Cherry’s Jubilee (Lunchtime Chronicles: Season 7)

Chapter 5

Daniel

“You and Amira should dance,” Karen Turner says. She shoves the girl at me again, but I take a giant step back.

“I’m not much of a dancer,” I say right before I give them my back and return to the only place I want to be. The bar. And it’s not for the cheap whiskey they’re serving. It’s because of her, and despite how she dismissed me when she found out who I am, I’m not giving up.

There’s no one at the bar now. Everyone is dancing or talking. If not for Cherry, I would have left before dinner, but I endured dinner and Karen’s inane chatter for a chance to talk to her again. She’s standing behind the bar when I approach. She sees me, but instead of smiling, she looks at her watch and sighs. When I finally reach the bar, she crosses her arms and narrows her eyes at me. I take a seat and look into her face.

“So, about that dinner,” I begin. “You said you eat a couple of times per week. Since I saw you eat dinner, does this mean I’ll have to wait until Tuesday or Wednesday before I pick you up for our date?”

She creases her brows, and says, “What are you drinking, Mr. Jubilee?” She sounds polite and detached. I prefer the young woman who unloaded on me about the annoying and problematic hosts.

“When did my dad get here?” I ask. I make a show of pretending to look around for him. She doesn’t say anything, but she pours me another whiskey. I’ve had enough to drink, so I don’t pick it up. “I was thinking—”

“No,” she says. “Dinner’s off. Besides, now that I know who you are, I’d only be after you for your money.”

I grin at that, relieved that the girl I met a few hours ago is still here. “Well, now you know I can afford bacon on that burger.”

“Bacon?” she snorts. “How cheap are you? I want the whole damn pig.”

“I’ll get you the cow too.”

“I know you’ve probably been warned all your life about gold diggers.”

“I have, but the thing is, any gold digger worth her salt wouldn’t announce it. Not to her mark, at least.” When she doesn’t contradict me, I say, “Wednesday?”

“I can’t on Wednesday. I’ll be too busy being fabulous.”

“Oh, I see. You don’t want to wait that long. Tomorrow then.”

“Nope. Tomorrow, I slay.”

“You can slay with me.”

She sighs and reaches for something underneath the bar. It’s a pitcher of water. She fills a glass and places it in front of me.

“I don’t go out with tainted men,” she says, shaking her head. “It’s too bad because I was this close to accepting.” She puts her thumb and index finger close together. “Then your little deception was revealed, Lee . And it only got worse from there.”

“Lee is short for Jubilee. That’s not a lie,” I say.

“Has anyone ever called you Lee in your life?” she challenges.

“You just did.” She huffs at that. “And how could it have possibly gotten worse?”

“Don’t play coy,” she says. “You know what you did.” She gestures at me then looks away as if she’s disgusted.

“I promise you that I do not. In fact, I know I didn’t do anything.”

“Really? Amira shoved her giant titties in your face, and you liked it. ”

“Whoa,” I say, putting both hands up. “Her mother shoved her, and I did not like it.”

“You looked,” she says.

“They’re hard to miss. A blind man couldn’t miss those. They can probably be seen from outer space. And for your information, I prefer tits that fit in the palm of my hand.”

“Not to mention,” she says, ignoring what I just said about her breasts, “you run a company that’s too dumb to hire me. Your loss, by the way. You should see my employee evaluation. I got the highest raise possible. My boss said he wishes he could give me more. And not to mention, I’m in line for a big promotion. I’ll probably be running the place in a few years.” Then she leans over the counter and gets close to my face. “Oh my God. I get it now. I know why you didn’t hire me.” She smiles and nods firmly. It’s a beautiful smile that makes my heart skip a beat.

“Why I didn’t hire you? Me specifically?” When she gives me another nod, I say, “I’ve never met you before today.”

“You obviously felt threatened. You’re worried that Daddy will see how amazing I am, get rid of his no-good son, and give me your position. I’m definitely not going out with someone who sabotaged me. That’s a thing, you know.”

“What is?”

“Men sabotaging women. I read all about it on Reddit.”

She pours a glass of white wine and sips it.

I nod somberly. “Well, if it’s on Reddit,” I say, nodding in agreement. “You figured it out, Cherry.”

“Of course, I did. That’s what my evaluation said. I’m excellent at problem-solving. Did you hear that? Excellent . That’s just one example of what I could have brought to your company. And you may call me Cherette or Ms. Cross.”

“Well, the least I can do is buy you dinner to make up for it. Maybe I can even pull some strings and get you—”

“Get me what ?” she challenges.

“Another interview?” Even to me it sounds pathetic, and when I see the look of horror on her face, I can’t help but laugh.

“A pity interview? Oh, no,” she says, shaking her head almost violently. “I’m happy where I am. Jubilee can never have me,” she practically whispers.

“I guarantee you that Jubilee can and will have you,” I say back. I grasp her chin and force her eyes on me so she can get my meaning.

“It would never work.” She moves away, and I drop my hand.

“So, you’ve said. I’ve heard your list. All I’m asking is for one dinner.”

“Our names. I’m Cherry, and you’re Jubilee.”

“Or you can just call me Daniel,” I toss out.

“Whenever I hear your name, I’ll want to belt out O Danny Boy.”

“Don’t you ever call me Danny,” I warn.

“Ugh. You’re bossy. First, you’re telling me what to say; next, you’re telling me where to go and what to do. What about my body? Can I have full autonomy there, Mr. Jubilee?”

“Fine. Call me DJ. That’s what my friends and family call me.”

“DJ? What are you? Five years old?”

“If you don’t pick a day, I will have to.”

“You’re proving my point.”

“I’m a take-charge type of guy,” I toss out.

She smiles again, but it soon drops. She goes from happy and smiling to hostile in a matter of seconds. The reason is revealed when Ashley joins us at the bar.

“A white wine, please,” she says with her nose in the air. Cherry pours it and slides it over to Ashley with her finger. “Daniel, chatting with my cousin is so sweet of you. No need, even though I know how charitable your family can be. The Jubilee family is so kind and generous with their time and energy, but Cherry is being paid to do this.”

“It’s no hardship at all,” I say. “You should know what a beautiful cousin you have.” Cherry stands straighter at my words .

“Generous and charitable with your words too,” Ashley says with a fake smile.

I decide to ignore her and look back at Cherry. “So, tomorrow?” I ask. I purposely lower my voice to make it sound more flirtatious than before.

She leans over the counter and gets so close to my ear that my body is flooded with goosebumps. “I can’t wait,” she whispers. Her lips graze my earlobe, and I must stop myself from shivering. I don’t even care that she probably only agreed to annoy her cousin.

Ashley stands there frozen in shock. For someone about to be married in two months, I don’t understand why she would care about who her cousin spends time with. In fact, she was annoyed at her mother’s attempts to push Amira on me too. At first, I thought she was irritated on behalf of her sister, but I see now that was not it. Ashley not only wants to be the center of attention, but she wants everything for herself.

“Cousin,” Ashley says, her voice high and saccharin sweet, “I need to speak with you.” She goes around to get behind the bar. Once there, she takes Cherry’s elbow, but Cherry yanks it away. Not to be deterred, Ashley retakes it and pulls her to the other side of the bar, away from sight and hearing distance.