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)
“Yes, well, typically I ignore women like Gianna.”
“Must suck being rich.”
“Only when dealing with the uppity rich types like her.”
She bit back a smile.
I do not know why my eyes lingered on her mouth or the way she caged her plump bottom lip between her teeth.
I cleared my throat and took a step back, pulling my eyes away. “I should see about the cake.”
“Oh, I can do it,” she offered.
“No, no. That is okay. You stay with Aleesa. I will be right back.”
I marched away before I could look at her again.
Because I was doing a lot of that lately. Looking at her. Studying all her details. Admiring her.
Fourteen
Octavia
The cake was massive and shaped like a mermaid’s fin. I was glad the baker I found had made it stand out so well.
It’d received so many compliments, and it got to a point where everyone thought it shouldn’t be cut because it was too beautiful to eat. But, of course, we cut it. And that moist vanilla and ombre purple frosting was delicious.
The party wrapped up within two hours. I gave Deke and Davina big hugs before they took off. Deke had to go early to meet his manager, then had a flight the following morning to Seattle. Davina wanted to stay a bit longer, but Deke wasn’t having that.
I swear it seemed like he could never get enough of her. Such lovebirds. I had to admit, though . . . I was a little envious of their love. It was so real and beautiful. They cared about each other so much, and it showed in the way they looked at each other, spoke to one another, and spoke about each other.
Maybe if I’d had a love like that instead of what I had with Luther, I wouldn’t be so opposed to commitment.
The kids, after running through sprinklers, doing crafts, playing games, and spending some time in the pool, were beat by the time the party was over. Aleesa as well. I remember thinking she was going to sleep so well that night.
After having dinner a few hours later, I gave her another bath and got her ready for bed. She was yawning and rubbing her eyes during her bedtime story, and as soon as I lay her down, her eyes closed and she drifted off.
After dropping a kiss on her forehead, I stepped out of the room and headed down the stairs. That’s when I heard faint murmurs a short distance away.
I rounded the corner, realizing the voices belonged to Javier’s mother and sister, Paola and Catalina.
They were nice women. Well, more so Catalina than Paola. Catalina was a sweetheart, and we pretty much had the same sense of humor. Paola, however, gave me the occasional side-eye, probably because she didn’t trust me. I could understand that, especially if Javier had a hard time sticking to one nanny for long.
“He hasn’t spoken about her all day,” I heard Paola say. “I am worried about him.”
“You don’t need to worry, Mamá. He’s fine. Okay? You know Javier doesn’t like when you get worked up. Especially around this time of year.” Catalina, I’d noticed, didn’t have much of an accent, unlike her mother and brother. But I think that was due to the fact that she’d spent more time in the United States growing up than Javier.
He was six years her senior, and their mother had sent them to live with their aunt in the United States for a better education. Catalina had liked learning in the United States and had flourished. Javier hadn’t, and because of that, he’d only spent two years in the United States as a kid before returning to Argentina and completing his education there.
According to Paola, she was upset with him for not making the United States work, because she’d spent a lot of money to make it happen. But since he’d received lots of attention for his basketball skills in his home country (and become a rich NBA player, I’m sure), she’d let it go.
“Sí, sí, pero . . .” Paola let out an exasperated sigh. “I just want him to . . . oh, what is the word? To . . . to acknowledge how painful this is. I showed a picture of Eloise on my phone to Aleesa, and he walked away. He could not even face it.”
“He’s just not in the mood to talk about her, and that is fine. Just let it go. When he’s ready to talk about it, he will.”
A faint thump sounded behind me, and I turned around. At the end of the hallway that led to the pool, the blinds on one of the windows were still drawn. Javier sat outside in a chair that faced the pool, the blue glow illuminating his features as he stared at the water.