Neighborhood Dad Ch. 19

I stopped writing a year ago. Most of the comments and emails I received were very positive, but I found that I wasn't very thick-skinned when it came to the negative feedback.

My self-confidence suffered, and I just couldn't write.

But lots of kind people have continued to reach out to me, and I really appreciate it.

Why just in the past month, six people have picked me as a favorite author, and I haven't even posted a chapter in a year.

So, seeing as how it's Valentine's Day, I'm going to put up a couple of chapters.

*****

Chapter 19

By the time the trio had returned to the hotel, Randi and I were clean, fed and back in separate rooms.

The next day, we headed back home with Carrie in the front passenger seat so that Randi could chat with Paige and Ricky about their evening out. It also seemed like a good idea to keep Randi away from my side, or one of us would surely give our secret away.

Carrie never said a whole lot to any guy, and that included her coach. But that was alright with me as I had other thoughts on my mind, reliving some of the great moments from the day before - and not just the mind-blowing sex.

Then Monday came all too soon, and work picked up. The furniture companies were gearing up for the High Point Market by sending out floods of press releases to yours truly. I was neck deep in small samples of wood veneers and copyrighted designs and CDs full of prototype photos. I even received a custom drawer knob from one company that was introducing a licensed collection with the Edgar Allan Poe Museum in Richmond.

In two weeks, I would be getting a three-day sneak peak inside dozens of key showrooms, then three weeks later would be market week itself.

While I was drowning in paperwork, Paige, Ricky and Anna Doyle were on the phone, talking about UNC-Asheville. This was one college where Ricky hadn't thought to send an application, but the athletic director assured them that there was still time to consider Ricky, especially since he was one of the best students in school.

One evening I took a break from my heavy workload to check in on the girls upstairs. The five seniors from the basketball team were all jabbering away.

"Pardon me for interrupting the boy talk," I said.

"We aren't talking boys, Dad. We're talking colleges," said Paige.

"Oh," I said, stepping from the doorway into the room. "Do tell."

"Well, it looks like Anna and I are seriously considering UNC-Asheville. Tessa has already been accepted to Appalachian State, and Lori might be headed to Lenoir-Rhyne."

I looked at Tessa, "You've already been accepted?"

"Yeah, but not on a scholarship. I've always wanted to be a coach myself. And a schoolteacher," she added. "App State is pretty well known for its education program."

"That's true. They used to be known as App State Teachers' College years ago," I pointed out.

"And there are some good scholarships out there for future teachers, and I'm in the running for a couple," she added. "Maybe I'll get to walk on with the basketball team."

Looking at my daughter, I asked, "How far is Boone from Asheville?"

"I just checked the map on my iPad," she answered, raising up her tablet. "It's not that far, but the roads are all curvy so it could take more than an hour and a half to get there. But Lenoir's not too far away."

"Yep, it's only 45 miles south," added Lori.

"Why Lenoir-Rhyne? I don't really know anything about it."

"It's a small, private college, but that's where my mom went to school, so I was a shoo-in," she said.

Lori's mom. That thought caught me off-guard.

It's impossible for me to forget that Paige lost her mother, but sometimes I forget that I'm not the only widower around. I lost my Beth to illness. Charles lost his wife to a car accident.

But Lori had a couple more years with her mom — and a lot more good memories as Beth was sick for so long even before she died.

I asked a few more questions to satisfy my curiosity before finally getting back to what drove me out of my office.

"So, anybody willing to make a food run? How about Chinese?"

Easing back down the stairs with a back made stiff from sitting, I thought about the girls spread around the room.

Lori appeared much more at ease than she did right after the bathing suit incident, but not quite back to her old self. Her playful, huggy nature, and calling me Dad were gone, and I missed that. Autumn and Kim were smiling, and I still wasn't quite sure what to make of them.

A year ago, Autumn was as shy and tentative around boys as Lori and Paige, but she had really come out of her shell over the course of the basketball season. She was more open and flirty - and then there was the flashing she gave me on the road trip. That was impossible to forget. I had felt hypnotized and wanted to reach out to her naked body so badly. I was lucky her mom came along when she did.

But was that it? Did Autumn simply need to settle some score for having seen me naked by accident? Or was she scheming up something new?

I didn't have the brainpower left to process all these young women (or Autumn's mom Gina). Too much work and not enough rest this week, and I still had another month before all the market hoopla quieted down.

Despite all the confusing dynamics at play, I still enjoyed hearing the voices and footsteps around the house. Because of practice and games, there had been less traffic during basketball season. Now that basketball was over, it was back to business as usual.

As I walked through the house, stretching my stiff back, I saw my guitar on its stand. What did all of these renewed visitors mean for our guitar lessons? And our, ahem, "guitar lessons"?

Randi and I might not get to see a lot of each other, even when I finally get through the furniture market rush. There would only be a month and a half from the end of market until graduation. What would happen then?

I sure wished I had some of the answers to these questions.

With my workweek jumping from 40 hours a week to 55 or 60 hours, I spent little time keeping up with my daughter's life. I always felt guilty about this time every market, but it was worse this year because she would be graduating soon.

