When Lightning Strikes

"Nice," she said. "So, do I get to have some of your barbecued yummies today?"

I smiled, "Of course. You can come over anytime you smell it. You can even bring your daughter."

She laughed and said, "Thank you. Speaking of whom, I'd better get home I was just supposed to let him tinkle and get back, she's still sleeping."

"I get it. Why don't you come over around noon?"

"Sounds good. I'll bring some potato salad."

"Perfect."

I watched her walk away and got caught checking her out. She did that look back over the shoulder and smile thing ladies do and smiled wider when she saw me watching. I waved and went back to work.

It was a beautiful morning, so I showered, shaved, and brewed some coffee to enjoy with a cigar as the sun came up. My wonderful son gave me a gift of a coffee sampler that had various beans from Africa and South America. I decided to pair a Sumatran coffee with a Sumatran tobacco cigar. Yeah, I know, who cares?

While I was basking in the morning glow, I heard yapping again and the dog was back nipping at my ankles.

"Hello, little buddy," I said, as I looked at the corner of my house to get a glimpse of Sara.

"Hi, Misser Andy!" Shannon chirped as she hopped up my deck's stairs.

"Hi, sweetie. Did you run away from home?"

She giggled, "No, silly. Mama's going to the store. She said Cuddles can keep you company."

I looked at the stairs and saw Sara smiling brightly.

"I thought you might like some company while you grilled your meat."

I smiled and said, "I'd rather it be you two, but I'll take the boy dog named Cuddles as a close second."

I lifted my table and put the hand hole of his leash under the leg. "Don't go anywhere now," I told him. He panted at me and yapped.

"You're supposed to say, 'sit,'" Shannon chided.

I laughed because as soon as she said sit, the yapper sat beside her.

"You have him trained well, Shannon," I offered.

Sara said, "He went through training before we brought him home."

"They forgot to teach him not to run away when his leash breaks," I teased.

"Hey! That was just because he smelled your steaks," she teased back.

"Brisket," I corrected.

"Whatever," she shrugged.

We laughed and she continued, "I'm going to impose terribly on you and come over here to make my world-famous potato salad."

I loved that idea but teased her. "I don't know. I mean, I have a lot to do, as you can tell."

She snorted, "Obviously, Mister sitting on his butt smoking a cigar."

She walked up and whispered, "Look, I feel like we've wasted a lot of time by not introducing ourselves sooner. I hope you feel the same way."

I kissed her cheek, "I do. I'd love for you to spend the morning with me. If you want, leave Shannon here and I'll watch her."

"Oh, my God! Would you? You have no idea what it's like shopping with a three-year-old."

I laughed, "It's been a while, but yeah I do."

She kissed my cheek and said, "Okay, then. I'll be back in a flash."

"Hey, what do you like to drink? I've was going to make John Daly's, and I have some white wine or beer."

"What's a John Daly?" she asked.

"Do you know what an Arnold Palmer is?"

She nodded.

"Add vodka."

"Sounds good to me," she said and gave Shannon instructions to be good for me.

"Okay, Shannon. What do you do on Saturday mornings?" I asked.

She looked at me, confused, and asked, "Is there cartoons on?"

"I'm sorry. I'd rather you stayed out here so I could watch you." I realized how much of an idiot I was. Of course, she watched cartoons on Saturday morning.

I pulled out my phone and asked, "Do you think there are cartoons on the YouTube?"

She giggled and said, "Uh, huh."

I opened up the app and asked, "What show?"

"Dora?" she asked.

I searched for it and handed her the phone. She smiled and sat on the deck next to her dog, who immediately climbed on her lap.

"Did you have breakfast?" I asked. She didn't look up but shook her head negatively. "Do you eat people food or dog food?"

"People food, silly," she giggled.

"Okay. Do you want a pork chop? Ooh! How about a big steak?" I teased.

She giggled again and shook her head. "That's dinner food. I eat cereal for breakfast."

"Cereal?" I mock gasped. "Cereal isn't people food."

She looked at me, confused, and asked, "Eggs are people food. Do you know how to cook eggs?"

"Eggs?" I shrieked. "Eggs aren't food. That's baby chickens. You're crazy."

She laughed and said, "Mama makes scrambled eggs all the time. She stirs them up good, so they don't have any white in them."

"Oh! You don't like white eggs, huh?"

She shook her head and her curls flopped around, cutely.

"Okay. If you must eat baby chickens, I'll cook some for you. Does Chauncey eat baby chickens too?"

