Like Father, Like Son

She paused then said, "But I do dearly love my daughter, and the last thing I want to do is alienate her over a decision that's hers alone to make. I don't necessarily like her decision, and I wish things were different, but I do trust her and...and I respect her judgment so, okay, yes...I can give this some time. Just please don't ask me to be supportive. I can be tolerant, but anything more is...."

Savannah nearly jumped up to hug her mother.

"Thank you, Mom," she said with tears in her eyes.

Her emotion hit Sarah hard and within seconds she was also blinking away tears.

"Michael? Would it be possible to get another glass of wine?" she said desperately wanting to remain in control.

"Coming right up!" he said.

"I'll come with you," Savannah said happily as she grabbed her mom's glass and followed him to the kitchen.

"You okay?" Tyler asked once he and Sarah were alone.

"Oh. Yes. I'm fine. Thank you for asking, though," she said as she gently wiped the corner of her eye.

Tyler grabbed a box of tissue near him and offered it to her.

Sarah pulled one out and thanked him.

"Are you okay?" she asked Tyler. "With...this?"

"Not really," he said honestly. "But as I said before, I just want my dad to be happy. And I've gotta say I've never seen him like this since...well, maybe...ever."

"I hate to admit it, but the same is true with Savannah. She's had so many different boys in and out of her life and she's always been a pleasant, thoughtful girl, but she seems so different now. She's...balanced and...so...content."

"Then who knows, right? My dad said something that really hit home the other day about how there's no guarantee he'd be any happier or even as happy with someone his own age."

Sarah finished dabbing her eyes, smiled bravely, then said, "Maybe he has a point. Perhaps we're the ones who aren't seeing clearly."

"Maybe," Tyler said finding it hard to disagree. "It's just difficult to accept something that seems so radically outside the norm, you know?"

"Oh, trust me. I definitely know," she said finally smiling.

"What about you, Tyler? Is there anyone in your life?" she asked ready to move on to something else.

"No. Not lately anyway. I thought I was love a couple of years ago, but it didn't work out. It was probably for the best. My research took up virtually every waking moment and since then, I haven't had any real opportunity to look. You?"

"Not really. It took me two years after my husband passed away to even think about going on a date, and when I finally did, I...I hated it."

Sarah smiled then nearly laughed when she said, "It was almost surreal, you know? Here I was 40 years old dating guys who reminded me of my father."

"Not your husband?" he asked not quite sure he understood.

"No. I...I never saw him as 'my age', you know? We grew old...er—together." Sarah laughed then said, "When you grow older with someone, you don't really notice it. But when I started dating men my age, it was like I was still in college and these guys were my...."

"Professors?" Tyler said kind of wincing knowing how sore a subject this was with her.

She laughed again then said, "Exactly! So when I see my daughter with your father...."

"Who wants more wine?" Micheal said as he and Savannah came back in.

"Oh, yes. Thank you," Sarah said taking her glass which she'd barely touched from her daughter.

"Mom? Did I hear you laughing in here?" Savannah asked, her head tilted slightly.

"I may have," she said taking a sip after thanking Michael for the top off.

"So this wasn't all bad then, was it?" she asked still trying to lead her mother in a specific direction.

Sarah looked over at Tyler then said, "No. Not...all of it."

"I um, I actually enjoyed our little chat," Tyler announced. He glanced over at Sarah and smiled and was pleased to get one in return.

"I'll drink to that," Sarah said offering a toast of sorts.

"Here, here!" Michael said touching his glass to Savannah's.

Tyler stood, took a step in Sarah's direction, then touched his glass to hers.

The next hour or so was much more pleasant as the wine allowed everyone to relax and the conversation stayed light and easy.

By the time Sarah announced she really needed to get going, everyone was disappointed to learn their evening was ending.

"In spite of the unusual circumstances, I really had a very nice time," Sarah said in the foyer as she got ready to go.

Savannah had told her she planned to stay a while longer and her mother not only didn't react negatively, she found herself almost happy for her daughter. Almost.

"I did, too, Sarah," Michael told her. "It truly was a pleasure meeting you."

"You know, Michael, I so wanted to hate you when I got here," Sarah confessed. "But I can't. In fact, I have to confess my daughter could do a whole lot worse."

Everyone looked around at the others standing there before Sarah laughed.

"Oh my. Ummm...can someone please help my remove my foot from my mouth?" Sarah said as the others laughed, too.

