I Won the Lottery

That was as far as I could go right now, so I grabbed a beer and retired to the porch swing to watch the shadows lengthening. I finished my beer and went back inside to set out the dishes and to check on the sauce. As I tasted the sauce, Karen knocked on the door.

"Come on in and make yourself at home!" I called out to her.

She walked through the front door wearing a short yellow sundress that accented her dark tan and tossed a small travel bag on the couch.

"Hi, whatever is cooking smells great. Do you mind if I take a quick shower? I rinsed off in the pond but I still feel sticky from the tanning oil."

"Its spaghetti and use the bathroom over there, I already have towels and all that in there."

She went into the bedroom I had setup as my own, as I stirred the sauce and turned the fire on to boil water for the pasta. I took the salad fixing out of the icebox and played slice and dice for a short time. Returning everything to the refrigerator, I grabbed two beers, walked over to the bedroom door, and ask Karen if she wanted one.

She was blow-drying her hair and didn't hear me. I walked closer to the wall separating the rooms and asked again. She looked at me in the mirror and I held up the beer. She nodded and continued to work on her wet hair. I walked over and set the bottle down on the top of the wall with a long glance over it at Karen, again dressed in a towel. I grinned as some of my earlier thoughts came flooding back along with the slight stiffening of my manhood. I shook my head and headed back to the kitchen. The water was hot, so I tossed in the pasta, what I hoped was enough for three, since her daughter was coming by. I popped the French bread in the oven and set it to toast. Now all I had to do was keep everything from burning and I had it made.

Karen came out of the bedroom and sat down on a stool next to me. Her long red hair came down below her shoulder blades and was fluffed out as only naturally curly hair can. The scent of fresh scrubbed flesh and soap wafted my way as she leaned over to glance into the kitchen. The square cut top of the sundress drooped open to frame her tanned breasts. The yellow color just made the tan appear deeper.

"It looks like you pretty much have everything under control. You'll make some lady an excellent second husband someday." She finished with a chuckle.

"Second husband?"

"Of course, every woman needs two, one to cook, and one to clean." She said with a laugh. "Maybe even a third one to take care of the special things and needs in the bedroom."

I looked at her sideways and asked. "Are you joking or is it just wishful thinking?"

She grinned and answered. "I'll never tell." Just then, a bell rang loudly outside and I jumped.

Karen laughed. "Don't be alarmed, it's just the front gate warning bell. For some reason the people who had this place, had it installed so it rang when the gate was opened. It's probably my daughter with your aloe vera," she said, looking around for a clock.

I got up and checked the clock on the stove as I removed the bread from the oven. "Seven forty-five, more or less."

I was straining the pasta when there was a knock on the door. Karen said loudly, "Come on in Mary."

Mary came through the door with a big grin on her face. As she walked across the room to hand the bottle of aloe vera to her mom, she kept glancing from one of us to the other. Karen took the bottle from her and asked, "What?"

Mary just looked at her mom, then at me, grinning from ear to ear. Karen shook her head and laughed as she turned toward me and said, "My daughter the matchmaker, you'll have to excuse her; she seems to have this mission of getting me safely remarried before I fall into sin or something."

I chuckled. "I know all about it. When my wife passed away, my two kids went through the same thing for a while. Mine finally gave up. She will too, sooner or later."

"I just want Mom to be happy again," Mary said, as she came into the kitchen to see what was cooking. I gave her a taste of the sauce and she stole a small piece of the garlic bread before retreating back around the counter.

"You are staying for supper, right?" I asked her.

She nodded with a grin and around a bite of the bread she continued, "Mom is a great lady and deserves to be happy and not lonely like she is now."

"Mary, hush!" Karen said. "What I really need is a muzzle for my daughter!" she finished, with a laugh.

When Mary stuck her tongue out at her mom, I had to laugh. "Ok, let's take a time out and see if this mess I made is fit to eat. Come and get it."

Karen came into the kitchen and grabbed a plate, saying, "It sure smells good." She fixed herself a plate and moved back to the bar to sit down. I fixed my plate and joined her, glancing into the living room at Mary. "Are you going to eat? There's plenty here so help yourself."

