Page 89 of Love and Cherish

“Your office.” The emphasis on office wasn’t lost on Haylee, but Febe pinned her with a sharp look to make sure of that.

There was a definite subtext to the conversation that Haylee was supposed to be missing. But she wasn’t. She was well aware of everything Allegra and Febe weren’t saying, and she would bet the rest of her bank account and more that Cherish had not one clue they were fucking.

“So we’re going back to the Holbrook Foundation?” Haylee tried to turn the conversation from the steamy looks between the two women and maybe get them all back on track. But even as she spoke, it was so hard to want to intervene and have all that bottled up tension on her.

“No,” Febe retorted sharply.

“I’m sorry. I’m confused then.” Haylee ducked her chin and took another bite, trying to figure out what she’d missed. Maybe she wasn’t as good at observations as she thought.

“I don’t have the budget.” Allegra’s voice was smooth balm compared to Febe’s sharpness.

How the two of them ever managed to balance each other—no, scratch that. They’d be the perfect balance, actually. Maybe that was what Febe had found in Bernie when they’d met, and maybe that had been exactly what she was missing.

“I’ll make the budget for it.”

“So will this be under Holbrook’s umbrella or Wellbeing Works?”

What the hell was Haylee missing?

She flicked her gaze from Allegra to Febe, who didn’t even seem to remember that she was still at the table. Febe straightened her shoulders with a slight wiggle, like a pussy cat getting ready to pounce on her prey. Haylee’s stomach dropped, but she had faith that Allegra could hold her own.

“Both.”

“It doesn’t work like that. Our budget is set for the year.” Allegra pushed, and Febe didn’t retreat.

Haylee shoved another forkful of food between her lips, missing a little that fell onto her chin. She lifted her napkin to wipe it away, still watching the ping-pong match of egos in front of her.

“I’ll make it work.”

“You’re not in charge of our budget, Febe. I have a board I have to answer to, and I can’t just add in an entire position and project without going through the necessary processes first.” Allegra put her hands flat on the table. Was she going to get up and leave? Walk out?

What would that mean for Haylee, because it sounded like Febe was arguing for Haylee’s project? But she couldn’t be sure. Because every time before, Febe had shot it down, and she hadn’t actually said that it was a go yet, had she?

“Fine. I’ll pay for it. Five years.”

“Five years?” Haylee muttered through the food in her mouth. But neither Allegra nor Febe glanced at her. Was Febe talking about a five-year contract with Haylee for this?

“She’ll be a liaison, under Wellbeing Works’s payroll, but supervised by Holbrook.” Febe crossed her arms, her face set. That was the look she gave to all those therapists who walked in and tried to argue with her. There was no moving the great Febe Aarts now. She’d made her decision.

“Liaison?” Allegra murmured, her lips pushing together as she narrowed her gaze. “And what kind of raise are you giving to her immediate supervisor?”

“Nothing.”

“Starting services from scratch, building the framework and foundation for it, and then continuing to grow it isn’t exactly work for the weak-hearted. It’ll take at least an extra five to ten hours a week to get this moving before the end of the year.”

“End of the year?” Febe scoffed. “I want it running by Veteran’s Day.”

Haylee’s stomach sank. Veteran’s Day was in seven weeks. She couldn’t get any of this going that quickly, could she? Then again, why was she even assuming she would be in that role? It was her idea, but Febe hadn’t said one way or another. Cherish would be devastated if she had to leave the office, if she wasn’t working for Febe anymore.

“That’s impossible. Don’t be ridiculous.”

“I’m not.” Febe flicked her gaze to Haylee. “What do you say?”

Haylee froze, another fork full of food positioned right at her lips. “Uh…what?”

“You’ll be a liaison between Holbrook and us, working for both as we get this project started. Five years minimum. I’ll guarantee funding for your full-time paid position. Once you have enough donations to cover your position, I’ll shift to funding a second while you work on your fundraising skills. But you’re going to have to get better at sharing your narrative. Crying in front of businessmen won’t get you anywhere in life.”

She still couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

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