Sidelined: A Wilde Players Dirty Romance

by Terri E. Laine

  “It’s my house, too, and I got kicked out. I need somewhere to sleep.”

  “Sorry, I have company,” I lie.

  “Who’s there? That football asshole?”

  Who in town had been running their mouth?

  “It’s none of your business. Go to a motel.”

  “I don’t have money.”

  Of course, he doesn’t.

  “Sleep in your car.” It’s mean, but something seems off. And I can’t let him in.

  “My car’s in the shop.”

  All his answers are too quick and clipped.

  “Why?”

  “Busted radiator, what do I know? I’m not a mechanic. At least let me borrow some money.”

  “Borrow some money? I don’t have any extra money. You got credit cards in my name and maxed them out, leaving me to pay them off. So, no, I don’t have any cash on me.” Also another lie or at least the part about not having any cash.

  His fist hits the door, rattling me, too. I jump back.

  “Let me the fuck in, Cassie, or give me some goddamn money.”

  I don’t want to admit fear, but I feel something close to it. Calvin may be a drunk, but he’d never hurt me before, not physically at least. Who is this man?

  “I’m calling the cops.”

  An idle threat, I hope. Last thing I want to do is announce to my neighbors I have trouble.

  “Will she do that?” It was a different voice and male. “I thought you said you could get the cash you owe me from her.”

  “Shh,” Calvin whispers and not to me.

  He’d brought someone else over here in the middle of the night? “I’m calling them now!” I shout.

  I move away from the door, intending to do just that.

  “Fine, I’m leaving. But this isn’t over!” he yells.

  How many of my neighbors had he woken up? But a quick check out the window and I watch him get into a dark sedan with some other guy. When they pull away, I finally relax. Well, sort of. What the fuck was that all about? My hands shake as I make my way to my bedroom. I almost call Fletcher, but I decide against it. Calvin’s gone, for now. No need to wake Fletcher up. Plus, I have to be able to take care of myself.

  Sleep eludes me for the rest of the night, yet somehow I’m still late to work. Fletcher, my first appointment for the day, is already in the room when I walk in.

  “Sorry,” I say.

  “You look tired.”

  “Thanks,” I say, but there’s no teasing tone in my voice like there is in his.

  “I kept you up too late.”

  “It’s not that,” I snap. I realize I’ve made a mistake and gently add, “Let’s just get started, okay. I have a full day.”

  I’m writing notes on my clipboard when he snatches it away. Good thing I hadn’t started carrying around the computer to write notes the way he tosses it onto the counter nearby.

  “Don’t,” he growls and pins me to the wall. “Don’t do this again. I thought we agreed.”

  I can’t answer before his kiss steals my breath. His hands tighten on my hips when Jenny starts knocking on the door.

  “Sorry to interrupt, but you’re needed up front right now.” I hear through the closed door.

  Shoving at Fletcher because Jenny sounds panicked, and she never sounds that way, I’m out the door in a flash. When I round the corner, Calvin is heading in my direction.

  “Where are you going?” I’m so pissed I want to throw something, but I also can’t afford to replace anything either. In the last couple of weeks, I took the plunge. I managed to get a loan to buy the business from the doctor who was selling. I hadn’t told anyone. And my cashier’s check has barely cleared, and now this.

  “I’ve come to see our business. Just got back from the bank and guess what I find out?”

  Fletcher is behind me. Although I hadn’t heard him, I feel his heat at my back. “What?” I snarl.

  “That you’ve taken a second mortgage out on our house.”

  “My house.”

  “I went to try to get a loan on the house.”

  “You what? You can’t.” Words launch out of my mouth haphazardly. “The house isn’t even in your name anymore.”

  He shrugs. “But you owe me my half of it. And I hear you’re using the money from a second mortgage to finance this place, which means half of this place is mine.”

  How the hell did he know that? Who at the bank had told him my business?

  “Get out!” I yell, not caring if anyone else sees this debacle.

