Page 32

DEKE

Not much could shock me in today’s world, but the fact that Davina could sit diagonally across from me at the table and hardly look at me was one hell of a surprise.

She held a good poker face, I could give her that, and when it came to business, she didn’t let feelings interfere with it. I respected that. But as a man who wanted only a slice of her attention, I found that this bugged the hell out of me.

I wasn’t going to ruin her day any further, though, and to be honest, I was starting to feel bad for being a dick to her. Making it awkward wasn’t helping a damn thing, and this was a big moment for not only Davina but Javier and Aleesa too.

Apparently Davina was going to make a new baby cream and lotion exclusively for Javier and Aleesa’s collaboration. The last thing I wanted to do was ruin this deal for my best friend, so I discontinued my jabs at Davina.

Plus, Javier shot me a text and told me to shut the fuck up and be cool .

When lunch was wrapped up and the waitress handed Chester the bill, he dug into his pocket and said, “I’ll be having a little get-together at my condo tonight around eight. I’ll have a few friends over just to catch up and have a few drinks. You should all come.”

“I’d love to,” Kyla said much too eagerly.

“I wish that I could,” Javier said, “but that is after Aleesa’s bedtime.”

“Oh, I understand.”

“I’ll come,” I offered.

Chester turned his eyes to me with a look of surprise. “Will you really?”

“Sure.” I raised a shoulder. “Why not?”

“Hey, I’d love to have you. I have to warn you, though, my friends might crowd you a bit,” Chester responded with a snicker.

“I’m used to it.” I turned my gaze to Davina. “You should come, too, Davina.”

Davina lowered her phone to glare at me. “I can’t, actually.”

“Why not?” I fought a smile as I tipped my head sideways.

“I have a lot of work to catch up on, and I have an early flight tomorrow.”

“Oh, come on, Davina!” Chester boomed with a pompous laugh. “You can swing by for a few minutes, chat with some friends of mine. A few of them also invest, so it’d be a great way to network.”

She pulled her lips in and pressed them together, looking from Chester to me again. This time, I allowed the smile to take over me as she narrowed her eyes briefly before focusing on Chester again.

“Uh, sure. I’ll swing by for a bit.” She forced a smile at him, and Chester nodded, proud of himself.

Meanwhile, I tried my hardest not to laugh.

When we left the restaurant, I spotted Davina standing with her sister near the curb.

Javier was already at the SUV, buckling Aleesa into her car seat. I strolled over to Davina, who noticed me coming and gave me her back.

“Glad you’ll make it to Chester’s,” I said.

“How far away is the Lyft, Tavia?” she asked her sister, ignoring me.

“Four minutes,” Octavia announced.

“’Ey, Deke!” Javier called as he shut the back door. He gestured for me to come on. I held up a finger before putting my attention on Davina again.

Her sister grinned as she looked between us. Then she said, “You know what? I’m gonna introduce myself to Javier again. I’m a nanny ... maybe he’ll be interested.”

“Octavia, no. Why would you—” Davina clamped her mouth shut as her sister sauntered across the parking lot to meet with my teammate. Davina inhaled deeply before exhaling, with her eyes shut.

“So you’re not going to talk to me?” I asked, taking a step closer.

“I did talk to you,” she countered.

“I’d say you talked at me, not to me.”

She dropped her arms to finally face me. “Deke, you shouldn’t take the email thing personally, okay?”

“Why shouldn’t I? The emails were personal. I thought we were cool, D.”

“We are cool.”

I heard giggling and looked to find it. Aleesa’s window was rolled down, and Octavia was talking to her while lightly squeezing her chin. Javier stood close by, looking between them with his arms crossed.

“Look ... just come to Chester’s, all right? We can talk it out there, and we’ll be honest. Okay? No bullshit.”

Davina swung her head my way. Her shoulders lost a bit of the edge as she sighed. Then she took a step back and faced forward again. “Fine.”

“Cool.” I stepped off the curb and headed for the SUV. “See you at the party.”

As I walked, I tried my hardest not to look back at her. I didn’t want her thinking I was desperate or anything. I was surprised I stuck it out as I rounded the truck.

When I climbed inside, I heard Javier ask Octavia, “And how many years of experience do you actually have?”

“I’ve been a caretaker for many years. My brother has special needs, so I take care of him a lot, but I got into nannying and babysitting five years ago.”

“Hmm. Well, I will have to look into it. Email your information to me anyway. Where is your phone?”

She dug it out of her back pocket, and once it was unlocked, Javier took it and typed something on it. When he handed it back, he gave her an agitated once-over before turning away and climbing into the SUV.

Octavia made a face like she was slightly annoyed with Javier’s demands and bluntness. She’d learn Javier was a very direct person and that the angry faces were nothing to take personally.

The SUV rolled away with us inside, and through Aleesa’s open window, I gave in to my urge and fixed my gaze on Davina.

She looked at me, eyes soft and sparkling, before tearing them away just as quickly.