Chapter 6

Since Jessica had rented a car, they thought it best to have a late lunch at home, rather than try to meet somewhere public. About eleven thirty, she called on her cell phone to say that she had arrived, and was just getting into her rental car.

She said to David, "I'll be there in an hour or so, and I expect lunch."

"Looking forward to seeing you, Baby. We're cooking it now."

"Great. I'll eat at home gladly. All week I'll be eating in restaurants, if I'm lucky. Some days we don't even get lunch."

"No problem. I'll figure out something for dinner, too."

"Will you make globs?"

"You want globs for dinner?"

"Yes. Medium rare."

"No problem. I guess we can trust Kathy with our family secret."

As David clicked off the phone, Kathy asked, "I need to know what I'm getting into. What the hell are globs?"

"Freshly ground sirloin stuffed with Bleu Cheese and cooked on the gas grill. I made them forever when the kids were home, and they always request them."

"Sounds yummy! Don't sound all that healthy, though."

He shrugged. "I don't have them often any more. Actually, just when the kids are here."

"OK, back to lunch. We're doing sliced chicken on the salads with dressing I will make. Can you do the bread and butter or olive oil?"

She felt completely anxious about meeting the family. That she was barely older than Jessica made it worse. She had to take some deep breaths to calm herself.

David noticed her staring out the window over the sink. He went behind her and whispered, "What's going on?"

"I suddenly felt threatened by meeting your daughter. I don't know why it just hit me out of the blue."

"I have some of the same dreads, particularly if she decides to be assertive. However, we'll make it just fine." He held her until she relaxed. "Now. I'll put the bread in when she gets here and open the wine. I'll take care of the rest."

Jessica came in wearing jeans, sneakers, and a snug blouse. She hugged David as he brought her to the kitchen to meet Kathy. She wasn't as tall as Kathy and noticed right away how good-looking Kathy was and felt happy that they weren't in competition for the same man.

David said, "Kathy, this is Jessica, my favorite daughter. Jessica, Kathy McEwen, my favorite."

They exchanged brief hugs and Jessica asked, "How would you feel being called a favorite daughter when he has only one?"

Kathy laughed. "When you were in trouble, did he ever call you his least favorite daughter?"

"Me? I was never in trouble!"

David and Jessica both laughed, and Kathy watched their interaction. David said, "I never called her that and she was never in trouble."

Jessica turned to Kathy. "Did you know that in addition to his other character flaws, my father lies?"

Another big laugh. "No, I didn't know that, but I will put it on my list of his character faults that I have discovered as soon as I get a new sheet of paper."

Jessica giggled, "I know. You ran out of space, I guess. Well, I'm here to turn him over to the judge on Wednesday. I guess his honor has a list, too."

David opened the wine and poured them a glass of a fruity Washington Chardonnay. He said, "I learned long ago never to match wits with a clever woman. To take on two is sheer folly."

Jessica went to the bathroom to freshen up, and while she was away, Kathy took a deep breath and let it out. "That was a lot easier than I thought. She's fun."

He smiled, "Yeah, most of the time, she is. We had a lot of good times together, skiing and running around."

She moved to the kitchen smiling. "I'll serve the plates, if you'll get the bread and stuff."

When Jessica returned, she saw the plate waiting for her and smelled the sourdough bread. "Well, now, this is a treat. I haven't had anything this nice in a while."

The pleasant give and take among he three of them continued throughout the meal. When it was finished and they had enjoyed their coffee, Jessica said, "Dad, let Kathy and me clean up. Go and do your email, or something."

He was taken aback, but he also knew that it had to happen sometime. "Sure. I have plenty to do." He went to his office while they did girl talk.

Jessica asked as they loaded the dishes, "How did this all happen?"

Kathy related the cruise details and the dancing partnership they formed during the week. "I found myself thinking about him a lot when I went home, so I called him. He hadn't asked to visit me and I was disappointed. I thought he had a girl friend and I guess I was jealous, but he had this other matter hanging over him. So, I came to see him before he goes away."

