Chapter 36
“Please tell me you like the desk this way?” Cherish huffed out as she leaned forward, pressing her hands against her jean clad thighs. She could think of a few things to do with this desk, and it had nothing to do with positioning it in Haylee’s new office.
She stretched her back by putting her hands on her hips and pushing her chest outward. Haylee’s labored breathing and the ticking of the wall clock were the only sounds that answered her question.
“Haylee?” Cherish tried again as she turned around.
“What? Huh?” Haylee’s face lit up, her eyes flying up from where they had obviously been enjoying the sight of Cherish’s ass bent in her jeans and breasts in her tight shirt. Her cheeks were bright red.
“Haylee, we’re at work.” Cherish half-scolded, a smirk on her lips and a happy dance in her heart.
“It’s Saturday,” Haylee countered and stepped into Cherish’s space. “Besides, you know what the sight of you in jeans does to me.”
Cherish chuckled low as she pulled Haylee in for a kiss. Kissing was a much better option than moving furniture around. She could get on board for this distraction and leave Haylee to the real work on Monday.
“So it’s your fault really,” Haylee said as she nibbled Cherish’s bottom lip before stepping away again.
“Well, what exactly would you like me to wear while we set up your new office? Heels and a tiara?”
Haylee’s eyes sparkled, and Cherish chuckled. “That would be fun to see. But I imagine that a wench’s outfit, half-ripped from all the hard labor, would be a much better sight.”
“That would certainly be interesting,” Febe said from the doorway, a plant in her hands as she eyed each of them over.
“Ms. Aarts!” Haylee squeaked as she spun around. If her face was red before, it was lobster red now.
Cherish wanted to step up to Haylee’s back and wrap her arms around her. Those earlobes never looked so fun to nibble. But she resisted, though she couldn’t have wiped the smile from her face if she tried. Not that she wanted to.
Febe stepped forward. “Please call me Febe. Despite Ms. Grumpy Professional over there, I don’t mind my name. Unless you’re mansplaining something to me, then you’ll call me Ms. Aarts.”
“I’m not always grumpy,” Cherish muttered as she turned back to the desk to make sure it was in the perfect position. “I’ve even been polite to the new precious assistant we hired.”
“Oh, don’t remind me.” Febe groaned and rolled her eyes.
“They can’t all be as amazing as me.” Haylee recovered and laughed as she wriggled her shoulders a little to emphasize her point.
“True.” Febe smiled, a real genuine smile that Cherish still found a shock to see. A wonderful shock but surprising nonetheless. “And on that note. I thought I’d swing by and bring this to you.”
“Oh.” Haylee took the plant as though it were a brand-new baby, fragile and delicate. She studied the leaves and turned around to face the desk as if trying to figure out where to put it. “Thank you, but—”
“It’s fake,” Febe cut off Haylee’s concern, meeting Cherish’s gaze with a pointed look.
“You told her?” Haylee whirled back at Cherish, a mock scowl on her lips.
“She saw the aftermath of last week’s purchase. I can’t help it if you manage to kill plants in less than four days when deserts couldn’t kill them over years.”
“Oh, har har.” Haylee’s narrowed eyes were undermined by the twitching of her lips into a smile. The plants hadn’t survived until Cherish took them to the office to get them away from Haylee to keep them alive.
Cherish moved over to Febe, and they both watched as Haylee walked around her new office, holding up the fake plant at different spots around the room.
“I like this.” Febe spoke softly, almost as though she didn’t want to interrupt Haylee’s tough decision of plant placement. So far, the desk had been rejected, along with the shelf near the phone, and the side table by the door. The office was small, but Cherish had no doubt that Haylee would find someplace for it.
“What exactly?” Cherish flicked her eyes to Febe, but couldn’t let them linger away from Haylee for long. But she knew that Febe wasn’t talking about the plant. Her tone said something wispier than that, something almost dreamy.
“Seeing you relaxed, and happy. In love.” Febe reached down and curled her fingers around Cherish’s in a sweet moment before letting go.
“I was going to say the same thing about you.” Cherish dragged in a deep breath. It was the first time she’d acknowledged that Febe was in a new relationship, that there was potential there. After Stuart and Jackson had left, she and Febe had gone out for dinner and drinks and talked until the restaurant closed down for the night.
“Perfect.” Haylee turned around and mimed her hands toward the plant. It sat in the middle of the desk, as if it were the center of attention.
“Right there?” Cherish asked, eyebrows rising as she turned to Febe for some kind of understanding.
Febe was no help, simply raising her shoulders and hands, her lips dipping down in an I have no idea expression.
“Of course, that’s about where the edge of the monitor will sit. I think it’ll be nice to have it where it can be seen from the corner of my eye. I can even pretend it’s real and be overjoyed by the fact that I haven’t killed it yet.”
“Well, that does make sense, and a great way to keep the positive energy up,” Febe said with a completely straight face which simply made Cherish stare harder at her.
“But the desk has to move now,” Haylee added.
“What?” Cherish’s back ached in response to Haylee’s words.
“I can’t have the desk here now. The midday and afternoon sun will be right on the plant, and it can’t be in that much light.”
