Chapter 10
Ten
I couldn’t remember the last time I laughed so much during a meal.
Ashlyn was funny, and the way she engaged with Evie made me wish I’d gotten to know her better since she moved in.
I always held back because of Hannah, but Ashlyn was a kind person who knew my daughter better than I realized, letting me know I was the jerk and my kid had risen above me to do better.
And then there was Reegan. She jumped right in with Ashlyn, showing me more of who she was. She didn’t back down from saying whatever she wanted to say, even when it made Evie wince with the hard truths dropped on her.
“College is fun. You will have more freedom than you ever thought, but you have to be smart. You have to step back and decide every moment if the person you’re being is the person you want to be,” Reegan said.
“How will I know?” Evie asked.
“You’ll know. Have you ever done something that didn’t feel right and regretted it as soon as it happened?”
Evie slid me a look of shame. “Yeah.”
“Then you know the feeling I’m talking about,” Reegan said.
Evie nodded, nibbling her lower lip. “What about boys?”
Reegan and Ashlyn shared a smile.
“What about boys?” Ashlyn asked.
“Are boys in college better than boys in high school?”
Ashlyn and Reegan both snorted.
“All boys are the same,” Ashlyn said. “Just like anyone else. There are some people who will never change and will always be jerks. There are people who will always be amazing. And there are people who have been showing the world who they think others want to see.”
Evie scrunched up her face. “But they’re older. More mature.”
Reegan shook her head. “They just think that.”
Evie’s face fell, and the women noticed.
“What Reegan means is there’s a big difference between high school and college, and there’s a big difference between college and being on your own.
When you go to college, you’re going to be responsible for yourself, but your parents are still going to be there if you need anything.
I’m sure they always will be, but after college, you’re going to get a job and support yourself financially.
It changes you to have to make those adult choices about everything from where to live, what to eat every night, what to wear, everything.
” Ashlyn raised her eyebrows, asking Evie to say she understood.
Evie nodded. “I get that. I never really thought about it.”
“Because you’re not there yet. That’s okay.” Reegan reached for Evie’s hand and squeezed it.
“Thanks.”
Ashlyn and Reegan gave Evie the kind of comfort she needed, comfort I couldn’t give her.
I never went to college. In high school, I started working toward becoming a mechanic.
I took the necessary classes, then started working to finish my education and training.
I never lived on my own until after I was divorced, and even then, it was only when Evie wasn’t with me.
I didn’t know how to help Evie transition to college because I never did it, but these two women helped her. In one evening, they helped her.
As the sun sank behind the Adirondack Mountains in the distance, the four of us cleaned up from dinner. Ashlyn lit a fire and invited Evie and I to stay, but we declined.
“I’m about to crash. I don’t know how you guys stay up all day and then don’t go to sleep,” Evie said with a yawn.
The three adults chuckled. “We learn to function on less sleep,” I told her, stifling a yawn myself.
“Yeah, we’re doing such a great job,” Ashlyn teased. “I’m a night owl, so I’m always up later.” She hooked her thumb toward Reegan. “This one is up at the crack of dawn, no matter what. Even through the summer when she doesn’t have to be.”
“My dad’s the same,” Evie declared. “He says he likes the quiet of the morning and starting the day with peace.”
“I do,” I defended.
“That’s how I feel, too,” Reegan said. “Before everyone is up and busy and life is happening, it’s nice to start my day with my thoughts and the fresh air.” She drew a deep breath.
“I don’t think I’ll ever like mornings,” Evie said, wrinkling her nose.
“You’ll figure out what works for you,” Ashlyn said, hugging Evie warmly. “Like everyone else.”
“I hope so,” Evie said. She released Ashlyn, then hugged Reegan just as tightly. “Thanks for having dinner with us. We should do it again.”
“That would be nice,” Ashlyn said, smiling in my direction.
I nodded, agreeing with her. It was nice to get to know her. And Reegan. To see a different side of the two women next door.
Maybe it was time I let more people into my life.
I was up early the next morning, with a serious problem in my pants. Anticipating my time with Reegan was making me feel like a horny teenager. I’d gone years without sex, and one month with the curvy stranger living next door and I was reduced to a ball of need.
And I fucking liked it.
I made coffee quietly and poured two mugs, pushing open the door to carry them outside to where I knew Reegan was waiting.
She looked up at me with a smile when I got closer.
