Cherry’s Jubilee (Lunchtime Chronicles: Season 7)

Chapter 15

Daniel

At this rate, I know I’m going to be late. It’s after five, and I still need to do a few things before leaving for the day. My floor is quiet when I get there, and I’m surprised when I nearly collide with Ashley. Unless I need her to stay, she leaves promptly at five. I’m okay with that because we offer a healthy work-life balance.

“Ashley, you’re free to go,” I say, but she follows me through the double doors into my office.

“I’m on my way out.” She sounds nervous, and I don’t understand why. We’ve always worked well together, and she’s always been comfortable around me. “I just wanted to warn you about Cherry.” My hands pause above my keyboard.

While we have a comfortable working relationship, we’ve always kept things professional. I don’t invite questions or commentary about my personal life, but I’m interested in hearing what she has to say. It will not sway me or change my feelings about Cherry, but it will reveal who Ashley Turner is.

“Oh?” I say, hoping it will get her talking.

“She’s super competitive with me. I would hate for this to be a situation where she’s using you to get to me.”

I almost roll my eyes at her ego. “Really? How?” I ask.

“Her branch of the family is just really embarrassing.” She didn’t answer my previous question .

“How so?” I ask again.

“Her mother is an affair baby and—”

I hold my hand to shut her up before losing my temper. “None of us control how we’re made or who our parents are.”

She juts her chin in defiance, and some of Cherry’s words from when we met return. These feelings have been engrained in Ashley probably all her life.

“How has she competed with or embarrassed you ?” I ask. “What has she ever done to you?”

She stands there and looks around the office. I can tell she’s trying to think of one thing to tell me, but no words come out.

“That apartment building that she and her sister have was supposed to go to me and Amira, but they stole it,” she says. She stands straighter, and I stare at her.

“Excuse me?”

“Our grandfather was obviously not in his right mind when he left it to them, and instead of doing the right thing and giving it back, they kept it.”

I sit back in my chair and cover my face with both hands. I don’t believe a word of that. Furthermore, Ashley’s parents wouldn’t sit back and let that happen either.

“Your grandfather left the building to them in his will?” I ask.

“Yes, but—”

“Your father is a lawyer, Ashley. I doubt he would let anyone steal something from you. If it was in Mr. Turner’s will, that’s what he wanted. What makes you think the building should have gone to you and your sister?” I stand and grab my laptop, suddenly eager to get out of here and spend time with the woman who has occupied my thoughts since I saw her.

“Because me and Amira are his legitimate grandkids, and they’re the children of his bastard daughter. Cherry’s mother brought nothing but hurt to my grandmother, and all I want is for them to go away. ”

“By Cherry’s mother, you mean your aunt?” She stares at me without uttering a word. She licks her lips and quickly averts her gaze. When she doesn’t respond, I say, “The only person who caused your grandmother pain was your grandfather. Cherry had nothing to do with that, and neither did her mother. And if they've had to deal with that kind of rhetoric all their lives, Cherry and Solange earned that building.”

I throw my things in my bag. She stands there like a deer in headlights, and I wonder where she found the audacity and the balls to discuss this with me.

“I’m only trying to—”

“Whatever you’re trying to do, stop. I don’t discuss my personal life in the office, and this is the last time you will talk to me about Cherry. Good night, Ashley.”

I walk out of my office without another word.

I planned to show up, have her pack a bag, and take her to dinner. Afterward, we’d return to my place and spend the evening together, but when I got to her apartment, she made dinner and set the table. We had a delicious meal of steak kabobs, rice pilaf, and one of the best Caesar salads I’ve ever had.

“I’ll have to cook for you another night,” I say as I refill my salad bowl.

“I will take you up on that.” I put my hand in the middle of her tiny table, and she puts hers in mine. She squeezes my hand. “I’m crazy about a man who can cook.”

After eating, I help her clear the table and the tiny kitchen. Her apartment is so small that each time we step, we bump into each other.

“Why did you take this small apartment if you and your sister own the building?” I ask as I rinse our plates.

She freezes and looks at me. “How do you know I own this place with my sister? Did you do a background check on me, Jubilee?” She puts her hands on her hips and stares at me.

I raise both hands. “No. Ashley told me,” I admit. I put my hands down and wait to see what she says or does next.

“Really? She just randomly volunteered this information to you?” I open my mouth to tell her what happened, but she steps back and shakes her head. “I can’t do this,” she says. “I can’t be in a relationship and have Ashley in the background lurking and getting in your ear about stuff. I don’t want anything to do with her, and being in a relationship with her boss is not something I’m prepared to deal with.”

My head rolls back as if she slapped me. I walk toward her, and she backs away until she bumps into the back of her couch.

“What the hell does that mean? You want to break up with me over Ashley?” I ask, incredulous.

She shakes her head and looks away without answering. I grab her chin and force her to look at me.

“It’s not about Ashley. I’d never let her dictate what I do. This is about me not wanting to mesh our lives anymore. Now, she’s spreading lies about me to you, and I know that won’t be the end of it. Things will escalate until I punch her in the face.” She stops and takes a deep breath. “This is new, and we can just say goodbye.”

“Except, I don’t want to say goodbye.” I take another step and stop an inch from touching her. “Do you think I believed any of that stuff Ashley said? Even if it was true, do you think I’d care?” I stroke her cheek. “I like you. I like this.” I take another step and take her in my arms. I exhale when she wraps her arms around me. After holding her against me, I pull away and cup her cheeks. When she looks up at me, I gently kiss her lips. “I didn’t mean to upset you, but I want to tell you how the conversation went. Let’s sit.”