Sarah let Tyler help her with her coat.

"Would you mind if I walked you out?" he said once it was on.

"Um...no. Not at all," she said pleasantly.

She wished Michael a goodnight, thanked him again, then gave her daughter a hug.

"I'm glad you asked me to do this, honey," she said quietly.

"I'm glad you agreed to do it, Mom. Thank you."

Tyler opened the door for her and felt a cold blast of December weather.

"Do you need a coat?" Sarah asked Tyler as she pulled her arms in tight and stuffed her hands in the coat's pockets.

"Only if you plan to keep me outside for any length of time," he teased.

Tyler opened her car door and helped her in. Before the door closed Sarah said, "Your father is a very decent man. I...I'm still not totally comfortable with all this, but I'm glad I met him."

She looked up, smiled, then said, "You too, Tyler. You're a very fine young man yourself."

She smiled warmly then said, "Like father, like son."

"Since my dad is the greatest man I know, I'm taking that as a compliment," he told her as he shivered in the bitter cold.

"You should. That's how I meant it."

He went to close her door then said, "It was really nice meeting you, Sarah."

"You, too, Tyler," she replied.

He went to close it again then for some inexplicable reason stopped.

"Sorry. I know it's freezing cold out here. I was just wondering. Would you um...well, would you maybe like to get together again sometime?"

"What? As in...get together...together?"

"Well, yes. Nothing formal. Just maybe to kind of get to know one another a little better. Nothing serious. Just a chance to talk a little more."

Sarah was freezing. She hated the cold. But as she looked up at him he reminded her of her husband so many years ago with one exception. Her late husband was nowhere near as tall or as handsome as Tyler Turner. Okay, he was nowhere near as smart—or perhaps 'well-educated' was the better way to say it—than him. She found herself both intrigued and confused by his request.

"Oh, I don't know, Tyler. I'm not sure that's such a good idea. Thank you for the offer, though."

"Yeah. Sure. That's okay. I just thought I'd ask since I really enjoyed talking with you," he said trying not to let his disappointment show. "Stay warm!" he said as he finally closed the door.

He stood there shivering until Sarah started the car and put it in reverse.

He smiled and waved when she looked at him, and she returned both. She began backing out and Tyler started turning to go back inside when she stopped the car, rolled the window down a just a crack, then called out, "When you mentioned getting together, what did you have in mind?"

By the time Tyler got back to her car she regretted her decision to say anything but it was too late to 'unsay' it.

"If you don't mind, I'll get your number from Savannah and give you a call," he said.

Sarah panicked at the thought of Tyler asking Savannah for her phone number, but before she could retract her question, Tyler was backing up and waving goodbye again.

"Oh, my heavens. What did I just do?" she said as she backed out of the driveway after turning the heater on full blast. On the way home she consoled herself with the hope that Tyler either wasn't serious about getting together or that he'd change his mind or possibly even just forget.

Back inside Tyler's first need was to warm up. He was chilled to the bone and walked into the kitchen blowing on his hands.

"Well, that wasn't so...."

As he looked up he saw Savannah and his father engaged in a game of what his high school friends had called 'tonsil hockey'.

It was obvious they hadn't heard him come back in, and Savannah pulled back the moment she knew he was there.

"Bad," Tyler said finishing the sentence he'd begun.

"What wasn't so bad?" his father asked.

"Nothing," he said with a smile. "Nothing at all."

"Tyler, we were just...."

"I know what it's called, Dad," he said with a smile.

He winked at Savannah then turned around to leave. Then he stopped again and said, "Before I forget, would it be possible to exchange some phone numbers? You know, just in case?"

Moments later, he had both Sarah's and Savannah's without having to specifically ask for her mother's number or explain why he wanted it.

"Thanks. And...carry on, you two" he said almost smugly as he walked out humming loudly.

"Wow. That was...uncomfortable," Savannah said.

"No kidding. My son is up to something. I have no idea what, but he's definitely up to something."

Savannah smiled then put her arms back around Michael's neck then told him, "I believe we were up to something before we were so rudely interrupted."

Michael put his arms around her lower back and pulled her close as he said, "I believe you're correct, young lady."

Savannah laughed sweetly just before their lips met followed soon after by their tongues as they intertwined in a kind of dance of love.

