.”
Cassidy watched Jamie as he spoke, smiling at the way he carried himself in front of the press, seeming much older than twenty-five. When Cassidy looked back at the reporter, she was staring at her, almost admiring the way she stood patiently.
“And what are you looking forward to most tonight?”
“Uh… just making some kids smile and laugh, make their night a little better. I’m sure we’ll see some kids we’ve seen before, so catch up with them maybe.”
“Thanks Jamie. We’ll see you inside,”
Jamie smiled and led Cassidy forward, looking down to make sure he didn’t step on the end of her dress. They stopped a few more times before entering the hospital. And to both of their surprise, very little was asked about the status of their relationship.
Upon entering, the first person to greet them was Tyler, who promptly clung onto Jamie like a boy welcoming his brother home from war. Jamie giggled, patting Tyler’s back, as the rest of the team came to say hi.
Begin peeled off of Jamie, Tyler leaned over and kissed Cassidy’s cheek. She smiled and reached up to squeeze his shoulder gently, feeling a sense of relief as she saw Nathalie approaching her.
“You look gorgeous!” Nathalie nudged past the much larger hockey players and hugged Cassidy.
It had been awhile since she had last seen Nathalie, but her presence at the hospital was comforting, considering there weren’t many people she knew. “Thanks! You look amazing too.”
Nathalie smiled and linked her arm with Cassidy’s, pulling her away from Jamie’s side. Once they were away from the craziness surrounding the team, Nathalie led Cassidy into an elevator, took a short ride up, and then stood at the doors of the NICU.
“I don’t know about you, but I love babies. I know you don’t have kids yet, but… I think it’s their little faces.”
Cassidy smiled and looked past the sliding glass doors. It was strange to see the rows of cribs, containing tiny humans, already fighting for their lives. And in the rocking chairs lining the walls, parents sat rocking their helpless children.
“No one said anything about me, but the way the press looks at me as I stand beside Jamie… I can tell they want to ask. They don’t think I’m going to be here in the long run. Hell, Jamie’s agent doesn’t think so either.” Cassidy looked down at the infant in her arms. The child was one of the healthier ones, yet the hospital staff required that they wear mesh gowns over their dresses if they were going to hold any babies.
“Well his agent has to be on the defensive. It’s his job to be that way. It took Rich’s agent awhile to get use to me too. But once he realized I wasn’t going anywhere, and wasn’t only trying to inherit Rich’s money, he warmed up.”
Cassidy bounced the baby gently as he began to fuss. It was as though it was an instinct to her. Even as she felt a hand against her shoulder, she didn’t take her eyes off the child.
“That’s a good look for you,”
Cassidy looked up, rolling her eyes as she stared at Jamie, who was now grinning and wearing a mesh cover over his suit. She looked down at the yellow, mesh gown that was covering her dress, and began rocking the baby again. “This thing? It’s ugly and makes a weird sound when I move,” she demonstrated by shimmying her arms, cringing at the noise the mesh made.
“I meant the baby,” Jamie murmured, glancing at Nathalie quickly. She took the hint and said goodnight. As she stood up, she handed Jamie the baby she had been holding. He held her awkwardly at first, before sitting down in the chair across from Cassidy, and cradled the baby against his chest. “You hid in here the entire night,”
“I wasn’t hiding, I just wanted you to be able to do your thing. Honestly, I think we just lost track of time.” She smiled and stood up to set the baby back in his crib. Jamie did the same with the infant he was holding. “What’d you mean by it… That it’s a good look for me?” They both pulled off the gowns over them, revealing their formal attire and left the NICU, meandering through the hallways.
“You look good holding a baby. It’s sexy,” he looked down at his shoes as they exited the hospital. Rich Evans was already standing by the car, impatiently waiting to leave.
When Cassidy saw him, she reached for Jamie’s forearm, stopping him from getting any closer to the limousine. If she had learned anything from the advice Nathalie had given her while in the NICU, it was being honest with Jamie about her feelings; and not just her feelings for him, but for everything.
“I don’t think he likes me very much; like I’m temporary or something. I feel he thinks I’m irrelevant.” It came out almost a whisper as if she was subconsciously telling herself to stop talking. But it came out, and Jamie heard it.
