CHAPTER EIGHT – HER NEW BOYFRIEND

"Well, well," Tina's voice came from behind her. "Looks like someone's got a date." Cassie turned to see her friend grinning knowingly. "It's not a big deal," she said, trying to downplay her excitement. "We're just getting coffee." Tina rolled her eyes. "Honey, I saw the way you two were looking at each other. That's not 'just coffee.' That's the start of something." As Cassie went back to work, she couldn't shake the feeling that Tina might be right. For the first time in a long time, she felt a glimmer of hope for the future. It was a small light in the darkness of her current situation, but it was something to hold onto. The rest of her shift passed in a blur, her thoughts alternating between excitement about her date with Alex and anxiety about Tony's ultimatum. As she hung up her apron at the end of the night, she realized she had less than 18 hours to come up with the money she owed. The weight of her problems came crashing back down on her as she stepped out into the cool