After enjoying my time hearing about their college plans, I decided to make room in my evenings for keeping up with the girls.

I soon learned that the junior/senior prom was atop their list of concerns at the moment.

After listening to them talk dresses for what surely must have been a dozen hours straight, I simply asked, "So when exactly is the prom?"

"Oh my god, Dad, I can't believe you. Are you serious?" wailed Paige.

"You ARE joking, right?" seconded Lori.

"It's only like the biggest social event of my entire life," said Autumn.

"And if I were circling that date on a calendar, I would choose -?"

"It's a month from now, the first weekend in May," said Tessa.

"Okay, that's still a long ways off," I said, nodding my head. "Once I get through market, I can take you shopping for a dress."

Paige asked, "What?" as her friends burst into laughter.

I knew I'd done it again. I'd made some sort Dude faux pas. Sometimes I wished for more guy friends.

"Alright, ha ha. What's so funny?"

"C'mon, Coach. You dress shopping?" asked Lori.

"Are you gonna help her pick out pumps, too?" asked Autumn.

"Some women like to have a man's opinion. I mean, you're trying to impress your dates, right? A guy can tell you if guys are gonna like it."

"Forget about his total lack of feminine taste," said Paige. "There's just no time."

"Sure there is."

"No, Dad, there isn't. By the time you get done with market, there will only be a week, week and a half until the dance."

"See? Plenty of time."

"Are you kidding me?" she replied with a roll of her eyes. "Every decent dress in a 500-mile radius will be taken by then. Not to mention finding shoes and making sure Ricky doesn't wear something that clashes. It takes months to plan for the prom, and I'm already behind."

"Behind? Come on, I bet none of these girls has a dress yet, either."

"I have mine," said Autumn.

"Me, too," said Tessa, meekly raising her hand.

"I've already found mine, and my dad is going with me tomorrow to buy it," said Lori.

"There, see?" Paige said, rounding back on me.

"Seriously?" I asked, looking around the faces. "You all have dresses picked out?"

Tessa looked a bit embarrassed. "Well, I'm kind of short, so I got mine early so it could be altered."

"Well that makes sense."

"And my mom was almost as excited to go shopping as I was," said Autumn.

"And you?" I asked Lori.

"I was worried it would take me a long time to find one that fit right," said Lori, dropping her eyes to the floor.

"Yeah, she's gotta make sure there's plenty of room for all the junk in her trunk," said Paige, cracking a smile.

"Shut up," Lori said, giving her best friend a hard stare.

"I'm just saying you've got a black girl's behind," Paige continued.

"Shut up!" Lori said louder, grabbing a cushion and taking a swing at Paige's head.

"You know she's right," added Autumn. "You could throw a tablecloth over that butt and serve dinner on it."

Lori blushed bright red and dropped her face into the cushion as the other three giggled hysterically. I thought back to that first day of practice when all the girls were stretching, and Lori's ass was easily the nicest in the group. Suddenly I worried that Lori might not be the only one blushing right then. I decided to get back downstairs.

"Well, let me know if or when I can be of help," I said, turning to leave.

"Saturday," Paige said. "Like early Saturday. I don't want to wait until everything's been picked over all day long."

"Okay, honey."

I headed to my TV downstairs and turned it on. Too much work and no sex the past week had left me feeling horny, and thinking about Lori's firm, meaty cheeks wasn't helping any.

I was flipping aimlessly through channels a few minutes later when a soft voice came from behind my recliner.

"Sorry about that teasing earlier," said Autumn, shifting into view on my left side.

"It's okay," I said reflexively.

"We were just having a little fun. I for one appreciate your taste in all things," she said with a grin.

Something about that grin made me a little nervous, and I sat up straighter in my chair.

"For example, that night in the hotel room when I flashed you. Your eyes told me just how much you liked what you saw." She ran her hands over her stomach, then one rubbed down over her thigh while the other slid up nearly to her breast but didn't quite touch it.

I needed to take control of this situation before it got out of hand like before - especially with three other girls right up the stairs from us.

"Now, Autumn, what happened that night -"

She cut me off. "I know, I know. I came on way too strong. You're a man, a mature man, not some pimply faced boy always rushing to get in some girl's pants."

If she only knew how much I'd thought about jumping her that night.

"And the thing is, that's not really me. It's not like I'm a slut - I don't sleep around. I just ..." she trailed off. Then starting again, "Remember last fall when I accidentally walked in on you?"

As if I could forget.

"My face must have been beet red, I was so embarrassed. I mean, I hadn't had a lot of experience with boys. I'd dated a few and had a couple of boyfriends, but, well, I, uh, we never did ... it. I ... I never, you know. You were the first guy I ever saw naked in real life."

I swallowed, trying to think of what to say, but nothing was coming.

"Some girls, the first guy they see is usually a relative. You know, they might see their older brothers getting out of the shower or accidentally walk in on their dads, but there's just me, Mom and my younger sister.

"As embarrassed as I was right then, I couldn't stop thinking about it later. Seeing your butt and then when you turned around I got a quick peek at your ... package before you covered up.