Mary wandered into the kitchen pausing to hug her mom on the way. "Can he cook, Mom? The way you like to eat, that could be a plus you know." She went on to fix her plate, as Karen gave her a hard look.

"Yes he can cook; the spaghetti is delicious, as is the garlic bread. Now what do you mean by 'the way I like to eat'?"

Mary laughed and sat down by her mom. Leaning over she laid her head on Karen's shoulder and said, "Well, you do like to eat and since dad died you've been eating like a bird and working all the time. You've even fixed a lot of stuff around here that you didn't have to. You have lost a lot of weight, if you hadn't noticed."

Karen looked quickly at me, then at her daughter, and then turned to ask me, "You saw me naked today; do I look thin and wasted away to you?"

I half choked on the bite of garlic bread I had in my mouth and went into a fit of coughing before I could answer. "Uh, well, uh, no, you looked fine to me."

Mary dropped her fork and stared at her mother with her mouth hanging open. Karen laughed and gently pressed on her daughter's jaw to close her mouth. "See, Larry thinks I look fine."

Mary sputtered a moment then found her voice. "Naked? What were you doing naked and what was he doing there with you?" she asked, in a loud rush.

Karen laughed, shook her head, and then turned to me saying, "See; now she thinks I've fallen into sin. A lady can't get some sun without her daughter jumping to conclusions; not to mention the fact that I got slipped up on by the new land owner."

Mary looked from her mom to me and back again. "Oh, you were out at the pier sunbathing and he walked up on you. That's a relief; I wasn't sure what to think there for a moment."

She paused a second and I could see the wheels turning behind her eyes. "He was naked too wasn't he? That's what the aloe vera is for. I knew you didn't need it and I was wondering." She looked over at me and grinned. "Did you burn anything important?"

Karen chuckled and looked at her daughter. "I don't think that's any of your business and while I'm at it, I think you owe us both an apology for what you were thinking. I hope you know me far better than that."

Mary's grin faded fast as she looked into her mom's eyes. She dropped her gaze and said softly, "Yes Mom, I know you better than that and I'm sorry. Larry, I apologize to you also. I know Mom; I have a big mouth and I need to shut up and listen more. If I did though, I'd never learn anything!" She looked up through her lashes with a shy smile.

Karen chuckled and shook her head. "What am I going to do with you? I can't take you anywhere or leave you at home without you getting into trouble. Just remember it's my life and I'm taking it one day at a time; so quit worrying about me. Remember, I'm the mom and you're the daughter. I'm supposed to be raising you, not the other way round."

Mary and Karen hugged each other for a moment as I sat and watched with a smile on my face. They had a very good and close relationship. They also looked more like sisters than mother and daughter. As they moved apart, Karen continued. "Ok, now that the family hour is over, let's eat this great spaghetti before it gets cold and we make the cook mad."

Turning to me, her look got serious for a moment. "By the way, I just looked fine to you, not great or gorgeous, just fine? Damn, I've got to work on that. I thought I was in pretty good shape for a woman my age."

I sat there looking into her eyes for a short span of time before I said anything. "First of all, you took me by surprise when you said something like that in front of your daughter. Second of all, I liked to have choked to death on that toast and third of all, you are one of the most gorgeous women I've ever seen, in or out of their clothes. If you could have read my mind on the walk back to the house, you'd either be blushing like hell or knocking my block off. Alright now, is that a better answer to your question?" I said in a rush.

Now it was Karen's turn to sit and stare with her mouth open as Mary laughed and closed it. Karen took a quick glance at her daughter and then returned her gaze to me. "I guess that's what I get for asking a loaded question." She paused a moment then asked, "Is that job offer still open?"

When I nodded Mary asked, "What job?"

Karen ignored her. "You want to do it on an hourly basis or salary?"

I grinned. "We are talking about the job, right?" When Karen laughed, I went on. "I'm kind of new at this hiring thing, as I've always been an employee myself. Were you on salary with the last owners?"

