Page 19 of Voyage with Dad's Best Friend
As soon as Claudia finishes her ten laps, I announce her time, loud enough so Elle can hear me. “Nine minutes and fifty seconds!”
Elle stands up in the water, brushes the water from her face. “And you, Elle, made it in ten minutes.”
“Damn!” she says, laughing. “You beat me again, Claudia!”
Whether she knows Elle’s deliberation or not, Claudia only chuckles. “You haven’t tried hard enough, young lady!”
“I need to practice more,” Elle says, getting up from the water.
She goes into the house to shower and change, while my mom dries herself with a towel and lies down on a chair next to me.
My mind drops into the gutter, wondering what Elle is doing in the shower. I should probably go after her and have a quickie in the shower. Damn. Elle has been coming to my house to swim nearly every day, but it’s been a while since I last touched her because Claudia was staying in my house for the last few days.
“What the hell are you waiting for, Son?” my mom suddenly speaks.
Shit. I blush. Can she read my mind? Is she telling me I should go join Elle in her shower?
“What do you mean?” I chuckle sheepishly.
“Elle is a sweetest thing I know on earth, not to mention pretty,” she says staring at me sternly. “Why haven’t you asked John for her hand already?”
My mouth falls. She’s always direct, but I’m still taken by surprise. I stutter, “Mother…I… wow, I don’t know what to say, but Elle is barely eighteen and John isn’t going to okay it.”
She presses her lips into a thin line for a moment. “What does it matter he okays it or not? The important thing is the girl wants you and it’s your duty to make her happy!”
“That’s another thing,” I say. “I’m twenty-two years older than her. How long will I be able to make her happy? Won’t she regret one day when she wakes up with an old man on her side?”
“Danny! That’s nonsense,” she says, calling me by my childhood nickname and making me feel like a stupid five-year-old boy again. “Your dad and I met when I was thirty, and he was in his early forties, and we had a loving relationship until his death. He never failed to satisfy me.”
“Jeez, Mom,” I say, cringing. “You don’t have to tell me the details.”
She laughs. “Well, just to make sure you get what I mean. You’re a smart boy, but sometimes too smart for your own good. Please don’t tell me you intend to stay single and heirless all your life.”
I don’t speak. It was actually my intention for a long time until I met Elle.
“I’m leaving!” Elle’s voice interrupts us. “My mom will be here in a minute.”
I turn to look at my girl. She’s wearing a skimpy, flimsy dress that clings to her curves. Hell. She’s been teasing me lately by wearing lingerie-like dresses all the time. She’s also had a sophisticated haircut, looking more mature than ever. I suspect she’s trying all sorts of things to please me. I’m flattered, but I don’t tell her none of the things she does is necessary because she’s perfect and I’m already nuts about her.
She comes over to kiss us goodbye, and I can help squeeze her rear when I hold her in my arms, making a tiny noise escape from her throat.
“Bye Dan,” she pulls away and says blushing. “I’ll see you tomorrow at dinner.”
“Yes, Sweetheart,” I say, fighting the urge to pull her to my lap and kiss her more.
“Are you sure you won’t come, Claudia?” Elle asks my mom.
“No, I’m sorry, sweetie,” my mom says. “I have to dine with my friend Ruby because it’s her birthday.”
“Oh, no problem,” Elle says. “Have a good time and I’ll see you later!”
Putting on my shirt, I walk Elle to the front door to wait for her mom’s arrival. I steal a quick kiss during the brief moment we linger in the living room, only to get myself hot and bothered. I pull myself away instead of indulging in her taste.
“Elle,” I say to her. “I’m going to speak to your mom and dad tomorrow, okay?”
Her eyes widen with excitement and fear. “Really? But what if they don’t agree? My mom probably won’t mind, but my dad, he…”
“He what?”
