“And that annoys you,” Luca guessed.
“Absolutely. Why the fuck can’t they pin down a concrete date?” I shook my head. “It’s absolute chaos.”
Weston met my eyes as I sat on the leg press. “You have a replacement for her?”
I nodded. “A temp. A new graduate from CU. Catherine’s training him, and he seems fairly competent.”
“But he’s no Catherine,” Weston filled in.
“No one is.”
My statement floated there for a long stretch. Luca and Weston exchanged glances, and I understood why. I had a bad habit of losing my assistants. Some quit, others were fired. Catherine held the record for keeping the position the longest, and I didn’t see myself giving her up unless she wanted out.
We’d see once she became a mother. It was possible I’d no longer have access to her time and devoted attention like I was used to, and I didn’t know how I’d cope with that.
But that was a bridge I’d cross only when I had to.
“Did you get her a gift?” Luca asked.
“I did.”
I didn’t have a strong need to tell them how badly I’d botched the first gift. The card to the spa hadn’t been intended as a maternity present, which had been my first mistake. I’d noticed how tired and slow she’d been lately and thought she’d appreciate a massage or whatever treatment she chose. Elise always liked that type of thing.
Luca narrowed his eyes. “Was it something enticing enough to draw her back to her job after maternity leave?”
It had never occurred to me I should have given her a baby gift. Not until I heard her talking to Davida. Missing details like that was unlike me, but then again, babies and pregnant women weren’t exactly my expertise.
I really disliked failing, even at gift giving. I was actually ashamed I’d messed up so spectacularly. It was lucky for me Catherine had laid out exactly what she’d wanted. At least I’d gotten it right on the second try.
“We’ll have to wait and see.”
Chapter Nine
Elliot
Catherine’s desk was unoccupied.
That was normally an unusual sight, but less so these days.
She was up and down often, hurrying to the restroom multiple times a day. I’d read up on the reason this might be happening, just in case it was a sign something could have been wrong, and I was both relieved to find out it was normal and fascinated by the graphics I’d come across of the way a woman’s internal organs would make way for their growing fetus.
I went into my office and powered up my computer. Minutes passed, and I continuously glanced at the door, expecting Catherine to breeze through with her tablet and notebook.
But she didn’t, and I grew concerned. I’d noticed she’d been struggling with her balance at times. What if she’d fallen and was alone?
The chances were low, but I decided to check, just in case. Something didn’t feel right.
I had to pass the break room on my way to the restrooms. As I approached, I picked up on celebratory voices and laughter.
I stood in the doorway, surveying the people inside. No Catherine, but in the middle of the group I recognized as most of the executive assistants from this floor, Davida and Raymond stood with pink cigars in their mouths.
Davida caught sight of me and greeted me with a big grin on her face, shifting her cigar to between her fingers. “Good morning, Elliot.”
Crossing my arms, I leaned against the doorjamb. “Good morning. What’s the occasion?”
She slung her arm around Raymond’s shoulders. “Ray and I are daddies now.”
“I—” I had no answer for that, and I was fairly certain I didn’t want clarification. “Well, all right. Congratulations. Have you seen Catherine?”
Raymond’s eyes bugged. “Uh…”
Davida took over. “Elliot, what do you think we’re celebrating?” She let go of Raymond and walked over to me. Slipping another pink cigar from the breast pocket of her blazer, she held it out to me. “Here you go. It’s only made of gum since you won’t allow us to smoke in your building.”
I hesitated, taking it from her. “Why are you giving me this?”
Her mouth pursed like she tasted something sour. “Don’t you want to join us in celebrating the birth of Kit’s daughter?”
“Kit?”
She barked a laugh. “Catherine Warner, your assistant, Elliot.”
Realization finally dawned, and my stomach plummeted like a stone in the sea.
“Catherine had her baby?” I asked for the sake of clarification, even though the truth was pretty damn clear. “But…that isn’t possible. She isn’t due for a week.”
Davida chuckled, and so did a few of the assistants behind her. When I scanned their faces, they had all suddenly become really fucking serious with other things to look at, like the ceiling and walls.
“That’s only an estimated date,” Davida explained slowly, like I was an imbecile. “The baby is definitely here. I was there when she came into the world.”
Raymond waved his cigar around. “As was I.”
There were many, many questions on the tip of my tongue, most having to do with why the hell Davida and Raymond had been at the birth.
“She had the baby?” That was all I’d managed to shove from my brain, confirming Davida’s assessment. I really was an imbecile.
“She did. Our Kit was a goddess.” Davida waved her cigar around. “The little bugger came out plump and cute.”
“True,” Raymond agreed. “Our baby is not like other girls. She’s got round cheeks and a flawless hairline, even if she was gooey when she first entered the world.”
I blinked hard. “When did this happen?”
“Yesterday morning,” Davida answered.
“Ten hours of labor.” Raymond took off his glasses and wiped them on his tie. “By the end, I was asking her to share her epidural with me. That experience was not for the faint of heart.”
Davida elbowed him. “You weren’t required to be there.”
Raymond slid his glasses back on. “Of course I had to be there. Kit’s all alone. She needed me.”
I needed more information, not their bickering. Raymond’s words had hooked in the back of my mind, and I wondered why the hell she’d been alone. Who would have left her to fend for herself?
This wasn’t the time to ask those questions, though. There were more pressing matters.
“Is she okay? Are they okay?”
“They are. Absolute perfection, the both of them.” Davida smiled almost dreamily. “They’re going home tomorrow.”
According to the reading I’d done, this was standard, but it didn’t seem like nearly enough time. She’d brought a human into the world, and they were sending her on her way in forty-eight hours?
“Good. That’s good. I’ll send her a gift.” I rolled the pink cigar between my fingers. “I’ll need the baby’s name so I can put it on the card.”