Chapter 1

It was a Saturday afternoon in May when my doorbell rang. The summer heat was already starting and I was watching television. I got up, prepared to tell someone off. The only visitors I got were solicitors or people trying to expand their church congregations. Prepared to be gruff I expected a lot of things but the teen blonde I saw through the peephole was not it. With more trepidation than an almost 40-year-old man should have I opened the door. The vision in front of me was 5’8”, blonde with golden straight hair to the middle of her back and blue eyes. I would like to say she was wearing daisy dukes and a skin-tight crop top but she wasn’t. She was wearing denim shorts with a light blue t-shirt that wouldn’t have been scandalous at a church event but her face was sweet and elfin and to my primate brain looked of pure sex. And she was very healthy in front, though I couldn’t tell how big her breasts were. Her legs were toned and athletic and she radiated youth and energy, barely able to a standstill.

“Hi Mr. Carlo, I’m Melissa. Melissa Milton.”

I took her hand and shook it trying not to look like a lecherous old man. Either I was succeeding or she got that reaction too often to register it anymore. I wondered if she was selling magazines or something but she wasn’t carrying anything.

“Can I help you?”

“Um, I’m Tommy Milton’s sister.”

“Oh! How’s he doing? He went off to State to start the summer term, didn’t he? Extra training for track?”

“Yes, sir. He’s well. They got him a job in the sports department as part of his financial aid package and wanted him to start right away. Since that let him get a jump on training he was really gung ho.”

“That’s great. I liked Tommy. What can I do for you though?”

“Well, I’m coming around because I was hoping to take over the lawns he was doing.”

Shit. “Oh. I’d hired a lawn service, since Tommy said he couldn’t do it anymore ... I don’t remember him saying anything about...”

“No, no. I just got the idea the other day. See, my step dad said I’d have to save for a car myself and... “ she looked back over the vast suburbia behind her, “well, kind of hard to get a job without a car.” She looked a bit dejected.

“Have you gotten many?”

“None. Some have gotten services and others ... I don’t think they can see a girl mowing lawns.”

“Really? You look perfectly fit.”

For a second she smiled and it was glorious. Then she came back to reality but lost the smile. “Thanks for your time.”

She started to turn. “Hold on,” I said. “You know there is another thing Tommy used to do that the lawn guys don’t.”

“What?”

“The pool.”

“Woah.”

The pool gets that reaction a lot. It’s a full Olympic pool with a hot tub offset from it and the yard was wrapped by both a privacy fence and thick tall trees inside it that blocked the view from and of the neighbor’s houses. It made it my private slice of the world. Last year I’d gone further and built an outdoor kitchen and lounge space just because I liked spending so much of my time out here. The kitchen included a big charcoal grill, prep area, stone wood oven, and bar. The lounging area was covered with a fan and four outdoor loungers, a couple of chairs and side tables. It was way more than just I needed but the big patio would have looked bare with just one lounger and side table.

“Yeah. The folks I bought the house from had built on a double lot and already had a huge patio here so I decided to splurge on a full-size pool. I don’t like covering it up in case I want to use it. I also don’t like using a lot of chemicals so it needs checking regularly. I love my trees but they drop stuff in. Interested?”

“Yes, sir. How much?”

“$20?”

I could see the wheels turning in her head. It wasn’t a lot of money but it wasn’t a lot of work either.

“I need it done daily so that’s $140 a week with no taxes out or anything.”

Her eyes doubted me. “You sure you want to spend that much every week?”

“It’s worth it to not have to think about it. There is one concern though. You aren’t allergic or phobic of bees are you?”

“Uh, no, why?”

I made a follow me gesture and walked around the side of the house to point to a large box underneath two maple trees. We could see a small cloud of black and yellow shapes around it. “One of my hobbies, bees.” As I said that one flew towards us, a big fat bee that lazily danced near my face and then wandered off.

Melissa stared obviously a bit dumbstruck but not wanting to panic. “Are ... they like wasps?”

“No, no, these are honey bees. They aren’t aggressive at all. If you don’t swat at them they’ll ignore you. They may fly nearby but they won’t sting. I’ve had plenty of them land on me and never been stung once. You do need to be more careful if you get near the hive since they want to defend it but it’s all the way over there.”

