“That’s a good question.” I laughed. “We’d have probably taken over the world.”
Davina snorted.
I drew in a deep breath through my nostrils before releasing it through parted lips.
“Okay.” I leaned closer to my sister. “The truth is that last night, we didexplicitthings in the hot tub. But right after, he said he wanted those things to keep happening. I told him it could as long as we didn’t get too deep or serious, you know? When I said that, it seemed to bother him, though.”
“Hmm.” Davina took a moment to mull that over. “Why do you think it bothered him?”
“I don’t know, but you’d think the last thing he wants is something even remotely close to a serious relationship. Especially with hisnanny.”
“Maybe he’s just wanting a connection. Doesn’t mean it has to be serious. And he probably doesn’t see you as justthe nannyanymore, Octavia. He might see you as family now.”
“Family members don’t fool around.”
She gave me the stink eye. “You know what I mean.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Look.” She rested an elbow on the table and looked into my eyes. “You’ve bonded with both of them. You’ve been around them for overhalf a year. You’re beautiful, smart, and kind. I’m truly surprised it took this long for something to happen between y’all, honestly. Me and Deke were betting on the timing. Looks like he won.Again.”
“Well ... it wasn’t supposed to happen,” I informed her. “And he initiated it.”
“Really? You sure it wasn’t you?”
“No, it wasn’t me! He kissed me first.”
She laughed. “I’m just saying.”
“Don’t do that.” I pointed a finger at her, narrowing my eyes. “Don’t act like I’m some hoe ready to jump into any man’s bed.”
“I never said that, but you do have the tendency to take what you want.”
That was true. I liked what I liked. But still.
I folded my arms. “Anyway, I think I should just tell him we need to stop now before we take it too far.”
“What do you mean bytoo far?”
“I mean ... I don’t want either of us trying to fall for each other or whatever.” I waved my hand, as if this topic wasn’t actually weighing heavily on me.
It was. A whole lot.
Maybe because no matter how much I tried to deny it, deep, deep, deep, deep down, I did want to fall for someone again.
I was just scared.
“Tavia, I’ve told you a million times that every man is not like shitty Luther. That fucker never deserved you,” Davina said in a lower voice. “It’s okay to want more with someone else.”
I shook my head.
“He was one horrible, rotten egg,” she went on. “So what if things get a little serious with Javier? Would that be such a bad thing?”
“That’s an interesting question, coming from a woman who recently had a hard time letting another man in.”
“Not the point,” my sister shot back, fighting a smile. “I’m just saying, if he wants you and you want him ... why not?”
“Because at the end of the day, I’m the woman he hired to take care of his child. He can get tired of me, meet someone else, and then fire me. It’d be like I never even existed to him.”
