Escape With Me

by Lakes, Krista

  She pretended to be asleep when Wyatt left the bedroom in the morning. He came out wearing a suit and tie. He paused as he approached the couch and stood there for a moment before sighing and then leaving the apartment.

  Cassie wasn't sure if she should be angry or sad. She wasn't sure what she wanted anymore.

  The longer she was with Wyatt, the more her priorities shifted. She wasn't the living, breathing embodiment of corporate policies anymore, but she wasn't free of her desire to make something of herself either.

  She didn't want to just disappear into the Caribbean and live her life on the beach. It sounded nice for a while, but she knew she'd get bored. She needed something to do. Something to give her life meaning that wasn't made out of daiquiris.

  The apartment echoed with empty loneliness without Wyatt. She suddenly felt like a guest here for the first time during her stay. The silence was a weight on her soul.

  She dressed and left the apartment. She went to the only place that she felt like she belonged. Work.

  The reporters were still at the hotel. There were fewer of them now, but she still went in through the back to avoid them.

  Her office was unchanged, yet it felt cold and empty. It was apparent someone had been in here working while she was away, yet it looked the same. The thought that she'd become such a corporate shill that anyone could replace her without changing things hurt.

  She sat at her desk, trying to come up with a plan. She went to look for her manager's notes and found they weren't where she kept them. They were probably at the front desk where Corporate wanted them, she realized.

  Where she couldn't get them because the reporters would see her.

  She sighed, sliding down her chair and pouting.

  “What are you doing here?” Lenny stood in the doorway, his round features unhappy.

  “I just wanted to get some paperwork done,” Cassie explained. “I know I'm on leave, but the monthly reports are due.”

  “The reports are done,” Lenny replied. “They were due yesterday. You shouldn't be here.”

  “I need to do something,” Cassie explained.

  “You can't be here,” Lenny repeated. “Especially after what you've done.”

  “What I've done?” Cassie asked, confused. “I haven't done anything.”

  “You brought a philandering man into our hotel,” Lenny hissed. “You've damaged the brand. Do you know the phone calls I've been getting from Corporate about you?”

  Cassie stared at him. “I literally have no idea what you're talking about.”

  “Wyatt Landers. I'm sure you thought seducing him into staying here would improve your career, but Corporate does not want the StarTree brand to be a place where people go to cheat on their spouses!”

  “Spouses? Cheating? What in the world are you talking about?” Cassie stopped slouching in her chair.

  “Wyatt Landers was happily engaged to another woman,” Lenny informed her. “But I'm sure you knew that. You would have had to in order to get him to stay here. His fiancee lives in town. Why else would he stay in our hotel and not with her?”

  “Wyatt isn't engaged to anyone,” Cassie informed him, shaking her head. “He's never been engaged.”

  “Tell that to his fiancee.” Lenny shook his head in disgust. “You're a homewrecker.”

  A terrible suspicion started to form in the pit of Cassie's stomach.

  “Did this fiancee just suddenly appear yesterday?” Cassie asked. “A pretty blonde woman? Local? Named Lorna?”

  “You do know about her!” Lenny exclaimed, pointing a finger. “You knew, and you brought him here!”

  Rage flared up hot and white. Cassie seriously considered finding out how much hiring a hit man to take out Lorna would cost. At this point, she had a feeling Wyatt would help her pay for it.

  “She was never his fiancee, Lenny. She made it up.”

  “There's a picture of them kissing at a restaurant,” Lenny informed her. “It doesn't look like it was made up. Here, I'll show you. Turn on the computer. I was just reading about it.”

  Cassie turned on the monitor of the computer in front of her. It hummed to life and flickered to show a gossip website. Front and center was a picture of Lorna with her arms wrapped around Wyatt and her lips plastered to his.

  Cassie thought she might be sick. She read the headline, her eyes going wide with shock:

  Abandoned Fiancee of Billionaire Reveals All! Read the shocking story of how a local businesswoman, Lorna Frankson realized that the love of her life was being stolen away in the Caribbean!

  “That bitch,” Cassie whispered as she read the article. Lorna painted herself as the love of Wyatt's life until Cassie the homewrecker came in and swooped him up. It was Cassie's fault that Lorna was heartbroken, but she was willing to forgive Wyatt and let him come back to her.

  “We don't use that kind of language here,” Lenny chastised.

  “This isn't true.” Cassie pointed to the computer. “Not a single word of it. You know me, Lenny. Does this sound at all like something I would do?”

  “No,” Lenny admitted, sounding a little bashful. “But that's not what Corporate is worried about.”

  “What is Corporate worried about then?” Cassie asked, suddenly exhausted.

  “This isn't good for the hotel's image,” Lenny told her. “And as you know, our image is a top priority. Guests stay here because of our image. The image is a number one priority.”

  Along with cleanliness, politeness, and a good experience. Everything was a number one priority for StarTree Corporate.

  “And?” Cassie asked, already fearing the worst. This wasn't something Corporate was going to let slide. This wasn't putting her notebook in the wrong place or having extra oranges out in the morning buffet.