The answering smile on my face was almost as big as the one in my pants.
“Morning,” she said, her voice soft and husky, clearly unused so early.
“Good morning.” My tone matched hers but for more than one reason.
Her gaze slid to the tent in my shorts. Her lips lifted as she accepted her coffee cup. “It looks like it is.”
I chuckled as I took my seat. “Did you sleep well?”
She nodded. “I did. But I need to run to a store today to get more batteries. Do you know where I could go?”
I choked on my coffee at her innocent sounding question. “Fuck.”
She laughed softly. She brought her coffee to her lips and took a sip, moaning in approval. “Things are so much better when I don’t have to put forth any effort for them.”
I breathed a laugh at her comment. “I’m happy I can make things easy for you.”
She gave me a saucy grin. “I made things a little easier for you, too.”
“How is that?”
She shrugged. “No bra. As requested.”
I groaned. My gaze dropped to where her breasts hung free behind her tee. Just knowing they were loose made my dick even harder. It jumped, already wanting to reach out.
She sipped her coffee as if she hadn’t just made it hard for me to breathe.
I took a gulp of my coffee, needing the scalding liquid to settle my desire for Reegan. I didn’t know what it was about her, but I wanted her more than I’d ever wanted a woman. Ever.
“What do you have going on today?” she asked as if we had coffee together every day.
“I have to work today.”
“What do you do? I don’t think I ever asked.”
I hesitated. My job wasn’t glamorous or lucrative. Some women were turned off by a man who worked with his hands for a living instead of just his brain. My job was demanding both mentally and physically, but most people assumed I only used my hands, not my mind. “I’m a mechanic.”
“Nice. What’s the most challenging car you’ve worked on?”
As she had every time we spoke, Reegan took me by surprise.
She didn’t dismiss what I did or want to know about the fancy cars, she wanted to know what made my job exciting.
Even if she was off-base about what I actually did.
“I don’t work on cars, actually. I’m a mechanic for the ferry that crosses from Plattsburgh, a little north of here, to Grand Isle, Vermont. ”
“No way. Are you serious?”
I nodded, her smile infectious.
“That’s so cool. I’ve never been on a ferry. Ashlyn told me about it, but we haven’t gotten there yet.”
“You should. It’s a unique experience.”
“What’s nearby when we get to the other side?”
I laughed. “Absolutely nothing. A lot of commuters use it to get to work. There’s really not much on either side.”
“Wait, commuters? Where do they go?”
“The ferry takes cars.”
“You can drive onto the ferry?”
“Yep.” My smile widened with her amazement.
“That is awesome. And you work on the boat every day?”
I nodded. “There’s always a mechanic on the ferry just in case there’s an issue during transport. We alternate who does that since it’s usually a boring task. We have multiple ferries. They run around the clock and year-round, so there’s always something going on.”
“That’s kind of high-pressure.”
“It can be, yeah. We have three boats. We can pull one out of service if we need to do a bigger repair job, but we try to keep all three running. Every week we keep one out of service for a few hours to do planned maintenance.”
“That’s a really interesting job. I’ve never met anyone who worked as a mechanic on a boat. My old boss has a friend who is a tour boat captain, but you actually make sure the boat will run.”
“I always liked working with my hands.”
She reached across the table and grabbed my hand. She turned my palm over, running her fingertips over mine. “I liked the way your hands felt on me yesterday.”
A groan rumbled out of me.
She grinned, then stood. She let me guide her onto my lap, settling on top of my throbbing erection. “I might need more batteries when I go back inside.”
“Maybe I can help with that.” Her hair fell in a curtain around my face, closing us in together like we were in a secret cave. My hands rested against her back, drawing circles on her spine.
“You feel so good,” she whispered, her hips rocking softly against my dick.
“Can I touch you, Reegan?”
“Please,” she breathed.
I trailed my hands over the soft skin at her waist. Slowly, I guided my hands up until I found her bare breasts. I cupped both, dragging my thumbs over her nipples.
“That’s so good.” Her hands rested on my shoulders.
“Kiss me.”
She brought her lips down to mine, not bothering to start slow. She thrust her tongue into my mouth, and I thrust my erection against her warm core. She gasped and ground down on me.
I saw fucking stars. I wasn’t sure if I could keep from coming with her, but I was going to try my damn best.
She whimpered and moaned. I plucked her nipples and kissed her hard. It was messy, sloppy, and fucking perfect.