Chapter 3

The conversation with my girls created a situation I had to address immediately if I wanted to keep Bren’s trust.

I looked at Bren and asked, “Do you want to talk about my actual net worth?”

Bren said, “The amount doesn’t matter that much to me, but I would like us to be truthful with each other.”

“Fair enough. I didn’t actually lie to you, but I did mislead you about how much money I have. Do you remember that four hundred million dollar Lottery ticket that didn’t get claimed for several months?

Bren’s eyes got wide and she asked, “Was that you?”

“Yes, that was me. I took the cash payout and the actual amount after all my taxes were paid came to about a hundred and forty one million dollars. Since I received the money, I discovered that people don’t treat me the same way they did when they learn I’m worth that much money. I’ve gotten in the habit of saying I’m worth a bit over five million dollars. People can accept me being worth that amount of money without getting totally weird. So, I misled you because I wanted you to see me, not an uber rich person.”

“I can live with that, Ken. I think you’re right. Now that I know the truth, I do look at you a bit different. Although, I still like the person I see.”

“Good. I mentioned that I spoke to Rich earlier today. Rich is our family lawyer. I told him I was trying to decide on a suitable benefit package for my employee. The fact that I hired you shocked Rich. I asked him for a list of typical benefits for an employee, and he sent me a list.

“For him to understand why I hired you, I had to tell him a little bit about you. I let him know basics, namely you are nineteen, pregnant, and my new live-in cook and housekeeper. I didn’t go into any further details about your life, but I did let him know my opinion of you and the way I feel about you.

“He warned me that what I told him was a dangerous combination. He was concerned about my platonic relationship with you becoming a more personal relationship.

“Rich’s job is to protect me and keep me out of trouble. He is preparing an employment contract for me and a second document that he says is similar to a prenuptial agreement. The employment contract is essentially a standard employment contract that will describe the terms of your employment. If I understand his version of a prenuptial agreement, it will address what my legal obligations will be to you if our relationship becomes a sexual relationship and we choose to end the relationship.

“Does that bother you, Bren?”

“Sort of. I know an employment contract is normal, so I’m okay with that as long as it is reasonable. I don’t think his prenuptial agreement is really necessary.”

“Bren, I believe that I could easily fall in love with you. I’m not clear about your feelings for me. I have talked with many of my acquaintances about their marriages and relationships that went bad. What they told me wasn’t pretty.

“I plan to take care of you, Bren. Right now, there is no time limit for how long our relationship will last. If our relationship should end poorly, I still want to see you are cared for when we part. This prenuptial agreement is the means for me to ensure you are taken care of if we do go our separate ways.

“If you need a good example of what I mean, just think about how Frank treated you and the results.”

“Okay, Ken. I’ll consider the agreement, but it has to be fair to you also.”

We continued our conversation about that topic and our past lives for the rest of the evening, and went to our separate beds to sleep.

When Bren got home on Friday, we jumped into our cars. She followed me to my mechanic’s shop. He wasn’t in, but his counter staff was. I described what I wanted done, and Bren gave him her car keys. He gave me a copy of the work order, and we left.

At the AT&T store, I added Bren to my family calling plan by adding an additional line to my account. I don’t understand why they call it a line when it’s a cell phone. Bren decided a new phone number would be the best option for her. Once her cell phone was set up with a new chip and phone number, we headed to my bank.

The bank’s manager was not busy, and he saw us come in the door. He was at my elbow asking if he could help me before I could ask a bank officer for help. He knew that I had transferred most of the money out of my accounts, but this branch carried my unlimited credit card and he really must have wanted to keep that business.

I introduced him to Bren as my new cook and housekeeper. I told him I wanted a new credit card account that Bren could use for household expenses with a thousand dollar spending limit and linked to my savings account for overdraft protection.

He had one of the bank officers fill out the forms for us, and then Bren and I signed them in the designated places. He then issued Bren a card for the account. We thanked him and headed home.