He looked down at her, then over at Rich, who looked more impatient now than before, and then back at Cassidy. His silence was puzzling to her, but after a moment, he took her hand, intertwined their fingers, and approached Rich.
“She’s not temporary or irrelevant. You best get used to her, because she’s not going anywhere. And don’t make me choose between you and her, because Richie… you won’t like my choice.” His remark didn’t come out angry, or even threatening. It was more factual than anything; like he wouldn’t tolerate another minute of her feeling inferior.
And if she thought the drive to the event was awkward, it paled in comparison to the awkwardness of the drive home; and not because Rich was ignoring her. No, in fact he asked plenty of questions; some brushing the surface of the person she was, while others bordered on invasive. Each time, Jamie stepped in, reprimanding his now nosy agent. There was apparently no middle ground with Rich. It was either be ignored or be interrogated.
“This class is not going to be easy, and it is not going to be fun. I’m not here to be your friend, I’m here to get you internships that will teach you the ways of the business world, so that when you leave the confines of this campus and pursue your own career, you will not only be able to survive, but thrive as well. I will not hold your hand through this process, and I will not listen to the petty cries of a young adult. Go to your mother, father, or lover for that. If you have any further questions about this course, come speak to me during my office hours. Other than that, you will be notified of your placement via email; please keep checking. I’ll see you all next Saturday.”
Cassidy sat frozen in her seat, looking around the lecture hall to see everyone else just as confused as her. Had that really come out of her professor’s mouth?
Jesus.
It was already early evening by the time she parked on Jamie’s driveway, bags in tow. The humid end of summer air was stifling, choking out her breath. It had now been over a month since Jamie’s birthday. With September only a few days away, it meant there was about a month before hockey season started back up again. This would be the end of their carefree days and nights, as Jamie would begin the process of skating on a daily basis, making sure he was strong by the time his season started. And he’d have time to devote to hockey, considering their escapade of his birthday weekend hadn’t led to another pregnancy.
But all that would be put on hold; for tonight at least. When she pushed open the front door, the house was seemingly empty. Only when she stepped into Jamie’s bedroom, could she see him washing his hair vigorously.
“My phone!” He yelled over the thrumming of the water.
Cassidy dropped her bags on his bed and ran for the bathroom sink, picking up his vibrating phone and glanced at the caller ID. Great, Rich Evans; Cassidy’s number one fan. She flashed it to Jamie, and he nodded, giving her permission to answer it.
Although it was the last thing she wanted to do, she walked back into the bedroom and slid her finger across the screen before holding the phone up to her ear. “Hello,”
“Can you put Jamie on the phone,” Rich sounded displeased, as usual, to hear Cassidy’s voice.
“He’s in the shower. Do you want me to give him a message?”
“Just tell him I’ll be by the house with a car and driver around seven. Tell him to wear the light gray suit with the pale gold tie. He won’t need a pocket square, and match it with the brown leather wingtip oxfords.”
Cassidy clenched her jaw, holding back any snarky comment that may slip past her lips. Rich already had something against her; she didn’t want to give him another reason. “I’ll pass the message along.”
The phone clicked and the line went dead. Slowly, she pulled the phone away from her ear, and walked back into the bathroom, where Jamie was now, leaning over the sink shaving off the stubble on his cheeks. Cassidy passed the message along, like an obedient woman. But apparently Jamie could tell something was bothering her, as he leaned in and kissed her lips quickly, smearing his shaving cream over her cheeks.
“Richie… I told you she was coming,”
Cassidy could hear Jamie on the phone. He was in the living room, dressed up and ready to go, while she made final touches to her hair and makeup. He was trying to defend her honor, and while he seemed to chuckle at Rich’s disappointment, it was disheartening that Jamie’s agent didn’t respect her more.
“Because I invited her… It’s not like I’m going to be the only one bringing someone along. Nathalie will be there, and I’m sure Jason Spezza will be bringing his wife along. God, Val will probably bring someone too.”
Cassidy took a deep breath as she stared at herself in the mirror. It was now or never. No more time for the self-doubt.
“Yeah, I see the car; hold your water, we’ll be out in a second.” Jamie hung up and slid his cell phone into the inner pocket of his suit jacket. He glanced up the staircase, “Cass, the car’s here!”
