Chapter 5
ALEX
“Come in.”
The door opens, and Callie enters looking pale.
I set aside the document I’m studying.
“How did it go?”
She moves further into the room, settling herself into the chair opposite me.
“Good. Baby is growing well,” she says.
I wait, sensing a but.
“Apparently, I have gestational diabetes,” she says in a rush.
I sit back, offering her my full attention.
“The blurred vision and fatigue?”
“All part of the condition,” she says, her mouth twisting in distaste. Until recently, her pregnancy has been plain sailing. Minimal morning sickness, limited fatigue, then, over the past couple of weeks, she’s developed a host of symptoms that have knocked this usually unstoppable woman sideways.
“What have they recommended?”
“I’m going to be monitored more closely. I’ll need to tweak my diet and exercise regularly,” Callie says, a tiny smile playing around her lips, as her hand rests on the swell of her stomach. “Looks like the guilt-free chocolate plan fell through.”
Her husband, David, is one of my best friends. I’ve had a front-row seat to their struggles to conceive, as well as the joy when they first discovered she was pregnant.
“And the fatigue?”
She looks up, the dark circles beneath her eyes particularly prominent today.
“It’s linked to my body not processing sugar the way it should.” She sighs. “Apparently, this little monkey getting me up multiple times in the night is also linked. Hopefully, that will change once I’ve got my blood sugars back under control.”
“How’s David?”
“He hasn’t called you yet?”
I chuckle. “He knows better than that.”
Her lips twitch. She does not tolerate him interfering, and David knows that.
“He’s concerned. Would prefer I sit at home with my feet up for the next fourteen weeks.”
“What about you?” I ask.
Callie has worked for me since I became CEO five years ago.
She’s my right hand, and the rock behind everything I do.
Managing my calendar and communications, my travel arrangements and itinerary.
She handles stakeholders, department heads and their teams like a pro, and brings extensive industry knowledge and executive support.
Since the day I took over from my mother, I’ve never once questioned her capabilities.
She understands the high standards I hold myself to and has met them at every turn. She always has my back.
“I want… shit, I don’t know what I want,” she says, rubbing a hand over her mouth. “I need to do what’s best for the baby.”
“And yourself,” I remind her. “What has the doctor recommended?”
“The doctor has said… He feels—”
My heart sinks as she avoids my gaze.
“Callie. Honesty. This is me you’re talking to. Friend, not boss,” I say.
She sinks back, her rounded baby bump visible between us.
“He feels I should reduce my hours and take a break until I can get everything stable. The commute and the hours are probably making my symptoms worse.” Her jaw clenches. “But Alex, I’m not about to leave you without a PA.”
“If the doctor says you need to slow down, then you slow down. We’ll just have to bring forward our plans to find your replacement,” I say calmly, despite the acid burning my stomach. “It’s not like we weren’t expecting this.”
“Yes, but not yet,” she says. “It was something for the future.”
“Near future,” I remind her. “At twenty-six weeks pregnant, we’re only bringing the inevitable forward by a month, two at the most. It’s not like you can come into work with a newborn strapped to your chest.”
“But,” she says, shaking her head. “It’s too soon. I’ll be bored at home.”
“No buts. How about a compromise? What if we get someone in? You can help train them, work fewer hours, supervise while putting your feet up.”
She wrinkles her nose and squints.
“Best of both worlds,” I force out, hiding my dread at the thought of her leaving.
It’s something I’ve pushed to the back of my mind since the day she told me they were expecting a baby.
But this isn’t about me. This is Callie, so I’ll keep smiling.
I know she won’t leave until I’ve found a replacement.
Callie is my gatekeeper, as she was my mother’s before me.
For the past nine years, she has flawlessly managed the blend of high-level business, creative and personal responsibilities required in this fast-paced environment.
She knows when to step in and when discretion is required.
She’s the softness to my hard edges. David has called her my office wife since before they became a couple.
But she isn’t my wife. She’s simply the most efficient person who has ever worked for me, someone who understands my values and needs without me asking.
Callie pulls a face, but the tension easing from her shoulders is impossible to miss.
“But Alex, last time…”
“Last time, you were ill,” I say, grimacing at the memory.
“I mean it. If you really want to, you can help train your replacement and even be involved in the interviews.” She inclines her head, considering it.
I’ve got her. “Who better to select your successor than the person who knows exactly what this position entails?”
I force my jaw to relax. This is not about me. My selfishness and workaholic tendencies destroyed my marriage. I’m not going to make that mistake again.
“Are you sure?” she asks. “I hate to let you down.”
“You’re not letting me down,” I say truthfully. “Call some of the agencies, give them your job spec, and get them to send their best candidates. I can begin interviewing on Monday if you free up some time in my schedule.”
Callie pushes herself to her feet. “I’ll get on it right away.” She moves towards the door. “Thank you, Alex,” she says, glancing back before leaving the room.
I slump back in my chair, running a hand through my hair as the door clicks shut.
Fuck! I knew this was coming.
This is about Callie. I’ve watched her struggle over the past few weeks, too bloody conscientious for her own good.
But I hate change, especially when it threatens my efficiency.
I sigh and return to the document I’ve been reviewing all morning. After a minute, I toss it to one side.
Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!
I run a hand down my face.
Options.
I could ask a secretary from another department to help, though that arrangement proved disastrous last time.
PA services weren’t the only thing I was offered.
That kind of attention is something I neither want nor need in my work environment.
I need someone to come in and do their job, not flirt for my attention.
My phone pings.
DANTE:
Reminder: Drinks tonight.
LEO:
I’m in.
ORLANDO:
Need a drink after the week I’ve had.
DANTE:
Alex? David?
ME:
I’ll be there.
DAVID:
Sorry, guys. Not tonight.
LEO:
Ah, the joys of having a pregnant wife.
DAVID:
You’re just jealous.
LEO:
100%
ME:
Get back to work! Some of us have things to do.
ORLANDO:
Yes, Dad.
I smile, tossing my phone into the drawer and returning to the discarded document, forcing myself not to think of what’s to come.