Page 44 of What I Needed

I sat on one of the benches and wiped my face with my towel. Jaxon tossed me a bottle of water, and I downed it in a few swings.

“What’s on your mind, man?” he asked.

“Nothing. About to head home and make the most of the rest of my day. My mom and sister will be here tonight.”

“What you got planned?”

“Erissa insisted on making dinner tonight, so I’ll have to switch the reservations for dinner at Elm Street Blues to tomorrow night. On Sunday, we’ll probably have brunch somewhere and drive out to the beach. They leave Monday afternoon.”

“Your nanny is cooking for your family?”

“She cooks all the time.”

“A nanny and a cook all rolled up into one, huh?” he questioned suspiciously.

“I told her she doesn’t have to cook, but she enjoys it, so who am I to stop her? She can cook her ass off, too, and the meals are healthy.”

He looked at me with squinted eyes, but I ignored him while I changed into a dry T-shirt I’d found in my workout bag.

“You fucked her, didn’t you?’

“Man—”

“Don’t even lie. You’re fucking the nanny.”

“I’m out. I’ll see you tomorrow. Thanks for the workout.”

I headed toward the stairs, which led to the door.

“Ah, hell. You done messed around and fell in love.”

I stopped and turned around, wearing a frown.

“What are you talking about?” I questioned, wondering how he concluded that I was in love.

“When a nigga stops bragging about his conquests, it’s usually because he’s in love, or falling. Which one are you?”

“Mind your business. Erissa ain’t like the women we usually hook up with. She takes good care of Rivvy, and I don’t want you to get the wrong idea about her.”

“Damn. It sounds like you’re already sprung. Her pussy must be good as⁠—”

“Aye, chill, man. Don’t speak on her like that. It’s disrespectful, and I ain’t with that shit.”

Jaxon held up his hands as if he were surrendering and took a few steps back.

“My bad, man, but you can admit you’re feeling the nanny. Ain’t shit wrong with that. Hell, she may be the one.”

I wasn’t prepared to admit to anyone that Erissa had my feelings in very unfamiliar territory, so I played it off.

“I won’t say all that, but she’s cool, and it seems like taking care of people makes her happy. I’ve never had anyone take care of me besides my mother, so this feels different.”

“This could get real messy if you’re not careful.”

“I’m always careful. I’m out.”

“Damn. I can’t get no invite to dinner this time?” he shouted to my back.

“You can come through if you want. The driver should be dropping them off at about six.”