Summer Heat

©2023 Smuttyandfun All Rights Reserved

This one is for the Summer Lovin' Story Contest 2023. As always, your votes and comments are much appreciated.

ERIN

I didn't know what I was going to do. With my daughter gone, I realized I'd be on my own for the first time in almost fifteen years. Now, I had no idea how I was going to spend the summer.

After dropping her off at the airport, and sharing a teary goodbye, I'd just got back home. I was about to step inside my house, when I noticed my neighbor Christopher pulling into his driveway, so I walked over to say hello.

"So, is Tyler all moved in now?" I asked as he stepped out of his big black, SUV, looking a little tired.

He nodded, rubbing a hand across the back of his neck. "Yeah, they're all settled in. And they looked pretty happy, even though the place is about the size of a bread box. But I guess just the idea of sharing their first space together is pretty exciting, especially in the heart of the city."

"So, looks like you're on your own now, too."

He sighed, looking up at his big, four-bedroom house. "Yeah, since Carol moved out and with Tyler gone, it's just me now."

Then he looked me over and took a glance at my car. "But you and Abby are heading up north tomorrow, right?"

I shook my head. "No, not anymore. Her best friend Bella and her family are spending a month at a beachfront villa in Italy. Her mother, said she hated to see them split up for the summer, so invited Abby to go along."

"Italy's nice. I'll bet she'll enjoy it."

I nodded, remembering the hopeful look on her face, as she waited for me to say it was okay. "Abby did offer to stay, but I didn't want to be the bad guy and tell that her she couldn't go, even though I'd already booked the cottage. Now, with her gone, I don't know if I'm going to bother going up north or not."

"Couldn't you ask one of your friends to go with you, even for a week or two?"

"No, they all have plans. Now I'm thinking I might as well stay home, rather than head up there for three weeks on my own."

"It's nice that Abby's getting a chance to travel, but it's too bad for you, since you've already booked the place. And it's a hot summer this year, and I bet it'll be cooler up north, especially with a beach."

I eyed him, wondering what his plans were. "I'm guessing with the schools closed until September, you must be off for the summer. Though, being a principal, you probably have to be back early."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I'm off till late August. And I've got big plans, too."

"Really? Where are you headed?"

"Now with Tyler and his mother both gone, I thought I'd start going through all the junk in the garage and basement for anything that should be donated or thrown out."

"Well, that doesn't sound like much fun."

He chuckled. "I know, but it's got to be done. To be honest, I'd rather be spending a few weeks at the beach than sorting through old boxes. So, if I were you, I'd go and take advantage of having some time on your own."

He was such a nice guy. And we'd spent a lot of time together over the years at dinners and parties. Now I wondered what he'd think if I asked him to join me. I mean, we were friends as well as neighbors.

Biting into my lip, I took a deep breath and blurted, "You know, if you wanted, you could come, too. Then I wouldn't be on my own, and you wouldn't have to spend the last few weeks of your summer holiday sorting through all that stuff."

He looked a little surprised and didn't say anything at first, so I quickly explained, "There are two bedrooms, so we'd each have our own space. And I think we know each other pretty well, after being neighbors for all these years. So, we'll probably have a nice time together, too."

I was relieved when he started to smile. "If you're sure, I'd love to go. I think spending a few weeks at the beach sounds like a lot more fun than hanging around the house on my own for the rest of the summer."

"I think so, too. I get the keys tomorrow. And I was planning on leaving in the morning."

He leveled his gaze on mine. "Only thing is, if we're going to be sharing this place, I'd like to pay my share."

I waved him off, because I was just glad that he'd agreed to keep me company. "It's already taken care of. I sent them a check months ago."

"Then I'll take care of everything else."

I smirked. "How about we discuss it on the way up tomorrow?"

"Okay, fine. But I do plan to pay my fare share." Then he looked down at his sweat-stained t-shirt and chuckled. "I guess I'd better get a shower and clean up, so I can start packing if we're leaving in the morning."

I was in my bedroom, packing my summer clothes, when I sat down on the bed, wondering what the heck I'd just done.

