Susan paused before she slowly turned her body. She ran a French tipped finger underneath a bang before she rolled her shoulders back and gave her a poised glare, “And ruin the surprise of seeing me again? No, that is completely and utterly unnecessary. Get back to work, Imani. Some more files need to be pushed.” She hissed. Turning around, a smile once again formed on Susan’s face as she continued towards Simon’s office.
Imani grimaced to herself as she rolled her jaw from one side to the other, “Bitch.” She muttered under her breath. Pulling up their instant messaging service, Imani perked an eyebrow while her nails clicked rapidly on the keys and her gaze on the back of Susan’s head; sending a message to Simon.
Incoming.
Unfortunately, his phone vibrated in his pocket. Before he had a chance to read the message, a firm knock rapped across the door, and Susan entered. With her pearly white teeth on display, she sighed softly as the mere image of him stole her breath away. She stopped in the middle of his space and wiggled her fingers in his direction, “Hello, hello. Simon. I’m so happy to see you! It wasn’t the same at the Christmas party without you here.” She said.
Approaching him, she wanted to see what he was moving about and was more than pleased to see that he’d removed most Emily’s photos. Though, one stuck out like a sore thumb. She didn’t know the context, but could recognize that curly hair anywhere. Bundled in far too much with the mountain scape behind her, Cherish was proudly on display on his desk. Susan’s face fell slightly before she pushed aside her ill feelings and rested a palm against his shoulder, “Seeing you is absolutely wonderful. I thought the others would burn this place down without your guidance. How are you?” she asked with her hand blocking his view of Cherish’s picture.
Simon cleared off his desk and placed the folders in his briefcase. He gave a slight laugh and lifted his blue gaze to meet hers, “You know, I had that same worry, but Imani said everything ran smoothly. So, I should probably start going on more vacations when I have the days to spend. I’m feeling great though. Really needed the time off.” He said. He then narrowed an eye because even he could see she was dressed to the nines. He didn’t know the occasion but figured she felt as relaxed as he was. “You look refreshed too. Are you sure you worked the holidays?” He joked.
Breaking into a smile as his smooth words rippled over her form, Susan tucked a bit of her hair behind her ear and hid the blush of her cheeks with a hand, “Oh Simon…”
He shut his briefcase and rested it beside the chair, “The reason why I missed the party was because I went to Colorado. We went skiing, sledding, skating. We spent a lot of time by the fire and there was a cute little town there too. Very picturesque. Oh, and the lodge we rented? Beautiful. The sights were phenomenal. I highly recommend it.” he stated.
Her happiness was short-lived. We? What did he mean, we? Glancing over her shoulder at Cherish’s picture once more, her eyes narrowed slightly before she touched her throat. She tried her best to sound happy for him, but her tone was tight as she stepped away from his desk, “That sounds wonderful. Maybe we should have an office getaway with the other hard workers and take some time for ourselves. Good idea, right?” She questioned running her fingers along the back of a chair across from him.
Simon felt strange when Susan’s pitch shot up an octave. Still, he didn’t delve in and simply nodded, “Sounds like a great idea actually. Run it by Imani, she’ll get everyone involved.” He said.
Susan felt absolutely elated at the fact that he jumped on her idea. From her point of view, he practically couldn’t wait, and neither could she, “Of course! I will tell Imani and others when the meeting is over.” She expressed with a grin.
Almost as though she’d heard her name, Simon’s phone buzzed in before Imani’s voice echoed from the speaker, “Everyone is waiting on you and Susan, Mr. Gabot.”
Following him as he opened the door for her, she stroked along his arm, “Thank you.” She said. Taking a couple of steps away, she stopped, turned, and waited for him to finish what he had to do.
Simon shut the door behind him with his briefcase tucked beneath his arm. They both strolled towards the meeting and started their work day on a positive note; unbeknownst to him of Susan’s intentions.
Chapter 16
April.
Throughout the passing months, Cherish and Simon were finally back into the full swing of things. Over the holidays more cases poured into his department, so he was swamped both at home and in his office. She held off from getting a job so he wouldn’t have to worry about their kids. That was until February rolled around and one of the belts in her car snapped. Saving herself from a nagging from both Margaret and Simon, she took the car to be fixed. There, she was given the prognosis of how badly deteriorated the vehicle was. Now, burdened with the thought of having to replace the transmission and engine, she searched for a new job.
After two weeks, Cherish found one in a massive tourist spot which featured an aquarium, admission to a large museum, arena, and restaurants in one building alone. She, was a floater. Which meant she cleaned toilets, served food, operated ticket machines, and cashiered; all on her feet. Her schedule was set to where she’d be home with Simon and gone when he’d be in the
