Chapter 251: To Be Cherished

Cherish slid onto the bench around the concrete table at The Burger Inn, a drive-up burger joint that has been around since her parents were teenagers. Luckily, the April weather was still cool enough to make eating outdoors bearable or Cherish would have insisted on someplace else to meet her mother for a midweek lunch. Of course, with the sour look on Valerie Driscoll's face, Cherish wished she had picked a better lunch companion as well. "If you weren't in the mood to go to lunch, why didn't you call and tell me?" Cherish asked as she stabbed her Diet Coke with a straw. "It's not like I don't have a ton of crap to do."

Her mother stiffened at the rebuke as she dumped another two sugars on top of her already sweetened iced tea. "Well, pardon me for wanting to discuss the rest of the preparations for my grandson's birthday. I thought you would want everything finalized before his birthday arrives, so we were on the same page."

Cherish fought the urge to roll her eyes. "I always enjoy