Though I knew I could trust him, I could hardly believe that I'd just invited my neighbor to share a cottage with me.

And although we were both divorced and single again, I really wasn't hoping for anything to happen. Though I had to admit, I was lucky we were both free for the summer, since I couldn't think of anyone else, I'd rather spend some time with.

I was actually looking forward to getting to know him a little better, since we'd only really spent time together when we were married, and our spouses were still around. The two of us always seemed to be in the kitchen talking and laughing as we put everything together, while our spouses would be chatting out on the patio.

Christopher was pretty easy on the eyes, too. Tall, dark, and handsome, with a great sense of humor. I couldn't think of anything more that I could want in a roommate.

Just for fun, I decided to pack my tiniest bikini. I mean, we were going to a beach, after all.

CHRISTOPHER

I had just turned off the shower, stepped out and started drying off. As I wrapped the towel behind me to dry my back, I could hardly believe that cute little Erin from next door had actually invited me to join her for a few weeks at the beach.

Nothing like my ex, Carol; Erin had to be the sweetest woman I'd ever known.

I liked her from the moment they'd first moved in next door, about fifteen years ago, just before she'd given birth to Abby.

She was always so friendly and easy going. Unlike my ex-wife, who could be pretty temperamental.

Though I never cared much for Erin's husband, Geoff, and always wondered what she saw in him. The same as other people probably wondered why Carol and I ever got together.

Since we'd split up, I'd been wondering the same thing myself. I had thought we were in love and had a good marriage, till it all fell apart, when she walked out and left me.

But thankfully, that was all behind me now. And with my son Tyler gone, I didn't really need to talk to my ex much anymore.

Now, all I needed to do was throw something together for dinner, pack my suitcase, and get some sleep. And tomorrow I'd be off for a couple weeks, enjoying the company of my sexy little neighbor.

Next morning, after I'd packed the car, Erin came out looking super cute in a short yellow sundress, and sexy strappy sandals, with her long reddish-blonde hair tied back in a pony tail. Though I knew she was around thirty-five, I thought she looked about ten years younger.

Which was my son's age.

And since I'm almost forty-nine, I'd have to remember that we were nothing more than friends. Friends who were just going to be sharing a cottage for a few weeks. No matter how cute she was.

After I'd help her into the car, once I settled in the driver's seat, she handed me a travel mug. "It's black with one sugar," she said, as I thanked her.

I looked across at her and chuckled. "I'm surprised you remember how I take my coffee."

"I notice things," she said, with a little grin.

Yep, she was thoughtful, and I was glad she was, because I hadn't bothered fixing myself a coffee this morning.

I put the radio on. And as we were driving up the highway, I glanced over and noticed that she seemed pretty relaxed, from the way she'd settled back into her seat, like we'd been travelling together forever.

At least until her phone chimed, making her jump.

"Finally," she muttered under her breath, when she looked at who it was.

As soon as she answered, I could hear someone snapping at her, that sounded like her ex-husband Geoff, because I'd heard him often enough when he lived next door, raising his voice at his family.

Not even bothering to say hello, I couldn't believe the way he was talking to her.

"You didn't think I'd want to know that my daughter is spending the summer in Italy, Erin? Was it too much trouble to call and run that by me, before you put her on a damn plane and sent her halfway across the world?"

"Geoff, I did call you. But you never picked up. And I texted and sent you an email. I did everything but send up a smoke signal, but you never responded. Since I told you that their flight was leaving yesterday, I just thought it didn't matter to you if she went or not."

"I was busy, okay? When you called and I saw it was you, I assumed you were just trying to get me to take her off your hands, so you could have some time to yourself."

"And when have I ever done that? I've never once asked you to take her off my hands."

"What about when your mother was in the hospital? I had to drop everything and race over there and get her."

"You mean when my mother thought she was having a heart attack, and I had to spend the night with her in the ER?"

"Yeah, and all it was, was indigestion. And I put everything aside for that."

I could tell she was upset, and I couldn't blame her, since he was acting like an ass.

She was clenching her phone pretty hard, when she decided she'd had enough. "Geoff, I don't want to get into this right now. I did try and let you know, but you must have had your phone off. If you want to talk to your daughter and discuss it with her, you have her number."