Karen looked at me sharply for a moment, and then said, "You know, I could lie and end up taking your money for nothing." When I didn't say anything, she continued. "Yes, I was on salary, plus some benefits and privileges. It wasn't much, but then I wasn't expected to do much more than keep an eye on the place and the rain out of the buildings. My husband was an excellent all around handyman and I did learn some from him, but I'm not a real maintenance person. I wouldn't feel right taking the job and not doing it well."

I got up, took my plate over to the sink, and rinsed it. Turning around I leaned against the counter and said, "Ok, then we'll start at an hourly rate and see what we can get done. I have a partial list of repairs that I made earlier. Tomorrow we'll start with a walk around and through all the buildings and see, what else needs to be done and what you think you can handle. How does that sound?"

She looked from me to her daughter and back again. "Well, I do like the extra money and us being able to use the property to sunbathe and to take walks. Ok, it's a deal but how about if we start Monday, it's my day in the store tomorrow and I need to do my inventory and make my orders."

"Ok, Monday will be fine. I have to make a trip into town one day this coming week to pickup some things for the house and to stock up on stuff you don't carry at the store."

Mary piped up and said, "Why don't you two go into town Sunday? You can do your shopping and she can pick up some of the things we need instead of getting it delivered which costs more."

I looked at Karen and grinned. She grinned back before saying, "That's my little matchmaker." She paused a moment then continued, "It is a good idea though. I can even show you around and keep you out of trouble." She ended with a laugh.

I laughed along with her. "Do I seem the type that needs someone to look after them?" When they both just grinned, I said, "Ok, I know when I'm outvoted. If you two are through eating, let's have those plates so I can do the dishes."

Karen chuckled and said, "There's an automatic dishwasher just to the left of the sink if you hadn't noticed." I turned and looked; sure enough, there was, and I hadn't noticed. Karen laughed and said to Mary, "He cooked so you get to load the dishwasher, how about that?"

Mary groaned but picked up their two plates and carried them into the kitchen. "Children, the last slave group on earth," she said, mostly under her breath.

"I heard that," Karen said, before looking up at me. "Got another one of those beers? We might as well adjourn to the porch, so we don't have to listen to her griping."

I laughed because it all sounded so familiar from when my son and daughter had still been around. "Some things never change," I said, as I opened the refrigerator and snagged two beers.

Karen and I went out onto the porch and sat down in the swing. Now that the sun had gone down it was getting cool. It was a clear night with a soft wind out of the southeast. I leaned over and looked up at the sky full of stars. This was the first time I had been here after dark and it was beautiful. There were some lights scattered among the buildings but other than that, it was pitch black. The sounds of the wind in the trees and the crickets were soft and soothing. We sipped our beer and didn't say anything.

In about ten minutes, Mary appeared at the door and looked out at us. "I was wondering if you two had fallen asleep or something; it sure was quiet. I put the leftovers in the icebox and the dishes are washing so I'm going to head on home. I have to study for my finals. Will I see you later Mom?"

Her mom chuckled and said, "Yes dear, you will see me later, that is if I don't fall asleep sitting here in my rocking chair."

I laughed at Mary's frown. "I didn't mean it that way and you know it, Mom."

Karen laughed, and said, "If I took it any other way, it would be worse."

Mary looked puzzled a moment then her eyes got large and she stammered, "I didn't mean it that way either. Boy, grownups are sure touchy."

Karen and I both chuckled at that and Mary just shook her head and stepped off the porch heading to her car. Starting the car, she backed out and flipped on the headlights; with a toot of the horn, she was off down the road.

Karen sighed, and said, "My daughter, my daughter, what would I ever do without you? She's a good kid and means well but sometimes I don't know what to do with her. She'll graduate from college this fall and she already has job offers. She's growing up so fast in some ways and in other ways she scares me."

I chuckled and added, "Kids, you can't live with them, and you can't live without them, and it's far too late to drown them." Karen laughed and stood up to stretch. Silhouetted against the light from the open door, the thin sundress was a halo around the bare figure underneath. I grinned but didn't say anything.

She must have caught a glimpse of my face because she looked around at me and asked, "What?"

I continued to grin and said, "Just admiring the view, that's all." She looked blank for a moment then looked over her shoulder at the door. With a laugh, she raised her hands over her head and stretched up onto her toes before turning in a slow circle.