  “I don’t—”

  “You heard the lady,” Fletcher says, cutting him off and moving to stand almost in front of me. “Get the fuck out.”

  “Oh, lookie here. The asshole that destroyed my marriage. Do you know how many times I came home to her crying over something on TV? It took me a while to figure out why SportsCenter and TMZ would make my wife cry.”

  Those times had been few and not by choice. But turning on the TV and catching Fletcher on the news those couple of times had reminded me of all I had lost and made me more determined to avoid mentions of him for that very reason.

  “And now you’re back with your fancy shit.” His wild eyes land on me. “He’s just going to fuck you over again, Cassie. Meanwhile, why don’t you get him to give you the money to pay me off? And I’ll gladly stop bothering you.”

  Calvin spins and leaves while I’m left there wondering what the fuck just happened. Jenny’s wide eyes are on me. Fletcher turns me to face him.

  “I’ll give you the money.”

  I shake my head. “I don’t want your money. I never did.”

  “I know, and I love you for that. But let me do this.”

  Snorting at the unreality of this moment, I say, “If I give him anything, then he’ll do this the next time he’s in a jam, and he’ll just come over like he did last night.”

  “What? He came to your house last night?” he bellows.

  Not a single bit of work is getting accomplished, so I tell him what happened.

  “You’re staying at my place until we sort this out.”

  “I can’t,” I say, not really having a good reason.

  “Either you stay with me or I’ll stay with you.”

  Fletcher

  Seeing the way that dickface speaks to Cassie makes me want to not only smash his pie hole to smithereens, but also flatten that motherfucker until he can’t get up again. The idea that he went to her house last night, while she was there alone, almost makes me lose my shit. But when I hear the douchebag talk about how I destroyed her marriage, I nearly kiss the guy. It comes as a huge shock to me because I hadn’t been aware she’d even seen so much as a clip of a game, much less watched me on TMZ. It doesn’t negate his foul treatment of her, though. She’s not safe, and I aim to rectify that.

  “You decide, Cass, but I won’t have you staying by yourself while I’m here. I see him as a huge threat to you. I … Jesus, that fucker could’ve hurt you.”

  “He won’t. He doesn’t have it in him. He’s not a bad guy. He’s just in a bad place.”

  “I think you’re in denial. Look at the way he charged in here. Did you see your admin’s face? She was frightened out of her wits. Desperate people do things they normally don’t do.”

  Cassidy is proud, and I get that. She’s probably balking because she doesn’t want to admit she’s afraid, and I get that, too. She may see it as a weakness, but she is not that at all.

  “How do you think I would feel if something would’ve happened to you and I could’ve prevented it? Let me help you. Please, Cass. Besides, Boomer and Brady told me to tell you they miss you.”

  She looks up at me with a playful half-grin and says, “You’re not going to let up, are you?” I shake my head. “Fine. But I’m only doing it for the dogs. I feel sorry for them having you as their only caretaker.”

  Letting her have her fun, I pull her in my arms and hold her for a long minute before whispering into her ear, “Thank you.” Put
ting a tiny distance between us, I give her a pointed stare. “Now, are you going to tell me why you never called to say you still had feelings for me?”

  Shyly, she graces me with those beautiful golden eyes of hers. Only now pain and darkness mar the brightness that was there moments ago.

  “Can we talk about this tonight? I probably have a patient or two waiting, and in all honesty, this won’t be an easy thing for me.”

  “Sure. What time will you be ready?”

  Her expression clouds with confusion. “What do you mean? I know where you live. I can drive.”

  “I understand that, but I don’t want you driving out there alone. I’ll meet you and follow you.”

  She smirks. “Fletcher, I’m a big girl. I’m pretty sure I can handle the drive.”

  “I’m a big boy, but I’m pretty sure I want to escort you.”

  After a large harrumph, she finally gives in, and I leave so she can resume her work. She says she’ll make up my missed appointment tonight. It’s all I can think of all day long. So to get my mind off her, I give my buddy, Mark, a call to catch up with him.

