Lilacs in Bloom Pt. 02

He sighed. "Well, from what I've been told, people inexperienced with computers hide things in folders with names that you might not notice if you were simply looking at their laptop. I knew someone whose wife found porn in a folder named 'unnamed projects.'"

Kim thought for a moment. "I suppose I can start with that. Thanks!" She inched closer to him to watch him start the grill, fascinated.

"Ever used a grill?" he asked.

"Nope. It looks a little confusing."

"Do you want me to teach you?"

"Not really. But maybe you can show Nick? His dad hasn't bothered to teach him."

"Sure!" He looked at the pool, where Nick and Jack were tossing a water football back and forth. "If they're too busy now, I can show him another time."

Kim gave his arm a squeeze and walked past him, trailing her nails along his back. His pelvis pulsed but otherwise remained inactive.

He went into the kitchen to grab the meat and cheese. While he was digging through the fridge, he heard the door open and close. It was Lauren.

"Hey, Lauren."

"Hey." She walked inside slowly and curiously.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

"Just looking for the bathroom."

"It's downstairs, unless you don't mind hoofin' it a little."

"Someone else was using that one."

"Ah. Well, there's another just around the corner at the end of the hall." He pointed in its direction.

"Thanks," she said, but she didn't move. She hesitated before speaking again. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Bringing down meat and cheese for the grill."

"No, I mean with my mom. And with her friends."

"Excuse me?"

"I overhear a lot of their conversations at the restaurant. And now I've seen the way you all interact with each other. You're fooling around with all of them."

Sam gave her a pondering look, pouting his lip slightly. "Well, I haven't considered it fooling around, but I will admit that we've taken an interest in each other."

"You and four women, huh? How's that going to work out?"

"Lauren, please. That's between me and them."

"I don't want you to hurt my mom," she said, stepping forward. Her eyes told him that she was nervous, but she stood her ground. He admired her courage and initiative.

"The last thing I want to do is hurt anyone." He smiled earnestly. "We all have an understanding. If you want more information, you'll have to talk to your mother."

She looked at him skeptically. "Is that so? Well... you don't seem like a bad guy."

"I try not to be." She relaxed a little, and Sam just realized how tense she was. "It's really okay," he reassured her. "I want the best for every one of them, including your mother."

"Okay," she said after a pause. "But I've got my eye on you."

"It's always nice to have someone to keep me in line," he agreed. She eyed him up and down, doing her best to look tough rather than seduced by his toned body. After a moment of being frozen, she gulped and went to the bathroom. Sam shook his head with a smile.

He finished bringing everything down (for the moment) and began to cook the burgers and hot dogs. The music was enjoyable for the setting, but he still preferred the older stuff. He tried to imagine what Lauren and Abigail would think of Elton John or Led Zeppelin.

As the afternoon went on, he occasionally left the grill to make conversation, but in general he was content to watch everyone use the pool space. The older girls did eventually get in the water and play with Kaylee and Ben, while Nick and Jack seemed to find no end to their self-entertainment. The women were all over the place, between lounging and splashing their legs and sipping their drinks. As the food was ready, he called people over and put either hot dogs or burgers on their buns as they came and went. The mini pizzas had also been prepared in the oven, and he gave each of Nicole's kids a plate of them with crackers, fruit, and Capri Sun. Everyone was happy with their meal, which meant a lot to Sam.

Although people continued to eat throughout the day, meals had been finished by six o'clock. Sam was the last to eat, wolfing down two burgers while Emily and Stephanie told him about a wonderful cabin they had once stayed at together in Gatlinburg. He caught the boys talking secretively, looking in his direction. He went to check in on them.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Not much," said Nick.

"I thought I saw you looking over at me."

The boys looked at each other. "Who's the redhead?" asked Nick.

"You haven't met Emily? I thought you would have seen her hanging with your mom."

"I've seen her once or twice."

"Why do you ask?"

Nick shrugged. Jack tried to hide a smile, and Sam looked over at Emily. Her revealing top was enough for him to get it. He too would have been drooling over her as an adolescent; hell, he drooled over her now!

"Why don't you go say hello?" Sam suggested. "She's really nice. She's an artist- ask her about her paintings."

They looked at each other again, considering it. Then they each nodded and went over to her. Sam watched from a distance as they interrupted the women's conversation. Emily played it cool, laughing and smiling without seeming flirty. Stephanie just watched. After a moment, the boys walked away and jumped back into the pool. Sam returned to the women.

"What did they say?" he asked.

"Nick said he heard I was a painter and asked me a few awkward questions about it. What a pair of cuties they were!"

"You have a way with boys," said Sam.

"Don't make me sound so limiting! I have a way with everyone."

Stephanie snorted, prompting Emily to blow her friend a kiss. The then blonde rolled her eyes, and Sam smiled as his imagination expanded.

