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.