Just a second later, Cassidy was gripping the railing with one hand, holding her clutch in the other, and carefully making her way down to the foyer where Jamie was waiting… or more appropriately, staring at her. It was the first time he’d ever seen her dressed up like this, and when she had descended the last stair, he reached out for her to take her hand.
“You look beautiful,”
She smiled and ran her fingertips across Jamie’s smooth cheek, and then down to the light gold tie that matched the shimmery color of her dress. Even in her three-inch heels, she was dwarfed in comparison to Jamie, and still had to look up into his eyes.
Jamie ushered her to the door, kissing the back of her hand quickly, before he linked her arm around his, “Rich is going to try to tell us what to do tonight… Stay composed, stay classy, don’t throw any punches at him, and we should be good.”
“You may be asking too much of me,” she murmured in response as the driver opened up the rear limousine door. Using Jamie’s hand as support, Cassidy lowered herself into the car and slid further in, seeing Rich sitting across from her, eyes buried in his phone.
Jamie sat besides her, nodding to the driver, and then waited for the door to be shut. “Richie…” He placed his hand on top of Cassidy’s as the car began to move.
“One second…” Rich trailed off, typing something before he put his phone away and looked up. “Jamie, you handsome devil,” he joked. “Miss Knox,”
An awkward silence fell over the three of them. Jamie took the moment to clear his throat, “you know I just had my twenty-fifth birthday; I am capable of dressing myself.”
Rich smiled and waved off his hand, “I know, but this event is important to the team. It’s vital your shoes match the suit. I can’t have you showing up to this event in Converse. No one would want me to represent them if that was the example being made.” He paused, glancing at Cassidy’s dress, “the tie does match quite well.”
“I told you it would,” Jamie retorted. He truly was trying to have Cassidy’s back, and for that, she was grateful.
“The media will want to talk to you first and foremost. I know it’s been awhile since you’ve seen Tyler, but make a point to talk to the press before you buddy up to him. As captain, you’re the face of the franchise; people want to hear from you. Also, associate with the children; smile, laugh, take time for autograph and photo ops.”
Without mentioning anything about what she was supposed to do, Cassidy figured her role was to keep her mouth shut; something she was getting used to. When they arrived at the event, rows of reporters and photographers were already getting quotes and shots of the athletes who had already shown up.
The car stopped and Jamie pushed open the car door, stepping out and buttoned his suit jacket, before reaching back down into the car and helping Cassidy out. She took his hand and stood beside him, taking a deep breath in as this started to get all too real for her.
“Deep breaths,” Jamie murmured in her ear, smiling and kissing her temple quickly. The press hadn’t begun to pay attention to him. With Cassidy’s arm linked around his, he began walking towards the madness. “Children’s Medical Center; we do events here every year to raise money… usually they’re not this formal.”
Shortly after they stepped into the crowd, Jamie moved his arm and set it on the small of Cassidy’s back, guiding her forward, until they were ultimately stopped, photographed, and questioned.
“First event of the 2014, 2015 season… how’s it feel to be back?” A representative for Stars Insider asked, immediately thrusting a microphone towards Jamie.
“Feels good. We like coming out, seeing the kids. Uh, some of them are not in the best of situations, and we like spending time here, seeing their smiles and everything.”
Cassidy watched Jamie as he spoke, smiling at the way he carried himself in front of the press, seeming much older than twenty-five. When Cassidy looked back at the reporter, she was staring at her, almost admiring the way she stood patiently.
“And what are you looking forward to most tonight?”
“Uh… just making some kids smile and laugh, make their night a little better. I’m sure we’ll see some kids we’ve seen before, so catch up with them maybe.”
“Thanks Jamie. We’ll see you inside,”
Jamie smiled and led Cassidy forward, looking down to make sure he didn’t step on the end of her dress. They stopped a few more times before entering the hospital. And to both of their surprise, very little was asked about the status of their relationship.
Upon entering, the first person to greet them was Tyler, who promptly clung onto Jamie like a boy welcoming his brother home from war. Jamie giggled, patting Tyler’s back, as the rest of the team came to say hi.
Begin peeled off of Jamie, Tyler leaned over and kissed Cassidy’s cheek. She smiled and reached up to squeeze his shoulder gently, feeling a sense of relief as she saw Nathalie approaching her.
