Chapter Twelve
Jason
I fixed my outfit one last time before I picked up Jenna and gave her a kiss. One of her daycare workers said she’d come by and watch her, and they looked to already be having fun. They were coloring in a princess book she’d brought over with markers that I was sure would be all over the carpet when I got back. I showed her where the stain remover was just in case.
“Dinner’s on low in the oven. I made macaroni and cheese, and she can have a popsicle for dessert.”
“Oh, that sounds good. Jenna, you hungry?” she asked.
“Will you eat with me, Mrs. Wyse?” she asked.
“Of course. I love mac ‘n’ cheese. And afterward, we can watch your favorite movie, if you’d like.”
“Beauty and Beast!” Jenna exclaimed.
“Beauty and Beast it is.”
I felt good leaving her in the hands of Mrs. Wyse. It was another woman Jenna seemed very comfortable with, and it warmed my heart that she was enjoying the town I’d found for us. I never thought that us passing through this place would’ve resulted in such a warming welcome, save for the redhead up the road, but when Jenna took her hand and started pulling her toward the kitchen, I knew that was my cue.
“Stay out as long as you want,” Mrs. Wyse said. “I’ll tuck her in and stick around.”
“Thank you again. I really appreciate it. I haven’t gotten her set up with a pediatrician yet, but the urgent care in town takes our insurance if something happens. My cell number’s on the fridge.”
“Got it, honey. Now, you go have a good time,” she said, smiling.
I gave Jenna one last kiss on her head before I walked out and ventured over toward Lucy’s. I hoped my jeans and button-down shirt weren’t too laid back for her. I wasn’t the kind of guy who owned suits or slacks or black shoes you could spit shine. All that shit was just materialistic and took too much time to take care of. Give me a comfortable pair of jeans, a shirt, and a jacket any day and drop me in the middle of the woods. That’s what I enjoyed.
I rang her doorbell and stood there waiting. When she opened the door, I couldn't take my eyes off her. The dark green sweater she was wearing clung to her in all the right places, giving me eyefuls of things I wanted to sink my hands into. The jeans she wore clung tight to her body, teasing the core between her legs before it rounded out to her ass. My God, she looked absolutely incredible, and I was relieved she wasn’t in some sexy little number. I appreciated a woman when she knew she could be both beautiful and comfortable, but then she reached for her coat and slung it over her shoulders. It gave me the best view of her ass, and I swear my cock jumped at the sight of it. Two nice handfuls with excess to spare that I could ruin while I snapped my hips against her in the dark.
No, not the dark. Light. All the lights. I wanted to see every inch of her while her toes curled in pleasure for me.
“You look incredible,” I said.
“Thanks.”
For a split second, her voice sounded like my wife’s. Danielle had been radiant, and sometimes, it was hard to even think her name. She had been the light of my world and my partner in the outdoors, a woman who appreciated what a nice pair of jeans could to do a thick pair of legs if you wore them right. She never wore makeup, she barely owned any jewelry, and for Christmases and birthdays, I got her ammo for her hunting rifle rather than charms for her bracelet.
Looking at Lucy standing on her porch, she reminded me of her in ways I hadn’t noticed until now. Maybe this was a bad idea. I’d just left my daughter with a nice old woman from the daycare, so I could go spend time with someone who wasn’t my wife.
Wasn’t Danielle.
I tried to push thoughts of her from my mind and focus on the evening at hand. I had a beautiful woman in front of me who, for all intents and purposes thus far, had everything I could ever look for in a woman, and that didn’t come around too often. Was she thinking of her husband the same way I was thinking of Danielle right now? Then, her voice wafted over my ears and pulled me from my thoughts.
“You ready?”
She seemed a bit distant. Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes, and her gaze tossed over my shoulder every so often. Her hands were buried into her coat, and her shoulders were slightly slumped. That body language said she’d just agreed to this date to pay me. Yes, that was technically the deal, but I also wanted her to enjoy it. We were two attractive, single people living next to one another. Who the hell said we couldn’t have any fun?
“That sweater really looks nice on you,” I said.
“So does your button-up,” she said.
I put my hand on the small of her back and ushered her to the car, but she kept her pace a little faster than mine, so my hand never quite touched her. All the cues of her being uncomfortable were surfacing all at once, and I kept racking my mind while I tried to figure out a way to make her comfortable. I opened my car door for her so she could get in, and when I shut it, I jogged around and dipped in myself.
“How’s Jenna?” she asked.
“Oh, she’s really good. A daycare worker agreed to come over and watch her, and they’re having a blast eating dinner and watching movies.”
“Sounds like a good night in,” she said.
“We could spend a good night in if you’d rather do that,” I offered.
“No, the agreement was to go out on a date. So, that’s what we’re doing,” she said.