Jessica replied, "Sounds kind of sudden. How are you handling his coming absence?"

"Not well at all. We became close on the boat. He gave me quite a scare when I thought he was taken to the hospital. Turns out it was another older man who couldn't climb in the small boat and he also had salt and pepper hair." She then explained about his trouble climbing in the Zodiac boat and her experience at the hospital.

Jessica replied, "Sounds like your time with him has been one thrill after another."

"We've had really good times together, too."

"You apparently didn't let his potential jail term stand in the way of coming to see him. Didn't it bother you?"

"Yes. Given a choice, I wouldn't have him go off this week. I'm sure that if I'd known everything in the beginning, I wouldn't be here now. By the time I found out, I was rather taken with him, and I couldn't just walk away." She sighed. "If he had told me sooner, I would have missed all this. Sometimes we get lucky."

"I've heard lots of daughters badmouth their father's choice of companions, but he has picked some real winners. I think he found another one in you."

Kathy beamed at Jessica. "Thank you. I hoped we could be friends." Then, she felt overcome and tears ran down her cheeks. "As soon as I mop these up, maybe we can sit in the other room."

"I hope we can be friends, too. He needs a pickup in his life right now, and I think you're giving it to him. He seems calm and happy."

"He got me some airline tickets to come out and visit him if he goes to Golden. I guess we'll know on Wednesday. I'll stay here over Christmas and go visit him between ski days. I also plan to see him when we have a semester break."

"You're an academic?"

"Community college. Just started teaching two years ago after getting my degree. I'm thinking about applying for jobs out here."

"I'll bet he will like having you closer. You said Baltimore?"

"We'd both like to be closer than Baltimore is to Denver. I don't have ties there, so I'm free to see what I can find."

"Unless I'm missing something, I'm hearing a real commitment. I mean, you'd move out here?"

"He said he'd drive my trailer, but that he had an appointment in Golden that would tie him up. I thought that was the most original excuse to get out of moving that I've heard."

"Ship what you need FedEx, and wait him out. He said he'd do it. Hold him to it." She laughed.

"I like your thinking. I'll keep reminding him."

Jessica turned to her and took her hand. "Have you thought about what happens when he gets out?"

"All the time. He said I could live here and take courses if I wanted to be certified as a financial planner. I could also live here and have a regular teaching job. We did well together on the boat, and when I came here, it seemed like the right place for me to be."

Jessica showed concern. "Right now, though, are you planning to keep him?"

She made eye contact with Jessica and held it. "That's where I am today. I didn't believe how much I could miss him between the time our cruise was over and when I came out here." The she sighed, "My friends think I'm crazy and offer me a lot of advice."

"Sounds serious."

"We talked about it. As he said, if we don't work out, Denver is a good place to be. I might have to move into my own apartment, but I can take that risk."

"I feel much better about knowing you. When he told me about you after the cruise, I figured it was a shipboard romance best left at sea. Then, he told me you were visiting him, so I had to change my flights to be able to stop and meet you."

Kathy raised her eyebrow. "What happens if you don't approve of me?"

"I would argue with him. After all, you are my age. I told him that he was out of his mind when he first described the cruise. Even if I didn't approve of you, I have won few arguments with him in the last few years."

Unaware that she was holding her breath, Kathy exhaled. "I feel better. I know the age situation, but we've had so much fun that it didn't matter. My prior guy was dull by comparison. Dull, dull, dull. So, I smile in the morning when I'm around him. I didn't want to be the cause of family dissent."

"We've had our share of that. When mom was sick, we argued all the time until she finally had the last word, and told us to mind our own business."

"I feel comfortable here, just like I did with him on the boat. When I'm away from him, I think about him and wish I could be with him. When he's around me, life is good."

