“Ben, please introduce yourself and don’t be rude. Nannies can be boys or girls, just like firefighters or nurses,” I scolded.
He pouted his lower lip, but walked over to Stacey and extended his hand.
“Hi, my name is Ben.”
Cee smiled, and crouched down to be at Ben’s eye level, took his hand and shook it.
“Hi, Ben, my name is Stacey, but you can call me Cee,” he said warmly.
“Hi, Cee.” Ben responded quietly.
“That's a good job, Ben. Thank you,” I praised as Ben let go of Cee's hand. I looked at Cee and it dawned on me that I had scheduled the meeting at the same time as Ben’s game.
“Would you be able to come with us to his game? I completely forgot that I scheduled the interview at the same time as the game.” I hoped my blush looked pretty.
“Not a problem,” Cee replied, adding a smile onto the end of his words. Good lord, the man had dimples. Sexy, sexy dimples.
“Oh, thank you.” I turned back to Ben. “Now, let's get in the car and head to your game. We don’t want to be late again, like last week.” I grabbed Ben’s bag, and he snatched up his sticks and helmet. Cee opened the door so that we could both get through.
“Would you like to ride with us?” I asked tuning to Cee as he made sure the door shut behind us.
“Sure,” he said with a grin. The man's smile was positively electric.
He opened the back door of the silver minivan so Ben could hop in, and then walked around to the front of the car while I dropped the rest of the bags in the trunk. I turned to walk to the front of the car, and saw Cee standing at the driver’s door. He already had it propped open and waiting for me.
“Oh, thanks,” I said, slightly taken aback. I couldn't remember the last time someone opened a door for me, let alone the driver's side door. I could count the number of times on one hand Richard had been a gentleman and opened any door for me.
Cee waited for me to move to the door, and then used his hand to guide the small of my back into the car. Goosebumps trickled down my arm at his touch.
He's just being chivalrous, I told myself. Nothing to get excited about. Yet the goosebumps from his touch remained.
I got in and he carefully shut the door behind me. He walked around the front of the car and I tried not to check out his ass as he walked, but it wasn't easy. I kept missing the ignition and couldn’t get it in until he was at his door.
He slid easily into the passenger seat and put on his seat belt. “You all buckled up?” he asked, turning to the back of the car and checking in with Ben.
“Yup,” Ben responded, playing with a lacrosse ball in his hands.
I put the car in reverse, and started the drive toward the field.
Chapter Four
“So, Cee, tell me about yourself. I really haven’t had any time to look at your profile,” I admitted.
“I’ve been a nanny for a few years. I'm originally from Arizona and moved out here for college. I'll give you my resume once we get back to the house. My last job was the Jones family. Do you know them?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“Well, they lived about two miles away from here, not too far. Same school district. I watched their kids Dana and Michael. Michael is about Ben’s age now. Anyway, the family moved to Chicago for work.”
“That’s too bad,” I said, glancing over at him. I could tell from the look on his face that he had really cared about them.
“Yeah, they offered to have me come with them, but I love California too much to ever leave the beach. I have their number included on my resume if you need to check references.”
“Okay. Thanks.” I knew I would never call them, but I liked that he offered up the information. Cee intrigued me. “Where did you go to school?”
“I went to California State University,” he answered proudly.
“And you're from Arizona? Out-of-state tuition must have been expensive!” I wasn’t sure why, maybe it was because I’d just started tracking my own finances, but it popped out of my mouth. I bit down on my tongue. So much for making a good impression.
“Not really,” he replied with a casual shrug that made me feel less awkward. “I got through it on an athletic scholarship. Lacrosse, actually.”
“What position did you play?” Ben chirped in at hearing the word lacrosse.
“Ben, you know what I said about interrupting when people are talking,” I scolded, staring back at him in the rear view mirror.
“Sorry, Mom,” Ben apologized, but his face said he was more excited about what Cee had to say than manners.
“Well, Ben, I played midfielder. What position do you play?” Cee asked as he turned in his chair to get a look at Ben.
