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“You need to show her you care.”

“Care? About her?” Haylee wasn’t fast enough to stop her lips from twisting into a snarl or the disgust out of her tone.

“Not like that.” Thankfully, Cherish laughed. The sound was pure and reached deep into Haylee’s soul. “Our job is to anticipate her needs. So you need to show that you’re paying attention.”

“I’m always paying attention. She just doesn’t notice it.” Haylee pouted. Did Febe really not see that? She wasn’t sure how she could make it more obvious, because every time Febe walked into the room, Haylee stopped everything she was doing to look at Febe.

“Here’s your first tip about making an impression and some help in our little bet. Make her notice it.” Cherish was so damn pleased with herself, like this was the easiest answer on the planet.

But no matter how hard Haylee thought, she couldn’t figure it out. “How?”

“Have you whittled down the potential interviewees yet?” Cherish flushed, her cheeks heating with a nice pink tinge to them. Haylee was curious why, but she wasn’t about to ask either.

“Yeah, I just sent them over to you. Three that meet Febe’s criteria.” And one that met her secret plan as well. But she wasn’t about to tell Cherish that.

“Ms. Aarts’s criteria,” Cherish corrected with a raised eyebrow. “You should print them out and leave them on her desk with a note that tells her your favorite pick, which is really her favorite pick. Also, send her the email copy.” Cherish crossed her arms, and tension rose in her body. One muscle tightening after the other, as if she was suddenly on the defensive.

“But you haven’t checked them yet.” Haylee watched carefully to see exactly what would happen next because she hadn’t said or done anything to her knowledge that would put Cherish in this position.

Cherish leaned in, her gaze twinkling, but her jaw set. Was she happy or angry? Haylee couldn’t quite tell.

“Stop using me to hide from her.”

That truth bomb hit hard. Haylee clenched her jaw, staring into Cherish’s deep blue eyes, the honesty in them. But there was still a layer of ice around her, a wall that had gone up that Haylee couldn’t figure out how to tear down.

“I didn’t realize I was,” Haylee replied.

“What are you going to do about it?” Cherish asked, eyebrows raised in anticipation.

Damn it, even in her iciest form, Haylee couldn’t deny how stunning Cherish was.

“I’m going to anticipate,” Haylee whispered, her voice suddenly vanishing from her lips. She had no idea if she could do this. Cherish made it sound so easy, but doubts curled in Haylee’s stomach. People, girlfriends–those she could manage to anticipate. Bosses? Never.

“Excellent.” Cherish returned to her desk, hips swaying side to side in a sexy sashay.

When Haylee’s cheeks had cooled enough for her to hope the color had gone, she looked over. Cherish sat at her desk, concentrating on her work, and Haylee knew she would never be able to work fully focused again at Wellbeing Works. Cherish had become her world in this small room.

Now she had a second battle to face. Her work life couldn’t be wrapped up in Cherish. She had to keep this job. She wanted it. And while her crush on Cherish certainly complicated things, the more important fact was that Cherish believed in her.

nine

“Thank you for coming in today,” Febe stated as she held out her hand for the young woman to take.

The woman beamed. Cherish waited at her desk as Febe finished sending the woman on her way. Unexpectedly, Febe crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe to her office. Her thin lips pulled up to one side just barely, a hint of a smile that most people would miss. But not Cherish. She understood the ins and outs of Febe, every nuance, every twitch.

“I take it you like her,” Cherish commented, not moving her gaze from Febe’s face.

“You did well, Cherish. Good job.”

Cherish warmed at the compliment. She always did, especially when Febe’s cool blue eyes turned on her in that intense way, like Cherish was Febe's whole world. But she wasn’t, as much as she wanted to be. Febe had never looked at her like she looked at her late wife, Bernie.

“It was Haylee, actually.” Cherish’s cheeks burned. What was she doing? Normally she would take all of the credit, wanting Febe’s full attention on her always. But this time, she directed it to Haylee? She would never—

“Oh?” Febe straightened up, her gaze shifting from Cherish to Haylee, who had her mouth agape, back to Cherish. She was looking for an answer, imploring, seeking a resolution to the question she hadn’t asked.

Cherish licked her lips, nerves suddenly forming in the back of her throat and making it difficult to speak. Febe dragged in a deep breath, her breasts pushing against her shirt. Cherish had to work hard to drag her gaze upward before moving to look at Haylee. The effect wasn’t the same. The last time Cherish had looked at Haylee like that it had done things to her insides. But this time, with Febe, it didn’t feel the same.

“Haylee’s the one who found her.” Cherish didn’t take her gaze from Haylee, from her dark brown eyes, from the surprise in her slack cheeks. “She found her on some online site, isn’t that right, Haylee?”