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Because she was scared that Cherish would be happy for her. Because she was scared that a new job meant they could actually be together.

“Fuck,” Haylee mumbled.

“There we are!” Jackson clapped her on the shoulder. “So now that you’re in love—”

“I hate you,” Haylee shot back.

“Love you too.” He laughed loudly. “We need to get a plan under way for you and Cherish to actually sit down and have a conversation—outside of work.”

“Let me guess. Febe fed you both a line of ideas.”

Jackson’s grin and Stuart’s sheepish expression confirmed it.

“All right, since you two seem to have this all planned out. What am I doing tonight, boys?”

“First, we need to call in some backup.”

Haylee’s skin tingled, but she had no idea if it was from fear or excitement. Either way, tonight would change things. She just hoped it would be for the better.

thirty-four

Cherish couldn’t settle. If she was honest with herself, she hadn’t been able to settle since she got that email from Febe telling her to start interviewing for Haylee’s job. But then realization upon realization had kept every nerve in her body jumping and twitching.

There were so many things that fell into place, but that last piece was still missing. And of course, she held that last piece so tightly it hurt.

But how could she open her hand now when it was so clear she was already too late.

“Ugh.” She screamed into her empty apartment.

She didn’t even have an animal to talk these things out with.

Of course, it would have been cruel to get a dog or cat with how many hours she worked and how little time she actually spent in the shoebox she called home.

“I could have gotten a fish. Something that only needed to be fed once a day and didn’t care if I was here.” She muttered as she paced from one side of her living room to the other.

The knock on her door stopped her two steps before she would have pivoted on her toes and headed back in the other direction. Her heart was in her throat. All the energy she’d been trying to dissipate coiled together ready to burst.

“What on Earth?”

Her heart raced, hope blooming. Could Haylee be here? Then hope turned into a stone that dropped into her stomach. If Haylee was at the door, she would no doubt be there to yell at Cherish. For not helping her, for not believing in her, for all of her hot-and-cold childish attitude. Really, it could have been any of those, or all of them.

The knock came again, and Cherish narrowed her eyes at the wooden door, finally moving her feet toward it. Her fingers trembled as she reached up for the peephole, looking to see who it was, to prepare herself for the onslaught of hell she’d caused.

Stuart.

Cherish unlocked the door and whipped it open as fast as she possibly could.

Stuart held his arms open, as if she’d jump into his arms for a hug. “Hey, baby sis.”

“Stuart?” Cherish blinked, hand still on the handle of the door. What was going on? Was she hallucinating?

“Unless you have someone else that calls you that?” With a wide smile, Stuart stepped closer. The simple gesture cracked Cherish’s hard exterior. She stepped forward and all but collapsed in Stuart’s embrace.

Stuart’s strong arms wrapped around her, and she sobbed into his shoulder.

“I’m such an idiot.”

“Ah, don’t say that. It can’t rain forever.”