“You look gorgeous!” Nathalie nudged past the much larger hockey players and hugged Cassidy.
It had been awhile since she had last seen Nathalie, but her presence at the hospital was comforting, considering there weren’t many people she knew. “Thanks! You look amazing too.”
Nathalie smiled and linked her arm with Cassidy’s, pulling her away from Jamie’s side. Once they were away from the craziness surrounding the team, Nathalie led Cassidy into an elevator, took a short ride up, and then stood at the doors of the NICU.
“I don’t know about you, but I love babies. I know you don’t have kids yet, but… I think it’s their little faces.”
Cassidy smiled and looked past the sliding glass doors. It was strange to see the rows of cribs, containing tiny humans, already fighting for their lives. And in the rocking chairs lining the walls, parents sat rocking their helpless children.
“No one said anything about me, but the way the press looks at me as I stand beside Jamie… I can tell they want to ask. They don’t think I’m going to be here in the long run. Hell, Jamie’s agent doesn’t think so either.” Cassidy looked down at the infant in her arms. The child was one of the healthier ones, yet the hospital staff required that they wear mesh gowns over their dresses if they were going to hold any babies.
“Well his agent has to be on the defensive. It’s his job to be that way. It took Rich’s agent awhile to get use to me too. But once he realized I wasn’t going anywhere, and wasn’t only trying to inherit Rich’s money, he warmed up.”
Cassidy bounced the baby gently as he began to fuss. It was as though it was an instinct to her. Even as she felt a hand against her shoulder, she didn’t take her eyes off the child.
“That’s a good look for you,”
Cassidy looked up, rolling her eyes as she stared at Jamie, who was now grinning and wearing a mesh cover over his suit. She looked down at the yellow, mesh gown that was covering her dress, and began rocking the baby again. “This thing? It’s ugly and makes a weird sound when I move,” she demonstrated by shimmying her arms, cringing at the noise the mesh made.
“I meant the baby,” Jamie murmured, glancing at Nathalie quickly. She took the hint and said goodnight. As she stood up, she handed Jamie the baby she had been holding. He held her awkwardly at first, before sitting down in the chair across from Cassidy, and cradled the baby against his chest. “You hid in here the entire night,”
“I wasn’t hiding, I just wanted you to be able to do your thing. Honestly, I think we just lost track of time.” She smiled and stood up to set the baby back in his crib. Jamie did the same with the infant he was holding. “What’d you mean by it… That it’s a good look for me?” They both pulled off the gowns over them, revealing their formal attire and left the NICU, meandering through the hallways.
“You look good holding a baby. It’s sexy,” he looked down at his shoes as they exited the hospital. Rich Evans was already standing by the car, impatiently waiting to leave.
When Cassidy saw him, she reached for Jamie’s forearm, stopping him from getting any closer to the limousine. If she had learned anything from the advice Nathalie had given her while in the NICU, it was being honest with Jamie about her feelings; and not just her feelings for him, but for everything.
“I don’t think he likes me very much; like I’m temporary or something. I feel he thinks I’m irrelevant.” It came out almost a whisper as if she was subconsciously telling herself to stop talking. But it came out, and Jamie heard it.
He looked down at her, then over at Rich, who looked more impatient now than before, and then back at Cassidy. His silence was puzzling to her, but after a moment, he took her hand, intertwined their fingers, and approached Rich.
“She’s not temporary or irrelevant. You best get used to her, because she’s not going anywhere. And don’t make me choose between you and her, because Richie… you won’t like my choice.” His remark didn’t come out angry, or even threatening. It was more factual than anything; like he wouldn’t tolerate another minute of her feeling inferior.
And if she thought the drive to the event was awkward, it paled in comparison to the awkwardness of the drive home; and not because Rich was ignoring her. No, in fact he asked plenty of questions; some brushing the surface of the person she was, while others bordered on invasive. Each time, Jamie stepped in, reprimanding his now nosy agent. There was apparently no middle ground with Rich. It was either be ignored or be interrogated.
Notes
This chapter is titled after "Gentle On My Mind" by Glen Campbell, covered by The Band Perry
Thank you all for reading! Message me or comment about what you think will happen with these two! :D
please update!!!!
5/2/16