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“Allegra will mentor you and be your supervisor.”

“With a seven percent raise for the added hours.” Allegra added, her eyebrow raised, and her look determined.

Febe waved her hand off to the side, resigned. “Three percent.”

“Five.”

Febe’s lips thinned, glaring at Allegra. “Three.”

“Deal.” Allegra sighed heavily, her face lighting up in a huge smile. “You drive a hard bargain, Febe.”

Febe chuckled. “I always get what I want.”

There. There was that damn look again. Haylee shrank into her seat even more. She had no idea what to say or even how to address it, but it made her ridiculously uncomfortable to be sitting there as an intruder into whatever else was going on under the table.

Oh fuck.

That foot hadn’t been unintentional.

Haylee’s cheeks burned.

“We’ll hash out the details in the next few weeks and you can start full time with Allegra in the next three to four.” Febe caught Haylee’s attention, giving her a curious look. “I’ll tell Cherish to start hiring your replacement.”

Haylee’s heart sank. That wasn’t a conversation she was looking forward to.

“Let’s set up another lunch meeting for next week. Same time and place?”

“I’ll put it in my calendar,” Allegra answered.

What was Haylee to say, really? She’d gotten exactly what she wanted.

Hadn’t she?

twenty-nine

Febe strode through the office, an hour late from her lunch and budget meeting with Ms. Ilic. Cherish watched her path carefully, her eyes falling on the empty desk across from her. It was the first time Haylee had called out since she’d started working there. Cherish knew she was desperate for cash, so even when she’d been sick, she’d come in.

And she hadn’t seemed sick yesterday.

Cherish focused back on her computer, but it was harder than it should be. The office felt so empty without Haylee there. It shouldn’t. She’d been alone in that room more times than she cared to admit, but something about Haylee’s presence brought her a hope for the future that she couldn’t shake. And Haylee had become so much a part of her life at that point.

Blowing out a breath, Cherish was just about to start on a report when an email from Febe came through. She clicked it, always wanting to make Febe her priority no matter what, and read.

Her stomach plummeted.

Her heart thudded hard.

Cold washed through her, stealing into every nook and cranny of her body.

Hire a new personal assistant?

Immediately?

Cherish looked at Haylee’s empty desk. It still had all of her things there like she was only gone for the day. Was she, though? Cherish’s mouth was so dry. She could barely breathe right. She couldn’t get herself together enough to even walk into Febe’s office and ask.

Snagging her phone, she shot off a text to Haylee.

If Cherish knew one thing for certain, Haylee wasn’t sick today.