He hoped he wouldn’t embarrass himself by using a dessert fork with his salad.

Justine nudged him under the table, and he glanced up to see Angela staring at him. “I’m sorry, I missed that.”

Across the table from him, Angela took the platter of meat from her father, speared a few pieces of filet, and passed it on. “I said I’m sorry my husband isn’t here to meet you. He wanted to come but something came up at work.”

“Scott’s a hard worker. A good man.” Lyle nodded from the head of the table.

Next to him, his wife sighed. “We don’t want our son-in-law to be a carbon copy of you, do we? Working too much. Not when we’re due for a few grandbabies.”

Angela smiled. “We’re working on that, Mom.”

“Oh good.” Jeanine turned to Mallory. “And once you and Ted tie the knot, I’m hoping for a few from you too. Then we just have our lost little duckling left.” Jeanine winked at Justine.

“Ugh,” Justine said under her breath before putting on a big smile. “For once, I’m following Dad’s path. I’m focused on work, not babies.”

Xavier felt it prudent not to comment on procreating and put some veggies on his plate. The casserole dish smelled divine, and he noted a cauliflower medley covered in a light sauce that made him salivate. Perhaps an extra helping of that…

“Tell us about work, Justine,” Lyle said with a smile, but his words came out like a directive. “Did you get that raise you expected?”

Xavier could feel her tension, though Justine didn’t show it.

After a pause, she said, “I did not.”

Her dad frowned, and he looked just like Justine when she was irked about something. “Why not?”

“I’ll tell you why not. Because my boss is a jerk.” She recounted her conversation with Frank the Ass in detail, and Xavier felt for her.

“That’s not fair,” Jeanine said.

“I’ll tell you what you should have said.” Angela launched into a verbal diatribe against Frank and his weak character.

Mallory offered sympathy and a few minor pieces of advice, like talking to HR or a peer about her issues. A less direct approach than Angela’s.

Jeanine reiterated how terrible Justine’s company was and how she’d do much better working with the family at her father’s company.

Through it all, Lyle ate and watched Justine, who did her best to ignore her father’s stare.

When she looked at him, he took that as his cue to speak again. “Do you see why you aren’t going to advance there?”

“Because I’m a doormat?”

“Exactly.”

Xavier blinked, having expected a bit more support from her father.

“You don’t stand up for yourself, so you’re constantly trampled by those who aren’t better than you but who are more assertive than you. How many times have I told you to speak up when you disagree with something?”

“It was my yearly review, Dad. I listened to Frank because I was trying to show that I respect my boss.”