Page 41 of Love and Cherish

They arrived back to the office with plenty of time left before Febe had to head off to yet another meeting. Cherish hoped she had eaten lunch while they were out. As if on cue her own stomach rumbled.

“We should have picked up lunch to bring back,” Haylee said, obviously having heard Cherish’s belly complaints.

“That would have been a smart idea.” Except Cherish wasn’t just hungry for lunch. She wanted that sweet intimacy they’d had in the store, the ease of conversation that she hadn’t had in so long. Febe had been so torn up after Bernie that Cherish had given her as wide a berth as possible with her own problems.

“Here.” Haylee placed the beautiful gift basket on Cherish’s desk, knocking Cherish right back into the present.

“Oh no.” Cherish picked up the basket by the handle and handed it back to Haylee. “You did all the hard work to get the cashier to make this up just the way you knew Febe would like. You definitely get the credit on this one.”

Haylee took the handle, her fingers brushing over Cherish’s. Time froze again. Neither of them seemed capable of moving. Standing face-to-face in the office, Cherish’s fingers covered by Haylee’s warm and gentle hand, her breath caught.

“Is that the gift?” Febe asked, her voice a splash of cold water just like that second car last night had been.

Cherish jerked with a start, the basket landing heavily on her desk with a loud crash. “Uh…yes, Ms. Aarts. Haylee had them wrap it up so it’s ready to go for your visit.”

“Perfect.” Febe stepped closer, her gaze flicking between the two of them before she grabbed the basket and went back to her office.

Haylee blew out a breath, a grin forming on her face. “I was so worried I would say something wrong or that it might bring up the complication you mentioned.”

Cherish suddenly wished Haylee knew all about Febe's past, about the disaster of last year’s gala and the reason behind it. She had always held that knowledge close to her chest, something precious, as though keeping those safe also kept Febe safe.

But if she did that, would Haylee bother to keep helping her with this year’s gala?

She couldn’t risk it.

The gala had to go off without a hitch. And despite the spell Haylee seemed to have put on her, the kiss was just a kiss. It wasn’t possible for it to be anything more than that.

Cherish wouldn’t fall down that rabbit hole, filled with the pain of love lost, no matter how much she wanted to kiss Haylee again. She’d seen what damage that could do to a person firsthand. And she wouldn’t put herself through what Febe had been through. It hurt too much watching her best friend be in so much pain.

Despite all of that, the longing to lean over her desk and press her mouth to Haylee’s was so damn strong. Cherish clenched her jaw and pressed her fingertips into her desktop. Damn it. Cherish definitely had a crush on Haylee, whether she liked it or not.

But she would never fall in love.

fourteen

Haylee shimmied her shoulders as happy little jolts of electricity worked through her body while walking to the printer. It used to frustrate her that the printer her computer was connected to was located in a little hideaway nook behind Cherish’s desk. It was amazing how time could shift one’s perspective on these things. Just like Haylee’s opinion of the office itself.

Her playlist had been cultivated, changed, and reworked over the last few weeks. She knew without checking which song had been played the most. It split her face into another smile as that very song came on. Madonna’s voice reached where she stood at the printer, and she hummed along and danced to the music.

The file was thick, and guilt tightened her chest a little at the thought of using so much paper, especially for something Febe—no, she silently corrected herself, Ms. Aarts—hadn’t even requested. But the way Cherish’s eyes would light up with pride that Haylee had anticipated instead of reacted was exactly what she wanted to see. Maybe she’d even get a touch of that smoldering look Cherish had given her while they were shopping yesterday. The paper piled high, and Haylee smiled at it.

“That’s the way it’s got to be.” Haylee sang along as she smiled to herself, her hips wiggling with happiness.

She was enjoying this confident voice in her head that sounded far too much like Cherish. It was true, she knew Ms. Aarts would want this file. Maybe not today but before the end of the week. It was finalized and nothing would change in it, so it seemed silly to leave it on her desk ready for when she needed it. Even if it felt like a ream of paper.

With the file on Ms. Aarts’s desk, Haylee gave in to the chorus of the song, belting out the words and closing her eyes. She let herself swirl in a circle in the open space between her and Cherish’s desks. The words to Madonna’s “Cherish” left her lips, the notes forming before rushing into the open air.

Haylee let the last word linger on her tongue as she opened her eyes, and she froze. Her hips stopped gyrating in figure eights, and her eyes already felt dry from how wide they stared. Madonna continued to serenade the beat of awkward silence as a hand of fear grasped Haylee’s throat, clawing into her chest.

Cherish saved her with a wicked gleam of a smile.

“Good morning, Haylee.” Cherish’s voice caused a heavy thump in Haylee’s chest followed by a staccato of subsequent beats. The quirk of her lips didn’t help the heat that rushed up to her cheeks and down to the tops of her thighs. “By all means, don’t let me stop you halfway through a song.”

Shit.

Was Cherish amused?

Haylee forced a smile but couldn’t meet Cherish’s eyes as the heat intensified throughout her body. But she could tell it wasn’t all embarrassment. Haylee had been thinking about Cherish in her arms, about that damnable kiss on the street corner, and the smooth lines of her body. If only Cherish knew.

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