Chapter 3
“Why is everyone so scared when it comes to this gala thing?” Haylee rested her hip against Cherish’s desk, only just managing to resist the urge to sit on the corner, risking disarray to Cherish’s precise organization. She had steeled herself for this morning with a little too much caffeine and confidence to allow her to stop now. She could fake it until she made it.
Wasn’t that what everyone did?
Cherish was slow to look up from her computer as though buying herself time to find an answer or bite back a scathing retort.
When she finally looked at Haylee, she raised her eyebrows and pointedly dropped her gaze to Haylee’s hip. To be honest, the corner of the desk was digging uncomfortably into Haylee’s hip bone. She moved off, straightening her back in the process. She had a strange sense that Cherish needed to undo the tight ponytail and relax. But pushing her buttons like this probably wasn’t the best way to get to that.
Haylee shrugged and widened her eyes, knowing Cherish understood she would repeat the question in five…
Four…
Three…
“Last year…” Cherish took a deep breath, closed her eyes and pressed her thumb and forefinger together, pinching the bridge of her nose, “…was a disaster. This year—it can’t be anything like it.”
“Okay.” Haylee nodded, shifting slightly and crossing her arms. So they could talk about the elephant without naming it. Touché. She stared down at Cherish, and it felt so odd, as if she had the illusion of the upper hand when they both knew she didn’t. “But what exactly happened?”
“It doesn’t matter.” Cherish pursed her lips. “What we need is to focus on making sure this year’s gala goes smoothly without any trouble.”
“What happens if it doesn’t?” Haylee’s stomach twisted with anxiety. She’d rarely managed to do anything right for Febe, so how would she manage this?
“If it goes anything like last year…” Cherish stole a look toward Febe’s closed door “…then the charity we hold the gala for won’t survive another year. They need the funding in order to continue their work, and the charity isn’t something Febe is willing to give up. Ever.”
“Oh, so it’s all about the benefactors? Did Febe insult someone or something?” Haylee pinched her face, trying to think of all the ways Febe could have screwed this up.
Cherish pressed her lips together tightly, not answering. Not that Haylee expected her to. Haylee smoothed her hands down her tan slacks that were already a size too small. Had she really been eating her feelings that much lately? Damn, she had to fix that, too. Especially because it wasn’t like she had the cash to pay for the food she consumed.
“All right, don’t tell me.” Haylee shrugged, chasing away the stressful overeating train of thought.
“So you’ll stop with all the questions and help make sure—” another look to the closed door “—everything runs smoothly?”
“How bad did she fuck it up last year?” Haylee really wanted to know what she was dealing with. It would help her in the end, wouldn’t it?
“Haylee, that isn’t appropriate language for the office.” Cherish’s voice was stern, but the color draining from her face was all the confirmation Haylee needed.
Haylee gnawed on her lower lip, cogs whirling around in her head as stray thoughts fought to find cohesion. Cherish pulled the bottle of pills from her top drawer and swallowed two of them dry. Haylee had seen her doing more and more of that lately, as if she lived in a migraine utopia and didn’t even acknowledge it aside from how much medicine she took. She really should buy stock in the company at this point. After a moment, Cherish grabbed the water bottle from her desk and took a sip.
“So we need to get her laid or something just as fun to keep her happy, yeah?” Haylee meant it as a joke, as a brash comment that would lighten the suddenly dark mood, but it didn’t come out right. It didn’t land well. And she saw her entire work life flash before her eyes in an instant.
Cherish spluttered as water spewed from her mouth and covered her pristine desk in fine droplets. She coughed a few times as Haylee did everything in her power not to panic at her newest blunder. Why couldn’t she ever get control of herself?
“That’s enough.” Cherish stood, fire in her eyes and a cruel twist on her lips.
Haylee stepped back, unsure if Cherish was going to fire her on the spot or inflict physical pain. She’d seen others receive this stare, and her sympathy for them increased tenfold.
“I’m going to clean this up, and you’re going to stop discussing our boss in such a disrespectful manner. Do I make myself clear?” Cherish pointed one finger at her sharply.
Haylee nodded, unsure if words would actually come out if she tried. The lump in her throat had all but closed off her ability to breathe, let alone speak.
She’d heard many people in the office talking about Cherish Barkley and her bark, and Haylee had seen her snap and be rude to some people. But only when they had deserved it. And only when protecting Febe.
Had she really crossed a line talking about Febe that way? She was joking, mostly. She’d never had a coworker not complain about their boss. It was camaraderie, banter, nothing more. But this was so much more than that. This was as if Haylee had thrown a bomb into Cherish’s perfect world.