On the way home, Bren said, “Now I see what you meant about different treatment. At first, I thought he was going to lick your shoes in appreciation for coming in the door. I arranged for a student credit card at the bank on campus, but the loan officer didn’t fill out the forms for me. Did you notice how all the women in the place perked up when they saw you come in the door?”

“I am aware of the manager’s attitude and how I am treated, Bren. I didn’t notice the women’s reactions. My interest was on you, not them. The bank manager’s interest in me is because of the amount of money I make for his branch, otherwise he wouldn’t treat me any differently than he treated Betty and me before her death.”

Saturday morning we hit the Fashion Valley shopping mall shortly after it opened. I wanted to dress Bren in designer tops, dresses, and pants. She didn’t like that idea for it would make her standout at UMB. Bren was also worried that after the baby came, she wouldn’t be able to fit into anything I bought her now.

What she said made sense to me. Bren wasn’t an extrovert and seemed to like fading into the background socially. I hadn’t talked with her about her plan regarding carrying the baby to term. I just assumed she hadn’t had time to give the topic any serious thought. I knew from personal experience that women who carry a baby to term tend to gain a few inches around the hips due to their pelvises widening and flattening. So concern about not fitting into the new clothes was understandable.

I told Bren that regardless of what we bought, it had to be good quality clothing. We settled on shopping at Macy’s for the bulk of our purchases. I insisted on Victoria’s Secret for intimate wear.

Bren still wanted to buy utilitarian undergarments, but she also wanted to be as sexy as a pregnant woman could be. I don’t think that was to attract me specifically for most women seem to be that way. I always thought it was part of a competition between women so they would always be ready to attract that special man, who they would meet in the future.

We started our shopping spree in Victoria’s Secret. The sales staff was very helpful. They helped Bren find comfortable and reasonably priced bras and underwear that were nice. Bren had planned on cotton or wool pajamas for they would be warm and comfortable. I agreed, but I also insisted on buying her a sexy nightgown.

At the time, I don’t think I was consciously planning on evolving our relationship to include sex. In retrospect, I subconsciously knew where our relationship was headed and once our relationship changed, I wanted Bren in sexy sleepwear.

I assisted Bren in picking out three sexy nightgowns, and insisted she model them for me. Bren didn’t really like doing that in a public place where everyone could see her. The sales lady told Bren that the change area was at the back of the store in a somewhat secluded area, so we would have a degree of privacy.

I was sitting in the change area waiting for Bren to come out of the dressing room and model the first nightgown for me when things changed drastically. Nancy and Karen walked into the change area with some garments they wanted to try on a moment or two after Bren walked out of the change room, stopped in front of me, and assumed a dramatic posture. It was clear to my girls that Bren was modeling a very sexy nightgown for me.

My girls looked at me in surprise and I looked at them in shock. Bren saw my expression and who I was looking at. She realized I knew the two women, and based on their ages, they were probably my daughter and my granddaughter. My girls accurately jumped to the conclusion that the young woman modeling a nightgown for me was Bren. I stood and introduced my girls and Bren to each other.

Bren excused herself and returned to the change room to get dressed in her street clothes. My girls just looked and me, until Nancy said, “I thought you told us that your relationship was platonic.”

Karen added, “That nightgown didn’t look platonic to me.”

I had difficulty answering their statements. I said, “Our relationship is platonic, but it is also changing. I want a more intimate relationship with Bren, but also want to get to know her better before that happens. I’m not sure what she wants.”

Nancy said, “My instincts tell me that the look on her face indicated she is interested in you. I don’t know the extent of her interest, but she definitely likes you.”

As Bren rejoined us, she heard Nancy’s remark, and she said, “Your daughter is right, Ken. I do like you a lot, but, I don’t think it’s love.”

Karen said, “Grandpa told me you go to UMB. I think I’ve seen you around the campus. Weren’t you Frank Bensen’s girlfriend?”

“Yes, he is a football player and I was attracted to his abilities on and off the field. I made the mistake of getting involved with him, but our involvement ended over a week ago.”

“I heard a rumor on campus that he had a new girlfriend.”