Their research went into full gear the following day once the math had been reworked. Tyler hadn't forgotten about Sarah, he'd just been too busy to call.

After the third day, Sarah breathed a sigh of relief believing he'd changed his mind. While she really was relieved, a part of her felt...cheated. It didn't make any sense to her, but at some level she had to admit she'd had a very nice time at their home, and more specifically, talking to Tyler. But this was just as well if not preferable to getting together again only to learn they had nothing in common outside of the very unusual relationship their loved ones were choosing to remain engaged in. That bothered her much more than Tyler forgetting. But his forgetting did bother her to some degree. Then again, what could they possibly have in common other than that?

In the end, Sarah concluded it was a good thing Tyler hadn't bothered to call and gave it no further thought.

It was a little after 7pm the fifth day when Sarah's phone rang. She and Savannah were just finishing dinner when it rang.

"Just let it go to voicemail," Sarah said as her daughter walked passed her mom's phone on the kitchen countertop.

"It's Tyler," she said looking over her shoulder with a flip of her hair.

"Tyler?" she said pretending not to know who that was.

"Uh-huh. Tyler. You know, Michael's very handsome son? The guy you met a few days ago? The one I heard you laughing with when...."

Savannah held the phone out as it continued to ring and smiled when her mother finally took it.

"Hello?" she said after the fifth ring.

"Sarah? Hi. It's Tyler."

"Oh. Yes. Tyler. Sure. How are you?" she said mostly for Savannah's benefit.

Her daughter was having none of it as she made 'goo-goo' eyes at her mom who waved her off with another annoyed look.

"I hope I'm not disturbing you, and I'm sorry for taking so long to call," he said sincerely.

"Oh, no. You're not disturbing me. We just finished eating dinner and I'd honestly forgotten you said you might call."

Savannah stopped what she was doing, put her hands on her hips with great fanfare, then did the shame on you thing using her index fingers.

"Stop!" Sarah whispered while making yet another angry face at her daughter that wasn't really angry.

"I'm sorry?" Tyler said.

"No. Not you," Sarah said. "Savannah is being a pain in the a...neck."

Savannah bent over and showed her mom her butt and pointed to it before turning back around and mouthing the word 'ASS'.

Sarah shook her head and turned away.

"I apologize again. My daughter's lost her mind or something."

"No problem," Tyler said. "I was just hoping maybe we could get together again. You know, to talk or whatever."

"Um, well, I...I don't know, Tyler. I'm not so sure that's such a great idea," she began saying as Savannah walked back around in front of her and puckered up her lips in an exaggerated manner.

"Would you please stop?" she said again.

"Me or Savannah?" Tyler said now very much lost.

Sarah sighed then said, "Savannah is making...an ASS out of herself."

Savannah bent over again to show her mom her butt when Sarah gave her a swift-but-gentle kick to it.

"Owww! What was that all about?" she said rubbing her bum.

"Payback!" her mom said trying to cover the bottom of her phone the way one would with an actual telephone.

"For?" Tyler said now completely confused.

"Tyler? Can I call you back in a few minutes. I have a problem...child...to deal with."

"Um...okay. Sure," he said as he heard the phone click.

Once the line went dead, Sarah looked at her daughter and said, "Okay, what in the world was that all about?"

"I think you know," she said coyly.

"Know? What do I supposedly know?"

"You like him," Savannah said.

"What?" her mom said with too much indignation in her voice. "I...like him? Are you crazy?"

"Nope. Not at all," she replied.

"Then what in God's name are you talking about, child?"

"You like Tyler. You had a nice time and he obviously did, too. Why else would he be calling you?"

Sarah stammered and sputtered as she said, "Who knows? And I certainly couldn't find out with you and your...antics!"

"Oh, you know, Mom. The question is are you going to say 'yes' or make a big mistake because you think he's too young?"

"Well, he is too young. Way too young!" she said still making sure to sound exasperated.

"Uh-huh. Sure. Okay. Let's go with that and forgot about how smart and funny and incredibly handsome he is and stick with the 'too young' thing."

Sarah still hadn't recovered as she tried to regain the upper hand.

"Okay, he's not bad looking—for a kid. I already admitted his father is very...distinguished looking...so it makes sense his son would be reasonably attractive, too."

Savannah walked up to her mom, grabbed her hands, then said, "Mom? You know I love you, but I can't sit home and watch The Notebook or Steel Magnolias or some other sad chick-flick with you one more time. Michael and I have plans and you should do something. With Tyler."

