Chapter 5

When we finally pulled into my driveway, I saw Shiloh on a lounge chair sun tanning. She waved as I got out and I waved back and motioned for her to come over. She put the book she'd been reading down and skipped over.

I gulped. I'd seen Shiloh in a bikini, but this wasn't THAT bikini. This one was a bit more skimpy and in a red bandana print. I tried to avoid leering at her. I failed. She noticed and smiled. I shook my head to snap out of my thoughts.

"Kaitlyn, this is my neighbor, Shiloh. She's a year older than you. Shiloh, this is Kaitlyn, my daughter," I introduced.

Shiloh shook Kaitlyn's hand. "Pleased to meet you, Kaitlyn. Your dad's told me a lot about you."

Kaitlyn laughed. "I hope it's all been good stuff."

Grinning, Shiloh replied, "Well ... it was something about teen girls dating teen boys, shotguns and bodies disappearing."

Kaitlyn laughed in reply. "Yeah, I try to give him a few gray hairs and a heart attack every year. Keeps 'im on his toes."

I rolled my eyes and got Kaitlyn's bags out of the truck. Kaitlyn took one, I took another and Shiloh offered to take the other. What is it with females and packing their entire wardrobe? Three suit cases and a large carry-on just for a month's visit!

I left the girls to their teenage giggling and chatter as I went to kick back in my recliner. The two of the appeared to hit it off instantly and I was glad. Kaitlyin would have someone to hang out with if I ended up having to work late. I'm not sure, but I think Shiloh had been as excited as I was about Kaitlyn coming over. All was well in the world for those of us in my house.

I zonked out in my recliner after the caffeine in my system crashed. I woke up a couple hours later to a very quiet house. I got up and poked my head into Kaitlyn's room—she wasn't in there and neither was Shiloh. I checked the rest of the house before heading out in the back yard. Both the girls were laying out in the sun and quietly chatting. I invited Shiloh to stay for dinner and she accepted. I asked them what they wanted for lunch and neither wanted anything. I went back inside and fixed a sandwich and ate.

After finishing lunch, I changed into my swim trunks and went out to enjoy the pool. I asked Kaitlyn if she'd called her mother to let her know she made it in alright and she told me she hadn't. I mentioned that it might be a good idea otherwise we'd both be hearing about it by the end of the night. She groaned but went inside to make the call.

I dove into the water, swam a couple laps and then pulled up and hung on the side of the pool. Shiloh dove in and swam up next to me.

"Your daughter is so cool, Gary," she stated as she wiped some excess water off her face. "She's so level-headed, just like you. I can see why you're so proud of her." That smile of hers blazed brighter than the sun, I swear.

"Thanks, darlin'. I am proud of her. She's made the best of the situation between her mother and me. I'm just glad that she hasn't tried to cope with this in a bad manner. At least I don't think she has."

"Oh, I don't think you have anything to worry about. That's the impression I got from her." Shiloh then frowned a little bit. "I wish I knew who my dad was and that he cared, like you do."

"What? Rudy doesn't fill that void for you?" I asked with a sarcastic grin. That won me a surprise dunking.

When resurfaced, she was glaring at me. "I oughta drown you for that remark, Gary Ashton!" She then grinned letting me know that she was giving me a bad time. That won her a dunk in return. Turnabout's fair play and all that, you know. Right?

Shiloh tried pulling me down with her, but I grabbed her wrists and held them away. She kicked back to the surface and kept struggling, trying to dunk me again. She got me off balance and was able to force my arms to bend behind my head. I still had her wrists and that caused her to press against me. I felt her small titties pressing into my chest. We both froze and I swallowed.

Folks, you know that saying about having a deer-in-the-headlights look? Now I know how that proverbial little deer felt—I felt the same way at that precise moment. She stared into my eyes and I knew I was going to get hit by those proverbial headlights. God help me, but I wanted that. Instead, I reluctantly let go of her wrists. Her arms slid down my collarbones, fingertips lightly tracing a path along the back of my neck, as she settled down into the water.

My head spun as the corners of her mouth turned up into a small smile. I frowned sadly. She wiped a bead of water off my cheek and her hand caressed my cheek an infinite moment.

"What's the matter, babe?" she quietly asked.

I squeezed my eyes closed. "I ... Shiloh..." I sighed in frustration, unable to tell her what needed to be said. I needed to put a stop to this before it went too far, but I couldn't get those words past my lips. She caressed my cheek lightly again and tenderly kissed me on the lips a moment.

"Gary, tell me what's wrong. Did I do something wrong?" she whispered sadly.

I just shook my head no. The sexual and emotional tension between us was broken when I heard the patio door slide open and then closed—Kaitlyn had returned. Shiloh pulled herself out of the pool without a further word. I did the same as well and padded towards the house, a trail of water following me. Kaitlyn looked at Shiloh first and then at me.

"Uh ... did I interrupt something?" an amused look sparkling in her blue eyes.

"No," I groused and went into the house.

I showered and retired to my office to work on some minor planning issues at my job. I needed something besides Shiloh to occupy my mind. It worked. Before I knew it, three hours had passed. I'd been so preoccupied with my work that I hadn't heard the girls come in from the pool.

