Free Walking on Sunshine: A Sweet Love Story (Seasons of Love Book 1) by Krista Lakes, Darla York Page A

Well, will tonight still be good?” He paused, kicking his feet back and forth over the grass. Ben made his way over to me.
    “Who’s he talking to, Mom?” Ben asked.
    “I'm not sure, but it doesn’t really matter. You know, Cee does have a life outside of us,” I joked, nudging him in the ribs. Ben just rolled his eyes at me.
    “Perfect, thanks for letting me know and I'll be there. Can’t wait.” He smiled as he hung up and strolled back to us.
    “Who was that?” Ben asked.
    “Ben, you know it's none of our business,” I scolded, but I was secretly glad my child had asked the question that was burning me from the inside.
    “It was just a friend with a slight change in plans tonight.”
    Just a friend, I thought with relief. Not a girlfriend.
    “Ben, I have to go and get changed.” Cee grabbed his shirt from the lawn. “I hope you had fun today. Make sure to tell your mom all about it.” He turned toward me, his eyes bright and young face eager. “Have a good evening, Jes.”
    He offered out his hand to help pull me up from my sitting position. I happily extended my hand to his and enjoyed the warm sensation that crept up my arm as he wrapped his hand around mine and pulled me up. I was not expecting to be pulled up so quickly, and fell forward with momentum. In my stumble, I extended my hand, landing on his chest in an attempt to steady myself. My face immediately blushed as I felt the hard muscle underneath it.
    “Thanks,” I gasped, my heart pounding out of control.
    “I'll see you tomorrow,” Cee whispered. He was so close to me I could feel the electricity between us. He eyes seemed to be darker than normal, but with a blink of his eye they returned to their violet color. My hand gave a slight wave as he pulled away and put on his shirt. I was actually disappointed that I wouldn’t get to see him for a few hours.
    I'm just going to miss my eye candy, I told myself. That's all. That's all this is.
    I was a big, fat liar and I knew it.

Chapter Eleven
    T he next morning, I woke up before the alarm for the first time in weeks, determined to look nice for Cee for a change. Maybe I'd even curl my hair.
    Yeah, right , I told myself, glancing at the clock. I would be lucky to put on earrings at my current pace. Just because I was up and motivated, didn't mean I was actually getting anything done.
    I pulled out a long dark skirt and a flowery blouse that I always thought accentuated my figure. It played to my strengths, the few of them I felt like I still had. The shirt gave just a hint of cleavage and the skirt made my ass look like a million bucks.
    It was silly, but I couldn't help it. I wanted to look like a million bucks. I wanted Cee to look at me like a million bucks.
    I paused in the mirror, thinking. Why was I doing this? He was our nanny. He was younger than me. He had shown almost no interest in me. So he thought I had a beautiful smile, so what? That could be platonic.
    But I didn't want it to be.
    I closed my eyes and pressed my fingers into my scalp. Why did I want him to care so much? I shouldn't and I knew it. But that didn't change the flutter in my stomach at the thought of him seeing me this morning and telling me I looked nice.
    I put the finishing touches on my makeup, wishing I had just a few more hours to perfect my look as I heard his car pull into the driveway. I stepped back. This was as good as it was going to get.
    I hurried downstairs to let him in, smiling brightly as I opened the door to let him in.
    “Wow,” Cee remarked, taking a step back. “You look great. Big meeting today?”
    “Thanks.” I flushed with pleasure, loving the way his eyes traveled up and down my body. For the first time in months, I felt at least slightly attractive. I knew that my muffin top was bulging slightly and that the shirt was a little tight across my shoulders, but when Cee said I looked nice, I believed him.
    “I, uh...” Cee shook his head as if I was distracting him. The thought made