“I'm goalie right now,” Ben said as he beamed with pride.
“That’s a hard position. I used to play that when I started high school. How long have you been playing that position?
“This is my first season playing on a team. Before that, it was just me and Jake throwing the ball around with his dad. He knows a lot about this stuff.”
“Well, I am excited to see you play today. Maybe afterward, I can give you some pointers.” His voice sounded genuine with the proposition.
I smiled as I watched Ben in the rear view mirror. For the first time in weeks, his eyes lit up and I knew that Ben had already decided that he wanted Cee to stick around. Anyone who would talk to him about lacrosse was golden in his book.
“We’re here,” I said as I parked at the field. The five fields spread out before us, almost big enough to get lost in. Two fields were set up for soccer games and the other three were ready for lacrosse. There was a little jungle gym nearby for smaller kids as well.
Ben hopped out of the car and I hit the trunk button so the back would open up. He quickly grabbed his bag and ran to the field to join the others, who were already tying up their cleats.
“We have about twenty minutes until the game starts up. Do you want to grab some coffee? It’ll give us more time to get acquainted.” I shut the trunk and turned to look up at Cee. A thrill went through me as I looked up into his eyes. I was finally able to give those eyes the attention that they deserved. They were endless and possibly the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.
Stop it. He's your nanny, I chided myself. The nanny was the last person on the planet I should be admiring for his physical characteristics.
“Sure, as long as I get to ask some questions too,” Cee said, a hint of humor creeping into his voice.
We headed to the coffee stand just across the road, walking at a leisurely pace. It was a little drive-up food truck that offered breakfast burritos and coffee to the parents waiting for their kids to start playing their various sports. I grabbed my basic Americano, while he just got a cup of coffee with some cream.
“Tell me a little bit more about Ben,” Cee said, taking a sip of his coffee. His violet eyes were fixed to me, looking at me like I was the only interesting thing he saw.
I brushed a strand of hair out of my face, knowing I was about to smile. I always smiled when I talked about Ben.
“He's six years old, and the only thing that interests him is lacrosse. Watching it, playing it, or reading about it. I think he loves it more than he loves me some days,” I explained, thinking that the only time he has gotten that ear-to-ear grin for the past few months was when he was playing.
“He sounds like most six year old boys,” Cee said, chuckling. When he smiled, the dimples deepened, making him somehow even more handsome. “I remember when I was that age. If it wasn’t sports or action figures you were S.O.L.”
I nodded, knowing the feeling of being S.O.L all too well. The conversation fell quiet for a moment as we both sipped on our drinks. I opened my mouth trying to ask a question, but every time I did, my mind went blank. His good looks just seemed to wipe my mind of thought. The pause was slowly turning awkward.
He finally cleared his throat and asked, “So, how did you come to need
my services?”
I sighed, glad that he finally broke the silence, even if it meant I had to explain my train-wreck of a life.
“I went through a divorce about a year ago, and started a new career last week.” The words were simple, even though the reality was hard. I shrugged, trying to move the guilt weighing on my shoulders.
“It must’ve been hard.” He took a slow sip of coffee, his beautiful eyes never leaving my face. I felt as if the world revolved around me when he looked at me like that.
“It’s been tough on Ben. I think if he has someone to look out for him, an adult he can rely on other than me, it would be good for him.” I looked out at the field where the boys were getting ready to play and my heart ached for my son. “Especially with summer starting, he will have a lot of free time. I don't want him to look back on his childhood as a terrible time.”
“I'm sorry to hear that. I'll definitely keep him busy if you want to keep me on. I know the whole male nanny thing is a turn-off to some people.” He shrugged his muscular shoulders and grinned. “But I'm pretty good at it.”
Ha, turn-off? I thought. I would say it's a turn-on. I shook my head, trying to clear the thoughts of what he would look like turned on out of my brain. No, I was not going to start looking at men now. Especially one that's this young and shouldn’t be tied down by a woman with baggage.