“I haven’t heard the rumor, but I did hear rumors about him before I got involved with him. I should have listened to those rumors and believed them. Frank is a womanizer and he is only interested in getting fucked. When he tires of a woman, he just tosses them away, and then he usually tries to destroy their reputation.”

Karen looked at Nancy and nodded her head in agreement with Bren’s remarks.

Nancy said, “If he is anything like the football players where I went to college, I understand what type of person he is.

“We are going to try a few things on, so why don’t you put that nightgown back on and finish modeling it for Dad. It looked really nice on you.”

“You don’t mind my being your Dad’s cook and housekeeper, and doing things with him?”

“Mind? As long as you don’t hurt him, I’m glad that he has someone in his life, even though there is an immense gap in your ages. From the way the two of you look at each other, I doubt your relationship is purely platonic. Or if it is, it won’t be that way for long. If the two of you are happy with each other, then your relationship is none of our business.”

The three of them headed for the change rooms. I just sat there in shock. I thought my girls would be upset with Bren and me being interested in each other. A short while later, Bren returned and finished modeling the nightgown for me. We discussed the nightgown, and then she changed into the other two nightgowns and modeled them for me. My girls had returned before she returned wearing the second nightgown. So they sat down with me and gave Bren their opinions of the other two nightgowns.

Once Bren finished changing back into her street clothes, Nancy asked Bren, “Which ones are you going to get?”

“I don’t know. Whichever nightgown that Ken wants me to wear.”

Nancy said, “Well, I think you should get all three.”

Bren got red in the face, and said, “Well the truth is, I’m broke. Your dad insisted that I get a new wardrobe and that he would pay for it. I told him I was okay with what I had, but he insisted.”

Nancy said to me, “I know it isn’t any of our business, Dad, but what is really going on between the two of you?”

I was trapped. I felt a need to explain the situation, but I also told Bren that I wouldn’t talk about her personal business with others. Yeah, I had to tell Rich a bit, but this was different.

Bren came to my rescue by saying, “Nancy, your dad took me in as a charity case. When we met on Wednesday, I had no money and no place to live.

“I had been living at home with my parents, and they were supporting me. Frank broke up with me when I told him I was pregnant. He blamed me for the pregnancy and told me he didn’t want to have anything else to do with me. A couple of days later, I told my parents that I was pregnant. They kicked me out of the house with just the clothes on my back. I slept in my car Tuesday night. On Wednesday, I asked Frank to let me stay with him at his apartment for a few days, and he refused. He left me sitting in the cafeteria with my head and arms on the table crying when your dad approached me and offered to help me.

“I knew I needed help from someone, but I didn’t want charity. I also didn’t want to end up as some guy’s temporary live-in girlfriend. So your dad hired me to be his live-in cook and housekeeper. He moved me into his house that day, and we have been getting to know each other since then.

“That is what has happened up to now, other than us making the arrangements for me to fill the position he hired me to fill.”

Nancy and Karen sat with their mouths open in astonishment. The story Bren told them was enough to astonish anyone, but the speed at which things took place after Bren’s parents kicked her out of the house was also astonishing.

My girls stood up, hugged Bren, and tried to comfort her. I think things will work out okay between them.

I heard Karen say to Bren, “That is not what Frank is saying about breaking up with you. He’s telling people that he found out you were sleeping around on him, so he broke up with you. At least, that is the rumor I heard.”

I said, “That asshole. He is just a little boy who refuses to accept responsibility for his actions. It sounds like he is trying to create an alibi by claiming Bren slept around on him. That way he can deny responsibility for impregnating her.”

Karen said, “My friends and I never liked him or the way he treats women. What do you think Bren, should we get together and do a number on him?”

“I’d really like to do that, Karen. What do you have in mind?”

I bowed out of that conversation by telling Bren and my girls to give me what they were going to buy and I would pay for all of it. Karen made sure that Bren gave me all three nightgowns.

The four of us left Victoria’s Secret, and went to The Cheesecake Factory for lunch. We placed our order and they talked. I only responded when spoken to for several reasons. The main reason was I could tell they were bonding, and I didn’t want to interrupt that.