“A concerned guest notified me of your attendance at the Frankson wedding,” James said. He held up his phone to show a picture of Wyatt and Cassie dancing. They both looked so happy it took Wyatt's breath away.
“Cassie...” She was so beautiful with her dark hair and eyes. He could nearly feel her fingers still on his shoulders as they danced.
“You've been warned before,” James continued. “This was the final straw. You're fired, Wyatt. Get your things and get off the hotel property immediately, or I'll have security throw you out. Your last paycheck will be mailed to you.”
Wyatt stood there for a moment. He'd been deliriously happy just hours ago. Now, it was all crumbling around him.
“Did you hear me, Wyatt?” James pressed, getting up into Wyatt's face.
“Yeah. I heard you. I'm fired.” Wyatt took a step away from the man. He glanced over to see Annette's concerned face. He looked back to James and shook his head. “Your loss.”
He stepped around James and continued to walk out of the hotel. Wyatt kept his shoulders back and his steps even and measured. His head stayed up as he walked out of the hotel, despite the horrible ache in his heart.
Wyatt slept until noon. He usually woke with the sun, but today, he just wanted to sleep. He wanted to wake up and find that it was all just a terrible dream. That Cassie was still asleep beside him. That he hadn't lost his favorite job. That he wasn't going to have to leave the island.
That he hadn't screwed everything up.
But, his bed was empty.
He sighed and swung his feet onto the floor. Usually, the sound of the ocean waves outside soothed him. Today, it sounded noisy. He considered going back to bed, but he knew it wouldn't solve anything.
He looked at the map of the Caribbean hanging on his bedroom wall. There were still dozens of islands for him to explore. He was a good bartender. Life could go on. But, he found it difficult to pick the next island.
The truth was, he didn't want the next island. He wanted Cassie.
He wanted her more than he'd wanted anything in his entire life.
He wanted her enough to go get her.
He wanted her enough to be a billionaire again.
He picked up his phone and called his assistant in New York. He needed to book a hotel room at the StarTree hotel in Phoenix, Arizona.
Chapter Nineteen
Cassie
The first day back at work felt surreal. Home didn't feel like home anymore after her trip to the Caribbean. The sky was the wrong color, the air too dry, and the heat different. Despite living the majority of her life in the desert, she now felt out of place without the sound of the ocean.
Or maybe, it was that she felt out of place without Wyatt.
She shook her head, trying to remove the thought as she looked over the previous week's sales reports. The hotel had survived her trip. There was a lot of things that she had to make up for, but there wasn't anything out of the ordinary.
Cassie walked out to the main lobby and looked around at her hotel. It was clean and spacious. She tugged on her suit jacket and felt a little bit of pride. She'd worked hard to become the manager. There were a lot of things she wished she could change policy on, but overall she was happy to do the work here.
She heard her email ping on her phone. The message said that a StarTree executive would be coming by for a surprise inspection today. Lenny Patton, a StarTree regional executive, would be arriving this afternoon to look over the hotel and make sure it was up to corporate standards.
Cassie frowned but wasn't worried. Even with her recent absence, she knew the hotel could pass any inspection. She tucked her phone back into her pocket, mentally making lists of things that needed to be checked before Lenny arrived. The timing could have been better, but she could handle it. She just needed to get some lunch first.
The front doors opened, and Cassie couldn't help but grin.
Brianna walked in with a brown bag full of fast food. She still had on her traveling clothes, but Cassie knew the hotel was on the way to Brianna's apartment from the airport.
“Lunch?” Brianna asked, holding up the bag as she crossed the lobby.
“Yes, please,” Cassie told her. “We can eat in my office.”
Cassie led the way to her office in the back. She cleared off a stack of paperwork and files from her desk, trying her best to keep the stacks somewhat organized. Brianna set the bag down and then flopped into her chair.