I cranked the car and backed out of the driveway before I started heading down the road. I really wanted to reach out and take her hand, to feel her skin against mine while we rode down the street, but she had clamped her hands between her legs and really dug herself into the car seat. I felt terrible, making her feel like she had to do something she really didn’t wanna do, and my mind began to whirl with the plans I’d made versus other things we could go.
“You know who offered to babysit?” I asked her.
“Who?”
“Megan,” I said.
“You’re joking.” She whipped her head over to me, and I watched her relax a bit, so I figured I’d keep with the train of conversation. Whatever made her feel comfortable, I was willing to do.
“Yeah. She’s been comin’ around a lot lately, and she offered to babysit Jenna so I could go out.”
“Well, I’m glad you didn’t take her up on that offer. Megan’s alright, I guess, but she’s kind of an odd one,” she said.
“You’re telling me. She came over a few days ago while I was working on my car and just wanted to stare at me.”
“Wait, what?” she asked.
“Yeah. I asked her if I could help her with anything, and she literally told me she just wanted to watch.”
“I swear, she’s like a massive kid,” she said. “It’s probably why she’s so good with them. We used to have these two twins that lived up the road, and they’d always run down to her house whenever their parents wanted to go catch a movie or something.”
“See, that’s not something I would’ve pegged her for,” I said.
“No one really does. She’s got her good sides and her bad sides, just like everyone else.”
I liked that about Lucy, always seeing the good in people. I thought Megan had a first-class ticket on the crazy train, but Lucy had found something about her that was kind and gentle. I logged her love of children in the back of my mind for any future use, but a part of me was still wary about leaving Jenna with her. If she was good with kids, that was fine, but I hadn’t seen that part of her yet, so all I could do was take other people’s word for it.
Not that I had any reason to doubt Lucy, but this was my daughter. I wasn’t leavin’ her with just anyone.
Honestly, I thought Megan was more interested in helping me out with Jenna just to get into my pants. I’ve had a couple of women try to get in good with my daughter before they even tried to get in good with me, so I knew what that play looked like comin’ from up the hill. No one was gonna use my daughter to get to me, not even some redhead with big tits that kept comin’ around while I was outside doin’ something.
“Look, I can tell you’re uncomfortable, but I just wanted you to know I appreciate you comin’ out with me. It’s been awhile since I’ve done something like this, and I don’t usually get out with adults too much with Jenna around.”
“It’s really not a problem. This was our agreement,” she said.
“Then I should make agreements with you more often.”
“I just want to be clear, though. This date is for the work on the car. Just the one.”
“Yep. But, if you change your mind, you know which door to knock on,” I said.
It was cute, the ruse she was keeping up. She was uncomfortable, yes, but I knew she’d eventually loosen up as the night went on. They always did. I’d never met a woman I’d taken out who didn’t take to me in some way, shape, or form. But I also didn’t want her to feel like she had to do this. It was a delicate balance I had to keep juggling for the evening, but if I played my cards right and did this up well, then she’d be knocking on my door in a week asking me to go get coffee or some shit.
And I was kind of hoping she would.
“If I need anything, just knock?” she asked.
“Yep. Learned that kindness from a neighbor friend of mine. But it’s on you at that point, so don’t go gettin’ cold feet once you kick my door down.”
“Oh, I went from knocking to kicking it in, huh?” I asked.
“Well, in my head, you come slinking through a window in a sheer little nightie and crawl into my bed with a smile on your face, but I’ll settle for fixing a door so you can slam through it.”
“You’re insane.” She giggled.
“Anything to get you to relax.”
I watched her place her hands on her thighs, and as we continued our conversation, they slowly slid down by her side. Like clockwork, just like I’d hoped, she was opening up to me, and I was glad she was doing so. I really wanted her to enjoy the evening, even if it was the only one I was going to get with her.
Either way, I was determined to make an impression she’d never forget.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“It’s a surprise,” I said.
“Well, what if you’re taking me to a lake and dumping my body later? I’d kind of like to know what I’m up against.”
“Is that why you’re so nervous? Because you think I’m some stalker murderer with a cute little daughter who’s trying to reel in pretty women before I sink them to the bottom of a body of water?”
“Who knows with those muscles.”
I looked over at her and could see the blush rise to her cheeks. She’d gotten comfortable enough to show a bit of her hand, and it was nice to know she looked at me as hard as I was looking at her. We finally got into the main part of town, and her eyes settled on the passing scenery, but when we started heading outside of town, she slowly panned her gaze over to the profile of my face.
“Seriously, where are we going?” she asked.
“Do you trust me?” I asked.
“Not a bit,” she said.
“Then give me a chance to prove you can.”
We left the small-town lights behind us and started on the dark little highway that drove us out of town. The sun was just beginning to set behind the trees, and the crickets had started their chorus of chirping, and all I could think about was how special I wanted this night to be. Even if I never got to take her out again, I wanted her to feel comfortable, enjoy herself, and have fun.
And when she stepped out onto the porch in exactly what she was wearing, I knew I’d picked the perfect destination for her.