  “You back in town?” I ask. He’s been away on a business trip to the West Coast.

  “Finally. What’s been happening?”

  “Not too much.” I fill him in on my situation with the team.

  “So, what are your plans with Cassie after you prove yourself?”

  I let a laugh out, but it’s not exactly a humorous one. “You may have to ask her that.” I explain what’s been going on with Cassie and me, physical therapy and otherwise.

  “I always wondered why she married that loser. Have you met him?”

  “Sure have. He came in her workplace just today. Dude, I guess you missed a lot while you were gone.” So, again, I have to give him the lowdown.

  “Hey, Fletch, don’t you remember what a soap opera this town can be?”

  “I guess I was too young when I lived here to have thought about it like that.”

  “That and your damn head was in the shape of a football or in Cassie’s puss—”

  “Careful, man, you’re treading on thin ice.”

  “Sorry. I was only joking,” he quickly says.

  “I’m the only one who can joke about that stuff.”

  “I’ve got you, man. So, wanna grab some lunch? I’m free for a change.”

  “Sure, and you can fill me in on Cassie’s ex. I need the scoop on the dude since he’s threatening her.”

  “I’ll give you all I know, but it’s not much.”

  We meet at the same deli Gina and I did, and Mark tells me what he knows. Apparently, the guy’s an alcoholic and cheated on her. Everyone in town was shocked when she married him and not me. They all claimed it was a rebound thing. Now my guilt is sky-high. After he lost his job, he didn’t treat her well—not that he abused her or anything, it just wasn’t great.

  “I’m going to talk with her about all this tonight,” I tell Mark.

  “Do you think she’ll be up front about it?”

  I raise and lower my good shoulder. I’m still babying my injured one. “We’ll see. I want her, Mark. I want us to work. I always wanted us to work. She’s the one who pulled away, broke it off.”

  “That’s not the way she sees it.”

  “She freaked when she saw all the women, but it was all a media stunt.”

  “Yeah, you lucky dick, you,” he says, laughing.

  “That would be right up your alley, and if you weren’t such a traitor, I’d get you to one of our games.”

  Still laughing, he says, “I can be turned.”

  “Renegade bastard.” We both laugh this time.

  “I gotta get back to my desk. I’m so behind on paperwork, it sucks.”

  “I don’t envy you.”

  “Hey, one day when you can’t throw anymore, you’ll be stuck behind some giant desk, too. Then you’ll see how the poor people live.”

  “You are so full of shit. Poor, my ass.” Mark is one of the biggest brokers in the area and does extremely well.

  “Compared to you.”

  “I don’t spend. I save, so when the day comes, I won’t be broke like so many pro athletes end up.”

  “Don’t I know.” He says that because he’s my broker.

  We part ways with promises to catch up later. When it’s time, I head over to Cassie’s office to follow her home. We stop at her house so she can pack an overnight bag, but I encourage her to bring enough clothes for several days. And then we head out to my place. Boomer and Brady almost knock her down because they’re so excited to see her.

  “Didn’t I tell you they missed you?”

  “Do you ever pay these guys any attention?” she asks.

  “Of course. They just love a pretty woman, like I do.”

  I start to pull a bunch of stuff out of the refrigerator.

  “What are you doing?” she asks.

  “Preparing dinner.”

  “You?”

  “I’ve lived alone for quite some time. While I don’t enjoy cooking, I know how to do it.”

  “Hmm. This will be interesting.”

  I walk outside to turn on the grill. While it’s heating up, I chop up the vegetables for the salad and check on the potato casserole that’s been in the oven since I went to pick her up. It looks about ready, so I turn the oven off and let it sit in there to stay hot.

  When the salad’s finished, I take the beef filets out to the grill to cook. On the way, I ask, “You still like your steak medium rare?”

  “Yes, thanks.”

  When the steaks are cooking, I set the table and pour the red wine that’s been uncorked and breathing.

