I couldn’t be alone with him anyway. He did things to my body. He made me curious. If I got too curious, I’d do or say something reckless. I already came close when we were in Frankie’s room.
I seriously asked him if he felt something between us. He was my boss and I blurted out exactly what was on my mind without a second thought. I had to get my shit together.
When I walked into my apartment, I went straight for the candles and lit them so I could breathe easier.
When exactly had it gotten so hard to breathe? I sat at my harp and put my phone on do not disturb then I let all the stress trickle out through my fingers while I plucked Sunshine’s strings. The hairs on my arms stood on end and I let my eyes fall shut.
I was in my happy place.
When my alarm went off at 2:45 telling me to pick up Frankie, I snapped out of my practice session and decided it was time for a break after nearly five hours playing.
I started the painstakingly slow process of protecting Sunshine for the move tomorrow. I wrapped her in thick foam sheets then wrapped her in bubble wrap. I finished up by boxing her in a huge cardboard box that I had to construct around her. Before I went to bed, I’d stuff the corners of the box with packing peanuts.
…
When I got to Evander’s house, Frankie wasn’t there and neither was her mother. The house was empty. I walked around to every room to make sure. I called Evander when I came up empty-handed.
“Hey, did Frankie call you yet?” I quizzed the moment he answered.
“No, but she sent a text telling me Alexis was late picking her up. She should be home in the next ten minutes. Thank you for checking on her, Xari.”
“No problem. So, are we officially on a first name basis? Calling you Mr. Freeman sounds so stuffy.”
“Goodbye, Xari.” I heard a subtle smile in his deep voice.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
“Yes.” He ended the call and I let out a small victory squeak. The real question was why the hell did I get so excited over something so trivial? Whatever the reason, the excitement bolstered me and gave me the extra boost I needed to start on dinner.
Lemon pepper wings, mashed sweet potatoes, and a huge garden salad. I’d seen Evander’s routine a couple of times and the man looked like he never missed a workout. I knew he wouldn’t go for fattening foods all the time.
By the time I finished zesting the lemon peel to make lemon pepper, Frankie and her mother were coming through the door. “Xari!” Frankie gasped, rushing me with a big hug. My heart swelled seeing her happy face.
“Hey, girl! How was school?” I hopped up on the counter and waited for her response but Alexis sliced through everything.
“Go upstairs, Francesca.” Her voice was like a whip cracking through the air. Frankie shot me an apologetic glance, her brown eyes soft and even a little sad before she darted out of the kitchen.
I tightened the apron strings around my waist and blew out a controlled breath.
You need this job Xari. Don’t fly off the handle.
I clenched my teeth and rolled the tension out of my shoulders and neck. It felt like I was about to head into battle.
“Nanny,” Alexis called. I barked out a laugh before I could stop myself. I still refused to meet her cold onyx eyes. I didn’t know who the fuck she thought was named Nanny. “I know you hear me talking to you.”
I tried to ignore her like Evander told me but my skin prickled with the need to chew her up and spit her out. I moved to the counter and began crumbling the lemon zest then grinding cracked black pepper.
“I guess you can only hear when Van is around, huh? Figures. You probably only speak after his dick has been in your mouth.”
My eyes narrowed involuntarily and my fingers stiffened, slowing the grinding motion. “Anyway, tell my husband I’ll call later to discuss your employment. You might want to find a backup, sweetie. I’m sure some man would be more than willing to be your sugar daddy. You wouldn’t even have to pretend to like his kid.” She adjusted the Chanel bag on her shoulder then moved toward the doorway.
“Ex,” I said so she could hear me. The sound of her stride paused.
“Excuse me, what?” She chuckled.
“I said ex. You called Evander your husband. I wanted to make sure you remembered he’s your ex-husband and you had to drop Frankie off at his house because he has full custody. You know, in case you needed a reminder of your current situation. You sounded a little delusional.” I made sure to angle my face so that she could see me smiling and showing off both pot-hole dimples.
“God, the mouths they install on whores these days. Out of control,” she sighed.
“Mom! Why would you say that to her?” Frankie’s trembling voice startled me since I had no idea where she’d been hiding or if she heard me rip her mother a new asshole. Alexis’s eyes drifted upward. Frankie must have been on the loft.
“Frankie…I…you need to be in your room like I told you! Not eavesdropping!”
“Fine because I don’t want to talk to you or look at you right now.” Heavy footsteps sounded above my head and I waited silently until I heard her bedroom door slam. I was going to have to do damage control after the bitch left.
“Are you happy now? You goaded me into an immature argument and now Francesca is upset. Van will hear about your disrespectful little mouth.”
“He already knows about my mouth,” I said before she left. I realized how fucked up that sounded but it was true. He knew I had a smart ass mouth.
Once I had the wings roasting in the oven, I went to check on Frankie. It took a little coaxing to get her to open the door but I made sure to wrap her in a hug when she did open it. I didn’t know what the uncomfortable feeling in my chest was when I noticed her red-rimmed eyes but it made me want to fuck Alexis up.
We sat on her bed and she drew her knees up to her chest. “I’m so embarrassed,” she muttered, looking down at the comforter.
“Why? Because of your mother?” I smoothed her puff a little then slid close enough to put my arm around her shoulders.
“Yeah. I’m so sorry she said that to you. If you don’t want to work here anymore, I get it.” She tried to swipe at her tears discreetly but there was no hiding it.
“Girl, nothing is going to stop me from being your nanny unless you don’t want me here anymore. I honestly thought we were becoming friends. I was excited to hang out with you every day and piss your father off.” She didn’t laugh but at least her eyes weren’t as sad anymore.
“I want you to stay. Sometimes it feels like it’s not up to me though. Especially with Mom. Daddy is tough but he listens to me when it counts.”
“Then we’ll talk to him together. Anything you’re too nervous to say, tell me and I’ll say it.”
“You promise?” She quizzed, blinking up at me. The uncomfortable feeling I had when I saw her crying subsided and gave way to the need to protect her and make her happy.
“I promise. Now, let me grab something to change into since I’m in the kitchen wearing cream Gucci like I can afford to get this dirty.” I shook my head at my own audacity and dug through my overnight bag. I took out an IVY PARK t-shirt and a pair of black leggings.
“Can I do my homework in the kitchen with you? Or is my mom still down there?”