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However, Cherish beamed brilliantly at the unintentional innuendo. “Well, that’s something you’ll have to find out another day.”

“Har, har, har,” Haylee mumbled, trying to ease her embarrassment. “But seriously, yes, we should get out of the rain.”

“We should probably call a ride instead of driving.” Cherish still gripped Haylee’s hand tightly. “I think I’m too drunk to drive.”

“Probably a good idea.” Haylee managed to hold her grimace back. A ride share meant money she didn’t have.

Cherish whipped out her phone and had ordered the car before Haylee could object or say that she’d take the Max. They huddled close together for the two minutes it took the car to show up. Once they were inside, Cherish put distance between them again, the magic of the rainstorm and wine vanished.

But the memory of that kiss—holy fuck that kiss—was going to plague Haylee for years. She firmly believed that.

thirteen

Holy fuck that kiss.

If Cherish was a romantic she might have thought it meant something. But she wasn’t fooling herself into believing that. She had no doubt Haylee thought little about the kiss. And besides, it was nothing more than a lapse of judgment and could only lead to trouble. And if she allowed it, heartache.

“Hey.” Haylee looked up, a quick smile before returning to her computer and her work. Was that pink in her cheeks?

“Good morning, Haylee.” The hope Cherish had allowed to bloom, despite her determination for it not to, dimmed a little at the casual greeting. Good. It should do that. Cherish didn’t need to get caught up in fantasies that would never work out.

Cherish reminded herself that whatever had happened last night couldn’t happen again. It was the wine. It was the rush of emotions from trying to fix her enormous blunder. It was the fact that Haylee was likely going to make it a year, and Cherish was finally feeling close to someone again, someone who was making her life so much easier.

It wasn’t attraction.

Cherish swallowed down the lump in her throat and booted up her computer.

“Cherish, in here, please,” Febe called from the threshold of her office.

Cherish looked up just in time to see Febe spin on her heels and head back into the welcome gloom. Cherish grabbed her pad and pen, always ready for impromptu notes at Febe’s whim.

“Good morning, Ms. Aarts,” Cherish said as she slipped into the chair on the other side of the desk. Focusing on work was what she needed in order to get last night out of her mind and her priorities back into perspective.

“Kendal had a baby boy last night,” Febe said the words in a calm enough tone, but having known Febe as long as Cherish had, she sensed the excitement bubbling beneath.

“Bernie’s Kendal?” Cherish couldn’t stop the smile from spreading over her face. She had heard that Kendal was pregnant a few months back. She didn’t want to throw any more pain Febe’s way if she could avoid it, so she’d silently kept track as best as she could. She had no idea how Febe would feel about it.

“Yes.” Febe picked up her phone and tapped at it. “I want to go see Kendal and the baby tomorrow, but I need a gift.”

“Any ideas of what you might like? Price range?” Cherish wasn’t even writing down notes on this one. She didn’t want a written record of it anywhere.

“Whatever you see fit for a baby, if you could.”

“What did they name him?” Cherish hoped asking the question wouldn’t push the boundary of work and private life too much, or that it wouldn’t toss Febe for a loop.

“Bernard, but they’re calling him Bernie.” The hitch in Febe’s throat might have been missed by anyone else, but Cherish knew her far too well.

“Oh Febe,” Cherish whispered, her voice cracking at the tears welling in Febe’s eyes. “It’s perfect.”

“It really is.” Febe looked up and smiled, a true, beautiful smile. As though none of the pain from a few years ago was there at all. Febe was just as happy for this new life as Bernie would have been had she still been there.

“I’ll head out and find something now.” Emotions bubbled inside her chest and threatened to come out in either tears or squeals and neither of those things had ever sat well with Cherish.

“Take Haylee with you.” Febe pointed to the door.

“But—” Cherish couldn’t say exactly why the idea made her so uncomfortable, but no other words formed after her initial verbal hesitation. She stared slack-jawed at Febe, wondering just what exactly she needed to do to get out of this one.

“I think the office will survive an hour or two without you.” Febe stared at Cherish directly, her gaze unwavering.