Stumbling back to her own desk, Haylee focused on her work as best she could. She should have cleaned up for Cherish, helped her at least. She should have done more than make herself look like an idiot in front of the only coworker she’d managed to keep for longer than six months.
Just over an hour later, the phone on Cherish’s desk rang. Haylee couldn’t stop herself from looking up, wondering if this was her doomed firing to come. Cherish lowered her voice as she spoke in hushed tones. She shot Haylee a sharp glare before she rushed into Febe’s office, closing the door behind her.
Haylee whimpered and leaned back in her chair. She had been sitting far too stiffly as she worked, scared to let even one iota of her walls down. Her mind whirled with all the potential problems that could arise from one simple comment. She had talked herself into being screamed at by Febe and Cherish in a tag team effort, to being fired and having to let her brother know that she had once again failed to secure a long-term position. This time it would be even worse, because for the first time she truly believed she could find a way to help veterans and their families. Thank God she wouldn’t have to tell all of them she’d failed.
“I’ll take failure again for five hundred. Thanks, Alex,” Haylee muttered to herself as she shook her head, the ends of her hair brushing along her jawline as she forced self-pity from her thoughts.
Yeah, she was feeling the pressure of being thirty-three and not having her shit together, but she wouldn’t let this negative self-talk overtake who she was. Every muscle in her body was stiff, and she knew that Febe wasn’t the one who needed to get laid.
How long had it been?
Haylee hadn’t been out on a date since Tori, and while she had gotten a friend and a delicious recipe for brandy snap baskets out of the deal, it hadn’t exactly filled her other needs. Tori had been caught up in another woman. They’d spent the night solving Tori’s love problems instead of Haylee’s physical needs.
The door opened, and Haylee straightened in her chair, eyes laser-focused on her screen. She hadn’t relaxed for a moment. She’d never cop to that.
“Haylee.” Cherish stood in front of Haylee’s desk, her fingertips white as she leaned down to catch all of Haylee’s attention.
“Yes, Cherish?” Haylee looked up, swallowed the lump in her throat and prepared for the inevitable firing.
“I’ll help you.”
“Excuse me?” Haylee’s eyebrows pinched as they bunched together.
“If you help me with the gala, then I’ll help you organize a proper presentation for Ms. Aarts about specializing in veterans and active-duty military.” Cherish’s voice was nothing more than a whisper.
“Why?” No one had ever helped Haylee before. Not like this. And she would be remiss to trust her.
“Because I think it’s a good idea.” Cherish looked as though her mouth had filled with lemon juice instead of praise. “And I really do need your help with the gala and ensuring it goes off perfectly and allows the Holbrook Foundation to continue for the next year. Preferably until Ms. Aarts dies, since that’s the only way she’ll give it up.”
Haylee wanted to pry into that, but she bit her tongue. The last time she’d said what was on her mind, it didn’t go well. “Does that mean you’ll finally tell me what happened last year to get everyone’s panties in such a twist?”
“No.” Cherish’s sour expression returned, and Haylee waited for another scolding. “But as I said, I’ll help you with your presentation. After the gala, of course.”
The idea hit Haylee hard. Despite her internal agreement not to say what was on her mind, she couldn’t let this opportunity pass. Not when it was so good.
“I’ll help you on one condition.” Haylee stood up and came around the desk, leaning against it. Cherish was closer this way, close enough to touch if Haylee wanted to—which she didn’t. She definitely didn’t want that. Their shoulders almost brushed, and the lean lines of Cherish’s chin and neck were perfect from this angle.
“Excuse me?” Cherish looked down her nose and narrowed her eyes.
“If I help you, and it goes off without a hitch, you help me with the presentation and tell me what happened last year.” Haylee crossed her arms and pressed her breasts up, knowing that the cleavage was working to her advantage since Cherish dragged her gaze down her body and then flicked her eyes back up.
Cherish’s breathing quickened. “And what happens if it doesn’t go off without a hitch?”
“Then…” Haylee looked around desperately—if this was a bet, then they were both going to have to offer something. This was an opportunity to get what she really wanted, to sink her teeth into a job and love coming into work every day. That was what she needed to stay long term. She could be someone she wasn’t to get something amazing for a community that needed it. Desperation made her breath speed up and her heart pound a little louder.
“Donuts!” Haylee blurted out, clawing to keep Cherish’s attention before she could formulate the plan that rushed toward her. She had to make this work. Giving this to Cherish would get her exactly what she wanted.