  “Wow, Fletch. This is impressive.”

  “Can you light the candles, please?”

  “Sure. Where are the matches?”

  “Over by the fireplace.”

  She takes care of that while I pull the steaks off the grill. I plate everything and place it on the table, along with the salt, pepper, and salad dressing.

  “Dinner is served.”

  I seat her and then myself. When she cuts into her steak, I watch to make sure it’s cooked properly. Overdone beef is not acceptable. She eyes it and then declares it’s perfect so I am satisfied. The deal is sealed when I taste mine.

  “This is really delicious, Fletcher. Thank you.”

  “Glad you approve.”

  “You’ve been holding out on me.”

  “No, not really. You haven’t been around much or you would’ve discovered this sooner.”

  After we both finish eating, I ask, “Cassie, why didn’t you ever tell me?”

  We know each other so well that I don’t have to explain my question. She places her napkin onto the table and says, “It was … difficult on me.” Her eyes are focused on her lap, and I’m not sure if she’s afraid to show me what’s in them or if it’s because what she’s about to share with me is too painful to say to my face. “I would see you on TV and—” She holds up her palm toward me because I get ready to interrupt her. “Hear me out, Fletcher.”

  “Okay.”

  “You say it was a media thing. But it wasn’t to me because I didn’t know that. I couldn’t know that. What I saw was you surrounded by all those beautiful women, hugging you and draped all over you, and you standing there acting as though it was the coolest thing ever. It crushed every piece of me. After the first time, I told myself it was for publicity, like you said, but then it kept happening, and the whispers around town every time I walked into a room, it was—” She shakes her head as though it were the most distasteful thing in the world. “Can you put yourself in my shoes even for a minute?”

  Jesus. After I clear the knot out of my throat, I say, my voice gruff with emotion, “Yeah, I can and it feels damn shitty.”

  “So for a while, I watched you from a distance. But then I stopped. I had to. It was like mourning the death of a loved one, if you want the truth. Calvin didn’t lie. He’d come home a couple of times and
caught me crying like a baby over some replay from one of your games on ESPN or some stupid news release of you on TMZ. I was an absolute mess until I decided to focus on work. I poured everything I had into it. Which leads me to where I am right now. And why you and I are on parallel roads to nowhere, because they will never intersect, Fletcher. Not anymore. It’s too late for us.”

  “You can’t know that. And why do you say we’re on parallel roads? I refuse to believe that!”

  “Because we are. My life is here, especially since I just bought the practice, and yours is in Oklahoma with your team.”

  “Cass, we can make this work. I know we can.”

  “How? You’re on the road a lot, aren’t you?”

  “Yeah.”

  “So, when will you ever have time to get back here? A couple of months every winter? And I can’t up and leave at the drop of a hat. I have a practice and patients to see, too.”

  I want to sling my wine glass across the room, but I don’t because it will only create a pile of broken glass I’d have to clean up and wouldn’t solve a single thing. When I look at it from her perspective, she’s dead ass right.

  “Then what do you suggest we do, because I don’t want to give up on us. I love you, Cass. I’ve never stopped loving you, and I know in this heart of mine, I never will.”

  “Never is a long time, Fletch.”

  “Look at us. After all this time, I feel every bit the same about you as I did the day I first laid eyes on you. I knew it then, and I know it now. I was young and naïve back then. But I’m not anymore.” I pick up her hand and bring it to my lips. Right before I do what she thinks I’m going to do, I turn it palm facing up, and press my lips there. “You’ll never find anyone who is more loyal, loving, caring, trustworthy, and who will protect your heart for the rest of your life like I will. I promise you that.”

  “I know, Fletcher. That’s what makes this so damn difficult.”

  “Then say the word. Please come back with me.”

  “I can’t. You know I can’t.”

  “Yes, you can.”

  But I know by the sadness she holds in her eyes that she won’t. She’ll come with me for my demonstration, but that’ll be it. I’m going to have to find some other way to persuade her. What that is, I have no idea.