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“Is this your first baby?” Gertrude asked.
“Yes, it is.”
“When are you due, Calandra?”
Calandra opened her mouth to speak, but Royce answered. “In a couple of months. We’re nervous and excited.”
Looking at Calandra’s crestfallen face, it was obvious Royce hadn’t changed. No matter what, he had to be the center of attention. Desiree used to find his assertive behavior sexy, and sadly took too long to realize that he wasn’t simply assertive, he was a jerk incapable of loving anyone else—at least nowhere near as much as he loved himself.
“The first baby is always the most stressful,” Ethel said. “You’re trying to learn what being a good parent means while protecting this innocent, fragile human at the same time. I wish you all the best and hope you have plenty of support. Royce, I assume you’ll be taking leave once your newborn is here?”
He smiled. “Yes, but not for long. I don’t want to get too behind with my work.”
“That’s not something you should worry about, and thanks to Desiree, our paternal leave program is up and running.” Mark smiled at her.
“I didn’t do anything except make a suggestion,” Desiree said.
Montez glanced at her. “She’s so modest.”
His comment took her by surprise, but it was exactly the kind of thing a boyfriend would say. “Montez, don’t embarrass me,” she said, playing along.
“You have to learn to take a compliment, sweetie.” He shot her an amused glance.
Desiree almost busted out laughing.Sweetie?That’s what he’d decided on for her?
“You’re right,babe. You’re always getting on to me about that.”
Montez’s eyes danced with amusement.
“Do you have a nickname, Montez?” Royce asked, interrupting their playful moment.
“No, it’s just Montez.”
“Not Monty…?”
“Montez, like I said.” His voice was quiet. Too quiet, and there was no doubt the energy around the table changed.
To distract from the awkwardness, Desiree spoke up. “There are studies that show with more time off, employees are actually more productive. The Europeans take plenty of time off, and it doesn’t seem to hurt their businesses. For the idea to work in the U.S., though, we’d have to change the entire culture.”
“You know all about that, don’t you?” Royce asked.
“What do you mean?”
The younger member of the household staff reached over Desiree’s shoulder and removed her empty plate with a fluid motion.
“Because you never take vacations. You’re a workaholic and barely want to leave the office at the end of the day.”
“I enjoy what I do.” Desiree struggled to rein in her temper, refusing to let this fool make her act up in front of her boss.
“Don’t get mad. It’s just an observation, but there’s more to life than spreadsheets and reports,” Royce said with a laugh.
Soft laughter erupted around the table, and Desiree’s cheeks burned with embarrassment. She needed to remain calm.Don’t let him get to you. Don’t let him get to you.
After the laughter died down, Montez said, “One thing about Desiree, when she sets her mind on something, she’s dedicated and loyal.” He gazed at her with admiration, as if he meant the words. “She’s a force to be reckoned with, but she knows how to have a good time too. We took a weekend trip to the mountains not too long ago. We hiked quite a bit, and she took some amazing photos. I keep telling her she could fall back on a career in photography if this marketing thing doesn’t work out.”
They all laughed.
“Desiree doesn’t go hiking,” Royce said.
