He wasn't the safe choice. He wasn't the smart choice right now. Not if she wanted to keep her life simple and under control.
Knock, knock, knock.
Cassie went to the door and squinted out the peephole to see Brianna holding up a bag marked with the bakery across the street. Cassie quickly opened up the front door and let her in.
Brianna went straight to the table and sat down, opening up the bag and putting bagel sandwiches out for each of them.
“I'm liking this Brianna food delivery service,” Cassie said, closing the door and joining Brianna at the table.
“Apparently, it's the only way for you to tell me anything,” Brianna replied, unwrapping her sandwich. Cassie ignored the hint of guilt tugging at her chest.
“What do you want to know?” Cassie opened up her wrapper to find an egg and bacon bagel sandwich. Her favorite. Brianna knew her well.
Brianna slid her phone across the table. Up on the screen was the news article Cassie had just been reading. The one about Wyatt returning to civilization. Again, she cringed at herself in the photo.
“Oh. Right. That.” Cassie pushed the phone back to Brianna. “So, apparently, Wyatt the bartender was actually Wyatt, the billionaire. Surprise.”
“Surprise? Why didn't you tell me?” The hurt in Brianna's voice made Cassie feel bad even though she hadn't done anything wrong.
“I only just found out myself when he showed up at the hotel last night,” Cassie replied. “I'm still trying to figure it out.”
“Wait, he didn't tell you?” Brianna's brow furrowed.
Cassie shook her head. “Nope. Complete surprise.”
“Huh.” Brianna looked thoughtful. “I guess I can understand that.”
“You can? Because I'm struggling with the fact that he lied to me all week.” Cassie bit angrily into her sandwich. “He didn't even tell me on the last day when he was asking me to stay with him.”
“Wait, he asked you to stay? On the island? And you didn't? The guy probably has the best beach house in the world!” Brianna exclaimed.
“But I didn't know that at the time,” Cassie reminded her. “All I knew was that he was a bartender. I didn't know he had enough money to actually make moving to the island feasible for me. I thought I was going to be the sugar mama in the relationship, and I didn't know if I had enough sugar.”
Brianna nodded thoughtfully. “That's why he came all dressed up to the room after you left. I bet he was going to tell you then.”
“You're probably right,” Cassie sighed. “If I'd taken my original flight, I'd be sipping daiquiris in the Caribbean right now.”
“You didn't know,” Brianna said, reaching across the table to pat her hand. “And who knows? Maybe this will work out better.”
“I still wish he would have told me sooner.” Cassie slumped in her seat as she took another bite of sandwich.
“I can get why he didn't tell you.” Brianna took another bite of her sandwich.
“Seriously? You can get why he lied to me?” Cassie stared at her, dumbfounded.
“You know how when people win the lottery, 'family' members come out of the wood-works? If you win, you're supposed to change your phone number and stop being on any social media because all your random relatives and long-lost friends suddenly want some of your money?” Brianna shrugged. “It would be like that, only all the time. He basically wins the lottery every day. People must ask him for stuff all the time. Can you imagine not knowing if someone is your friend because they like you, or because they want your money? Or a job at your company? Or a free ride on your jet?”
Cassie swallowed her bite of sandwich. “I guess that would be hard to know how people really feel about you.”
“And dating? That would be a mess. Is that really attractive woman into you, or just into your bank account?” Brianna shook her head. “It would be a King Midas kind of curse.”
“When he said he moved to the Caribbean to have some freedom, he wasn't just talking about his work,” Cassie realized. “At least when he's the hot bartender, he knows exactly why those women are into him.”
“I would bet he never tells them who he is,” Brianna replied. “But he told you. That means you're special.”
Cassie stared into her coffee, her stomach twisting inside of her. She was special. He liked her enough to reveal his true self to her. That had to mean something.
Slowly, the anger and betrayal faded. With that gone, the feelings of love and desire came rushing back.