"His name's not Chauncey," she giggled. "It's Cuddles."

"Right. Cuddles. Does Cuddles eat baby chickens?"

"He eats dog food," she said adamantly.

"Hmm?" I mused. "I don't have any dog food. I can make him some bacon. Do you think he'd like that?"

She shrugged her shoulders and went back to watching her show. I asked her to stay put and went inside to grab the fixings for breakfast. I cooked our breakfast outside on my flat-top grill and waited for Sara to return.

Shannon was a little angel, and the dog didn't whine or bark at all. I cut up some bacon and let it cool before tossing it in front of the dog. He appreciated it and as I was about to flip him another piece, Sara admonished me as she walked up my stairs.

"You're going to spoil him."

"Perfect timing," I said. "I took the liberty of making you breakfast."

"Smells great."

Shannon looked up and whined, "Mama, Misser Andy says eggs are baby chickens, not people food."

I shrugged my shoulders and smiled when Sara gave me a confused look. "He's just teasing. They're both, Sweetie."

Sara walked over to me and inspected the eggs. "You did well. She won't eat them if there's too much white."

"Yeah. She coached me. I hope you like veggies. I made us omelets. Of course, there's bacon too if Chauncey will let us share it with him."

"Cuddles!" Shannon groaned.

"Cuddles, got it. I'll remember next time."

Sara tried to hold her smile back. I was enjoying every moment with Shannon and realized I missed having a small child more than I ever could have imagined.

I served our breakfast and Sara moaned her appreciation. "This is amazing, Andy. How did you do this on that thing?" she asked nodding to my flat top grill.

I said, "I didn't cook these on the flat top, just her eggs. I used a pan on the side burner for ours."

"How do you get it so light and fluffy? I can never do it like this when I try"

I pointed to the blender on the side counter. "I use a blender to whip them, and I use cream instead of milk in the mix."

"Well, Sir, you can make breakfast for me anytime," she said with a coy grin.

I had to hold back my desire to turn her comment into a back-and-forth match of sexual innuendo and double entendre. I didn't want to do that in front of little ears. I did wink at her and nodded with a knowing smirk.

"How's the brisket coming?" she asked.

"It's good. In an hour, I'll pull out and wrap it."

She shook her head and smiled. I sighed and rolled my eyes. I tried to be good, but she was playful, and I liked it. I liked her very much. It was at that moment I knew I'd finally come out of the shell from my ex-wife's betrayal.

She smirked, "What if some juices escape too soon? Shouldn't you wrap it from the get-go and be protected."

I cocked my head and said, "Sometimes, you need the meat unwrapped to really get the best results."

She started laughing and couldn't stop. Shannon said, "Mama, I'm done."

Sara couldn't catch her breath, still laughing at my feeble attempts at flirting, so I said, "Did you like the eggs, Shannon?"

"Mama makes 'em better."

"Of course, she does, Sweetie," I said, and decided it was a good time to check my temperature on the smoker.

*****

After eating, my other neighbors left, and I cleaned the smoker and noticed I hadn't seen Sara and Shannon in a while. I looked around and didn't see anyone left in my yard, so I walked through the house. I found Sara sleeping on my couch with Shannon tucked into her.

I washed the dishes while Sara slept through Shannon's nap and wondered how they swept into my life so quickly. Sara had let it slip that she watched me cutting the grass, and her declaration of not wanting to waste any more time was definite interest in me beyond flirting.

She had an easy way about her, with a filter that barely contained her thoughts when she spoke. I liked the banter we had, and I enjoyed her company beyond that. Shannon was too adorable for words, and I knew I wouldn't have any problem spending time with her as well as her mother. I wondered how Trevor would react to the situation.

I poured myself a glass of beer and sat on the couch across from the sleeping ladies. I opened Kindle and read the latest Saddletramp book while I waited for them to wake.

Every few minutes, I found myself staring at the lovely woman across from me. She was so beautiful, and I found myself wondering of what she dreamed.

Was it her daughter? Was it me? I could only hope I was in her mind somewhere. I wanted to be.

I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket, and saw it was a call from Trevor.

"Hi, bud," I answered as I walked into the kitchen.

"What's up, Dad. I haven't heard from you in a while and figured I'd check in."

I laughed. "You haven't heard from me in a while because you don't return phone calls. I leave you a message every Saturday morning to check in."

"Yeah, sorry. Anyway, could you send me some money? I met a girl and we're going out tonight."

"Yeah, I'll make a transfer into your account. How are classes going? Are you settling in all right?"