"Dad, what's the plan for dinner?" Kaitlyn asked as she poked her head into my office.

I looked up and replied, "I don't know. Want to go out for dinner or get some pizza? I don't feel like cooking tonight."

She giggled at me. "Yeah, your cooking might give us food poisoning or something."

I smirked at her in response.

"How about pizza, dad? I don't feel like going out. I'm beat from everything today."

"Ok. Is Shiloh staying for dinner?"

Kaitlyn went to ask her and came back to report that she would love to. I phoned in an order for a couple large pizzas and went back to work. Thirty minutes and two pizzas later we three were planted in the living room watching a new movie I'd picked up a couple days prior.

The movie finished and the girls disappeared into Kaitlyn's room. Soon the sound of music could be heard thrumming through the door as I cleaned up the kitchen. I went back to work in my office. I only had a couple things to finish before I wrapped up for the night. I'd no sooner sat down when Kaitlyn popped into the room and asked if Shiloh could spend the night. I told her it was fine and she ran in and gave me quick peck on the cheek, thanked me and then disappeared back into her room again.

It was dark outside when I finally finished my work for the evening. Shiloh had ran back to her house and got a change of clothes and a nightshirt while I was working. When I left my office I found the girls giggling and talking in the living room. Both had changed into their nightshirts and were painting their toenails.

I was used to seeing Kaitlyn in her nightshirt, but wasn't prepared for Shiloh. Her nightshirt was a navy blue thing with white pinstripes. It was knee length and buttoned down the entire length of the shirt.

She was sitting on the floor with one leg curled under her and the other bent up to her chest as she painted her toenails. And facing the doorway into the hallway. I'd walked into the living room intending on letting the girls know I was going to bed, but instead I found myself stopped in my tracks when I caught a glimpse of the crotch of Shiloh's lacy pastel green panties. My mouth went dry and my pulse raced. I felt an immediate stirring in my loins and looked up. Into her eyes. Those twinkling emerald green eyes.

She'd caught me staring and damned well knew it. A mischievous smile played across her face and she slowly put her leg down. My head spun and all I could do was mumble a goodnight. Kaitlyn jumped up and ran over to give me a kiss on the cheek. To my surprise, well I suppose it shouldn't have surprised me, but it did, Shiloh did the same. Both girls wished me a good night amid a flurry of giggles.

I turned around and mindlessly padded down the hallway lost in thought. The subject of those thoughts? Lacy pastel green panties and the person they were stretched over. As I crawled into bed I knew, without a doubt, that I was teetering on the edge of a slippery slope that ended as a bunkmate with Bubba. I felt that I was seriously screwed.

I was awoken in the morning by two teenage girls cannonballing onto my bed amid snickers and giggles on both their parts. Luckily I was covered by my sheets because all I wore were a pair of boxer briefs.

Sleepily I asked, "What do you want for breakfast, girls?"

They giggled and Kaitlyn acted as the spokesperson. "No, daddy. The question is ... what do you want? We wanna do breakfast-in-bed for you." She smiled sweetly at me.

"What's the occasion? Did I win the lottery?"

"No reason, daddy," Kaitlyn replied. "I, well we, just wanted to do something nice for you." Shiloh enthusiastically nodded her head in agreement. Her lightly curled red tresses bounced as she nodded and her bangs fell over one of her eyes.

"Well, I would be an idiot to turn that offer down, sweetie. Eggs, bacon, toast and a cup of coffee would do fine," I replied. I could get used to this, I mused to myself.

The girls bounced off the bed and out the door chittering to each other. I rolled out of bed and used the bathroom. I also brushed my teeth, normally something I did after I ate. I sighed and got back into bed. I grabbed my Kindle off my nightstand and propped myself against the headboard of the bed.

Twenty minutes later Kaitlyn brought in a tray of breakfast and sat it in my lap. Shiloh followed with my cup of coffee and placed it on my tray. I watched her hips sway in her nightshirt as she left my bedroom. The image of the previous evening popped back into my mind. I just mentally groaned and started eating. A couple minutes later both girls appeared with trays of their own.

"Daddy, can we eat in bed with you?" Kaitlyn asked and batted her eyes theatrically. She was copied by Shiloh.

I rolled my eyes and groaned but relented. Kaitlyn told Shiloh to sit next to me. I was about to object but Kaitlyn cut me off before a word left my mouth.

"I don't wanna get cooties from a boy," she stated resolutely. Both giggled like it was the funniest thing ever said.

I figured they'd just sit on the covers, so imagine my shock when Shiloh flipped the corner of my sheets down and slid in followed by Kaitlyn. Both pulled the covers up and grabbed their trays.

One thing about my bed you should understand. When I was married, the ex and I had a king size bed, but she took that with her in the divorce. I opted to step down in size when I bought a new bed and went with a queen size. That means that the three of us—Kaitlyn, Shiloh and I—were all snuggled up nice and close. When Shiloh had climbed under the covers and slid over, her nightshirt had ridden up. That meant I was feeling a warm and smooth teenaged female's bare thigh against my own.

