Daddy's Girl Ch. 01

"Err... yes... umm... thanks." Was about all he could manage by way of a response as he stared at her completely tongue tied.

"You're welcome." She smiled and, blushing slightly, quickly turned away to continue looking through the racks of women's costumes.

"Daddy!" Jessica's voice jerked him out of his trance and he realised he had been staring, open mouthed, after the stranger.

"Can I have a red one then?" his daughter asked tugging on his hand.

"Yes, yes sweetheart of course you can."

A few minutes later Danny was kneeling in a changing cubicle busily helping a very excited little girl try on her new swimming costumes for her holiday.

"This one's a little bit small sweetheart. Stay right there I'll get the next size up."

He pulled back the curtain and stepped outside walking straight into the brunette from earlier.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." The girl said as they collided, holding up her hands containing the two bikinis she had chosen.

"I think I prefer the leopard print one. It will suit your eyes." Danny grinned and winked, glancing at the two skimpy costumes she was carrying before looking back at the girl.

She immediately went a deep shade of scarlet and speedily hid both of the garments behind her back, "Oh... right yeah... thanks I... err... I think I do to."

For a second or two they shuffled around trying to get past each other before, totally embarrassed, she hurried off to the cash desk leaving him staring after her yet again.

"Daddy... my costume." His daughter's voice reminded him that he was supposed to be getting her another size and, putting the girl out of his mind for the moment, he went back to the clothes rail.

By the time they had finished and came to pay for everything there was no sign of the young woman and Danny found himself strangely disappointed that she had gone.

The remaining few days until the holiday flew by as Jessica became more and more excited about the impending trip. She insisted that Danny show her the photographs of the resort every night before bed, refusing to go to sleep if he didn't.

"Right, that's about it I think." Danny declared as he shut the suitcase, "If we've forgotten it, we'll have to go without."

"Well, I'm sure that you can buy most things you might need there." His mother reassured him.

"Yeah, I expect so." Mumbling he was still trying to think of anything he might have missed.

"What time's the taxi coming?" Christine fussed as she brushed her grand-daughter's hair.

"In about ten minutes." He told her as he hefted their suitcases down to the hallway ready for the cab.

"And your flight's when?" his mother called down to him, asking for what seemed the hundredth time.

"Ten to ten." He shouted back to her.

Just then the doorbell rang signalling that their taxi to the airport was there.

"Hurry up Jessica, we're going now."

He called up to her as she came racing excitedly down the stairs.

"You'll have a good time, won't you?" his mother hugged him tearfully.

"Of course we will, won't we sweetheart?" he picked up his daughter as she squealed with excitement.

"We're going on a airplane nanny." Jess informed her, "All the way over the sea."

"I know you are." Christine Wells smiled and kissed her, "You be a good girl for daddy and have a lovely time."

Turning to her son she hugged him, "Take care, have a great time and look after her."

"You think I won't?"

She shook her head, "No, you're a wonderful father and I know how much she means to you."

Giving his mother one last kiss on the cheek while the driver loaded their bags, he lifted his daughter into the back of the cab and carefully strapped her in.

"Bye mum."

"Bye nanny.... bye." Jessica yelled waving furiously as the car pulled away.

Christine Wells stood on the door step and watched until the taxi disappeared in the distance before going inside.

Now she would have to worry about them until they were home again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At home on the Friday evening Lucy was busy preparing a meal when the doorbell rang.

'Shit!'

Groaning inwardly, she went to answer it, she knew who it was and exactly what they wanted.

"Come on in." Moving back from the open door she invited Annabelle inside, "I'm making enough food for two."

Her friend grinned and lifted a bottle of white wine, "I come bearing gifts if that helps?"

For the next twenty minutes or so the two girls finished cooking their dinner as they enjoyed a glass of wine before sitting themselves down to eat.

"You have to go shopping." Annabelle told Lucy between mouthfuls of food, "You're going away in a few days and you haven't bought a thing yet."

"I don't need anything." Lucy shrugged as she protested, "And besides I've been too busy, what with leaving work and organising the flat."

"Well, that's simply not good enough. We're going tomorrow and that's final."

Pulling a face Lucy objected, "Do I really have to?"

"Yep." Annabelle grinned, "You do. I'll pick you up here at nine."

"Fine."

The response was said with a sigh of resignation.

Finishing the lasagne and salad that Lucy had cooked, the two of them cleared away the dishes before settling down to finish the bottle of wine before opening another.

"If I have to go shopping, I have to make a list of the things I need to get." Lucy put down a sheet of paper and a pen on the small coffee table.

"Well, there's sun creams and stuff for a start." Annabelle suggested, starting to write.

"Ok." Lucy agreed, taking the list back, "What else?"

Her friend continued to propose several different ideas, some of which she wrote down and others she disregarded and by the time she had finished the list was quite long.

"We're going to need all day to get this lot." Lucy laughed as she put down the pen.

"Oh, and don't forget to put down a couple of new bikinis." Annabelle added as an afterthought.

"What! No way... I'll buy a swimsuit." Lucy started to write it down.

"Nope you need bikinis. If you're going to find yourself a man out there you need to show the merchandise off properly."

"The merchandise!" Lucy replied with a somewhat outraged tone, "That's charming. You make me sound like a tin of beans or something."

"True though." Annabelle grinned.

They both laughed as she snatched the paper away from her and added 'bikinis' completing the list.