"Yeah, everything's great. What about you? Find a girlfriend yet?"

He laughed. I wasn't sure whether to be annoyed or irritated.

"As a matter of fact, there is a lady I'm interested in. Sara from across the street."

"Sweet! The hot milf that's always checking you out? it's about time."

"Always checking me out?" I asked.

"Come on, Dad. The whole neighborhood knows she likes you. It's kind of a thing for everyone to see how long it would take for you guys to get together. There's even a pool going on for when your first date will be."

I thought about the reactions from some of my neighbors earlier when they saw she was here. I couldn't believe no one told me she liked me as if I were some sort of game. There was a lot of smiling and whispering among the crowd. I figured it was just rumormongering.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked. I was definitely irritated at that point.

He laughed. "I'm like everyone else. I thought of it as a cute little game. I knew eventually you guys would find each other; I even bought some dates in the pool. What finally brought you together anyway?"

"I saved her life. Look I gotta go, kiddo. I'll send you some money, have a good date."

I walked out my back door and around to the front of the house. I looked around, I have no idea what for, and saw my neighbor, Debbie, pruning her hedges.

"Debbie, how's it going?" I asked as I approached her.

"Great, Andy. Thanks for the barbecue today. We had a good time."

She smirked at me, and I frowned.

"Listen, Debbie. I heard some disturbing things just now, and I'm not sure how to take it. Can I ask you a question?"

She stood up, "Sure, what's up?"

"Did you know Sara, across the street, liked me and everyone on the street thought it was some sort of game to see when we'd hook up?"

"It's not like that, Andy. We thought it was cute that she watched you all the time and you were oblivious."

"It's my life and you thought it was a game and set up a pool?"

She laughed, "Yeah, the guys put that together though. Bill and I have all of next week."

"I can't fucking believe this. My life isn't a game for you guys to make money off."

"Lighten up, Andy. You and Sara are gonna get half the pot. We figure it will buy you a nice dinner for a date night."

She looked at me, then across the street.

"Oh, my God! You guys already got together!"

I shook my head, "Good luck finding out."

I walked back to the back of my house as she called me a spoil sport.

Maybe, I was overreacting to the whole thing. I mean, I'd have probably joined a similar pool for one of our other neighbors and sat back to watch the show. It just feels different when it's your life under the microscope. Maybe, I did need to lighten up.

*****

I sat on my deck to enjoy the day and finish my beer. I figured if Sara fell asleep, she needed the rest. I could only imagine what being a single parent to a small child would have been like for me. I shuddered at the thought.

It wasn't ten minutes before she came out the sliding back door.

"Hey, guy."

"Hey, yourself. How was your nap?"

"Good. I didn't plan on falling asleep though. I guess the alcohol hit me harder than I thought."

I laughed. "You only had two drinks. You were just tired and that's okay."

She smiled shyly and sat down.

"Can I get you anything," I asked.

She shook her head.

"Thank you for having us over."

"Anytime." I looked down and Cuddles was up from his nap. I took a piece of the hamburger I saved for him and fed him a piece.

"You're gonna spoil him," Sara chided again.

"What?" I mock pleaded. "It fell on the ground, and I hate to waste food."

She laughed and bent down to give Cuddles another piece, which gave me a nice view of her cleavage in the tank top she wore.

"Sara, I think I should tell you that our neighbors have a pool on when we will start dating."

She smiled.

"I know. I have today in the pool." She winked at me, and I groaned.

"Are you serious?"

She nodded, "Yep. I did it under my neighbor Chloe's name, but I'm in. I can't believe you didn't know about that." She laughed again.

"Nope. Even my son hid it from me."

"Well, are you going to let me win the pool? I'll split it with ya." Her smile could have lit up the yard.

"Not to be too corny, but if I go out with you so you can win the pool, I've already won."

"Ha!" She snorted. "Look at you trying to be smooth. So, is that a yes?"

Just then, Shannon was pressing her hands and face against the door with a bright, mischievous smile.

"Can you get a sitter, or should our first date include Shannon and Chauncey?" I asked.

"No way, buster. Our real first date will be just us. Yeah, my mom will be more than happy to babysit."

"Great. I'll get a reservation at Season's 52 for seven, okay?"

"Works for me. Walk me home so I can get ready. I'll come back at 6:30 fresh as the morning dew."

I opened the door and let the bubbly Shannon out. She went straight for the dog, and we walked around to the front of my house. I saw several neighbors working on their yards or sitting on their front porches and decided to have a little fun.

