Simon held his hand out and allowed the women and the babies on first. Pressing the star key, he cleared his throat, “Now that the tour of the office is complete, Let’s get to the shower, shall we?” He said perking up once more amid the uneasy atmosphere.
The silence and tension in the elevator was deafening. Cherish kept her eyes on the numbers while Susan stared in the stroller at Jr. He truly was a handsome little boy and he looked just like his father. Simon cleared his throat as the numbers counted down before he broke the silence, “I know today isn’t for business but, just for peace of mind, how did the Holter case go?” he asked.
Susan straightened her body, "The Holter case had a couple of bumps, but the construction company that built the office was found to be defrauding our client in the end. I say it was a success, they won’t be harassed by those dogs anymore." She answered.
The elevator came to a silent, slowed stop, and the doors opened to a grand lobby area. There were glass doors to the left which then spilled into the rest of the space. The marble floors were beautifully finished. There were lush, black sofas positioned around a large, circular coffee table. Beyond was the sleek concierge desk.
As they exited one of the many elevators labeled with letters, they passed by the seating area, followed the marble pathway, and passed the directory. There were at least a hundred names of different lawyers, they're professions, and locations within the building. Cherish tilted her head back and stared up at a large, modern chandelier hanging between the entrance and desk. Passing, they crossed under an archway that led down wide hallways. Each room they had a gold-plated plaque stating the name and max capacity.
Halfway down, Susan stopped at the Jefferson room and acknowledged solely Simon, "Are you ready?" She asked.
Cherish stood behind and waited. She couldn't help but feel that Imani's niceness was a rarity and she would be fed to the wolves in moments. She wanted to get it over with.
Susan placed a hand on Simon's shoulder before she opened the door with both hands. Almost immediately, her mouth dropped as she looked around. There was a group of about fifty people standing amongst a mix of pastel blue and purple decorations in the room. From the bouquets of balloons, the streamers, and tablecloths had a mix of both colors. The large sheet cake bore Jasmine’s name beside Jr.’s and a long table to the side was overrun by an abundance of presents that had doubled from the week before.
As the view unfolded, Susan’s mouth gaped wide open. What was going on here? This wasn’t what she put together in the slightest. There weren’t any dinosaur decorations, the “Welcome back, Simon!” banner was missing, and now this woman’s daughter was incorporated.
The group of people clapped once they entered. Simon smiled widely as he pulled away, walked towards the center with their guests, and turned to Cherish. He stared right in her face with a warmth in his eyes as he welcomed her, “Welcome to your baby shower.” He said. Over the last week Simon had been in contact with many of his employees. He told them about Cherish, vaguely about her past and how she’d lost everything, how much she meant to both Emily and he, and made the change of plans under Susan’s nose. All of this came, because Cherish had told him she’d never had a baby shower. He wasn’t expecting the large turnout, but his employees seemed enthusiastic to help.
Slowly, Susan turned to see Cherish’s shocked face. Among the group of people there were Emily and Simon’s parents, a few neighbors Simon had introduced her to after Emily’s funeral, and a group of people she didn’t recognize; sans Imani. Her stomach dropped as her gaze looked around and she rolled her lips in, “W-what?” she asked. The corners of her mouth dipped downward before she placed a hand over her face and lowered her head. Overwhelmed with emotion, her shoulders began to shake and her grip on the stroller loosened.
Simon didn’t expect Cherish to crumble in. She seemed upset and that shocked him. Susan stepped awkwardly away from her and into the middle of the room with Imani; her surprise was ruined. Margaret placed both hands on her chest as she leaned into her husband. Jack looked all around for a moment before he nudged Simon’s back. Simon took the first step to her and stood by her side. He rounded an arm over her shoulder, bent his knees, and tilted his head to get a good look at her, “We wanted you and Jasmine to have everything you didn’t get, but deserve. Are you alright?” he asked touching one of her hands in hope she’d open up.
Cherish pressed the back of her hand against her nose and mouth as tears rolled down the side of her cheeks. She sniffed heavily while her bottom lip trembled. Biting down on it, she nodded several times and peeked at Simon, “Y-yeah.” She replied shakenly.
Susan crossed one arm over the other before she backed away from the center and made her way to the back. She looked over the tasteful décor and paused at the cake. Her stomach was sour.
Cherish lifted her head and looked at everyone with one arm over her abdomen, “T-Thank you. E-even though I don’t know you guys.” She said hoarsely as a few people chuckled. Glancing over the sea of faces, she then looked to Simon once more, “Thank you.” She whispered.
Simon rubbed her back and hoped she would at least enjoy herself. Leading her with him to get the babies out of the stroller, they started to parade them around for everyone