"You seem to fit in here well. I hope you hang around for his sake." She patted Kathy's hand. "Now, I'm going out to see some of my old friends who still live here. They tease me all the time about moving to a third-rate city, but I'm used to it."

Kathy handed her a card. "Here is my phone and email. Please stay in touch. I need to know what's happening to him and I don't know whether they'll let me see him when I come back."

"I'll send you an email this afternoon to establish our link. I'll be glad to tell you what I know. You also need to be in touch with his lawyer."

Jessica went to her room to change clothes, and Kathy went to David's office. She put her arms around him, "I like your favorite daughter. She seems to have your best interests at heart. I think I passed the first test."

"I'm glad of that. Well, sometimes she is a little assertive about my life, but we get along better than most, I think." He held both of her hands to his face. "What would you like to do this afternoon?"

"Could we drive around and see some of the city? When we've gone out, we went quickly to where we were going, and I don't have a sense of where things are."

"Sure. Want to see the colleges or what?"

"Drive by a couple of colleges and maybe downtown. Maybe go by where I might take classes on finance."

"We can do that. Give me five minutes to finish this email, and we'll go right out."

He said, "We'll start with the LoDo. That's the trendy name for the old part of the downtown area. Lots of promotion and development, but it has good shopping, sightseeing, and places to eat."

"We have a place like that near the pier in Baltimore. I'd love to see it here."

"Go get ready. I'll be along soon."

They had a three-hour tour of the city, the colleges, and some of the office buildings where classes were held. They managed to walk around the downtown area, and saw many of the important sights. They finally chose one of the many LoDo coffee houses for a delicious and aromatic steaming treat. As they sat, he said, "At this altitude, coffee doesn't stay hot very long. We have to compensate."

She took his hand. "I remember when you gave me that coca tea in Quito. It was cool in just a few minutes. I like my coffee and tea hot!"

As they walked into his house after the afternoon tour, she said, "It starts getting cool when the sun goes down. I felt a little chilly."

"Something else we have to plan for. It can be toasty in the afternoon, and quite chilly in the early evening."

As they enjoyed their drinks by the fire, he asked, "Did you ever decide whether you're emotionally available to me?"

"I don't know for absolutely sure. I came here to try to answer that question."

"Are you getting anywhere?"

"Yes. Everything is as good or better than on the cruise. I feel comfortable here. In spite of the fact that it was another woman's house, I feel like I could go into the kitchen and cook your dinner without even asking permission."

"I'll just bet! Promises, promises!"

"Patience. I'll need a few more days to actually do it. I'm having too much fun hanging with you."

"I want you to be comfortable and at home here. When I'm... away... you can snoop to your heart's content. Maybe you could help me donate Marsha's clothes. I haven't been able to do it."

"Just like a man to let them go out of style."

"Her clothes might be slightly off the latest fashion list, but they won't be out of style."

"I get your point. Of course, I will help with that."

"You'll have plenty of time to play, read, work, explore the city and whatever you choose."

"I plan to keep busy reading, writing and studying."

"Christmas is in there. Do you have family to visit?"

"I usually go home to visit them over the holidays, but I get more than caught up in three days. I'll have to explain why I'm not with Doug. Then, they'll want to know what I'm doing in Denver. I'll be glad to get out of there. Sometimes I get so much heavy advice, I can barely get it all in my luggage."

"Parents aren't likely to change. If you think explaining Doug is tough, think about how interesting it will be if I ever go with you."

"I thought about that on the way out here. If we get that far, they'll have it to live with, or they can object all they like. I doubt that anything I say will change their minds."

"Better let me know so I can try to get you a ticket. Hard to get much choice during the holidays. I'll need your preferred dates."

"If I can be there on the 25th, that would be great. If not, no great harm. They're in Memphis."

"You will be staying here and visiting me as often as permitted, I hope. Then, you will return for your spring semester. After that, you will live here until you make up your mind?"

