Chapter 2 Octavia
Two
Octavia
“Are you nervous?” Davina’s voice poured out of my car’s speakers as I gave my steering wheel a right turn.
“Nervous? Why would I be nervous?” I asked, driving along a single-lane road. I’d gotten off the highway about twenty minutes ago. Atlanta traffic was a pain in the ass, so it was a relief to be on a quieter, emptier street.
“Because, as much as I like Javier as a person,” my sister said, “he doesn’t mess around when it comes to Aleesa.”
“Um, yeah. I gathered that when he freaked out about me tickling her chin in Miami. But no, I’m not nervous. I’m seeing this opportunity like all the others. He’s just a parent who needs assistance.”
“Okay. Well, just do me a favor, Tavia, and don’t piss him off, please.”
“What?” I shrieked, feigning innocence. “How could I ever piss anyone off?”
“You’d piss him off because you love to make fun of people.” She laughed. “To us, it’s all harmless jokes. We’re used to teasing each other, but Javier didn’t grow up the way we did. If you embarrass him in his own home, he’ll probably fire you for it.”
“Fine. I promise to be on my best behavior.” I sighed. “Especially with Mama needing more money for Abe’s therapy.”
Our baby brother, Abraham, was autistic, and after years of trial and error, we’d found the perfect clinic for him.
His new therapist was patient, kind, and thorough but insanely expensive.
Ever since starting there, though, Abe had built more confidence in himself, was a bit more eager to try new things, and was becoming better at communicating with us.
The communication part was important. In my opinion, the therapy was worth every penny.
Unfortunately, to keep this good thing going for him, I needed to keep raking in more pennies.
“Don’t worry about money, sis,” Davina said. “I told you I’m helping them. His therapy payments will be taken care of.”
“Yeah, but if I’m going to be away from home for who knows how long, I need to contribute something.
I feel guilty every single time for just packing up and leaving when I get a new job.
And with Mama’s fragrance shop going downhill .
. .” I blew out an exasperated breath. “I just want to support them where I can. If Abe loses his spot at the clinic, they won’t take it well. ”
“Everything will be fine,” my sister cooed. “I would never let them sink. They’ll be okay, Octavia. Besides, Mama has dealt with much worse. You are trying to get back on your feet, so just focus on this new job. Everything will work out.”
I released a frustrated breath. I had driven four hours to Atlanta so I could be interviewed by Javier Valdez, an NBA player and the starting center for the Atlanta Ravens.
He wasn’t as famous as my sister’s fiancé, Deke Bishop, but people loved him nearly just as much.
He was thirty-four years old (four years my senior), and I’d have found him extremely irresistible .
. . if he wasn’t such a grumpy asshole 70 percent of the time.
The 30 percent when he wasn’t a Scrooge was when he interacted with his daughter. She was the only person I saw him being genuinely nice to. Well, her and his best friend, Deke.
To many, getting the chance to work with a man who played professional basketball (and who was sexy as hell, might I add) would’ve been a dream.
Javier Valdez was a six-foot-five Argentinean giant with insane attitude. It could’ve been a dream for me for sure . . . if he didn’t loathe me. I was surprised he’d given me a call a week ago and asked if I could meet him at his house, or that he wanted me anywhere near his precious baby girl.
I believe during my brief trip to Miami with Davina a few months ago, he realized I was a good fit for Aleesa.
Davina flew out to meet one of her investors, Chester, for lunch, and afterward he invited us to a penthouse party he was hosting.
I joined her because I had never been to Miami and it had felt like the perfect opportunity. That’s when I met Javier and Aleesa.
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.
“Aleesa, how about a Popsicle and ten minutes of TV, princesa?” he asked, already opening the freezer.
“Yes! I wan’ watch Bluey!”
Javier nodded, carrying the Popsicle with him to the living room. He spread out a blanket for her to sit on, then opened the wrapper and offered the lime-green Popsicle. He turned on the massive TV with the remote, went to Bluey, and placed a kiss on her forehead, smiling down at her.
While the theme song played and Aleesa licked away at her cold treat, he finally faced me. He didn’t smile. I’d have been slightly intimidated, but it was hard to take him seriously with that unicorn horn still on his head.
“We can sit here.” He gestured to the nearest table, a wooden six-top table with black Scandinavian-style chairs.
Sitting opposite me, he immediately folded his arms. “So, I have simple questions first,” he said.
“Okay.” I placed my forearms on the table and interlaced my fingers.
“When would you be able to start?”
“I could literally start today if you wanted me to.”
He was quiet for a moment, taking in that knowledge. “You understand that this is a long-term commitment, right? Not something that you can do for a couple of weeks just to make your résumé look better.”