When we got to the middle of the street, I pulled Sara over to me and kissed her. To say she was shocked is an understatement, but I persisted and then she responded delightfully. The kiss felt as if it went on for hours, and I was lost in her lips.

We made out for a few moments before we heard people shouting and clapping. We made playful bows, and I walked them to their door. The lustful gaze she gave me as I waved goodbye bode very well for the night to come, I thought.

*****

The waiter finished pouring our wine, and Sara asked, "So, are you over your ex-wife yet? Or am I a rebound fling?"

I laughed, "Yeah, I'm over her. It was pretty easy to move on, I guess. I mean, she threw us away, so why dwell on it?"

"Threw you away?" she asked.

"Mm, hm," I affirmed, then told her the story.

"Jesus, what an idiot," she said when I finished. "From firsthand knowledge and hearing all about you from the neighbors, I think you're a hell of a catch."

"I like to think so," I laughed.

She turned serious for a moment and said, "My husband..."

"You don't have to," I cut her off. "I know what happened."

She forced a smile and said, "I'm sure you don't know it all because I haven't told anyone except my mother."

"Oh?" I was surprised.

She nodded, "We were already separated when he went back to Afghanistan. He cheated on me when he was stationed in Europe."

I shook my head in disbelief, "How could someone cheat on you?"

She shrugged, "I guess, being away for many months at a time wore him down. Anyway, I knew as soon as I saw him the last time, he cheated. He couldn't look me in the eye. I dragged the confession out of him and kicked him out of the house when he was in town on his last leave. I can't put up with cheating. I mean, I don't think we would have stayed together, but I guess anything could've happened."

I frowned, "I'm sorry."

She nodded. "Yeah, well, we moved here to be closer to my mom and the next thing I know the handsome neighbor I watch from afar is stabbing me with sharp objects."

"I had to break the ice somehow."

She laughed and I toasted, "To the cheaters that gave us up." She smiled and sipped her wine.

*****

I walked her to her door and said, "I had a great time..."

She cut me off, "Me too, and you're not leaving yet."

She opened the door and walked inside her house, leaving me wondering what just happened. She didn't even ask if I wanted nightcap. She just demanded I stay. Interesting.

"Hi, Mom. This is Andy. Andy, my Mom Cathy."

We exchanged pleasantries and Cathy filled her in on all of Shannon's activities from the evening.

"Well, I'll let you two get familiar," Cathy said and winked at me, "I'll be going."

"Thanks, Mom. Drive safe."

"You too, dear," Cathy said as she looked me up and down and giggled. 'Yikes,' I thought. Cathy was a cougar, to be sure.

Sara said, "Once I start drinking wine, I like to stick with it. Is a glass of wine okay?"

"Yes, thanks," I answered and walked into the living room to sit on the couch.

"Here you go," she said and handed me a large stemless glass. "It's just a Mondavi Cabernet."

I sipped it and said, "It's good, thanks."

She took the glass from my hand and set it on the table next to hers.

"Do you put out on the first date, Andy?"

I laughed, and said, "Only for the right woman."

She moved over, put her hand on my thigh, and nibbled my earlobe and licked my ear.

"Am I the right woman?" she breathed.

"So far, so good."

Her hand slipped up and cupped my hardening cock.

"How about now?" she whispered giving me a chill and making me harder.

"Oh, yeah."

She smiled and straddled me.

"Good," she said and pulled me into a deep kiss. "Would you like to take this to my bedroom?"

I nodded dumbly.

"Let's go, baby."

The door to her room was barely closed before her dress hit the floor.

"It's been a long time for me, Andy. I'm beyond on fire for you."

I looked at her standing before me in high heels, smokey thigh high stockings and no bra and panties. It was an incredible sight. Her shaved mons glistened in the dim light.

"You'd better lock the door," I said as I devoured her with my eyes.

When she turned to lock the door, I approached from behind and cupped her soft breasts.

"You are so beautiful," I whispered into her ear, then nuzzled her neck. The smell of her perfume almost overtook the smell of her arousal.

As I licked her neck below her jawline, I snaked a hand down and rubbed her wet folds. She leaned her head back, moaned, and shivered as I found her clit with my middle finger.

She turned her head to kiss me, as I pinched her nipple and strummed her button.

"Mm," she moaned into my mouth. "Oh, Andy! I'm so close."

I dropped to my knees, turned her, and lifted her leg onto my shoulder to give me access to her dripping pussy. Her taste was milder than I expected, and I lapped it up greedily.