As I ate I noticed that Shiloh kept glancing out of the corner of her eye at me. Periodically she'd shift her left leg very minutely and that meant it was rubbing against my right leg. She shifted much more than necessary. She also, to my slight discomfort, rubbed my ankle with her foot and it wasn't an accidental thing. I just acted like I didn't notice. What else could I do? I didn't want to come out and ask her to stop and embarrass her.

After we finished eating, I thanked the girls for the breakfast and told the girls to go shower because I had something special in mind for the morning. They gathered the trays and deposited them in the kitchen. I went and took a shower.

After showers, I led tittering girls into the garage. Shiloh knew what I'd led them in here for. Carol sat under her car cover awaiting this unveiling. I pulled the cover off and told Kaitlyn that today she was going to learn how to drive a standard. My eardrums almost ruptured with her scream. She'd wanted to learn how to drive the Shelby ever since I got it a few years prior. She didn't realize that I hadn't forgotten her wish from so long ago until I broke the news to her just then.

"Daddydaddydaddydaddy! Thankyouthankyouthankyou! You know how much I've wanted to drive your Shelby!" she squealed directly into my ear as she hugged me. I grinned and returned her excited hug.

Shiloh climbed into the rear seat as I took the driver's seat and Kaitlyn the passenger. We drove out of town to a lonely stretch of empty road in the country. I fondly remember my dad taking me to this same stretch of road when I was Kaitlyn's age. Not much had changed in the nearly thirty years since then.

I spent the better part of the morning teaching the dos and don'ts, the ins and outs, of driving a vehicle with a standard transmission. Even with a muscle car with souped-up engine, Kaitlyn proved a quick and smart learner. She didn't grind the gears too badly, surprisingly.

Lunch rolled around and I drove us to a small diner in the farming community we were near. I would've let Kaitlyn drive, but her learner's permit was only valid in Oklahoma, not Idaho. But now she was armed with the knowledge that she could drive any type of automobile she wanted rather than being relegated to strictly automatics.

We ate and then headed back to the house. While driving back, Shiloh was leaning between Kaitlyn and I so we could all talk easily. She rested her hand on my shoulder and on the back of Kaitlyn's seat. Before long her fingers started lightly stroking my shoulder. I ignored the fact that her touch felt nice as much as possible. I wasn't entirely successful.

We spent the rest of the day poolside. I excused myself after a time and retired in my office. I finished reviewing my work an hour later and was sitting down to watch some television when the girls came in. They changed into shorts and t-shirts and watched some t.v. with me.

Later in the evening I pulled out a board game. We laughed, groaned and kidded each other as we played. It soon became apparent that I was being ganged-up on. I got my butt whipped. Shiloh went home and Kaitlyn and I called it a night.

The next morning Shiloh and I went on our usual morning run. I opted not to see if Kaitlyn wanted to join us because I figured she would be suffering from jet lag. We had an unusually quiet run; normally we chatted for most of our run. When we were done I told Shiloh that I'd see her later and went inside to shower.

The day rolled by for me at work without too much drama. We started installing some circuit card production lines and only had some issues with material requisitions that were needed to tie into the electrical system. Luckily, that was the electrical engineer's problem to fix. I took a lot of pride in the job I performed and didn't want other's mistakes reflecting poorly upon me. The folks I worked with were seemingly fairly competent. At the end of the day I headed home and found that Shiloh was over again. Dinner and some DVD's and we were at the end of the ever-dreaded Monday.

The rest of the week followed in much the same way. Work, sometimes with issues and sometimes without, followed by dinner and some sort of after-dinner activity. Sometimes that was swimming, other times board or card games. Each night found Shiloh over visiting, except on Thursday. That night I asked Kaitlyn where Shiloh was and she told me that Shiloh's mom wasn't feeling well and that she couldn't come over because of that.

I must've visibly stiffened because Kaitlyn asked me what was wrong.

I pondered momentarily if I should tell her or not. Decision made, I told her to sit down. "Kiddo, how much has Shiloh told you about her home life?"

"Not much really, dad. She loves her mom and hates her stepdad is about what it adds up to. She's never really said why she hates her stepdad. Why?"

I sighed and sat beside her. "Sweetie, her stepdad isn't a good person. He drinks. A lot. Enough to be considered a severe alcoholic. And..." I took a deep breath, partly to hope this didn't sour Kaitlyn's opinion of Shiloh—teens can be weird that way, you know—and partly because I got worked up every time I thought about the situation. "And he hits them both."

Kaitlyn sat there for a moment mulling over what I just revealed. "Why would he do that, dad?"

"There's no easy answer to that, kiddo. It could be for any reason. The only person who really knows the answer to that is Rudy himself. Don't let this knowledge change your opinion of her, Kaitlyn. She doesn't have very many friends because of her home situation. Okay?"

Kaitlyn, ever level-headed as she could ever be, looked at me like I was a certified idiot. Perhaps I was for doubting her on this matter. "Uh, dad? Why would I stop being her friend just because her dad's a drunk and a sorry sack of crap? I like her; she seems pretty cool to me."