Chapter One

Cassie

Cassie couldn't believe it.

The guy at the bar just looked at her.

Not just looked, but did a double take and then a full body check out.

And then he smiled like he liked what he saw.

It wasn't something Cassie was used to. It certainly wasn't anything she expected, and to be honest, something she hadn't had in a long time.

She was sure it had to be an accident. She checked her clothes and didn't see any embarrassing stains or funny marks. Her hands immediately went to her hair and face to make sure nothing was wrong. Her long dark hair seemed to be still neatly up in its ponytail, and nothing was sticking out. She didn't feel anything strange on her face. Why else would he be looking at her and smiling like that?

“Psst, Brianna,” Cassie whispered to her best friend. They stood next to one another in the line to check into their hotel. “Do I have something on my face? Anything in my hair?”

Brianna set down her suitcase and carefully evaluated her friend. “Nope. Not even a gray hair. You look good. Why?”

At least her hair dye job was working.

“I think that guy over there is checking me out.” Cassie motioned with her head, trying not to be too obvious. The line to check into the hotel moved up slightly, and Brianna took the opportunity to look around without it being blatant.

“The tall guy by the bar?” she asked. “With the beachy hair and rocking body?”

“Yeah,” Cassie said with a nod. She had to resist the urge to turn and look. Instead, she stared at the island-themed wallpaper behind the check-in desk. They had some lovely flowers in a vase on the counter as well.

“He is definitely checking you out,” Brianna replied.

Cassie started to grin. “Really?” She'd been on an airplane all morning and didn't feel cute. She felt tired, hungry, and sweaty. Cute, let alone sexy enough to check out, felt crazy. “What should I do?”

“This.” Brianna raised her arm and pointed to Cassie, looking directly at the guy. “She's single!” Brianna yelled out.

Cassie felt the entire hotel lobby turn and look at her. Brianna's voice echoed down the hall, and so the people at the pool probably heard her too. The whole Caribbean resort now knew that Cassidy Turner from Phoenix, Arizona was single.

Great. What a way to start a vacation.

Cassie winced and instantly felt her cheeks burn. “Brianna, what are you doing?” she hissed. She wished she could disappear into the floor. Risking more humiliation but unable to stop, she quickly glanced over at the guy to see him grinning. He winked at her and her blush deepened. He shot her a knowing smile and then walked out of the lobby bar and disappeared.

“What am I doing? I'm trying to get you a date,” Brianna replied, shrugging like she hadn't just completely embarrassed her friend. “Remember what we talked about on the plane? You're going to have fun. You're going to relax. You're going to let loose and be a little wild.”

“And what does that have to do with shouting that I'm single to a random guy in the bar?” Cassie asked. She tugged angrily on her suitcase as they inched closer to the check-in desk. “That isn't fun. It's embarrassing. Everyone here is looking at me.”

Brianna sighed. “How many people do you know here?” She waved her arm, indicating the hotel lobby.

Cassie glanced around, counting heads. They were at the end of the short line to check in. A couple of people in shorts and tank tops sat at the bar on the opposite side of the room watching some sort of sports program. Other than that, the lobby was fairly empty. Maybe ten people. Tops.

It wasn't enough people to be angry over, but there was now way she was going to tell Brianna that.

“That's not the point,” Cassie replied, crossing her arms and flipping her hair over her shoulder. Her face still felt hot, but she tried her best to ignore it.

But Brianna wasn't finished. “How many people do you know on this entire island?”

Cassie shrugged. “I don't know. It's a big island.”

“How many?” Brianna crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows. She was determined to make some kind of a point.

“Fine. There's you.” Cassie held up one finger. “Janessa and Kyle.” She held up two more fingers for the bride and groom whose wedding they were attending. “Julia's not here yet, but she counts,” Cassie continued, naming the fourth friend in their friendship group. “And Lorna.”

“Lorna barely counts as a person,” Brianna informed her with a grimace.

They both chuckled, breaking the tension between them. Cassie wasn't a fan of Kyle's cousin Lorna either. Lorna was self-absorbed and caused trouble everywhere she went. She was a classic “mean girl” and loved to rub it in everyone's faces how much better she was than everyone else.