Sarah had to admit they'd nearly worn both DVDs out.

"Maybe we could watch Thelma & Louise?" she said with a squint and a shoulder shrug. "You know, something a little...lighter."

"Mom? Go out with him. It doesn't have to be a date. Just go have a drink or sit and talk. How could that possibly hurt?"

"Well, I suppose you're right. Talking with someone doesn't have to be a date, and if you plan on continuing to see Michael, then I guess it makes sense to get to know his family a little better."

"There you go, Mom! That's the spirit. Call him back, go hang out with him, and for goodness sake, please allow yourself to have a nice time. Please?"

Sarah finally softened her facial expression then said, "I guess that would be okay."

"It certainly couldn't hurt. He's a really great guy and if I wasn't in love with Michael, I might be...."

"Whoa! Did you just say you're in love with Michael?"

"Yes," her daughter said sweetly. "Because I am, Mom. I really do love him. A lot."

Sarah's head was spinning from this bombshell revelation that was really more of a confirmation than a revelation, but still, just hearing Savannah say it out loud was a lot to take in.

Savannah took her mom's phone, placed it back in her hand and said, "Call him. Go out. Have fun. Goodbye!"

"Where are you going?" she asked even though Savannah had just told her she and Michael had plans.

Savannah only smiled then stuck her thumb in her ear and extended her pinky toward her chin as she mouthed the words, "Call him!"

Even as Sarah shook her head she felt her tummy flutter as she hit 'redial'.

"Tyler? Hi. Sorry about that," Sarah said.

"No problem. Is everything okay?"

"Oh, sure. Yes, everything is fine," she said. She hesitated then said, "Then again, maybe not."

"Oh. Does that mean this wouldn't be a good time to get together? If not maybe we could...."

"No. Actually, this is a very good time. I could use some company. I mean, if you're free of, course."

"I am. I've been up to my proverbial you-know-what in alligators the last three days and didn't have time to call, but I'd love to see you again."

Sarah laughed then told him, "I'm old enough to hear you say the word 'ass', Tyler."

He had no idea about the inside joke with Savannah, but laughed anyway.

"Would you like me to come pick you up?" he asked.

"Sure. Or you could come over here if that sounds okay to you. I have a bottle of chardonnay I've been saving for an appropriate occasion."

"That sounds nice. What time?"

"Now is fine. Well, not right this second, but whenever you get here will be fine. I don't exactly look all that great right now, so if you don't mind jeans and a...."

"You look great any time," he said interrupting her.

"Ha! You haven't seen me in the morning then," she said with a laugh.

"No, I haven't. But I'd bet you look just as amazing then."

Her tummy fluttered again and she smiled before answering.

"So...I'll see you in a bit then?"

"You will," he told her. "See you soon."

"Yes. See you soon," she said as the phone went dead again.

As she stood trying to sort through her feelings she heard Savannah call out, "Did you call?"

She appeared in the kitchen looking all ready to go out herself.

"I did," her mother admitted.

"Yes! I'm very proud of you, Mom," she said. "Oh. Don't wait up, okay?"

Savannah gave her a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek before leaving.

Sarah realized she hadn't even put on any makeup that morning and the moment Savannah was gone, she bolted upstairs. Ten minutes later, she'd changed clothes, brushed out her long, dark hair, and touched up her eyelashes with mascara before adding a light coat of shiny gloss to lips.

The low-cut, white sweater looked great with the black pants and she even thought about slipping into a pair of heels before reality set in.

"Slow down. Take a breath and get a grip," she told herself.

Even so, she picked out her white pearl earrings and slid them in before taking a last look in the mirror.

"Not too bad for being in a hurry," she said.

And indeed, it wasn't bad at all. Sarah still had a very shapely figure and could easily wear a size 6 dress. She'd always wished she had a little more 'upstairs' but she filled a full-B cup rather nicely and knew a lot of women would love to have what nature had given her. She checked out her tight butt...okay, her ass...in the mirror, as well, and was very satisfied with what she saw.

She heard the doorbell ring and turned to run back down the stairs when she saw the bottle of perfume on the table. She spritzed a couple of shots in the air then walked through mist as she called out, "Coming!" before heading back down to open the door.

She stopped in the foyer, took two long, slow breaths, smiled, then opened the door.