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Chapter One
Cassie
Today your life changes forever.
I stared at the piece of paper in my hand for a moment, then with a scoff, I folded it in on itself and shoved it into the tip of my straw before throwing the cup and the rest of my garbage in the trash.
I enjoyed getting a fortune cookie with my takeout as much as anyone else, but there were some so-called fortunes I received that I couldn’t help but scoff over and dismiss. The truth was, it was difficult to see my life changing at all that day.
It was just another Tuesday afternoon in Savannah, Georgia, and I was once again eating while on the run. I was en route to pick up my grandmother Gigi so I could take her to her appointment before going to work myself that night.
Small chance anything remarkable would happen that day, really.
I felt better after scarfing down the chow mein I’d gotten for lunch, so by the time I was pulling into the parking lot of Gigi’s complex, I felt far more ready to talk to her about my latest idea than I did earlier that morning.
I looked into the rearview mirror, my hazel eyes staring back at me. My makeup was simple as always, so it didn’t require any fixing. I’d yanked my long, brown hair back into a ponytail first thing that morning, so I wasn’t surprised it also looked just fine.
I never spent too much time on my appearance. I wanted to be presentable, and while I did tend to dress rather uptight, my makeup and hair were always simple enough to keep me approachable.
In all honesty, I didn’t have the time to do more. I was going to business school most weekday mornings, and I worked two jobs on top of it. Not only did I waitress at night and most weekends to help make ends meet, but I was also the one who had primarily taken over Gigi’s nanny business when she’d retired. At age twenty-six, I felt I was past the time in my life when I would get all dolled up just to do errands anyway.
I’d done that back in my early twenties, and just didn’t have the time to invest in such things anymore. My two younger sisters gave me shit for it, but I didn’t care. I was driven and focused, with Gigi as my inspiration.
“Perfect timing, as always, my dear,” Gigi said as she slid into the passenger seat. “I appreciate you giving me a ride to my appointment, I really do.”
“Of course,” I told my grandmother with a laugh. “You say that as if you haven’t been our driver for years.”
“I’ve hardly been your personal driver since you turned sixteen and got your driver’s license,” Gigi argued.
“That’s just me personally, what about Angela and Teresa?” I asked. “Shoot, I feel like you’d still be giving Teresa rides more often than not if you hadn’t finally given up on driving yourself.”
“Probably,” Gigi agreed with a laugh. “But I didn’t mind. I still wouldn’t if I felt I could drive, but it’s probably best for everyone if I don’t.”
“I think it’s about time you let us help take care of you anyway,” I said. “After all the years you put into the three of us, it’s just what’s right if you ask me.”
“That’s family,” Gigi said. “We take care of each other.”
I smiled. She certainly meant it when she said it, I knew that. After all, Gigi had stepped in to raise my two sisters and me when our mother had been killed in a car accident years ago when we were all young. Our father hadn’t ever been in the picture, so if it wasn’t for our sweet grandmother being so willing to take the three of us in, we would have wound up in the foster system.
We might not even have stayed together, the three of us.
I’d only been seven when our mother was killed, making my sisters five and three at the time. Yet our grandmother had raised us without giving it a second thought, so it was only natural that I would now step up and take care of her as much as I could.
“How was class today?” Gigi asked. “I feel bad you had to come pretty much straight to my place when you got out, you must be starving.”
“I grabbed lunch on the way,” I told her. “And class was fine. I’m tossing an idea back and forth in my brain over the direction I want to go with the business. I was hoping you could tell me what you think.”
“I’d be happy to,” Gigi said. “Lay it on me.”
I pulled out of the parking lot and onto the main road, taking my time before giving her an answer. I was excited about my idea, but also nervous.
“I want to expand,” I explained. “I know it’s always been primarily run by word of mouth and through family, but I feel like we could be better.”
“Better how?” Gigi asked. “I started that business with your mom years ago, and after you and your sisters took over, I’ve really not done much with it. I’m sure it’s beyond ready for some massive updates.”
I smiled. “You know I wanted to keep it as close to how you and Mom were doing this as possible, but you’re also right. It’s been going pretty much the same way for about two decades, and now I think it’s just time that we expand. But, there’s a bit of a problem.”
“Oh?” Gigi asked. “What’s that?”
