Page 85 of Love and Cherish

Nodding, Haylee dove into the speech she’d practiced. “When I was in high school, it was right at the start of the war in Iraq in 2003. My brother, Jackson, was a senior when I was a freshman, and we were all so scared about what would happen. If there would be a draft. If there wouldn’t be one.”

Allegra said nothing, but Haylee felt compassion and understanding flow off her in waves.

“I was stuck in that limbo for a very long time. My brother’s best friend, Tyler, enlisted as soon as he graduated.” Tears built up in Haylee’s eyes. This was why she never wanted to talk about Tyler. She hated crying. “He was like a second big brother to me. In elementary school, he’d watch out for me during recess every day.”

“Sounds like he was raised right.” Allegra reached toward her desk and snagged a tissue.

Haylee winced but accepted it, dabbing her face where the tears had started to spill already. She could never do this in front of Febe. Febe would run her over and stomp on her for good measure. “He was.”

Silence filled the space between them, but it was so comfortable. Haylee leaned into it and steadied herself before she went into the next part. This part was even harder.

“Tyler died two months into his deployment.” Her nose burned. Haylee tried her best to hold back the tears, to keep herself steady, but her throat grew thick with mucus, and it was getting harder to speak by the minute. “His family, his immediate family, had help. But the rest of us?” She shook her head. “We had nothing.”

“Ah, I think I understand.” Allegra smiled. “You want to work with those on the fringes of who’s affected. People who aren’t covered by the resources, who are missed. The cousins, the nieces and nephews, the friends and found family.”

“Yes.” Haylee smiled at Allegra’s use of found family. Maybe she wasn’t as straight as Haylee had originally thought. That or she was very familiar with the community.

“And you’ve brought this up with Febe, and she doesn’t have any interest in the project?”

“None.” Haylee wasn’t quite sure how true that was, but it was the stance she was taking for now. She was giving up on Febe and Wellbeing Works taking on her call to work with those on the fringes of the military.

Allegra paused, rubbing her hands together as she studied Haylee over. “I don’t have the resources to help you.”

Haylee’s entire body turned cold.

“I think it’s an excellent idea. I think you should talk to Febe about it again.” Allegra licked her lips, glancing toward the doorway and then her watch.

She really mustn’t want to be there. Haylee swallowed that lump that was back. “I understand.”

“We work with families on the edges here, and we have a lot of people in our care that could benefit from something like that. We have a lot of military in the area. Febe has a much wider range than we do.”

“Yeah, she does.” Haylee tensed, trying not to cross her arms and act like the disappointed selfish kid on Christmas.

“Why come here?”

“Because Febe doesn’t see the point.”

Allegra canted her head to the side. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. I’ve talked to her several times about this idea, and she’s shot it down each and every time. This is something I feel strongly about. People need help, and they need resources.” Haylee’s hands were still shaking.

Allegra glanced at her watch again and then stood up. “Let me think about it and see if I can offer any support and connections that might help you find a home for your idea. I think you’re right. This is something that’s needed.”

So that was it then.

Another rejection.

Haylee tried not to let her disappointment get the better of her. This rejection was easier to take than the ones Febe had given her. She could handle this. She’d spend the rest of the day throwing herself a pity party, and then tomorrow, she would walk into work like nothing had happened.

“Thank you for your time.” Haylee extended her hand again, and Allegra took it.

The handshake was quick, and Allegra moved to walk Haylee to the door. “I’ll give you a call when I can get some resources put together for you.”

“All right. Thank you. I really appreciate it.”

Haylee left Allegra’s office and walked back to the main entrance. Her heart was in her throat. Was Allegra pushing her out of there? She must really not be that interested. Shaking off the mood as best as she could for now, Haylee reached for the door handle and jerked back when it suddenly opened.

She froze.

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