“Sorry?” Cherish jerked her head back in surprise, right before her gaze dropped to Haylee’s breasts again and her cheeks turned pink before she looked Haylee in the eye.
“If anything goes wrong at your precious gala, I’ll buy you a dozen of those hella expensive Zena donuts you reward yourself with not nearly enough.” Heat rushed to Haylee’s cheeks. Had Cherish even noticed that she paid that close attention? The pink one with sprinkles had looked amazing, especially when Cherish had worn some on her lip. Fuck, what Haylee would have given to be a donut that day.
Shit.
She really did need to get laid.
Cherish opened her mouth as though she were about to argue or scold but quickly closed it again.
“What do you say?” Haylee asked, nervously.
“You help with the gala, it goes off without a single issue, and I’ll not only help you with your presentation but also tell you about last year’s disaster, while I receive just one dozen donuts if it goes wrong again?”
“Oh.” Haylee had to smile. The woman was devious, and Haylee enjoyed seeing this previously unknown side to Cherish. “I see how it is.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Yep.” Haylee smirked and nodded. This was the most fun she’d ever had talking to Cherish. “All right, a weekly donut run for a year, and a dinner for two out to Le Rochelle’s, my treat for you and whoever you want to join you.”
Even if it is the iconic Ms. Febe Aarts.
“I suppose there really is a reason you’ve lasted longer than any of the others.” Cherish smiled, and a small hitch rose in Haylee’s chest.
Why had she never seen that smile before? It was devastatingly beautiful. Or perhaps it just appeared that way because of the compliments that had fallen so easily from Cherish’s lips. Those wide lips that curved in an uneven bow.
For a moment, Haylee simply stared at Cherish, seeing the country girl she knew Cherish had been but usually hid behind her professional mask.
“Haylee?” Cherish’s smile disappeared, and she tilted her head, trying to catch Haylee’s eyes.
“Sorry. What did you say?”
“Do we have a deal?” Cherish asked.
“Oh yeah.” Haylee stood and stepped in closer, a whiff of Cherish’s subtle perfume taking her right back to her thoughts from before. At least this time she was able to keep her head on straight. “We definitely have a deal.”
The combination of soft skin and firm handshake made Haylee’s breath vanish from her lungs.
“Excellent.” Cherish walked to her own desk.
Whatever spell Haylee was caught in snapped out of existence. What the hell was that?
Haylee sat in her chair once more. Her hands shook. Her knees were jelly. She blinked at her computer screen, but it did nothing to help her focus on what was staring at her. That was until a meeting request notification popped up from her email program.
Tilting her head, Haylee opened it. The request was from Cherish. With a quick look over at Cherish’s desk, Haylee saw only the top of Cherish’s head as she hunched over, working on whatever task Febe had assigned her.
Smiling despite the confusion, Haylee clicked open the request and saw what Cherish had called their apparent meeting.
Discuss Donut Win.
Haylee let out a loud guffaw of a laugh before she could stop herself. Cherish didn’t look up, but for a moment, Haylee could have sworn that Cherish’s lips twitched, at least the small side of it that Haylee could see. Did she manage to sneak two smiles from icy Cherish in less than twenty minutes? That had certainly never happened before.
This could actually work. Haylee’s hope turned into a fizzy excitement as she hit accept on the meeting request. It was for after hours, but she supposed Operation Get Febe Laid couldn’t exactly be discussed during office hours with the woman herself potentially walking in on their discussion at any moment.
That would be an immediate firing for sure.
As if Febe sensed someone thinking about her, she opened her office door and ventured out to stand in the place between Haylee and Cherish. They both looked up. Haylee glanced over at Cherish, but Cherish’s eyes were trained entirely on Febe.
Did Cherish know that her entire world revolved around their boss?
“I’m going out for the rest of the day. I’ll see you both tomorrow.”
“Have a safe evening, Ms. Aarts,” Cherish responded politely, ever the professional.
“See you tomorrow,” Haylee said.
Maybe she didn’t need to worry about getting Febe laid after all. Leaving work three hours early wasn’t her style. Did she have some secret tryst this afternoon? Haylee snorted at that idea. Febe was a workaholic to the core. She definitely didn’t have time for flings.
Haylee shook her head and closed her eyes as Febe left the office. She really did have to get her mind off of sex. Febe probably just had another meeting. Another glance over at Cherish showed her still watching Febe through the glass doors as the pristine woman waited for the elevator to arrive.
Did Cherish know she was in love with the boss?