Chapter 2

I checked my watch, 4:30, Helen would be home from work now, she worked in the library and it closed at 4pm on a Saturday. I phoned her to see if she was busy this evening, and if she would like to meet my neighbours, she said she would love to come round. Then I explained the deal with Kelly and Naomi, without mentioning sleeping with Naomi yesterday.

“Seriously! Oh fuck, if you’ve found someone to replace Anita at long last of course I want to meet her. You say the lady two doors down, wasn’t she married to the footballer?”

“Yes, that’s the one.”

“Oh my god, she’s beautiful.”

“She really is. And while you’re here, I need you to help Naomi out, she wants her new bedroom decorating, she’s not happy with your original decorating.”

“Oh really, which room?”

“Well, she stays here a lot, when she’s home from school and her mum’s away, and she normally sleeps in the pink room, it’s got the best view.”

“Oh right, yes, before we found out Anita couldn’t have children, I got this real feeling you’d have a baby girl first, so I painted that room as a baby girl’s room. I guess I was just a decade or so out, and the girl using the room is 15 instead of a baby. Of course I’ll help her decorate the room.”

“I think you’ll like Naomi, she’s a real character.”

“Is she the girl that uses your pool?”

“Yes, have you seen her?”

“A couple of times when I’ve been round during the day, she’s a good swimmer.”

“Ahh yes, I remember, a couple of months ago when she was home from school, we were in the kitchen when she came round for a swim once.”

“I think she’s attracted to you, I could tell, the way she looked at you.”

“I know, and that’s my only worry about the situation.”

“You think she’s getting you and her mum together so she can take advantage later? Why are you worried? They’re both good looking, most men would be excited about the prospect of sleeping with a sexy milf and her sexy daughter.”

I was silent, and Helen listened to my silence and made the leap of logic I was afraid of.

“Ahhh, you’ve already slept with Naomi haven’t you. Oh my god. Don’t you go anywhere buster, I’ll be round in 10 minutes and you can tell me all about it.”

True to her word, Helen walked through my garden gate 10 minutes later. She lived in a cottage in the grounds of the manor house, just 5 minutes dash across the field, so I’m assuming she spent 5 minutes getting changed into a summer dress.

Naomi was climbing out of the pool as Helen walked across the lawn, “hello,” Naomi called as she approached, ‘who are you?”

Neither Helen nor Naomi were fazed by Naomi’s nakedness, Helen merely held out her hand to help Naomi out of the pool.

“I’m Helen, Tom’s sister.”

“Oh yes, I’ve seen you around, I wasn’t sure if you were his girlfriend.”

“Oh no, I’m not that lucky, just his sister.”

I watched the exchange from the kitchen doorway, I could hear them but they were looking away, so couldn’t see me. I was a little worried about them meeting without me, it seemed to be going well though. Naomi, still naked, sat in a lounger, Helen sat in the lounger opposite.

“So Naomi, Tom says you’ve fixed him up with your mum.”

“Oh yes, I adore Tom, he’s so sweet and kind, he lets me sleep here all the time.”

“Does your mum feel the same? He’s my brother, and I don’t want him upset if he falls for your mum and it doesn’t work out.”

“Oh yeah, she likes him, they kissed this afternoon, it was lovely, I cried.”

“That’s great, why don’t you get dried and dressed and I’ll look at your room, see what we can do about getting rid of all that pink.”