A whistle blew in the distance signaling the beginning of the lineup and saving me from being inappropriate with our new nanny. “It looks like the game is about to start. Let’s head over,” I announced, pointing to the field Ben was on.
We walked over to where the other parents stood watching their children. Some of the lacrosse moms gave me a wide-eyed stare at the new attractive stranger I brought to the game. It wasn’t every day a guy like this was on the field. Normally the field was dotted with middle-aged men with beer bellies and growing bald spots. Cee was anything but that. I just smiled politely, trying to ignore their burning eyes, but knew my cheeks were red.
We found a good spot near Ben's goal and took a seat. It wasn’t until I realized that the grass was still damp with dew that I regretted the decision. I jumped up and tried to pull down my oversized jersey to hide the wet spot blossoming across my ample rear-end. It wasn't working very well. Cee smiled and offered his hand to hold my coffee while I struggled. I swore I heard a low chuckle from him, but when I looked at him, he had already turned away.
I pulled up my yoga pants a little higher and folded them over, hoping to minimize the wet on my butt as much as possible. I was still hoping to make a decent first impression on the hot guy.
I rolled my eyes at myself. With moves like this, I am destined to be alone, I told myself, knowing it was true. By the time I felt decent, the whistle blew and the referee dropped the ball into the face off.
The other team, the Blue Jays, won the face off and the kids sprinted down the field. I watched Ben as he fidgeted nervously, watching the players come toward him. A few more back and forth passes between the opponent, and BAM, the ball soared past Ben's head. Goal. I heard cheers from the Blue Jays’ parents. Ben dropped his head in defeat. It was going to be like the last game all over again.
I yelled out, “It’s okay Ben, it was a lucky shot. We'll get them next time,” and clapped my hands. I hoped that the early score wouldn’t completely destroy his confidence.
Ben got the ball out of the net and threw it to one of the kids on his team. Cee and I watched as the kids passed the ball with ease. I took my eyes away from the game and glanced at Cee, figuring that I wouldn't be caught. I was right. He was sucked into the action of the game. His dark violet eyes tracked the ball and his strong chin was clenched in a hard line. I told myself I was just looking so that I could recognize the man who would be watching my son, but I knew I was really just ogling.
An older couple came to sit beside us and Cee scooted closer to met to give them room. Our knees knocked slightly, pressing together as me absentmindedly moved over. My breath caught, but he was really focused on this game. Every once in a while he muttered to himself, and I picked up a “that was a fowl... oh man, ref, come on...” I chuckled a bit, realizing how much he really got into this sport. He would be perfect for Ben.
I kept my knee pressed against his, enjoying his warmth even if I knew I would never, and could never, have anything more.
I heard cheering from our side and clapped absentmindedly, still wrapped up in watching Cee’s reaction to the game. I had never seen anyone so interested before. At the few games my ex-husband attended, Richard would cheer occasionally, but never quite like this. He was still sore that Ben never wanted to play football, and become the star quarter back like his dad. He never gave lacrosse this much attention.
It wasn't long before the ball was back on Ben’s side of the field and the opposing team scored again. And again. And again. And then some more. My ears started to ache for the halftime whistle so that Ben could take a break from this onslaught from the other team. Like sweet music, the whistle blew and ended before the Jays could score again on Ben. It was the end of the half and the score was 6-3. Our team was losing, and I knew Ben felt it was his fault. The kids all ran off the field and grabbed their water bottles from their parents.
“Hey, Ben,” Cee called as Ben walked over. “You’re doing really great. This is a hard team to be up against. Can I give you advice, player to player?”
“Sure. I don’t know what it will do though.” Ben shrugged, taking a sip out of his water bottle. Defeat hung in his eyes, and he refused to face Cee, who knelt in the grass before him.
“I noticed that when a person comes at you with the ball, you look the guy straight on and try to guess where the ball will go. Try to point your thumbs at the guy carrying the ball and follow his movements.” He grabbed the lacrosse stick laying on the ground and showed him what he meant. “That helps you see the shot and put your stick in the right spot. Does that make sense?”
