Damaged Billionaire Daddy Bear - Leela Ash Page 0,17
waist in a tight bear hug.
Jessica laughed, caught off guard by the girl’s openness and friendliness. She was like a little ray of sunshine. She made everyone smile, Jessica thought, tapping her under the chin and forgetting that she hadn’t gotten her name.
“Did you come alone? Are you staying in one of the bungalows nearby? Are your parents one of the exchange staff or do you live here?
Carla wrinkled her nose, “I didn’t come alone, ma’am. My dad will be here in a minute. We always have a picnic on Saturdays; it’s a family tradition. Can Ari and Kal come today? It would be so much fun!” Carla finished
Jessica bit the inside of her cheek to hide her grin. She always enjoyed kids for their openness and innocence. But Carla was particularly open and outgoing. She was so cute that Jessica had to restrain herself from giving the girl a hug again.
“Well, guys? Wanna go with Carla and her dad?” she asked, turning to Ari and Kal.
Their screams of excitement and uncontrollable jumping were answer enough. “Great. I’ll pack some of the cookies we made too” she offered. Then, she turned to Carla, “Are you sure this is going to be okay with your dad?”
Carla nodded vigorously. With that, Jessica ducked inside and quickly put a few of the cookies on plates for the kids. Returning, she handed one to the little girl as her eyes practically popped out of her head. “It’s hot, okay? So let it cool some,” Jessica warned.
Carla grinned up at her, “You’re so nice, Ms. Harris.”
And just like that, Jessica tumbled all the way in love with the little girl. She laughed as she bent to kiss the girl’s cheek, “Thank you, doll. I think you’re pretty amazing yourself. I can see why my kids like you.”
“Would you please come with us for the picnic?” Carla asked as she gingerly took a bite of the cookie from one corner, obviously too impatient to wait for it to cool completely. As soon as the warm cookie hit her tongue, Carla moaned and shut her eyes as she savored the delicious taste.
Jessica grinned, “Thanks for asking me to tag along. But wouldn’t that make us a crowd?”
Carla rolled her eyes, “It’s okay. Daddy won’t mind.”
Jessica was glad Ari and Kal had made such a delightful new friend. Just then, she realized she hadn’t caught her name and started to ask again when Ari launched herself at her and began to plead, “Please, Mom.”
Well, she didn’t have much else to do and it wouldn’t hurt for her to get out and see the town a bit more.
“Well, are you sure your mom would be okay with so many people coming on a family picnic?” Jessica asked, directing this at her children’s new friend.
The girl shook her head, “I don’t have a mother.”
Jessica’s heart squeezed in her chest at the matter-of-fact manner in which she’d said it. Then she looked at her own kids, still looking at her with expectancy and excitement, and she just didn’t have it in her to refuse them. They had a mother, and if an hour or two on a picnic with their friend and her dad would make them happy and make them smile, then there was nowhere else she’d rather be.
“Okay, princess,” she said, cupping Arizona’s cheeks in her hands. “If you kids are sure—”
They didn’t let her finish. They were already jumping, whooping and high-fiving each other. Kal, the little man that he was, swung into action, shooing her into her room while telling her, “Hurry, hurry.”
Jessica felt a hum of excitement skitter along her nerve endings as she shed her clothes to change into something worthy of a picnic. She frowned at her closet. Florida was a lot sunnier and hotter than Oklahoma, so she needed something that would let in fresh air. She had a perpetual love for sundresses but her instincts today were leaning toward a pair of loose white shorts and a small yellow top. Her long blonde hair hung to her waist in loose waves and she tied it off her face with a multi-colored bandanna. She grabbed a small white purse, stuffed her phone into it, and shoved her feet into a pair of white crocs.
She looked casual and easy on the eyes, she decided, as she applied her favorite peach-colored lipstick. She spritzed herself with her favorite perfume, smiling as the familiar scent of exotic wild flowers hit her nostrils.
As she started down the