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)
Though uptight and standoffish, Javier had witnessed firsthand how great I was with his daughter. Aleesa and I got along well.
Listen, I had even played tag with her in the hallway on Chester’s floor . . . while wearing a short, skintight dress. By the end of our game, she was worn out and ready to go to sleep, which Javier had been trying to get her to do for hours. I didn’t like to brag, but I was damn good at this nannying thing.
My navigation system showed that I was two minutes away from my destination.
“I’m about to pull up to his house,” I told my sister. “I’ll let you know how it goes . . . and if I need you to send Deke over to cuss him out.”
Vina snorted a laugh. “I highly doubt Deke will be doing that.”
“I bet he would for me.”
“You know what? I bet he would too.” She laughed again. “I love you, sis. Call me if you need me.”
“I love you too. Bye.”
Not long after, I spotted a black wrought iron gate. At the call box, I typed in the code, and the gates began to separate.
As I drove, I drank in the details of his towering two-story home, with an ivory stucco exterior and a Spanish tile roof. Palm trees with bold green leaves danced with the wind in front of the house. The driveway looped in a circle, and a fountain spurting water stood boldly in the center of it, surrounded by fresh florals.
It reminded me a lot of a coastal vacation home. A beautiful mansion, but also a very simple-looking place . . . which fit Javier completely.
Beautiful, simple . . . and mean.
After parking, I climbed out of my Honda, and my feet landed on granite cobblestones. I made my way to the front door, which was tucked away through a heightened arch. A chandelier dangled from the roof, and eight shallow steps led to a porch.
I gave the doorbell a ring. It took close to a minute for the door to open.
Javier stood on the other side, wearing a white T-shirt, black basketball shorts, and Nike socks. A pair of black slides were on his feet as well. His shirt had his team’s name on it and the number eight below, at the center—his jersey number.
Oh, and let me not forget to mention the pink unicorn headband on his head. I tried not to laugh as I observed him, and it didn’t help that he wore this serious scowl, trying to seem all macho while looking me up and down.
“You are kind of early,” he said in that thick Argentinean accent. His brows dipped as he scanned me up and down. “Did you press the buzzer at the gate?”
“Uh . . . no, I didn’t. In your text, you said to just type the code and come in.”
He looked away and blinked, as if trying to remember that.
“Um . . .” I checked my phone for the time. “Should I wait six more minutes and come back to the door, or . . . ?”
“No. It is fine. I was just in the middle of doing something with Aleesa.” Just as he said that, I heard a squeal and footsteps padding on the floor. A small hand wrapped around the door below him, and Aleesa yanked it open wider.
Aleesa was absolutely adorable, with sandy-brown hair that fell in loose curls and the prettiest sage green eyes. Her skin was a shade or two lighter than Javier’s warm beige.
When she saw me, she gasped and placed both hands on her cheeks, as if to say Oh my gosh! It’s her!
She squealed as she rushed to me, then threw both arms around one of my legs and hugged me tight.
I laughed, bending over to hug her back. “Hi, sweet girl! My goodness, that’s a big hug. How are you?”
“I good. You wan’ play wif me?” she asked, peering up at me.
“Well, that’s up to your dad.” I stood straight again and eyed him. “Don’t want to break any rules too soon.”
He sighed and stepped back. “Come in.”
Aleesa released my leg, but only to grab my hand and drag me into the house. She led the way through the foyer, lined with polished marble floors, passing off-white walls with several portraits tacked to them.
One of the photos caught my eye, of a woman in a white wedding dress, standing next to Javier, who wore a suit. I didn’t get a chance to really observe it, though, because Aleesa was now taking me to the center of their living room and showing me a dollhouse and collection of mermaids.
She went into great detail about them, and I nodded, taking note of which was her favorite. Through the corner of my eye, I spotted Javier near the kitchen, watching us. The kitchen was absolutely incredible, by the way. All stainless steel, with a massive white-quartz island and dark-gray cabinets that had silver handles and knobs.