My productivity level had since reached an all-time low, and even though I’d managed to see Jo a record-breaking number of times over the last few days, I couldn’t seem to block out the sound of her voice as it bled through the thin wall that separated us.

I’d gone nearly nine months without noticing my previous assistant was even pregnant, and now, I couldn’t go an hour without breaking the tip off my pencil every time she answered the phone or laughed.

Was she talking to her boyfriend?

Shut up, Roman.

Staring at a spreadsheet that had been sent to me earlier in the day for approval, I was startled by the vibrations of my cell phone as it danced its way across my desk. Shaking myself out of a trance, I quickly picked it up and inwardly groaned.

I was in no mood for this.

“Hey, Jude,” I said, doing my best to cover any lingering fatigue in my voice.

“Hey, haven’t heard from you in a while. Thought I’d give you a call and get an update,” he said, his words slightly muffled.

I checked the clock, realizing it was sometime around lunch on the West Coast. He had a tendency to eat at his desk unless he was meeting his wife for lunch.

Why did I know this?

Because these were the things Jude liked to share, which was basically everything.

Ever since he’d gotten his life back on track, he suddenly couldn’t stop talking about it. Or maybe I just couldn’t stand to listen.

“Things are good,” I answered vaguely. “Everyone is still employed, and the board hasn’t fired me yet, so there’s that.”

He laughed at my joke, and then silence filled the air.

“And you’re okay?” he asked.

“Sure. Why?”

“Well, you never call and when you do talk, it’s to Lailah mostly. I know we aren’t super close, but I was hoping you’d be able to make a trip out here and see the baby before she wasn’t a baby anymore. You know, she took her first steps the other day,” he said, a sentimental resonance behind each word.

My finger wove through my hair as I took a deep sigh. “It’s been a busy year,” I replied.

“I know,” he answered. He sounded disappointed. “Lailah and I had a kid. Remember Meara, your niece?”

“Listen, I—” I began, trying to sever the awkward conversation, but a knock at my office door came before I had the chance.

Surprise with, I’d admit, a bit of anticipation churned in my gut as I yelled out an okay to enter.

“Hold on, Jude,” I said.

I placed the phone to my shoulder as I watched Cara enter.

Or tried to.

Hidden behind a large black chair was my tiny assistant. She was pushing it with force, making a grand entrance into the office.