Page 88 of Love and Cherish

“Fantastic.” Allegra’s light voice kept Haylee from saying anything else. “In that case, I will have more than just the salad or the baba ghanoush and bread.”

Haylee scanned the menu again, choosing from the price range instead of the food itself. She had been tempted to pick the most expensive item but, even with the anger that still simmered beneath for Febe, she simply couldn’t bring herself to.

When the waiter came, Febe took command over ordering drinks and demanding entrees for the table, and deferred dessert until later.

“Now.” Febe folded her hands in front of her, eyeing Haylee over as if the rest of the world out there didn’t exist anymore. “Tell me what you told Allegra.”

“What do you mean?” Haylee fought to catch her breath. She had to focus. She had to remember what the point of all of this was. She had to stop being such a chickenshit when it came to her boss.

As though Febe could read the very thoughts in Haylee’s mind, she remained silent. Why did Febe always do that? Like the world would cater to her silence an instant faster than if she’d just simply ask what she wanted to ask.

Haylee closed her eyes against the scrutiny and remembered the Febe Aarts she had read about. The intimidating but brilliant entrepreneur who might, despite the reports of her icy facade, care about Haylee’s pain and the pain of those on the fringes, the ones always left behind to deal with their grief alone and terrified in a darkness they were lucky to ever be able to pull themselves out of.

“Tyler was the big brother me and my own brother, Jackson, needed. They were best friends, and when he died, our world fell apart.” Though the tears stung her eyes, she held them back while she told her story. Not the details. They remained her own, locked away and precious. As soon as she was finished, the weight had shifted and exhaustion pulled at her. Why was this so tiring?

“How long did you struggle?” Allegra asked.

Haylee couldn’t bite back the sarcastic laugh. She did, however, cut it off short.

“Still do.” Haylee forced her lips into a smile that lasted less than a second as she looked down at the plate full of exquisite and expensive food in front of her. “For years I’ve struggled, but I’m one of the lucky ones. Me and my brother—we’ve had each other.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about all of this sooner?” Febe asked. The crispness in her voice held a thickness Haylee didn’t understand. She wasn’t sure she wanted to.

“Because.” Haylee took a deep breath and raised her head, meeting Febe’s eyes almost as though she were an equal. “You’re the Febe Aarts. You’re not exactly easy to talk to, or to share with. And I doubt my weakness would be appreciated in your stoic empire.”

The silence zipped around the table as though it were a physical wave.

“She doesn’t know about Bernie?” Allegra asked, her voice even softer than Haylee thought possible.

“No,” Febe said quietly.

“I do.” Haylee wished just once her mouth would wait to open until her brain had given it the command.

Both sets of eyes snapped to her, like sights on rifles. The comparison sent goosebumps over her skin.

“Excuse me?” What little edge that had seemed shorn off of Febe’s tone returned, and it brought reinforcements.

“I didn’t, not until the gala.”

“Cherish.” Febe nodded, and Haylee knew that if she didn’t stop things with Cherish, the moment she heard about this betrayal it would be over regardless of what Haylee did or said.

“She wanted to help me understand why the gala was so important, and why last year couldn’t happen again.” Haylee cringed. She should really learn to just shut up already.

“And still you didn’t feel comfortable enough to share why this is so important to you?” Febe eyed her down, and Haylee shrunk in her chair as best as she could.

“No.” Haylee had no words, no reasons and no justifications.

Silence settled over them. Febe’s face had gone pale, and Allegra couldn’t stop looking from her food to Febe, as if quietly checking in on her but too afraid to ask. Haylee finally took her fork and put a bite into her mouth, but she barely tasted the food. Wasn’t expensive food supposed to be good? She frowned, because no flavor lingered on her tongue, nor made a dent in her brain.

The foot against her knee startled her, and she jerked her leg up into the top of the table. Cringing, Haylee rubbed her knee and tried to play it off like she wasn’t an idiot. When she looked up to see if anyone had noticed her obvious mishap, Febe had a steely look on her face and Allegra’s cheeks were flushed pink.

She was just about to break the silence and ask what they were talking about next when Allegra put her fork down, the metal clanging against the plate with a clatter.

“So your place or mine?” Allegra asked. But what the hell was she actually asking? Because that same tension that had been in the room with these two so many times was back right at the forefront, and Febe was blushing.

Oh my God! Febe’s blushing!

Haylee spluttered on the mouthful of water she had taken. To her surprise Febe’s lips turned up in a smile Haylee didn’t even know she was capable of. That was a satisfied smirk, one filled with passion and teasing and arousal.

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