Page 92 of Love and Cherish

“Where the hell were you yesterday?” Cherish dropped her jacket and purse heavily on her desk, immediately spinning around to face Haylee with her hands on her hips. She wasn’t going to put up with being ignored. Haylee might be leaving her but that didn’t mean she had to be an ass about it.

Then again maybe that’s who she was. Love them and leave them.

Cherish should have guessed.

“I-I was sick.”

“Oh bullshit.” Cherish winced at her own rage. She had told herself she was going to come in and calmly ask where Haylee had been, if she felt better, and then guilt her into telling her where she was. So much for that plan.

“What’s wrong, Cherry?”

“Don’t you dare call me that.” Cherish pointed her finger directly at Haylee. “You don’t have that right anymore.”

Haylee paled, and Cherish knew she’d pushed this too far. She had taken it a step over the edge. Haylee had no idea why she was so mad, why she was burning with rage, and it was all turned on her. Cherish grimaced and ran her fingers through her hair. She’d barely slept the night before. Every time she’d turned over, that same raging nausea came right back, and it had nothing to do with a migraine.

“Cherish,” Haylee corrected. She stood up, coming around her desk. “I don’t understand what I did.”

“You’re leaving.” Cherish’s voice broke, and tears were threatening to spill down her cheeks. She couldn’t make the words make sense. She wanted to tell Haylee what she was feeling. She wanted to yell at her and make her hurt just as much as she did. Because the worst part of all of this was that Cherish knew she was the one who was going to be hurt. She was the one who was going to be left in the dust.

Just like she always was.

“I’m not leaving.”

“You are!” Cherish screeched. “I have to create a job listing for your position. You’re leaving.”

“I…” Haylee stopped talking and shook her head. “I can’t talk about it.”

“Like hell you can’t.”

“Cherish.” Febe’s voice rang through the office suite. “My office. Now.”

With no other choice, Cherish walked away. She held back her tears as she stalked into Febe’s office. As soon as she was inside, she couldn’t hold the tears back any longer. She brushed her face with her hands, wiping the salty demons and cursing each one.

“What’s going on with you?” Febe asked as soon as the door was shut. “I’ve never had to break up an argument with you before, and this is twice I’ve done it between you and Haylee.”

Cherish shook her head, clenching her jaw shut sharply. She wouldn’t say anything. She didn’t want to get Haylee in trouble, and she certainly didn’t want to feel Febe’s wrath turned in her direction.

“Cherry, I’m not going to do this anymore. I’m tired of it.” Febe crossed the room and leaned against her desk. She didn’t come off as someone who was going to yell. Which was probably a good thing.

Though Cherish deserved a reaming. She knew she did. She was acting ridiculous. Why was she so afraid of Haylee leaving her?

“I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

“It won’t.” Febe crossed her arms. “Because if it does, I’ll suspend you. I let you off easy the first time, but I’m not going to do that again. Consider this your warning.”

Shame overwhelmed her. She should have known better. Everything with Haylee had been building to a pinnacle, to this. The trust between them had been strengthened and then stretched, and Cherish was damn sure it was going to snap at any moment. Because she just couldn’t take it anymore. She couldn’t handle this.

“Do you understand?”

“Yes, Ms. Aarts.” It was the only appropriate thing she could say.

“Now, what’s going on with you? I’ve never seen you act like this before.”

“Nothing is going on.”

“Do you like her?” Febe seemed to genuinely be asking.

But Cherish couldn’t answer her. She couldn’t even begin to comprehend what it would mean for Febe to know what she and Haylee had done. She would be fired for that. It was unethical, and they both knew it. Cherish held her breath, not answering.

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