Page 80 of Catch and Release

Willa laughed. “Always have to have the last word, don’t you? Well, you can get fucked.”

She turned on her heel and left, head held high as onlookers stared. She walked up to the front desk, where Layla watched with wide eyes.

“I guess you probably saw, but I just quit,” Willa said.

Layla nodded.

“Don’t let that guy fuck with you,” she continued. “It’s not worth it. Quit if you need to.”

“I can’t,” Layla said. “I can’t quit.”

“Why?”

Layla shook her head. Willa didn’t press.

“Well, be sure to let the guests know that there won’t be any yoga classes anymore.”

“I will,” Layla whispered.

“I’m sorry.” That there’s no more yoga. That you’re stuck working for this asshole. That you’re trapped here. All things she wanted to add, but didn’t know how to.

Layla shook her head. “Don’t be.”

Willa held eye contact with her for a few moments, then left without a backward glance.

23

The week since Willa had quit her job at the Beachside Inn had flown by. She’d reached back out to the gyms she’d initially applied to, but nothing had changed—they weren’t hiring. She also emailed a few hotels, thinking maybe she could set up a deal similar to the one she had with The Beachside Inn—but no luck.

At least she had a trust fund she could dip into, if and when she needed.

Which she had—several times since moving.

But she didn’t want to rely on Daddy’s money—not if she could help it.

Anxiety about being jobless again creeped in, but she pushed it aside, deciding that was a problem for Future Willa to deal with. She needed to get through the Bingo Ball first. And she deserved to enjoy this weekend with her best friend.

Willa pulled into the airport and chuckled as she remembered Shawn’s reaction when she’d told him she quit.

“Good. I didn’t like your boss,” he said.

“You’re gonna lose it when I tell you what he said to make me quit,” she responded.

His eyes shot to her and narrowed.

“He told me you couldn’t come to my classes anymore,” she said, and he visibly relaxed. “Then he offered to look the other way if you came to my classes. But only in exchange for sex.”

Shawn stood up from where he was sitting on the wharf and towered over her.

“And what did you say to him, Greene?”

“I told him he could get fucked. Among other things.”

He kneeled in front of her and dropped his head to her pussy.

“That’s my girl,” he said against her sex before tugging her pants down and eating her out so thoroughly that she didn’t notice she’d caught a fish.

She clenched her legs at the memory before pulling the Jeep to a stop at the arrivals section of the airport. Willa pulled out her phone and saw a text had come through from Charlie that she’d landed about 15 minutes ago. She shot back a text telling Charlie where she could find her. Tossing her phone into the passenger seat, she got out of the car and leaned against the side of it, crossing her arms as she waited.

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