Page 1 of Cherish

PROLOGUE

ALEX

“I miss you so much, Mom.” I swipe a stray tear from my cheek as I read the headstone.MariahJane Malone. Loving mother. Rest in paradise.For the hundredth time since I got here an hour ago, I rearrange the flowers I bought, and I let out a shaky laugh at the mismatched arrangement. My mom had a lot of favorite flowers.

I stand both arrangements against her headstone, a mixture of pink hyacinth, pink peonies, white gardenias, yellow daffodils, and lilac. I lift one to my nose and inhale, letting the flowery fragrance take me back to a time when my mother was alive, and our small kitchen table held any array of flowers.

Our small condo was packed to the brim. Mom had too many books but could never get rid of any of them. She never threw away a vase. Our walls were filled with pictures of the two of us chronicling our adventures throughout the years.

“I can’t believe it’s been two years without you. I didn’t think I could survive without you, but then I remembered that I’m your daughter and you raised me to not only survive but to thrive. I have so many questions for you, Mom. Why did you keep important information from me?” I sniff, tears filling my eyes and blurring my vision. I pull a tissue out of my purse and dab my eyes. So many memories flash through my mind at once, I fear I might short circuit. I grab onto the necklace around my neck, a half heart that she wore every day of my life and squeeze it for strength.

First day of pre-school, kindergarten, dressed in my finest, to part of my goth phase in high school. We started a new tradition when I entered high school. We’d wake up extra early, go out for breakfast, and she’d drop me off. I was never embarrassed by her long hugs or the countless kisses on my face.

We did this for six years, throughout high school and halfway through college, until a brain aneurysm took her away from me. She was here and gone, leaving me without my best friend, confidante, and only parent. I kiss my fingertips and press them to the headstone, my vision blurred through my tears.

“I will love you forever,” I whisper. “Our time was short, but you were the best mother a girl could ask for. I forgive you. I know you must have had your reasons.” The last words are caught in a loud sob. I drop to my knees in front of her tombstone and let my despair out through my tears.

CHAPTER 1

ALEX

3 YEARS LATER

“TGIF,” I say, dropping a cup of coffee on Ananda’s desk. She mouths a thank you to me right before she takes a sip, then exhales dramatically. I wink slyly as I arrange my bouquet of white gardenias and lilacs on my desk.

The office is quiet today. It’s a small office even when everyone is in, but today, it will be just a handful of us.

“Thank fuck Bethzilla isn’t here today,” she says, referencing our boss. I personally don’t think Beth is that bad, but Ananda does. Since my very first day, Ananda warned me about Beth, who she believes is unqualified to lead the department.

“If you have any questions, ask me or John. Beth’s an idiot who will throw you under the bus if anything goes wrong. This job is not rocket science, and you’re lucky. Workers’ Compensation is the worst. Liability isn’t so bad until you get into the litigated claims, but we won’t throw you into the deep end for a while.”

Despite the five-year age difference, we became instant friends on that first day. Three years in, she’s my best friend forever.

I give her the thumbs-up sign while I log into my computer, hoping that this Friday will fly by so we can get on with our after-work plans.

“I’m so excited, Nanda,” I say a few minutes later. “I can’t believe I’ve never been there since you talk about this place all the time.”

She rolls her eyes at me, and thankfully, her ringing phone saves me from whatever words were on her tongue.

I stick my tongue out at her as I pull up my Outlook calendar. Today will be a slow day with just a small claims review mid-morning.

Ananda complains about this job a lot, but I love it. I was lucky to get hired right out of college. I was just coming out of the deep mourning phase of losing my mother. Massachusetts General Hospital was recruiting at the Northeastern University campus one Friday afternoon.

With a degree in Management and no direction, after speaking about my work experience with someone from HR, she introduced me to the Vice President of Claims. Despite only working for two summers, she liked the fact that I had some insurance experience. We scheduled an interview for the following week.

I met with her, and my direct manager, Beth Goode, and was hired just a few short days later. The work is interesting, but the pay and benefits are amazing. We handle Worker’s Compensation and general liability claims for the entire hospital. While we don’t handle the claims directly, we work side by side with the hospital’s insurers.

Ananda helped train me, and we’ve been inseparable since.

The day flies by. After my file review, where I rant about someone having the nerve to file suit against the building when they were the one who got on an escalator with their cane, I reluctantly authorize the claims adjuster to make a nuisance settlement. Regardless of the person’s negligence, it never looks good to let an eighty-year-old get in front of a jury, especially not in such a liberal venue like Suffolk County.

“You ready for lunch?” I ask Ananda.

She nods and we leave our second-floor office. We take the walk to the break room and grab our lunches. Instead of eating there, we prefer to go to the cafeteria and rank the handsome doctors.

“I swear, it’s getting to be slim pickings around here, Lex,” Ananda says to me, shaking her head while we stand in front of the microwave as we wait for our food to warm. “I haven’t seen a DILF in forever.” DILF is her code for doctor I’d like to fuck.

Ananda is on a quest to find a man, preferably a doctor. I didn’t set out to meet anyone when I started to work here, but fate had a different idea.

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