Page 72 of Bad Boy for Hire
“Interesting.” Jewell scanned the cubicles around them before motioning to May to follow her. She led the way into her office, and May took the same chair she’d sat in earlier.
“I consider us friends,” Jewell started.
May shifted in her seat.
“We’re coworkers, of course, and yes, I am in charge of your paycheck. But I also consider you a friend. I don’t say that to coerce you into agreeing that we’re friends. If you aren’t feeling it”—Jewell made a chopping motion with one hand—“I can handle the news and will adjust my expectations accordingly.”
May believed her. Jewell was amazing at compartmentalizing, as well as reassessing expectations. She was also pragmatic and straightforward and confident and smart. Which led her to believe that Jewell had pieced together the nine-months comment from Xavier with May’s slightly green pallor in the morning.
“I consider us friends,” May told her. “And I know what you’re about to say. While, professionally speaking, I would have preferred to tell you later, I probably should have told you by now.”
“I expected you to talk to me about it, not find out from the guy you’re dating. But I guess those lines are blurred too, now that he is working with us on a project. Here I thought he just went to a wedding with you. You two are more serious than I thought.”
“Well, pregnancy does ramp up the seriousness in a relationship.” As soon as it was out of her mouth, May saw on Jewell’s face that she hadn’t known.
Jewell’s eyebrows climbed her forehead as her mouth dropped open. She was frozen like that for a few blinks before she asked, “You’re pregnant?”
“You— You heard Xavier say nine months in the meeting. I assumed you did the math…” May was mentally kicking herself for blurting that out.
“I admit that number struck me as odd, especially since it was incorrect, but no, I didn’t jump to that conclusion. I knew you two were having a snit of some sort. I was trying to give you space.” Jewell folded her hands on her blotter. “Congratulations?”
May was unable to speak for a moment. Finally, she managed, “What were you talking about if not me being pregnant?”
“After you left, he mentioned you were going to work from home after the app launches. He asked if that was possible. Honestly, May, I was surprised.”
So was she. She hadn’t mentioned working from home to him—ever.
“I felt like he was negotiating on your behalf. Especially since you fled the room, although with new context, I understand why you wanted out of here.”
Forget the pregnancy news she’d accidentally delivered, May was struggling to wrap her head around why Xavier would bring that up. To her boss.
“What I’d planned on telling you was that you should feel comfortable coming to me to ask anything. And then I was going to say that you don’t need to send in your dude to ask for you. Whatever the reason is for you wanting to work from home, I’d consider it. Baby or not. But I would require us to have lunch or a meeting every week so I could have my May Fix.”
May smiled, flattered.
“I benefit a lot from bouncing things off you! You can’t ghost me.” Jewell smiled back.
“I would never. Rest assured, I do not plan on working from home. Maternity leave, sure, and the occasional laptop-in-bed situation if I am nursing a fussy infant. But permanently relocating to a home office is not on my agenda.”
Then again, none of this was on her agenda. Not the baby or the app or Xavier arranging her life like he’d been hired as her personal assistant.
“That is good news. I’ll add the caveat that once the baby is born, you might change your mind.”
“You’ll be the first to hear about it—from me—if that happens.” May bookmarked her initial shock and frustration. She’d come back to those later, when she confronted Xavier.
“Seriously so happy for you!” Jewell stood and rounded the desk, enveloping May into a tight hug. She held her at arm’s length and said, “I’m taking you to dinner tonight so that we can properly celebrate. Seven o’clock at Lamberto’s?”
How was it that May had just eaten, and the mere mention of the upscale Italian restaurant made her stomach roar? “I can’t say no to that.”
Plus, it would do her well to focus on work, and her friend, and not the fact that Xavier had taken way too many liberties when it came to making decisions for her life.
She’d deal with him after dinner.
Chapter Twenty-One
Xavier went home after leaving Zest, but he didn’t stay there long. Salty Dog was “packed,” according to Hank, the kitchen manager. When Xavier received the phone call, he’d just kicked off his shoes. Then he’d put them back on, grabbed his keys, and headed for the restaurant.
By this time of year, the tourists had mostly trickled out of the Cove to return to their regularly scheduled lives. But there were still plenty of Evergreeners who flocked to Salty Dog year-round. Which meant that tonight’s “pop in” was looking more like he’d be here until close.