“It’s fake,” Cherish reminded her, her tone deadpan. Why was Haylee treating this plant like it was the most precious thing on the planet?
“It’ll fade, which is a fake plant’s way of dying. Do you want me to be sad about killing another plant?” Haylee put her fists on her hips and pinned Cherish with a sharp look. This was clearly something Haylee wasn’t going to argue about. Cherish knew her well enough by this point to understand that.
“So, where are we moving the desk?” Cherish stepped forward, eagerness suddenly taking over from her previous reluctance. If she could get the desk into the right spot, then she could start putting the rest of the office together and they could leave sooner.
“I can help.” Febe moved to the other end.
Febe stayed and helped move the desk three more times before Haylee decided it was perfect.
“Time for a coffee break. Would you like one Febe?” Haylee asked.
Febe looked at her watch. “I have a few more minutes before I have to get going. I’d love coffee, thank you, Haylee.”
“Cherry?” Haylee asked.
“Yes, please, thank you.”
Haylee gave them a single head nod, turned on her toes, and left the office to head down the hall to the kitchenette. Cherish wasn’t happy that Haylee was in a completely different building now, but she understood why she needed to be in Holbrook’s building instead of theirs.
“She’s so excited,” Cherish said to Febe as she watched the door and waited for Haylee to come back. She’d noticed she’d done that a lot more often lately, unable to be away from Haylee if she could avoid it. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. She’s done all of this herself. Though I’m not entirely sure she’s prepared for just how much work’s involved.”
“I think some of it will come as a surprise, but she’s smart and resourceful.” Cherish crossed her arms, her shoulders already aching from the physical labor that day.
“Indeed.”
Haylee returned with coffee, made to each person’s standards.
“So, what exactly do you think will surprise me?” Haylee asked before taking a sip of her coffee.
Febe’s eyes widened, and Cherish chuckled into her mug, almost spilling the hot liquid down her hand. She wasn’t sure if she found Haylee’s forthright question or Febe’s reaction more amusing. Cherish leaned more toward Febe’s reaction. It was rare someone could shock Febe, but Haylee had done it more times than not.
“The walls are really thin around here.” Haylee shrugged, though Cherish could see the twinkle in her eye. She’d done that on purpose. Cherish loved her all the more for it.
“I have a list of what’ll need to be ready by Wednesday.” Febe pulled out a crisp folded piece of paper from her pocket.
“Is this why you really came?” Cherish resisted the urge to snag the paper and read it over. This wasn’t her job, and Haylee was going to have to figure out how to navigate all that was Febe when she was on a mission.
Haylee opened it, her eyes widening as she got to the end of the page and pulled apart what turned out to be three sheets of paper and not just one. Haylee moved back a little, just enough for her to rest her weight on the edge of her desk.
Cherish moved closer, their shoulders brushing as she looked over what she could see of the list.
“It’s a big job you’ve undertaken,” Febe said after she finished her coffee.
“I know. But it’s worth it.” The strength in Haylee’s voice filled the entire office. There was confidence there that Haylee had never had when she’d been working with them directly. Cherish treasured it.
“It is.” Febe nodded, handing the now empty mug to Haylee’s outstretched hand. “I look forward to seeing how the office looks on Monday.”
“Thank you, Febe.” Haylee smiled goodbye.
At the door, Febe turned, a wicked smirk on her lips and a devious look in her eyes. “It’s a pity the walls are so thin here. I suppose you two will have to be more careful the next time you can’t control yourselves by the printer.”
Without missing a beat, Febe disappeared.
Cherish heard the sound of her heels and could have sworn laughter filtered back to them.
“She knew?” Cherish’s face burned hot with a fierce embarrassment.
“Oh, yeah. Did I forget to mention that? Well, she definitely knows about the make out session by the printer. I’m not so sure about the other night.” Haylee’s shoulders lifted almost high enough to touch her ears, her mouth in a forgive-me-I’m-pretty smile. “I never told you that she saw me before I managed to get my hair and clothes back in order.”
“Oh my God.” Cherish’s mind sputtered, unable to say anything else.
Haylee laughed and pulled Cherish’s arm up so she could snuggle closer into her side.
“There are so many things we need to do.” Haylee sighed after the pleasant silence had wrapped around them for several minutes. “What if I can’t get them all done?”
“You can.” Cherish squeezed her lightly, pulling her in as close as she dared—especially with that little warning from Febe. With a kiss to the top of Haylee’s head, Cherish found she wanted to say the words that once upon a time, not so long ago, she would have barely admitted to herself let alone to anyone else. “Whatever you need to get you through this first year, I’m here for you. You aren’t alone anymore.”
“What would I do without you?”
“Cry and be miserable.” Cherish chuckled as Haylee huffed out an unimpressed sound.
“For that, you get to help me carry up the rest of my stuff.” Haylee pushed to her feet.
“You just want to see me bend over again.” Cherish slid her fingers into Haylee’s, and they headed out of Haylee’s new office.
“Definitely. I don’t want to waste a moment of a jeans day.”
“You’re incorrigible.”
“And you love me that way.”
“Yes,” Cherish said with a light laugh. “Yes, I do love you, exactly the way you are.”