Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 98524 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 493(@200wpm)___ 394(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98524 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 493(@200wpm)___ 394(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
I wanted to ask him what made it so complicated, but this was not the time to overstep. If there was one thing I didn’t mess around with, it was grief. Especially someone else’s.
“I’ll accept that.” I smirked. “For now.”
“Oh, for now?” he asked, laughing.
“Yes, for now. Hopefully one day you feel comfortable enough to talk about her.”
“I would not be surprised if that happened soon. You are very easy to talk to when you’re not being sarcastic, and for some reason I find that incredibly annoying.” One of his half smiles appeared and caused the center of his cheek to sink in, making it look like he had a dimple.
I busted out in a laugh. “I get that a lot.”
“Octavia,” he said, turning in his chair to face me a bit more. I perked up, fully alert. “If my . . . moods are too much for you, I will understand if you do not want to work here anymore. I know that I am not an easy person to deal with. It is why a lot of the prior nannies either quit or were let go.” He scratched his chin. “I do not mean to come across as angry or irritable all of the time. It is just . . . well, some days I think about my past and it weighs on me, and I handle things the wrong way. But I am working on it.”
“Well, if you’re working on it,” I said, “that’s all that matters. I wouldn’t worry about how anyone else perceives me if I were in your shoes.” I leaned forward even more, catching his eyes. “But I have to let you know something, Valdez. I’m not going anywhere. I’ve dealt with humans that could make you look a saint. Trust me. It’s all good over here.”
A smile swept across his lips as he sat back in his chair with a nod and a breath of relief. “Glad to hear you will stay, Tava.”
I grinned.
I wanted to talk more. Ask more. But I didn’t want to pry too much or come across as desperate for company . . . even though I was starting to appreciate Javier’s.
It didn’t help that he looked into my eyes like he, too, wanted to ask me a million questions. Like he’d rather spend time getting to know me than doing anything else. And not in the surface-level way, but on a deeper level. A level that not many people reached unless they’d already formed a solid connection.
But that could never happen.
Why would we ever let that happen? For Aleesa’s sake, I wouldn’t.
Yes, Javier was sexy as hell. Yes, I’d have pounced right on him and climbed him like a tree . . . but he was my boss. I was his child’s caretaker. And I had a very strict rule about not sleeping with anyone I worked for. I liked maintaining a professional image and wasn’t going to let a bout of lust for an NBA player destroy that.
As if he was thinking something along the same lines, Javier cleared his throat and shifted his gaze as he gripped the arms of his chair.
“You should go and get some rest,” he said. “It was a long day for you too. I will head into the lion’s den and deal with my family.”
A laugh escaped me as I watched him stand. “Okay. Good night, Javier. Try not to bring their claws out.”
Chuckling, he rounded the pool, then started walking toward the back door. “Good night, Octavia.” He looked back at me, his hand lingering on the door handle, almost as if he was torn between staying outside with me or going in and escaping whatever this humming electricity was between us.
With a small, warm smile, he entered the house. I found it hard to stop thinking about that smile for the rest of the night.
Fifteen
Javier
I could tell Octavia was glad the summer had come and my schedule was freer, because she was eager to request days off. This was a part of our contract: During the summer, she was allowed to have two days of the week off if she desired. And desired she did.
Octavia’s first day off was on a Tuesday. I wondered what she did when she wasn’t with us, so much so that I took it upon myself to let Aleesa run in the backyard, just so I could get a better view of the guesthouse.
Not that I could see much inside it.
And not that it was any of my business.
I saw her, though, lying on a towel on the grass outside, sunglasses covering her face, her golden-brown skin glistening, probably from sunscreen. A book was in one of her hands, the other tucked beneath her head.
She wore nothing but a yellow two-piece bikini. I remember thinking yellow paired really well with her skin. I wanted to see her in more yellow.