I noticed her hand was shaking as she disconnected the call. "Sorry about that," she said, giving me an awkward smile.

"It's okay." I think I was as annoyed as she was, that he'd talk to her like that.

"Geoff likes to feel like he's in control, even though we've been divorced for almost two years. And I did try contacting him to let him know about Abby's trip, but he doesn't like to answer when he sees it's me. To be honest, I don't even know why he'd care. He only sees her about once or twice a month, because he says he's too busy with work to spend any more time with her. And he never keeps her overnight, he only takes her somewhere like lunch or maybe a movie. Then he brings her back home to me, thinking he's done his duty as a dad."

I looked across at her and asked, "And how does Abby feel about that?"

"Well, she's almost fifteen, so she knows what's going on. I think she realized pretty quickly that when he moved out, he basically left us both behind. So, I don't think she cares much if she sees him or not."

"That's sad that he'd do that to her. And Abby's such a sweet kid, too. You did a great job raising her, Erin. Considering she's still in her teens, she's always so polite and friendly, at least around me."

At least that made her smile. "Thanks. I guess I'm lucky because she's really never given me any trouble, even though she's at that age when they often act out."

"Well, Tyler just turned twenty-five, and we're still really close. But his mother has kind of stepped away. Carol probably thinks because he's all grown up that he doesn't need her as much anymore. I have a feeling it hurts him though, that she's kind of moved on with her life now that she's left."

When she just nodded and went quiet, I decided to tell her about how it happened, because we'd never really discussed it before.

"For years I thought we had a good marriage. But I noticed things changed when Carol started travelling more for work. At first, she'd call me every night, and she liked to tease me on the phone. And when she'd come home, she was really affectionate." She really was, too. I think it was the best sex we ever had.

"That sounds a lot like Geoff. He acted the same way at first, when he started travelling more for work."

"Maybe it happens more when they have a reason to go out of town. But all I know is that gradually Carol stopped calling when she was away. And if I called her to say hello, she'd always tell me she was busy, meeting with a client or having dinner, and she'd cut me off. And when she'd get home, things started getting pretty frosty, especially once she decided to move into the guest room. At first, I wondered if it was me, if I'd done something wrong, or said something that upset her. But I started to realize from how cool she was acting, that she was probably involved with someone else, which was why she was pulling away."

Erin looked down at her hands in her lap and nodded. "I figured out the same thing with Geoff. When I asked him if there was someone else, he told me I was crazy. And he swore that he'd never cheat on me. Until he moved out and claimed that he had to find himself."

I looked over at her, surprised. "That's almost exactly what Caroll said when she left. She said she needed some space, so she could figure out who she really was and what she wanted out of life."

"It's funny how their stories are almost the same. Of course, I was upset at first when Geoff left. But now I'm just glad it's over and that he's out of my life."

I reached over and gave her hand a squeeze. "Sounds like we've both realized that we're happier on our own."

When she didn't pull her hand away, and kind of wrapped her hand around mine, I just held on to her while I drove, imagining she could use a friend right about now.

We'd been driving for a few hours, when I noticed the exit for the beach. As we drove down the main street, Erin looked around the quaint little town we were passing through and mentioned, "Oh, this is the town the lady that owns the cottage recommended. She said there's places to shop and a couple of decent restaurants, too."

"Once you get the key, we'll come back and have lunch," I said nodding at a little bistro with a sidewalk sign advertising their daily specials and that they had fresh baking.

"Sounds good," she leaned in smirking. "Because I didn't have time for breakfast."

I gave her hand a squeeze. "Then I guess we'd better feed you."

But things first, we had to get the key and get ourselves settled in.

Erin reading the directions on her phone, pointed the way to a little white house at the far end of town. The older lady in a pink housedress that answered the door, seemed pretty friendly when she handed Erin the key to the cottage.

When I noticed the lady tipping her head and waving at me, I smiled, and waved back.

