Page 6 of 4th of July With Dad's Best Friend

I’ve just kissed my best friend’s daughter. It would be funny if it wasn’t so tragic.

I can’t believe she didn’t let on straight away who she is. How did I not recognize her? But she looks nothing like I remember her. She was just a gawky, chubby, shy kid, and now she looks like a goddess. The duckling who turned into a swan.

I don’t know how the hell I’m going to get through the next few days, and I pray that Jeff turns up sooner rather than later. The less time I spend alone around her the better, or I’m going to explode.

As I drive along the track towards the house I pass a larger building that’s obviously owned by someone with significant wealth, and I’m not a poor guy. I own my own construction firm, the biggest in my state, in fact. My nearest rival doesn’t even come close in terms of market shares. But I like to think my tastes are quite refined…this place screams ‘look at me, I have a shit ton of money.’ I slow down as I pass because there’s a guy walking through the front door that I recognize, the idiot who tried it on with Jenny at the beach. An older man, probably his father, lets him in. I drive on, my lip curling in disgust and I feel a wave of protectiveness come over me again. I try to tell myself that I only still feel like this because she’s Jeff’s daughter and it’s only natural I should feel protective, but I know it’s more than that. I feel protective of her, possessive even because every cell in my body is screaming. She’s mine.

But it can’t be, I tell myself firmly. She’s too young. She’s Jeff’s daughter. It can’t happen.

Yet for the life of me I can’t work out why, if it’s so obviously wrong, it doesn’t feel wrong. It feels like the most correct thing in the world in fact, and that kiss felt as though it was always meant to be.

Stop it, I tell myself firmly. I can’t afford to think this way, or else the next few days will drive me insane.

I think about turning round and going home, and telling Jeff that something has come up. She’s nineteen, she can look after herself for a few days I’m sure. But I know that won’t work. What if that guy finds out where she lives and tries to harass her again? I would never forgive myself. Plus, Jeff will think there’s something wrong and come dashing over to see if I’m okay, and I don’t want to worry him. After all, it was him who bailed me out last year.

I wonder if Jenny knows about that. Probably not.

I reach Jeff’s beach house and park up. As I approach the front door I see it’s ajar and I step inside.

“Jenny?” I call.

“I’m in the kitchen,” she calls. I walk down the hall and into the large kitchen to find her chopping up fruit on the side.

“You got back pretty quick,” I say. She nods.

“There’s a shortcut through the dunes…and a lovely secret little cove most people don’t know about. I used to go sit there as a kid.” She blushes and turns back to her fruit and I stand here, not knowing what to say. She’s changed into white denim shorts and a tank top, but she looks just as hot as she did in the bikini, and I’m having to try very hard not to admire her ass. Thankfully she puts the knife down and turns to me, although that doesn’t really help as she’s just as sexy from the front.

“Alex, I’m sorry about what happened at the beach. I should have told you straight away who I was. Can we start again? I don’t want this to be awkward.”

“Of course,” I tell her, pulling a seat out and sitting at the large oak table. “I saw that guy from the beach on my way here. He was going into that really big, flash house down the road.”

Her mouth makes a little ‘o’ of surprise and then she laughs.

“I thought I knew him. It’s Brad Jetson. I knew him as a kid, he was a douchebag then. He’s a few years older than me, but I used to see him around on the holidays. His father is Paul Jetson, he’s a real estate mogul. Owns half of this town. Dad says he’s a douche too.”

“Like father, like son then,” I say uncharitably. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t bother you again.”

The tops of her cheeks flush and she looks pleased at my words.

“Thank you.”

“Well, it’s the least I can do. Jeff expects me to look after you.”

She turns back to the counter abruptly, but not before I see the look of disappointment and even hurt on her face. I want to kick myself for being so brisk with her, but I don’t know how best to approach this whole situation. I can’t let her know how I feel, as much as I want to.

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