Page 43 of Love and Cherish

“Oh.” Haylee jumped as she licked her lips, her mouth suddenly dry as she watched Cherish a little too closely. “I had better go take the coffee in before it gets cold.”

“Yes.” Cherish waved her away, already returning her attention back to her computer, fingers pounding on the keys just like Haylee wanted them to pound into her.

Stop it!

“Anything else?” Ms. Aarts asked at their usual weekly meeting.

“If I may, Ms. Aarts?” Haylee’s palms were slick with nervous sweat, and she sensed Cherish’s shoulders stiffening in the chair next to her. Perhaps she should have run it by Cherish first, but it hadn’t crossed her mind. And even as she had headed into the meeting, she wasn’t certain she would even mention it.

“What is it?” Febe was already looking at her computer, going back to work. For her, the meeting was over. Her thin lips were pursed as she squinted at the screen, already distracted, which meant Haylee was going to have to work hard to bring her attention back around.

“Cherish and I were talking about how this time of year is notoriously busy. Not just with illness for employees, but there seems to be a trend of high turnover during these two months specifically. Add in the increased workload with new clients and returning clients because of the stress of the holidays.” Haylee worried her lower lip, sneaking a glance at Cherish, who stared at her with wide fearful eyes.

“Yes.” Febe’s eyes flicked to Cherish and then returned to bore larger holes into Haylee. Well, Haylee had certainly gotten her attention. She hadn’t anticipated it would be that easy.

If only Haylee’s palms would stop sweating, she might be able to get through this in one piece.

“Well, I’ve done some research into some of the temp pool companies available, and while I know that isn’t ideal for our clients, there are a few of the companies that have both high staff retention and offer return client preferences.” Haylee rushed through her words, but if she stopped, she might not have the courage to restart. “Some of the companies they work with have a lot of good things to say about keeping their clients happy while also being able to ensure they get the same staff and don’t have to waste time and money retraining new temps every time they hit a busy season. Perhaps it could be something we look into for next year.”

Haylee took a deep breath and slowly let it out as she pulled out the pieces of paper she had printed moments before the meeting started. Cherish raised her eyebrows and took the papers tentatively as though expecting them to explode.

Haylee sat back in her chair and waited as Febe and Cherish skimmed. Or maybe they were pretending to care. It wasn’t like Haylee had skipped her lunch to research this. What she really wanted from it was something to help Cherish when Haylee wasn’t there anymore. Because the likelihood she’d make it to next year was slim.

Febe set her paper down and eyed Haylee over the desk. “I’ll look into it for further consideration.”

“Thank you,” Haylee said on a breath of relief.

“Anything else? Haylee?” Febe looked at her and waited for her head shake in the negative before turning to Cherish. “Cherish?”

“No.” Cherish perched on the edge of her chair, eager to get up.

Haylee truly hoped she had done the right thing. Surely Cherish wouldn’t be mad? All she had done was try to solve a problem, something that had been frustrating Cherish. Worry continued to bury itself further into Haylee’s stomach.

Haylee followed Cherish out and tried not to worry about Cherish’s silence as she busied herself at her desk. Haylee’s stomach sank as she tried to find words for a question, one she wasn’t sure she wanted to ask. Haylee couldn’t shake the doubts that clenched her muscles and distracted her thoughts. Cherish was just busy, that’s all this was.

The afternoon slipped away, and when Cherish got up to go to the printer, Haylee couldn’t deal with the silence any longer.

“Hey,” Haylee said as she entered the small nook. Cherish faced the printer, tapping buttons, her fingers hitting them with precision and a little more anger than Haylee had hoped for.

“Are you waiting for something to print?” Cherish threw a look over her shoulder, but her eyes never reached Haylee’s before she turned back. “I can bring it out for you.”

“Actually, I just wanted to check that you weren’t mad at me for saying something to Ms. Aarts about the staffing issues.” Haylee’s stomach plummeted. There. The words were out, and she couldn’t take them back now.

“What?” Cherish turned around, a smile dancing on her face as though even her lips were unsure if Haylee were being serious or not. “Why would you think that?”

“You’ve been quiet since the meeting, and I guess I’m just worrying about nothing.” Haylee clenched her fists tightly, hinging her response on Cherish’s answer.

“Haylee.” Cherish swallowed audibly, and Haylee prepared to be shut down completely. “I didn’t realize I was being unusually quiet.”

“So you aren’t mad?”

“Absolutely not.” Cherish met Haylee’s eyes this time, and a soft smile touched her lips. Haylee’s breath sped up, her chest rising and falling faster than it had.

She needed to say something, but nothing came to mind.

Cherish laughed and shook her head. “I’m impressed, and you should be proud of yourself. You’re proving yourself every single day. Learning and growing as a professional.” Cherish looked down at the carpet between them, but not before Haylee saw the blush on her cheeks. How Haylee longed to reach out and touch her, to feel if the heat reached Cherish’s skin or not.

“I’m proud of myself, but I wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for you.” The air electrified between them. Haylee swore she could hear every breath Cherish rasped. She shuddered as she felt herself moving forward and pulled back slightly.

---