There was a pause where I could tell she was thinking. As silly as it was, I didn’t want her to back out.

“Besides, I don’t think they’d sting one of their own so you should be fine.” I grinned. She looked at me like she didn’t understand the joke. “Your name, Melissa, means ‘bee’ in Greek, honey bee in fact I think.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

Somehow that seemed to decide it for her. She smiled and reached out to shake my hand. I took it. Right then I would have paid her daily just to see that smile. I took her around to show her everything including how to measure the levels and what to do. A few times she asked me to repeat myself and she took a lot of notes on her phone. After a bit, I asked her to step through it all herself. She did it well, with only a few minor corrections.

“Tomorrow?” she asked.

“Sure.”

“What time?” She was almost bouncing on her feet.

“Anytime. I’m home most of the time but even if I’m not you can go ahead and take care of it.”

She laughed and it made all of her bounce a little. “Yeah, Tommy called you eccentric.”

It was my turn to smile. “I just like my life to be simple. Here... “ On the way through the house I grabbed the spare fence key and some cash and gave both to her. “I like to square up accounts on Saturday so you’ll get paid then for each week and it’s Saturday so...”

“There’s $60 here.” She looked suspicious.

“Yeah, I figured the training took you about three times as long as actually doing it usually will so that’s your pay for today.”

“Oh, wow, thanks!”

I walked her back to the front door and said goodbye.

Sunday came and I found myself puttering around the house and resisting the urge to be outside just to watch her when she showed up. She showed up at about 2 pm. She rang the doorbell first rather than go around the back. I opened the door to find her wearing a yellow sundress that was modest, long and loose. It looked gorgeous on her but not sexual which was oddly very sexy.

“Hey, did you forget the key?”

“No, but I figured you may want to watch me since it’s my first time to make sure I don’t mess anything up.”

“I think you’ll be fine.”

“I’m just a bit nervous. I want to do it right.”

“Okay.” I motioned her through and we walked through the house. “Aren’t you a bit overdressed for pool cleaning?”

“I was at church and came right over. Mom insists we go every Sunday.”

“Ah.”

“You?”

“No. I’m not religious.” I was pulling open the sliding door to the deck. I wondered if she was religious if that meant she was more conservative ... well, I wasn’t getting in her pants so that didn’t matter. But I knew I’d think about it anyway. She began the process and rather than hover over her shoulder I went to lay down on a lawn chair and watch her. By pure coincidence it also let me see a lot of her thighs when she bent over in the sundress, not all the way up but enough.

After a few minutes, I said, “I feel like I’m being lazy laying here while you do that.”

She grinned. “Not at all. You’re the boss here, you enjoy overseeing your employee and relax. That’s why I’m here.” She had kicked off her flats and was walking around barefoot. It didn’t take her long and I started to get up to see her out but she waved me down and told me to relax. In a few minutes, she let herself out by the gate through the fence. After she left I thought the yellow was perfect for a little worker bee.

Monday came and she arrived at noon. I happened to be having lunch and was eating a sandwich outside when she came in through the gate. She beamed at me and she was wearing what I soon learned was her, except for Sunday, uniform of shorts and a t-shirt. This time the shorts were white and the t-shirt was for some band I’d never heard of but it had tour dates on the back so I assume it came from a concert.

“Oh, you’re here, great!”, she said.

“Why is that great?”

“Well, I was hoping you’d be here if I had questions.”

“You could always ring the bell, I’m probably home.”

“Tommy said you don’t like to be interrupted when working.” I couldn’t really tell her that I’d make an exception for her...

“True,” I said “but if you really need something, it’s fine.”

“What do you do? Tommy just said it was computer stuff.”

“Data modeling and analysis. I tend to hyper-focus at work but I enjoy it.”

“What time do you usually finish up work?”

“About four.”

“So, if I come over then I won’t be interrupting?”

“Sometimes I work late but ... yeah, that would be a good time.”