Cassie tried to always be friendly, but Lorna definitely rubbed her the wrong way.

“So, you know five people, most of whom would love for you to let loose and have a little fun.” Brianna motioned to the empty lobby. “This is the place to be 'Vacation Cassidy.' You can be the fun-loving, crazy girl I know is locked deep inside of you.”

Cassie frowned. “I'm fun.”

Brianna crossed her arms and gave her a wry look. “Right.”

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.

Cassie pulled out a sensible pair of khaki shorts and a button-up silk shirt. It was a pale pink.

“That's what you're wearing?” Brianna asked, wrinkling her nose.

“What's wrong with it?” Cassie asked. “I like the color.”

“It's sensible. It's plain. It's one of your work shirts. It's not letting loose and having fun. Did you bring anything remotely fun?” Brianna got up and started pawing through Cassie's things.

“Hey!” Cassie shouted. “You'll mess up my system.”

Brianna stepped back and gave her a sad head shake.

Cassie sighed. “Fine. I just have this.” She held up a maxi dress with blue and red flowers. It was the most “fun” dress she owned.

“We're going shopping,” Brianna announced. “If we can't find anything, you can wear that, but not the shorts. Those are old-lady shorts.”

Cassie frowned. She liked the shorts, but as she looked at them, she realized that she could easily see her uptight grandmother wearing them. They were old person shorts. A fun-loving vibrant woman that liked to be spontaneous and flirty wouldn't be caught dead walking down the beach in those shorts.

“Okay. I'll let you pick for me,” Cassie told her. “I can't seem to pick anything that isn't for work.”

Brianna grinned. “This is going to be fun.”

And suddenly Cassie was nervous again.

***

Two hours and more money than Cassie planned later, she was the proud owner of cute clothes. They'd found a fun little shopping area near the beach and Brianna did her thing. Cassie currently wore a flirty little sundress with strappy sleeves and cherries printed on it. She had short shorts and cute tank tops in one bag. In another, there were two more sundresses made of a light silk material that made her feel almost naked wearing them. Brianna had insisted she get both.

“Just imagine dancing on top of a bar with this on,” Brianna told her when she'd hesitated to buy one.

“People would look up my skirt,” Cassie replied, putting it away.

Brianna rolled her eyes and had stuffed it back into Cassie's hands. “Fine. Imagine dancing on the floor. You'll be the hottest girl there.”

Cassie did feel different wearing the dresses. They were sexy and fun. She still had long legs and the dresses were flattering around her middle. She liked the idea of being the hottest girl, rather than just an old lady. The dresses were who she wanted to be this week. She was letting her hair down, and these dresses with their short hems and low cut tops were the first step.

So, she bought the dresses. All of them. She bought clothes she would probably only ever wear here on this island. These were entirely against corporate dress code. It wasn't like Cassie to buy things that she couldn't reuse a million times.

It felt liberating.

Brianna and Cassie hurried from the shops and back to the central tower of the hotel. It was almost time for dinner and Brianna still needed to change. As they entered the main building, that's when Cassie saw him again.

The guy from the bar. He was headed toward the hotel lobby again, walking across the entrance.

Somehow, in the two hours since she'd seen him last, he'd gotten more attractive.

He saw her, grinned, but kept walking toward the bar. Cassie paused for a moment, trying to figure out what she should do. Should she follow him? Talk to him? Give him her room number?

“Cassie?” Brianna called. She was already at the elevators. Cassie glanced back toward the lobby, but the man was gone. She'd missed her chance.

Cassie hurried over to Brianna and made it right as the elevator arrived. She didn't tell her friend that she'd seen the hot guy again. Cassie knew Brianna would push her out of the elevator and tell her to go catch him and Cassie wasn't ready for that. Besides, what would she even say?

It was for the best, Cassie decided. Baby steps on this going wild thing was a good plan. She wondered if there was something in the corporate handbook she could use.

Corporate handbook?

Cassie sighed internally. Here she was coming up with responsible steps on how to go wild. She really did need a break from her rule-filled life.

Still, she hoped she'd run into the handsome man again. Cassie could do big girl steps then. Maybe even be spontaneous. She was “Vacation Cassidy” after all.