With the key in hand, Erin hopped in the car and pointed ahead, "She said to drive down this road, and make a right-hand turn and few miles up, where there's a sign for the beach. And we're on the first road, facing the water. And there's parking in behind the cottage."

"The lady seemed pretty friendly," I remarked as we drove along a narrow tree-line road.

Erin laughed. "When I booked the cottage, I mentioned that I was coming up here with my daughter. And when she couldn't see her in the car, I explained that there was a change of plans and she'd gone away with her friend. But when she saw you sitting in the car, she asked if you were my husband, I just said, 'Yes,' rather than having to explain."

I winked and made her laugh when I said, "Well, I wouldn't mind people thinking I was married to a cute little red-head like you."

ERIN

I just smiled. But it had been so long since anyone had paid me a compliment, though I knew he was only joking, it was still nice to hear that he thought I was cute.

When we stopped outside on the road, I was glad to see that the cottage looked as nice as the picture I'd seen online. It was fairly new, and I knew the lady rented it out year-round. I could see why too, with it being right on the beach.

"What a beautiful cottage," Christopher remarked as he pulled into one of four parking spaces in behind, and cut the engine.

"She said it's only a few years old," I said, looking it over.

"I love the look of a cedar cottage, especially with a wrap around deck, and all the tall, healthy trees surrounding it."

"Well, this'll be home for the next few weeks, so let's hope it's as nice inside," I said, stepping out of the car.

We both looked at each other and smiled when got our first look at the gorgeous interior. It was stunning. But amazingly, still felt kind of cozy with a big stone fireplace, shiny wood floors, and a state-of-the-art kitchen, with all the bells and whistles.

Though I was a little surprised that it only had a love seat and two big comfy chairs in the living area in front of the fire place. I'm guessing, so that no one invited any extra guests to stay, since I couldn't see how anyone could sleep on the little couch, or chairs.

"The bedrooms are upstairs," I said, leading the way.

"This must be the master bedroom," Christopher said, when we walked into the big airy room, with a wall of windows overlooking the sandy beach and clear blue lake with waves gently crashing to the shore.

"Wow, that king-size bed looks pretty roomy," I remarked, since I only had a queen size at home.

"Then this will be your room," Christoper said, before he'd even seen the other bedroom.

But when we poked our heads into the room down the hall, neither of us could believe how small it was. "This is really tiny, isn't it? And I doubt even Abby would be able to fit in one of those bunk beds," I said, feeling disappointed, since I'd been told that there two bedrooms.

Since Christopher was fairly tall, and I was an average height, I couldn't see how either of us would be able to sleep in there.

"I guess they normally rent this cottage to people with kids."

"I think you're probably right," I agreed, wondering where we were going to sleep.

Once he'd brought our bags in, Christopher nodded at his car parked out in back. "We should go and get some lunch and find somewhere to get groceries. And we can unpack later."

Lunch sounded good, especially because I was really getting hungry. And if I was busy digging into a sandwich, maybe for at least a few minutes, I could stop worrying about whether the two of us were going to end up having to share a bed and sleep together.

We decided to sit out on the back patio of the little café on Main Street. Thankfully, we had an umbrella overhead to shelter us from the heat of the afternoon sun. Glancing around, I just loved the colorful flower boxes at every window, it was such a cute little place.

I guess noticing that I was looking everywhere but at him, Christopher leaned in and said, "Erin, don't worry, I'm okay with sleeping on the floor in front of the fire place. I can make a pallet with some of the bedding. And you can have the bed."

No way. I couldn't let him to do that, and I told him so, too. "I can't let you sleep on that hardwood floor. You'll be too uncomfortable."

He raised an eyebrow, slightly smirking. "Then what do you suggest?"

It took me a minute to answer, but I winced a little when I suggested, "That bed is big enough, I guess we could share it."

He shrugged. "If you're sure, I'm okay with it."

I just nodded, because now all I could think of was my hunky neighbor curled up in bed beside me.

Now I wondered if he slept in the nude.

But I wished I hadn't thought of that, because now I was having a hard time looking at him, without picturing him naked.

I was so into my naughty little fantasy, I almost jumped out of my skin when our server walked up behind me and asked, "What can I get you?"