  Lenny shifted. “Corporate understands that this isn't a normal situation. They appreciate your years of excellent service and the excellent rating the hotel has earned in the city. However, the recent press creates a problem.” Lenny spoke as if reading from a script. Most likely he was. Corporate had scripts for everything.

  “And?” she asked again. “Cut to the chase, Lenny.”

  “You are asked to relocate to another manager position in a different city.”

  Cassie sat back in her chair, the wind knocked out of her.

  She was basically being fired. She was no longer going to be the manager of the Phoenix StarTree hotel. They would put her in a different state. She would be hidden from view until this blew over, but she had a feeling she would have a black mark on her file for the rest of her days. StarTree never forgot anything. That was also a number one priority for them.

  “And if I don't want that?” she asked weakly.

  Lenny shifted his feet again. “I am authorized to give you a generous severance package if you resign voluntarily. StarTree would like to avoid any more negative press.”

  Cassie nodded. She was glad she was sitting down because it felt like the floor was falling out from under her.

  This hotel was her life, yet she was no longer welcome here. This wasn't an option anymore.

  “Give me a little bit to think about it,” Cassie said softly.

  “Of course. I'll give you to the end of the day.” Lenny went to the door. He narrowed his eyes, still not trusting her despite the fact the gossip article wasn't true.“Don't touch anything in here. Please take your photos and go out the back when you leave.”

  He shut the door, and Cassie promptly made sure to touch everything on the desk. She touched the stapler twice just because she could.

  What was she going to do? This job was her life. She'd sacrificed years to get here. This job had been the only thing that kept her going after her divorce. Would she be happy working in a different state? A different hotel?

  She looked around the office, seeing how little her presence had mattered here.

  She went to a shelf and picked up the lone photo of her and her friends. It was the only thing in the entire room that was
truly hers. The awards were all in the hotel's name. The books were all hotel manuals and policies. There was nothing except one picture in the entire room that was a reflection of Cassie.

  Was this what she wanted? She had to admit, the past couple of weeks being free had felt wonderful. She no longer dreamed of following rules. She hadn't read the StarTree Manual since before the trip, and she found that she didn't really want to reread it.

  She didn't care about her job as much as she thought she did. She didn't care how many oranges should be in the breakfast display. Or what the correct scripting for greeting a customer should be. She liked not having to ask everyone if they wanted a credit card offer.

  The past week had changed her. Wyatt had changed her.

  It was a little shocking, but she didn't want this job anymore. She loved managing a hotel, but she didn't enjoy managing a StarTree hotel. She liked the work, but not the rules. In fact, she was happiest when she had to work around the rules and do what needed to be done for the guests.

  She liked the safety and stability of her life with this job. It was predictable and safe, but she realized she wasn't truly alive. She was just going through the motions. It wasn't StarTree that she loved. It was this hotel, its staff, and its guests. If she couldn't have this hotel, she didn't want to work for the company anymore.

  She turned on the computer and found the StarTree template for a resignation. She filled in her name and the appropriate words into the premade letter and printed it out.

  She left it on the desk. And that was the end of her job at StarTree.

  Cassie slipped the photo into her purse and left the office. She felt numb as she escaped down an employee hallway and out into the bright morning light. She walked along the sidewalk to her car and sat down in her sun-warmed car.

  What was she going to do?

  She sat there for a moment before starting the engine and driving. She drove without thinking, just letting her hands and feet take control. She didn't have a plan on where to go. She just drove.

  And wound up in front of Wyatt's apartment.

  Suddenly, things made sense. It was like putting on glasses for the first time. Things that she always assumed were made of blurs suddenly had texture and resolution.

  She knew what she needed to do.

  She needed to leave it all behind. She needed to escape.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Cassie

  Tires squealed as Cassie slid into a parking space in front of Brianna's apartment. She barely had the engine off before racing up the stairs to Brianna's apartment. She needed to do this before she lost her nerve.

  Cassie banged on the door. Brianna opened the door, looking surprised. She still had her pajamas on and Cassie could hear Netflix in the background. It was Brianna's day off, so she was at home relaxing. Ian was at school.

  “What's up?” Brianna asked. “Are you feeling okay?”

  “I just got fired.”

  Brianna's eyes went wide. “I'm so sorry, Cassie. I really am. Come on in. I've got ice cream.” She ushered Cassie inside, shutting the door behind her.

  The apartment was dark but comfortable. Brianna hadn't done much to the space to make it her own, yet it still felt like Brianna. The paintings were simple and bright. Books covered nearly every surface and at least three mugs sat half-filled with tea in the small kitchen. Toy cars littered the floor in front of the TV and kid drawings plastered the fridge.

  “How are you doing?” Brianna asked, going to the kitchen and turning on an electric kettle. Cassie didn't really drink tea, so there would be another half-filled mug of cold tea joining the others soon.

  “I'm actually better than I expected,” Cassie admitted. “Did you know that I haven't read the corporate manual since we got back?”

  “You haven't? No wonder they fired you,” Brianna teased. She tensed and looked over at her friend. “Too soon?”

  Cassie shook her head. “You can joke about it,” she told her. “I actually feel like a weight has been lifted off of me. I didn't know just how afraid I was to break the rules.”