“Awesome.” During this whole time, she worked as we talked. She was clearly a better multitasker than I am. She called out the water test levels, checked several different places, made sure everything was circulating, skimmed the pool, and did the whole job. Before long she was gone again. The best part was she stopped to smile and wave as she left.

Tuesday. As silly as it was I found myself making sure I was at a good breaking point by four and outside by four-thirty. I was reading when she came through the gate again a moment later, wearing jean shorts again and a baggy white t-shirt. Where her blonde hair fell over it, it looked gold, as if it was reflecting the light.

She waved, “Hey Mr. Carlo!”

“Robert.” I put the book down. “Call me Robert.”

“You sure?”

“I know I’m old but I’m not your parent or teacher so I get to decide.”

She was already skimming the pool. She had that same focus her brother had.

“I don’t think you’re old. Maybe old enough. Robert seems formal but it suits you.”

Old enough? What did that mean?

“Robert. My dad was Bobby, my grandfather Bob, and an uncle Rob and a cousin Robby. Robert was the only one left for me.”

She laughed gently and I could have recorded it and listened back to it. When did I get so enamored of a teen goddess? I was more than twice her age. It was stupid but I could look, and did. She moved quickly around the pool, her legs long and perfect as she worked.

Soon enough she was finished. “Same time tomorrow?”

“Absolutely,” I said before I knew I was saying it. And so it began. Every day, even on Saturdays and Sundays she would come over at 4:30. It remained this way for three weeks until early June. It was a Friday when she came into the yard. I had brought out a pitcher of lemonade and she smiled but lacked animation. She was scooping the leaves and a big bumblebee flew by. Melissa had gotten used to the occasional bee. It landed on her hand refusing to move. Melissa began to move very slowly expecting it to just fly off but instead it placidly sat there as Melissa watched it.

“I think it wants to know what’s up.”

She looked at me. “Can I come over there?” It occurred to me that she hadn’t been within ten feet of me since that first day. The bee flew off.

“Of course, come on over. Like lemonade?” She nodded so I gestured that I’d be one second. I stepped inside, grabbed another glass and was right back. I found her not sitting in a chair but sitting on the very end of the lounger I reclined on. I poured a glass and handed it to her while moving to sit behind her.

“What’s up?”

She sighed as I imagined only a teenage girl could, beautiful and forlorn at the same time. “It’s stupid.”

“But you’re still feeling something.”

“Yeah.” Her shoulders came down a bit like some of her strength had gone out. “Okay, it started because my mom told me that tomorrow I have to be out with them at a family dinner-thing tomorrow at 4:30.”

“So, what’s the...”. I trailed off because she was looking at the pool. “You can do that anytime you know.”

“I know.” She sipped the lemonade. “But it’s not really about this... “ she motioned around her, “though it does piss me off, no, it’s about me and my mom, about me making decisions for me instead of her, about me not being treated like a kid anymore. So, of course, I blew up about something silly. Not a great way to convince her I’m an adult.”

“So you’re irritated at her but mad at yourself.”

“Yeah.”

“You seem to be ... you seem to have a pretty good grasp on it. You picked the wrong fight. Welcome to humanity.” I smiled at her. I had to keep myself from patting her arm.

“I am sorry though.”

“Why?”

“Tommy told me that you like things to be very routine. I figured coming every day at 4:30 would be nice.”

I started to laugh but ... that wasn’t right, I saw she really meant it. “That’s very considerate of you. It has been nice and I’ve enjoyed chatting with you every day.” There was something else there but I figured this wasn’t the time.

“Me too, with you I mean.”

A moment of silence hung between us.

“So, what is the big deal tomorrow?”

“Birthday party and dinner.”

“For?”

“Me.”

I blinked and looked at her. But I understood.

“And you wanted to be the one to decide, even if it was with an old man instead of a nice dinner.”

She punched me gently on my leg. “Old enough man, we established that already.” There was that phrase again.

“You know, you can come by earlier tomorrow. The pool will still need it.”

“What time?”

“Noon.”

“I’ll be here.”

And she was. It was right at noon when she arrived. The shorts and t-shirt were gone. Now, Melissa wore jeans and a white peasant blouse that was loose and flowing and invited hands to get underneath.