"Very beautiful, sexy, and sensuous," I said, softly.

She smiled and then chuckled as she stepped away from the door and me. "You could be a very dangerous man, I think." She moved over and leaned against the rail. "What you said about fantasies and thoughts about me earlier, has me intrigued. As for whether I'd blush or slap you, now that's a whole other story. I haven't blushed since I was fifteen or sixteen and I can't remember the last time I knocked someone's block off, as you put it. Anyway, it might be interesting to find out just what kind of thoughts you were having. Who knows I might have been having the same ones about you."

I looked at her for a blink or two, and then chuckled. "You know, I hadn't thought about that. Just what kind of fantasies would a good- looking woman like you have about a fat old man like me? More likely you had a good laugh at my first impression."

Smiling she said, "Don't give me that fat old man routine. I've seen the whole package remember, and you're not in bad shape for a city slicker." She finished with a laugh. "A little time out here in the fresh air and sunshine, along with some healthy exercise and some hard work; we'll have you in tip top shape in no time."

I laughed and worked my shoulders under the tee shirt. "Right now I need to get some of that aloe on my sunburn, it's starting to tingle and itch. As for being a city slicker, let me tell you that I was raised on a farm. It may have been a long time ago, but this ain't my first hayride believe me."

She stood there looking down at me for a moment then said, "Come on, lets go back inside and I'll rub some on your back. You'll have to do the rest for yourself though or I might not make it home tonight and Mary would have a fit."

I stood up just as she stepped forward, the gate bell rang loudly, causing me to jump again, and we collided. My arm went around her waist, as she grabbed my shoulder for support. We stood there for a few seconds looking deep into each other's eyes before we both drew back and made hasty apologies. We stopped and looked at each other for a moment and then broke up laughing.

Karen shook her head slowly and turned to go inside saying, "I'm not sure who was more flustered, you, or me. I take back what I said earlier about blushing. I think I just did."

I followed her inside as the memory of her warm body touching mine whirled around in my head. Had she been that warm or was it just my sunburn?

I was grinning at that thought when she turned around. She looked at me a moment then said, "There you go again with that cat that ate the canary look. I know you can't see through my dress like earlier, so what is it?"

I told her about my whirling head and the question about her warmth or the sunburn and she laughed. "I'd have to say it's probably a little of both. It's been a long time since I've been around a man like you. Like I said, you're dangerous. A good looking guy and a nice guy rolled into one; that could get a girl into all kinds of trouble."

I smiled and said, "That goes both ways, you know." I pulled the tee shirt over my head and turned around. "You're one hell of a woman and any man would be proud and happy to get into trouble with you. I know I would."

The cold shock of the aloe made me jump and Karen laugh. "This will cool you down," she said, as she rubbed the lotion onto my back and shoulders. She took her time and seemed to linger at it for longer than necessary. Finally, she took her hands off me and sighed. "I had better be getting home before Mary's worse fears come true."

I turned around to find her still standing inches from me. I looked into her eyes and knew she wanted me to kiss her and I knew she could see the same in mine. I also knew it was not the right time or place so I stepped back and said, "Let me walk you out to your truck."

She sighed again and shook her head. "You better not, it's going to be hard enough to leave as it is."

With a grin, her head darted forward and she gave me a peck on the lips before grabbing her bag off the couch and fleeing out the door.

Daylight Saturday morning found me sitting on the porch swing having coffee. I had rubbed the aloe over the rest of my body after Karen left and had one more beer before going to bed. I hadn't checked the time but I know it was early; I had woken up at the crack of dawn and couldn't go back to sleep. The aloe had soothed the sunburn but the dreams of Karen were something else altogether, what I could remember of them anyway. I hadn't even dressed yet, just applied another coat of aloe, and shaved.

I was working on my third cup and wondering what I would spend the day doing, when the phone rang. It startled me for a moment, as it was unlisted and I couldn't remember giving the number to anyone but the lawyer.

I picked it up and was surprised to hear Karen's voice say, "Hello, Larry?"

A grin spread across my face on its own, as I replied, "Hi."

Then I heard Mary's voice in the background. "I told you that was the number. It was written on a note pad on the counter where I ate supper."