Ben nodded slowly. “Yeah, I get it. So I look like this as the shot comes?” Ben picked up his stick and angled it.
“Perfect! And shuffle your feet to help follow the shooter as well.” Cee stood up into a hunched squat and moved his feet diagonally along the grass. With a few quick steps in the same motion, he returned.
“Got it,” Ben said, grinning up at Cee, the words clicking in his brain and giving him hope for the next half. “Thanks.” Ben ran off to the coach as the team gathered to talk before the start of the second half. It looked like the pep talk had re-energized Ben.
“Wow, you really know what you're talking about. I'm impressed.” I smiled at Cee.
“Well they don’t give out lacrosse scholarships for good looks,” he replied with a smirk. I giggled, wishing I didn't feel quite so much like a high school girl for laughing at a cute guy's joke.
As he stood upright, Cee wiped the wet grass from his knees. We crossed to the other side of the field to watch the second half of the game. The early morning cloud cover had cleared and as the sun warmed us a trickle of sweat rolled down my back as we walked through the damp grass.
Ben had taken his position in between the goal posts and started to practice the advice that Cee just gave him. The whistle blew and the face off began. The other team got the ball and started to barrel down the field. Ben was watching the guy come in and wasn’t moving as the guy started to come down the right side.
“Shuffle those feet,” Cee shouted, cupping his hands over his mouth.
Ben gave a slight nod and started shuffling his feet, looking at the shooter with his thumb in front of his face.
The ball whizzed through the air and for a moment I was sure Ben was going to miss it. I held my breath and waited.
“Wahoooo!” I cheered as he saved the ball in the net of his lacrosse stick with ease. He threw the ball to one of his teammates who carried it to the other side.
Ben was smiling so wide I could see it through his helmet. I didn't think I had ever seen him so excited.
> Cee was already having a positive effect on my son. The coaching that he had given to Ben in just a few minutes had already made a difference. Cee was making a difference. If I had any doubts about Cee, this cleared them. Cee was perfect for Ben.
I couldn’t believe it when the whistle blew signaling the end of the game and the final score was 6-7. The Bears won, and Ben didn’t let a single ball get by him in the second half!
Chapter Five
Ben ran off the field and I caught him up in a big hug. He was practically vibrating with excitement and I couldn't be more happier for him.
“You did such an amazing job!” I beamed with pride.
“Thanks, Mom. It was all thanks to Cee.” He held out his hand for a high five and Cee happily returned it.
“I think it's time to celebrate. Who wants breakfast?” I asked, putting Ben’s equipment in the bag as he shed off each pad.
“Yes! Can Cee come too?” Ben pleaded.
“Of course he can. He deserves a reward too for the great advice he gave.” Not to mention he was easy on the eyes and fun conversation. I grinned, placing Ben's stick in the bag and zipping it up. I went to lift up the bag, but before I could, Cee grabbed it.
“I got this,” Cee said. He lifted the bag easily into the van as if it weighed nothing.
“Thanks.” I smiled. I could get used to this help, not to mention the package it came in.
I definitely missed having an extra set of hands around
We chose to have breakfast at the Morning Rise, a fantastic little breakfast place which had the best crepes in town. I sat quietly eating my strawberry crepes and sipping on my Americano while the two boys talked about lacrosse. I didn't have much to add to the conversation, but it was nice to see Ben so excited to chat with someone, and Cee kept Ben enthralled with his knowledge of sports. I didn't care that I barely got a word in edgewise.
I had to keep interrupting them so they would actually take bites of their pancakes before they went cold. They had both ordered chocolate chip pancakes with whipped cream. As I watched them eat, I could feel my heart becoming lighter. There was a future here, a future where Ben was happy and taken care of. This could be a man who could give him the attention he needed. He could be the fix that was needed all along. I couldn’t help but notice how good they looked sitting in the booth as Cee demonstrated maneuvers with the saltshaker.
Walking on Sunshine: A Sweet Love Story (Seasons of Love Book 1) Page 3