With that the two of them relaxed, finishing off the wine before Annabelle said goodnight and headed off home leaving Lucy to go to bed.

It was almost on the dot of nine the following morning when her friend returned to the flat to ensure that a somewhat reluctant, and slightly hungover, Lucy went shopping.

Starting with a badly needed coffee they took their time browsing through a number of smaller boutique type shops and had several bags containing a mixture of skirts, tops and dresses by the time they went into the town's only large department store.

"Swimwear." Annabelle declared, "You haven't bought those bikinis that you need yet."

"I know." Lucy replied hesitantly, "I'll take a look at the swimsuits."

"Bikinis hon, with a shape like yours you need to show it off."

"What shape?" she laughed putting her hand on her hip and striking a modelling pose with her slim 34B-24-34 figure, "I've got no boobs and no curves."

Annabelle shook her head despairingly, "Don't put yourself down babe. You're bloody gorgeous."

Making their way up to the first floor the pair found the beachwear section and started to browse through the rails and carousels of swimming costumes.

"I'm just going to look over here." Annabelle told her moving away across the shop floor as Lucy continued to scan through the numerous items on display, "Just remember no swimsuits."

Lucy grinned back at her, admitting defeat, "Ok, I'll stick to the bikinis."

It was then that she looked up and noticed a man with his young daughter browsing amongst the children's costume's, obviously doing exactly the same as she was.

"Ok. Well, we need one more. Then you had better try them on. Just to be sure." The father said to the small blonde-haired child.

"Why can't I have two the same?" she couldn't help but smile at the child's innocent question.

"Err well... I... I..."

The rather cute guy was clearly struggling to think of an answer for the little girl.

"Because if you do you won't know which one you wore the day before."

Lucy couldn't help but answer the simple question for him.

He turned around and stared at her and, suddenly, Lucy felt her heart start to pound against her ribcage as she looked into his penetrating grey-blue eyes, feeling something stir deep within her.

"I.... err." His mouth opened and closed but he barely managed to make a sound as they stared at each other.

Suddenly embarrassed at interrupting him she laughed and put her hand up to her lips, "Sorry. I thought you needed an answer."

"Err... yes... umm... thanks." Was the only thing he said by way of a response.

"You're welcome." She smiled and, blushing slightly as she felt her pulse start to race, she turned away to continue looking through the rails of women's costumes.

"Who was that?" Annabelle asked coming across looking over her friend's shoulder at the man Lucy had been talking to, "He's bloody gorgeous."

Lucy laughed, "Down girl. He's married and he's with his daughter."

"Damn! Why are all the good ones taken?"

Sifting through the rest of the swimwear Lucy selected a couple of bikinis and disappeared into the changing rooms to try them on while Annabelle wandered off to look at some clothes for herself.

Behind the curtain, in the cubicle, Lucy thought about the stranger as she put on both of the costumes, one a skimpy two-piece comprising mainly of string, in a leopard print, while the other bikini was only slightly more conservative, in black.

Deciding she would buy both she dressed hurriedly and, pulling the curtain back, stepped outside only to walk straight into the cute guy from earlier.

"Oh, I'm so sorry."

She told him quickly, as they collided, holding up her hands containing the two bikinis she had chosen as he held her arms.

"I think I prefer the leopard print one. It will suit your eyes." He grinned and winked at her.

Almost immediately her cheeks turned a deep shade of scarlet and she hastily hid both of her hands behind her back as she stammered, "Oh... right yeah... thanks I... err... I think I do to."

For the next second or two they shuffled around trying to get past each other and she could feel her pulse racing again as she tried not to gaze into his eyes. Finally, totally embarrassed, she hurried off to the cash desk, only looking back when she reached the till.

Taking her time, she paid for her items and went to find her friend, casually looking around to see if the stranger was there but, much to her disappointment, he hadn't re-appeared by the time she left.

The next few days raced by with Lucy busy finishing up at her old school and getting herself organised ready for her holiday.

With her case packed ready to go she sat alone on the evening before her departure sipping her wine and wondering, not for the first time, what she was doing going away all by herself.

Have a holiday fling her best friend had suggested but she knew that wasn't going to happen. Casual sex had never been her thing and the couple of men she had slept with before Jason had both been longer term relationships.

With that final thought in her mind she went to bed, knowing she had an early start the next morning.� � � � � � � � � � � � �

She was up by five and was dressed and ready by the time her friend arrived.

"What time is your flight?" Annabelle shouted as she waited by the front door, car keys in hand.

"Err... five past nine I think." Came the reply from the bedroom.

"In that case you need to hurry up. We really need to get going if you're going to be on time for it." Annabelle told her loudly.

"Coming."

Lucy struggled out dragging her suitcase along behind her.

Loading her bag into the boot she slipped in alongside her friend, fastening her seatbelt as Annabelle put her car into gear and pulled away from the kerb to drive to the airport.

"Now you're sure you have everything? Passport, tickets, money?" her friend questioned her when she finally stopped outside the terminal building to drop Lucy off.

"Yes, I've checked half-a-dozen times." She laughed as she slipped out of her seat, "Stop worrying."

"Just being cautious."

"Well, everything's fine." She confirmed, not feeling it, as she retrieved her case from the back of the car.

The two girls hugged for a moment.

"Don't forget to find yourself a man while your there." Annabelle told her with a grin, "You need to get back on the horse."

"I told you I can't ride a horse." Lucy giggled and hugged her friend again one last time before heading nervously in to the airport.