“Sí, sí, pero...” Paola let out an exasperated sigh. “I just want him to ... oh, what is the word? To ... toacknowledgehow 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.
I walked down the hallway and opened the door to walk out. The sun had fallen beneath the horizon, but there were still streaks of orange lingering in the sky. The backyard was clear, minus a few streamers and runaway confetti.
Javier heard me coming and lifted his head, eyes glistening like he was on the verge of tears. My chest felt tight and heavy, seeing him this way. I almost paused and thought to go back into the house, or even to the guesthouse, for that matter, just to give him some space, but it seemed too late now. It would have been not only rude to duck off, but awkward too.
He sat up and cleared his throat, blinking several times to dry his eyes. “Aleesa go down okay?” he asked.
“Yep. She’s good,” I answered. “Went out like a light.”
His lips tilted upward on one side, a weak attempt at a smile. Silence ticked by for about five seconds before he said, “I know they are talking about me.”
I blinked at him before turning my attention to the house. From here, I could see Paola folding blankets in the living room and Catalina storing things away in the kitchen. Both of their mouths were still moving, and Paola seemed worked up as she snatched up another blanket and folded it. She was probably speaking fully in Spanish now.
“I think so, yeah.”
“Every year,” he sighed.
I kept quiet as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the tops of his legs and threading his fingers together. Walking closer to him, I grabbed one of the chairs from the table and brought it near him, but not too close, in case he still needed some space.
“I know everyone is always asking about Aleesa,” I said in a quiet voice, “but what about you? Areyouokay?”
He pursed his lips, still staring at the rippling water. “I am not sure how to answer that.”
“What’s the first word that comes to mind?”
“No.”
“No, you’re not okay?”
“No. I am not okay.”
“Okay. That’s okay.”
“Great. Now can we please stop saying the wordokay?”
“Well, you said it this time, so ...” I raised my hands and shrugged.
He shook his head, but I didn’t miss the faint smirk riding his lips. At least that one was closer to a real smile.
“Hey, um ... thank you for everything you did to make today happen,” he said. “Everyone had a great time, and I cannot remember the last time I saw Aleesa so happy.”
It was stupid of me to blush, but I did as I adjusted myself in my chair. “Of course. It was no hassle at all.”
“I’m sure it was a bit of a hassle,” he said, calling my bluff.
“Okay, fine. Sort of, but only because finding a pretend mermaid to be in that tank for two hours was near impossible.”
He chuckled, teeth glinting in the light.
“But it’s fine,” I said. “I love planning parties and would do it again in a heartbeat.”
He nodded appreciatively. Then his smile slipped away, and he sighed again.
“Listen ...” I leaned forward, finding his eyes. “I know I’m just the nanny, but if youeverneed to talk about anything, I’m happy to listen.”
