Cassie sighed and fidgeted with her bag. The truth was, Cassie herself thought she was boring. She was just over forty, but behaved like an eighty-year old. Cassie was in bed by eight every night. She hadn't been drunk in years. Her car oil was changed early, and she never left clothes in the dryer. Cassie flossed every night and always ate all her vegetables, even the ones she didn't like.
She felt old, even though she still had most of her life ahead of her. She'd fallen into a rut.
She followed her company's work manual to the letter. She wore only company approved clothing and hadn't changed her hairstyle in years. Despite wanting to on many occasions, she never broke corporate policy. She was the perfect little corporate employee who always willingly worked overtime.
Her divorce a few years ago was the only interesting thing about her, and that just made her feel more pathetic. No one should have a divorce be the most interesting thing about them.
She had fallen into a monotonous life, and she knew it. She'd been fun once. She wanted to get back to the person that laughed more and went on dates. That wasn't overworked and underpaid. That had hobbies other than working and wore things other than dark, conservative office wear.
This week was the chance for her to be the Cassie she wanted to be again.
The line moved forward, and it was their turn to check in.
“Brianna Fuller and Cassidy Turner,” Brianna announced to the check-in person. “We're with the Barnes/Frankson wedding.”
The man at the desk typed something into the computer. “Excellent. We have you in room seven-thirty-two. Two queen beds and an ocean view.”
Cassie grinned. Coming from Arizona's parched land of desert heat and sun, the ocean was something magical to the both of them.
“Welcome to the Ocean Key Resort.” The man handed Brianna two keycards. “Enjoy the island.”
Together, Brianna and Cassie grabbed their bags and headed up to their room. Cassie could feel her spirits lifting. She could be young here. She could be fun. She was sure of it.
The Caribbean resort was gorgeous. The hallways were wide and spacious with beautiful artwork hanging on the walls. Cassie caught a glimpse of the ocean through a window and had to control the urge not to drop her bags and just sprint outside. It was such a perfect shade of blue that she had a hard time believing it could be real.
Janessa and Kyle were going all out for their wedding bash. They'd paid for airfare and hotel rooms for everyone in the wedding party. There was no way Cassie would have picked, let alone been able to afford, something this luxurious on her own. Kyle and his family owned the three biggest car dealerships in Arizona, so they could afford the nicer things in life.
This all-inclusive resort with beautiful turquoise waters and white sandy beaches was definitely one of the nicer things.
Their room was a standard hotel room. Working in the hotel industry, Cassie tried not to judge the thread-count or the quality of the TV, but they were on the pricier end. It felt like an upgrade. Back home, Cassie managed a large-chain hotel for middle-class and business travelers. StarTree Hotels had over six-hundred properties in fifty countries. She managed the one in downtown Phoenix.
“They have the remotes out and linens nicely placed,” Cassie remarked as she looked around the room. Having the remotes out was one of the corporate mandates this year. All remotes needed to be easily found.
Brianna rolled her eyes and threw open the gauzy curtains to reveal their ocean view.
“Look at that,” Brianna said with awe. The view was spectacular. Palm trees, white sandy beaches, and pale blue water that slowly turned into cobalt waves stretched out before them.
It really was paradise.
“Ian would love this,” Brianna said softly, looking longingly out the window. Ian was Brianna's eight year old son. He was staying with Brianna's sister for the week, but Cassie knew Brianna would miss him. Being a single mom meant she was used to having him with her all the time.
“Someday, you'll bring him to the ocean,” Cassie assured her, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder.
“Yeah. Someday. It would help if my awful ex paid for anything.” Brianna took a deep breath and forced a smile. “But, we're not talking about him. And Ian is having fun with his cousins. Right now, I am kid and responsibility free. Today, I am having fun.”
“Heck yeah.” Cassie grinned and went to unpack. Her bridesmaid dress needed to be hung, and she had a couple of shirts that she wanted to iron before they went out to dinner. Plus, there were a couple of dry-clean-only things that she wanted separate from her more casual wear.
“What are you doing?” Brianna asked, lounging on the bed and watching Cassie put things away.
“Unpacking. If you give me your dress, I'll hang it up. I'm going to ask the concierge for a steamer so we can get the wrinkles out,” Cassie said, carefully hanging the blue satin dress in the closet. “If you have anything that wrinkled in your suitcase, I'll be ironing later.”
Brianna sighed and shook her head. “You brought clothes that need ironing to a tropical vacation?”
“Yeah. So?”
Cassie could feel the disappointment in Brianna's slow head shake.
“Let me see what you're wearing to dinner tonight.” Brianna motioned to Cassie's half-empty suitcase.