Chapter Thirty-Five
CASSIE
At the cafe on Tuesday morning, the morning rush dies down slowly.
Not all at once. There is just gradually less noise and less traffic.
The buzz of conversation fades into the background instead of drowning everything out.
I lean against the counter, wiping it down even though it’s already clean.
June watches me for a second.
She doesn’t say anything right away.
She never does. “You don’t have to do that. You’re my social media person. Not my employee.”
“Don’t worry about paying,” I say.
“Don’tyouworry about menotpaying you. I just need to shore up the mortgage and I’ll have some funds to work with.”
“Stop.” I go back to wiping down the counter.
“You look like you’re thinking too hard,” she adds, a soft smile tugging at her lips. “Like you’re trying to forget something.”
I let out a breath that almost turns into a laugh.
“Is it that obvious?”
“Oh please,” she says. “I saw how you lit up when that…man came in here with his team. I might be older but I’m no dummy. I know chemistry when I see it. And I know he’s gone.”
That lands. “You do?”
“It’s a small town, honey. Gossip flies around faster than a prairie fire in an August drought.”
I glance down at my phone, where my bank app is still open.
The number staring back at me like it’s supposed to mean something.
With the bonus added in, it’s my first ever payout for five figures at once.
It should feel like a bigger deal—and Iamgrateful—but for some reason, it doesn’t feel like this end-all be-all.
“Got paid for that other post you did?” June asks, nodding toward my phone, over my shoulder.
“Yeah.”
“That’s a good thing.”
“Yeah,” I say again.
But it doesn’t come out convincingly, because the worst part isn’t the money. It’s that he thinks I used him forcontent.
I press my lips together, staring down at the screen. That was the furthest thing from the truth. Content? The whole post wasn’t even my idea, really.
And I didn’t even correct him. I don’t know why I even said it in front of him. It was like unconscious word vomit. Then I just froze up awkwardly and watched him leave.
I shake my head slightly, like I can undo it.