"It kind of awoke something in me. Like all these hormones had been building up pressure for years, and suddenly someone popped the cork. I found myself thinking about you when I was alone in bed at night. Sometimes I would touch myself hearing your masculine voice or remembering how you put a hand on my hip when you were moving me into defensive position on the court."

Her hands were moving again, sliding across her shirt and jeans, not touching anywhere private, but certainly coming close. It was mesmerizing between her hands and her voice and thinking about an 18-year-old beauty masturbating to ideas of me.

Wait, wasn't I supposed to be taking control of the situation here?

"Autumn, it's flattering that you find yourself attracted to me, but nothing like that can happen between us. I'm your coach, and I could get in big trouble for messing with a player."

"I would never tell anyone, Coach. It would be our little secret."

I started to say something else, but she shushed me with a soft sound and a hand on my left shoulder.

"It's okay. Like I said, I came on too strong before. I want to let you come to me. Maybe after graduation when you don't have to worry about being my coach anymore. Until then I'll go to prom with some boy I don't care anything about. And you? Well ... "

Her hands slid up underneath the hem of her T-shirt and began to raise it higher until I could see a black bra come into view.

"I told you that I've touched myself while thinking about you." She slid her hands over her cups and squeezed. "Maybe you should touch yourself while thinking about me."

I could feel the blood pumping to my cock, then it gave a lurch as she added, "My, look at your face. I think you've already been fantasizing about me."

She eased both hands down, thankfully letting the T-shirt fall, but then she rubbed both over her pubic mound briefly before spinning and walking away.

Jesus, I could do with a little touching right this minute, I thought.

With my crowded schedule, I had cut back guitar lessons to one night during the week and one afternoon on the weekend.

Until this busy cycle was finished once again, that would be the only time I would see Randi. And with the girls coming over practically every day, it would be very difficult to get some alone time.

Then came Saturday and our prom dress scavenger hunt.

I think Indiana Jones had an easier time digging up ancient relics than we had finding a dress that (A) looked nice, (B) fit well and (C) didn't cost me an arm and a leg.

I will never understand how girls think — especially when it comes to fashion. Paige had a really pretty dress all but selected. So then she went looking for shoes and felt that none of the shoes suited the dress. So she went with a different dress because it had better shoe choices. Then why did she try on 15 dresses before shoe shopping in the first place? I could have saved a lot of time and gas in my car running here and there.

Still, the second choice was quite nice itself, and Lori and Autumn agreed. As soon as they all agreed on the dress and shoes, out came the cell phones to call Tessa and Kim. We all agreed to meet at Richie's for dinner so the girls could share all the shopping details.

I suggested, "Maybe burgers, fries and milkshakes might be a bad idea when you've got prom dresses to fit into."

Paige, Lori and Autumn provided plenty of glare power all on their own, but I also could feel the disapproval via speakerphone.

"Richie's it is," I said, raising my hands in surrender.

Ricky and his dad came out to chat with us. With a busy Saturday evening crowd, both were needed, but I was thankful to have a little male presence, even if just for a few minutes.

While Paige was bending Ricky's ear about tuxedo choices and accessories, I turned to Richard, "So ... how 'bout them Hornets, huh?"

After finishing my burger, I leaned back in the booth and savored my heavenly milkshake.

I wasn't paying any attention to what the girls were saying at that point. Which is why it took me so long to really notice how Paige and the others appeared. They looked so happy.

Suddenly I was reminded of something I'd almost forgotten from a couple of months earlier. Paige coming home all excited with a stuffed animal that Ricky had bought her. That was Valentine's Day.

After watching my daughter smile and hug on that animal, I felt guilty all evening about my relationship with Randi. The next time I saw her, though, all those feelings washed away because I was just thrilled to be with her.

Did I make a mistake? Should I have talked to Randi about Valentine's Day and what she missed by being involved in a secretive relationship with an adult?

Paige was talking about flowers and matching somethings between her and Ricky. But because of me, Randi wouldn't have that kind of talk with anyone. She couldn't discuss coordinating outfits because her boyfriend wouldn't be taking her to the prom. His own prom was 21 years earlier.

Randi missed out on a chance to have some boy lavish her with gifts and affection on Valentine's Day. Now she was supposed to miss out on getting picked up by her date and escorted to the dance? What about the seniors' traditional post-graduation trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C.? Would she miss that because of me? Would she turn down a chance to attend her dream college because it is too far from me? How many sacrifices would she have to make for a relationship that couldn't possibly have a long-range future?

Then I realized that I didn't even know if Randi would be going to the prom stag. She hadn't been mentioned by any of the girls all afternoon.

"Hey," I said to no one in particular. "What about Randi? I haven't heard you guys say anything about her dress yet."

"That's because she doesn't have one," said Paige. "She says she isn't going. I've tried to talk — we've all tried to talk to her, but she just says it's something that doesn't interest her."

No, Randi wasn't going to do this. I wasn't going to let her. Right now, these choices might not seem like much, but looking back on her childhood years from now, she will be kicking herself for not experiencing all the typical thrills that teenaged girls have.

I needed to have a talk with her. Soon.