  “And now?” Brianna plunked two tea bags into two mugs.

  “I think I have a plan,” Cassie replied. “But, I'll need your help.”

  “Anything,” Brianna assured her.

  “Will you check my mail once in a while?” Cassie asked, holding out a small mailbox key. “I need to get away from it all for a while.”

  Brianna carefully took the key. “Does this have anything to do with what Lorna did?”

  “A little,” Cassie admitted. “She's actually part of the reason I was fired. The hotel doesn't want any kind of drama.”

  “But it wasn't your fault!” Brianna brought her hand down hard on the counter.

  Cassie shrugged. “Corporate doesn't care. They never do. I pretended like corporate was this caring older sibling. That they were looking out for me while getting the job done. Except they aren't. They don't care at all. I don't matter, even though I thought I did.”

  “You going to be okay?” Brianna asked. The electric kettle bubbled and rumbled. Brianna carefully took the hot water and poured it into the cups.

  “I think so, actually.” Cassie smiled. She had a plan. Even though it was crazy, the longer she thought about it, the better it was.

  Brianna handed Cassie a steaming mug of tea. Cassie nearly spilled it all down her front when someone else started pounding on Brianna's door.

  “Apparently I'm popular today,” Brianna joked, setting down her own mug and going to the door. She'd barely pulled it open when Janessa stormed in.

  “I'm going to kill her,” Janessa shouted. “Murder. Torture. Make her go to the back of the line at the DMV!”

  “Whoa, slow down there, Satan,” Cassie replied. “Who are you destroying at the DMV?”

  “Lorna,” Janessa hissed.

  “Oh, well in that case, I'm happy to help,” Cassie said. “I'm down to tell her to bring the wrong forms too. And then put her in the wrong line again.”

  “I am so sorry she did that to you, Cassie.” Janessa hurried over and hugged Cassie. “I can't believe she did that.”

  “What happened?” Brianna asked, confusion filling her face. “I know that Lorna is awful, but purposefully giving the wrong forms at the DMV bad?”

  “Here.” Janessa handed Brianna her phone and Cassie watched as confusion faded to shock which twisted into fury.

  “That bitch,” Brianna murmured. “How anyone doesn't see through this is beyond me.”

  The phone chirped with an incoming message. Brianna quickly handed it back to Janessa.

  “It's Lorna,” Cassie explained. “She just does that to people. No one sees her evil side.”

  “I think people are seeing it,” Janessa announced. She stared down at her phone, her mouth starting to curve into a smile. “I just got a message from Kyle.”

  “Kyle?” Brianna asked. “What's he going to do about his cousin?”

  “I always thought that he was blind to anything bad Lorna could do,” Janessa explained, scrolling through the message on her phone. “He's furious about this. About what people are saying about you, Cassie.”

  “That's sweet of him,” Cassie replied. “I appreciate the thought.”

  “Oh, it's way more than just a thought,” Janessa assured her. “He's telling his uncle. Lorna's getting cut off from the family.”

  “Seriously?” Brianna looked shocked.

  “Yeah. Apparently they were funding her since her alimony dried up,” Janessa continued. “No one in the family is happy that she's putting the family name in a bad light.”

  “It's not quite DMV level cursing, but I think it's fair,” Cassie said.

  “She deserves way worse. May her fake boob pop,” Janessa spat. She turned and frowned at Cassie. “What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be with Wyatt?”

  Just the sound of his name made Cassie's heart clench. She realized that she was behind schedule.

  “I'm
leaving town for a little bit,” Cassie told her friends. “Things aren't the way I want them with Wyatt. I need to make some changes.”

  “You going to be okay?” Janessa's voice was soft and full of concern.

  Cassie forced a smile. “I sure hope so.”

  “If you need anything, you let us know,” Brianna told her. “We're here for you.”

  Cassie smiled for real this time. She had good friends.

  “I need to get going,” Cassie told them. “But, I really appreciate you guys.”

  “Good luck with whatever you're planning,” Janessa replied.

  Cassie needed to get going again before she lost her nerve.

  “Thanks. See you guys later,” she replied, heading for the door. She had places to be. There were things she needed to do before she could leave, but at least she'd been able to say goodbye to her friends.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Wyatt

  Wyatt walked in the front door of the apartment ready to apologize to Cassie. He had reservations made at a fancy restaurant. He had flowers in hand and jewelry was set to arrive later this afternoon.

  The business meeting this morning had been long and arduous. He thought he'd escaped the corporate world by moving to the island. Being a peon for a holiday resort was easy. He just had to do what he was told and pour drinks. Now he was back to being the boss and he hated it. He had less freedom at the top of the chain than he did at the bottom. He was beginning to think that he would always be stuck with corporations telling him what to do with his life. It didn't seem to matter where he went.

  He'd spent his entire miserable meeting thinking of Cassie and how he could fix things between them. Of how he could give her what she wanted and what she deserved. He was willing to do whatever it took to keep her.

  The longer Wyatt stayed in billionaire mode, the easier it was to stay here and lose his happiness. News of his return was spreading, and everyone wanted a piece of him. New business ventures beckoned, and old ones were ready to be revitalized.