“I told the crew about the change in caterers. They’re excited to have Suzie and her crew.”
When the words registered, a thrill shot through her. “Really?”
“Yes. The food was spectacular, the service impeccable.” He shrugged. “Wasn’t expecting it, but they did well. And supporting a local school will bring in good publicity and earn us some points with the community.”
She didn’t even bother hiding her satisfied smile. “Thank you.”
He cocked his head, his eyes narrowed as he assessed her for a moment. “It’s I who should be thanking you.” His bark of laughter was harsh. “Well, that and that I’m the one making the decisions regarding this event. Javier told me I was ruining my chances at swaying the board before I even started.”
“Is that what you were arguing about?”
“That and you. Not about...” He gestured toward her stomach with the half-eaten orange. “That.”
“That?”
“What am I supposed to call it? We don’t know if it’s a boy or a girl.”
“The baby?”
Alejandro rolled his eyes. “That’s so...plain.”
The conversation was so...normal, she realized with a start. As if they were an ordinary couple bickering good-naturedly over finding out the sex of their child. It stirred a longing for other normal things, like having a partner to share that first smile with.
“Anyway,” Alejandro continued, unaware of her inner turmoil, “I told him I hired you to oversee the last details. He already thinks I’m wasting time and money on this venture as it is.”
“I imagine your half-a-million-dollar payout for one week didn’t sit well.”
“None of his business. Yes, I’m paying you more because I impregnated you.” He held up a hand as she opened her mouth to retort. “But I’m also paying you what you’re worth. You earned an MBA from MIT and you worked for Cabrera Wines for three years. That’s after your four-year stint at another firm as an associate event planner.”
The retort died as she sat back, stunned. “You know all that about me?”
“Yes.” He held her gaze for a long moment. “I didn’t just stare at your cleavage at those events.”
She arched a brow. “You looked at my ass, too?”
“It’s a great ass.” A grin flashed, then was unexpectedly replaced by a serious countenance. “But I listened, too. I know you increased Cabrera Wines’ event attendance by two hundred percent over two years. I know you got Adrian that feature inTimebecause they heard about his parties. I’m paying you what you’re worth, Calandra.”
Other than Aunt Norine, no one had ever stood up for her. She’d learned early and she’d learned hard. She had no one to depend on but herself.
Until now. Even when she’d found out about the baby, every time she’d envisioned the future, it had been with Johanna those first couple of years, then alone as Johanna moved on with her life. Just her and her child. But every time Alejandro did something like this, the image of a family became more vivid, more enticing.
That he’d still defend her after last night meant even more. It also laid bare a truth she could no longer deny—he had hired her forher. Unlike Father, who’d used money to manipulate situations and people to his advantage, Alejandro believed in her.
Seconds ticked by. Calandra kept her eyes trained on the ocean, the rise and fall of the turquoise waves, and off Alejandro.
She could feel him, though. Watching her. That gaze, the color of the sea, laying waste to the wall she’d built over the years and stripping her bare until she felt naked. Exposed.
“Your father is a fool,” she finally said. A fool for doubting his son, for trying to micromanage a brilliant mind. For whatever he’d done to hurt his son.
Alejandro ran a hand through his hair, dark curls pulled back to reveal the sharpness of his cheekbones, the strong cut of his jaw, before falling back down to graze the tanned column of his neck.
“He is. But I spent years acting like a fool just to try to piss him off.” His teeth flashed white in the morning sunlight. “Although I’ve been quite successful.”
She shook her head, trying and failing to suppress a smile. “You do excel at pissing people off.”
Alejandro’s grin disappeared as he glanced down to where her hand still lay protectively over the slight swell of her stomach.
Calandra’s nose wrinkled. “When will you tell him?”