For the remainder of the party, he checked in on everyone a few times and simply watched as he cleaned up some of the food. As it was summer, the sun wouldn't go down completely until after nine. Nicole indicated at seven that they would be leaving soon, since the kids had early bedtimes.

"This has been so fun!" she said. "I really needed this."

"Anytime," said Sam.

"Your pool is a wonderful place," she said with a smile. He dreamily recalled their last encounter in his backyard. "While I see you again soon?"

"Whenever you want," he said. They hugged goodbye before she fetched her kids and had them thank Sam for letting them use the pool.

Lauren and Abigail were the next to leave, stating they were going out with some friends tonight and needed to get ready. Since they came with Stephanie, another friend would be picking them up.

"I guess I can stay longer," said Stephanie upon hearing this comment.

"Thanks for hosting," Lauren said to Sam. Abigail also thanked him.

"It was my pleasure. If you ever want to use the pool, you're welcome to come by whenever, even if I'm not home."

Abigail raised her eyebrow at Lauren, who nodded at him. "Thanks!"

They headed out soon after, and Stephanie stood with him. "They may have kept to themselves all day, but I know they enjoyed it."

"Tanning is a game of its own," he said, turning to look at Emily and Kim, currently laying in their chairs. Stephanie chuckled.

"Lauren approached me in the kitchen," he continued. She tilted her head. "She questioned my shared relationships with all of you, mostly out of concern for you."

"Oh gosh... she wasn't too blunt, was she?"

He laughed. "No, not really. It took me by surprise, but I think I calmed her concerns."

Stephanie sighed. "That's Lauren. She's a very observant and direct girl."

"She's smart and loyal. Gets it from her mother." He kissed her blushing cheek. They walked over to the chairs and sat with the other women for a while.

Nick and Jack were out of the pool, snacking on some chips. They had finished one bag of Lays and had started a second. For a short moment, the adults all watched them. Sam recalled the days of his youth where he could consume thousands of calories of junk food and not get fat. Oh, how the times change.

"I should probably get them home before they overdo it," suggested Kim. She stood up, put on her top, and went over to the boys to tell them to get ready to go.

"Looks like it'll just be the three of us," noted Sam, "unless both of you plan on leaving soon too."

"I was just going to stay until everyone else left," said Stephanie, looking at her phone. It was now a little after eight. "I guess it's around that time."

He gave her a playful pout before smiling. Emily stayed silent, pretending to tan in the dying light of the evening.

"Thanks for having us, Sam," said Nick as he approached with Jack.

"Yeah, thanks," added the other boy.

"It was my pleasure," he told them. Kim gathered her things and stood behind them.

"Time to go," she said. "See you around, Sam!"

"Bye, Kim!"

They left, leaving Stephanie, Emily, and Sam in silence. He sensed that neither wanted to go, giving the other a chance to spend some alone time with him. Figuring it was better to simply address the elephant in the room, he cleared his throat.

"Today was great. I haven't had this many people over in quite a while. I think we should leave it as what it was, a social gathering. No sex." The women stared at him, then looked at each other. They smiled, though Emily's seemed a little more forced. "We have plenty of other opportunities, don't worry. I'll always make time for both of you. This shouldn't be a competition."

"You're right," said Stephanie. "Today was fun. Let's leave it at that."

"Okay," agreed Emily.

"Maybe we should call it a night then?" he suggested. The women nodded, and he smiled. They stood up and began to pack. "Thank you for coming."

Stephanie aimed to kiss him on the cheek, but he moved enough to make their lips meet instead. They shared a brief but powerful kiss; he grabbed her shoulders tenderly and held her close to him.

"Wow," she shuddered. He let her go and she picked up her things. Then he went to kiss Emily, who happily accepted his lips. Their kiss rivaled his last with their tongues meeting in a passionate dance.

"I'll show you out," he said. They walked around the house to the front.

"Bye Sam!" said Stephanie before getting in her car. Emily lingered, asking if he had a moment to talk. They waved goodbye to the blonde.

"What's up?" he asked.

"I... I want you."

He raised a hand. "I'm sticking to what I said. Another time."

"But I can't stop thinking about the other day. It was different. I really enjoyed it."

Sam pulled her in for a hug. "I noticed it too. It felt amazing."

She sighed into his arm. "You owe me one, big guy."

He laughed. "That's fine with me."

Then she went, after one last goodbye kiss, leaving reluctantly. He watched her drive off until she was out if sight, as he always did with them. His heart beat with liveliness.

Love. The word suddenly floated into his thoughts as if a natural and expected part of his stream of consciousness. He considered it for a moment. It had been there before, connecting his heart and mind. But that connection was severed by Amy's control over him. Now he was feeling it again. That was the difference Emily had mentioned. It was love.

Now he had to figure out what to do with it.