Chapter 4 #2
They spent most of the evening in the pool.
She’d had the staff bring out drinks and snacks for them so that when dinner came around, they’d not be starved.
She realized too that she should have been swimming in the pool for some time; it would have been a good way for her to relax.
When dinner was called, it was nearly nine at night; they decided to eat outside on the picnic tables around the pool.
She would bet this was just the kind of party her sister would have loved had she been alive.
There wasn’t much in the way of conversation when they were eating.
She enjoyed the occasional burst of laughter from the men and the conversations that the women had with her.
They mostly talked about the upcoming fall festival, and she too was happy to be able to help them out with that when asked.
It would benefit the schools around the area, and she was willing to donate as much of her time as they needed and money too if it came to that.
Lizzy would go to the school here, and there was no better time than the present to make sure that the schools had all the money they needed for the upcoming years.
“Your sister did what for a living?” She said that she was a buyer for people who didn’t like to shop. “Oh, what a great job. I’d be good at spending other people’s money.” They all laughed.
“You’d have to be good at getting good gifts for the people.
I couldn’t do it. But Milly seemed to shine at it.
She could ask enough questions about the people she was buying for and get the perfect gifts.
I’d be all wrong about it.” She laughed a little.
“She also got the best gifts too for the holidays and birthdays. I was never disappointed in anything she got me. I’m going to miss that about her. ”
“I bet you will. Perhaps Lizzy will be good at it. You never know.” They talked about the perfect gift they’d received, and it was mostly from their husbands or fathers.
The three women seemed to get along nicely, and she liked that they would include her in their talks.
Just as desserts were being served, Lizzy woke up from her nap and needed to be changed.
She went to the nursery and decided to feed her the bottle up there.
That way she could have a few minutes alone with her before she put her to bed.
Debra came up to visit her while she was feeding Lizzy. She sat in the room’s only other chair and talked in low whispers. She asked her if she was dating anyone so far.
“Your brother-in-law asked me out. That’s what tonight was.
” She told her that she was sorry. “Don’t be.
It worked out well. He got me everything that had been bothering me taken care of, and I couldn’t be happier.
Not only did he answer my questions about Lizzy by calling your husband, but he also got my computer set up for me.
That was something that I’ve been putting off for a while because I didn’t want to have to mess with it. ”
“Audon is a great artist; did you know that?” She said that she knew very little about him other than he’d drawn the murals around the hospital when they asked. “Yes, he did to that. Also the mural in here if I don’t miss my bet.”
“He did. Milly commissioned him to do it about six months ago. I just got around to paying him the other day. I’d had no idea that the bill hadn’t been paid.” She said that he more than likely didn’t care if she paid it or not. “But I did. He’s a good man to have around.”
“He is at that. I’m thinking about having him do something for the nursery when we’re ready for that. We’re still in flux about our house getting enough furniture in it. We’ve been going to auctions to get some of the older pieces which we both love.”
“Milly and Robert would do that too. Mostly Milly. Robert didn’t care for getting people’s cast-offs.
” She was making Robert out to be this horrible man, and that wasn’t her intention.
She told Debra that. “He was just not my type. I guess we could have gotten along better had we been given the chance, but we just never clicked. I think it had a lot to do with all the arguing that he and my sister had.”
“You loved her, and that shows.” She nodded and looked down at her little girl. “I can’t imagine what you had to go through to have Lizzy the way that you did. Then to lose them both like that. I don’t imagine that you’ve had a good time at anything since they passed either, have you?”
“Not really. I mean, if it weren’t for Lizzy, I know that I’d be taking things harder than I am. She’s made it so that I can deal with things a lot easier.” She put Lizzy on her shoulder to burp her and laughed when it came out so loud. “She must have been saving that one up for a while.”
After putting the little girl to bed, she walked out of the room with Debra.
When they were in the hallway and the door shut, she hugged her.
It was something so unexpected and so needed that she felt her eyes fill with tears again.
After the hug, the two of them smiled. It was something that she’d been needing for a while now and hadn’t known it until now.
“Thank you.” She said that she needed it as well.
“Well, it couldn’t have come at a better time for me.
I can’t thank you enough.” After checking on the nanny to make sure that she knew that she’d be downstairs if needed, they went back to the pool.
Things were turning out better than she’d thought they would, and she was happy that Audon had asked her out. Hopefully he would do it again.
~*~
Audon enjoyed himself a great deal. He not only got to know Trinity a lot better, but he’d also gotten to see her around his family.
They all seemed to like her, and he was grateful for that.
He wanted to get to know her a lot better and her daughter.
He’d enjoyed holding the little girl and couldn’t wait to do more of it.
As they were all leaving, it was nearly midnight; he was the last to go out the door. Standing in the doorway with her, he took her hand into his. She asked him if he’d had a good time. When he told her that he had a wonderful time, she smiled.
“I wasn’t going to go out with you. After the day I’ve had, I was afraid that I’d be crying all the time—not that I didn’t, but I was afraid that you’d think I was something like a crybaby and wouldn’t want to go out with me again.
You do, don’t you?” He said that he’d love to try another date.
“Good. I’d like that. And this time we can go anywhere you wish.
You were kind enough to get my day back on track.
I guess I need to ask people for help more often.
But after the doctor telling me that her blood work came back wrong, I couldn’t take anything else. I overreacted somewhat.”
“I would have done the same thing. You’ve never had a baby around before that you’d have to care for, so you did just what you needed to make things right.” She told him that he’d made things right for her. “This time I was able to help. Next time it will be you. I know it. Can I kiss you?”
“I’d like that very much.” When he leaned toward her, she smiled at him.
As soon as their lips touched, he deepened the kiss.
Pulling her body to his, he molded her body to his and put his hand at her waist. She was so small that he was afraid of breaking her.
As soon as he lifted his head, he knew that he wanted more but was afraid to push her too far.
She looked a little dazed right now. Watching her, he decided that she was perfect for him and he couldn’t wait to see more of her.
“That was very nice. I’d like to see more of you, Audon. Do you think you’d like that with me?”
“Yes.” He kissed her again, turning her head so that he could deepen the kiss again.
Making sure that she could feel the hardness of his cock, Audon lifted his head and looked down at Trinity.
With her lips swollen and her eyes closed, it was all he could do not to push her up against the wall and take her right there.
“I think I need to go.” She just stared at him. “I don’t want to push you into anything, but if I don’t go soon, I’m not going to be able to leave.”
“Don’t.” He said that he needed to leave before it was too late, and they made love on their first date. She took a step back, and he let her go. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. There is no reason at all you need to be sorry.
I’m the one that asked for the kiss.” She nodded, straightened up, and smiled at him.
He took a step back from her too. “You’re too beautiful to resist. And much too beautiful to leave standing here when all I want to do is to take you to your bedroom and have my way with you. ”
“You’re not making this easy.” He laughed. It was that, or he was going to cry. “All right. Go home, but you’d better be calling me for a second date. Although, I don’t know if I’d call this a real date or not. All we did was hang out with your family. Who I like, by the way.”
“They liked you as well. I can tell.” She moved into the house, and he took a step out and onto the front porch.
“They wouldn’t be surprised by our feelings for each other.
They fell in love with their wives within the first week of knowing them.
Especially Penrod. I think he and Lori were in love after their first date. ”
“I don’t love you. Yet.” He nodded and took another step back onto the porch. “You’re doing better than I am. All I want to do is grab you and pull you back into the house. But I know you’d better leave. It’s too soon for us to be having sex.”
“I sort of agree.” Another burst of laughter from her and he knew it was time. “I’ll call you tomorrow afternoon. I’ll try not to call you too early so that I wake you up.”