She paused thoughtfully. "Thanks for making it clear. It's possible that I could be here in the spring if I can find a suitable substitute for my classes and find a job here."

"I'm not going to let myself hope for that. It would be too good."

"Thanks to the Internet, I can have my vita and transcripts in the hands of everyone in Denver by tomorrow. Almost everyone has openings if you're willing to teach the less desirable courses."

"Sounds too good to be true."

"In the past ten years, the number of for-profit schools has mushroomed. Since I don't have to have a permanent job and the best pick of courses, my problem will be finding someone to replace me. I have to try."

"Can you get a leave for spring in case you change your mind?"

"Probably not, but as you said, this isn't a bad place to live! I have no real ties to Baltimore, and I'm sure I can rent my condo."

"I'd love to help you move. I'd gladly pull your trailer. But, you know, I seem to be tied up during those times."

"Men can come up with the damdest excuses to get out of work. I mean, I've known people before who hated moving, but you're the first who'd rather go to jail instead."

After a nice carry out dinner and they sat by the fire longer, he said, "It's getting late. You have a flight tomorrow at two. Think we should go to bed?"

She gestured with her palms up and sighed. "Well, I guess so. If the only reason you're offering to take me to bed is that it is getting late, we might as well. I've obviously lost my charms."

He leaped on her and held her down on the sofa while he kissed her neck, licked it, and blew air to make her shiver. He discovered that she was quite ticklish in a certain spot. "Well, what have I found here! Is this a tickle spot?"

She squirmed, but couldn't get away from his hands holding her arms. "I'll get you. Some day you'll be asleep and you won't even know what happened to you."

"OK. OK. I surrender." He stood up and pulled her to him in a passionate kiss.

"Well, if you still like me a little, maybe I'll go to bed with you."

As they prepared to go to bed, Kathy found her love balls and the remote control. She put them on the nightstand on her side of the bed. When he came out of the bathroom, she said softly, "You wanted a demonstration of my magic toy. Have a seat right there on the bed, and I'll see if I can get your attention."

"I hope I don't need heart medicine to watch."

She inserted them in her pussy with her vibrating egg and started her explanation. "These can also provide lots of entertainment anally, but tonight, I'm doing it the old fashioned way." She began inserting the tethered shiny balls in her pussy. "When they're all in," she put her head back on the pillow and reached for the remote, "I take this little control and turn it on to the low setting."

David watched as she inserted the balls and reclined on the bed. Her face gleamed with satisfaction. He could hear the faint hum as the device came to life. He saw her mouth open and her head turn slightly as she raised her knees to put her heels on the bed.

"I keep it on low as long as I can because it builds tension, and I'm rarely in a hurry. If I'm really needy, I do it on the high setting and that gets me off in a hurry. Yes, it builds tension." She continued to move her hips to the soft hum. "Umm, that's feeling good now. Tension. Yes, very good."

David watched as she grasped the tether and pulled on it gently. As he admired the gleaming pussy, he felt his own interest increasing. His cock went from completely soft to a semi-erection in just a few minutes of watching.

She murmured, "Move over here where I can feel you. I won't be able to think much, but can keep my hand on your cock." He moved next to her hand and she began stroking him as he watched her hips begin to move. "Right now, I'm squeezing those balls as hard as I can and releasing them. My muscles are getting a good workout. That's how I can get you up when you're inside here."

He reached for a breast and pinched her nearest nipple as her hips continued to thrust. "Oh, that's good. I run out of hands and I have so many places needing attention. Yes, that's good. Pinch a little harder, like that." David heard the pitch of the machine increase, which seemed to indicate that she was running it faster. "Your hands and fingers feel wonderful. I'm not going to last much longer. I'm putting it on high. There it is. My insides are screaming for more. Ohhh." She made loud sounds as she writhed and finally bucked her hips, moaning louder. She closed her eyes and turned her head back and as her jaw muscles clenched.