The Widower Chronicles Ch. 01

I tried not to show any emotion, so I took a bite of my sandwich.

"Look Frank, have some fun. It's been over six months since April's death. She'd want you to be happy and move on with your life. Just remember to always respect her memory. I told your dad if I die first he's to go find a good woman. But only after a proper mourning period. I expect you guys to take care of him and help him move on."

Frances and I just looked at each other. This isn't something we'd ever spoken of before and it was kind of sobering.

"You got it mom." I finished my sandwich and told them I had to run to the store. "The kids are going to be here for dinner. Do you guys want to stay? I'm going to grill a bunch of burgers and stuff."

"Your dad and I have plans, so we're out."

Frances also declined saying she was spending the day with her family. "We haven't seen each other much over the past couple of weeks, so we're going to have some quiet time together. But maybe next weekend if everyone's going to be around."

"I'm going to be around. I'm not sure if the kids have plans though. I'll let you know."

"We're available", my mom said. "We can talk during the week to figure things out." She got up and went to the back door. "Come on dear, time to go." My dad walked in and put his plate in the sink.

"You do realize there's a dishwasher right there."

"Think of it as payback for all the times I cleaned your plates when you were growing up."

"Nice dad. Now get out." All three headed to the door. Dad held back and when the girls were out the door winked at me, patted me on the shoulder and left. He almost wasn't quick enough as the door shut behind him. But I was chuckling as I walked back to the kitchen. I cleaned up from lunch and headed to the store to get stuff for dinner. I bought a few dozen dogs, burgers and rolls as well as chips, drinks and some other stuff I knew I'd need. I also grabbed myself some beer and as I headed down the beer aisle I heard my name.

I turned to see an attractive woman that I recognized, but couldn't remember her name. She walked up to me and said "You don't remember me, do you?"

"I'm sorry. I recognize you, but don't remember your name."

"It's Lucy. It's been a long time, so I don't mind. I worked with your wife a couple of years ago."

"That's right. You moved on to teach some younger grades."

"Yeah, that's right. I'm really sorry to hear about April. She was a great woman."

"Thanks. That's nice to hear."

She looked down at my cart and saw all the food. "Having a party?"

"Well, my kids are. I'm just the cook."

"That's a lot of food. How many kids are you talking about?"

"I really have no idea. The number changes constantly depending on whether kids have to leave or not."

"Good luck with that."

"Oh, I love it. It'll be like this all summer pretty much and always has been."

"Man, I'd love to see your place. Growing up we had a friend that was like you. We were always there. I felt bad for the parents though. We ate a lot of food."

"You should see the feeding frenzy that will happen tonight. It's a little scary watching a bunch of teenagers eating."

I had stopped in front of the beer cooler and grabbed a twelve pack of my beer. Lucy was staring at me and I realized it probably didn't look good. "This is for me, I promise."

"You don't have to explain to me." Her expression didn't match her words, but I let it pass. She was actually quite cute and had pretty blue eyes that I enjoyed looking at.

"So, how about you? Still teaching the little one?"

"No, I left teaching last year and started in the real estate business."

"Oh man, that was brave. Still a tough market?"

"Actually, I did well for a short period and then the market crashed. But somehow I've been able to do OK. There's still a market, but you have to work a lot harder. I'm working with someone that is teaching me how to be a good agent, so that helps a lot."

"Well, congrats then."

"Thanks." She stopped and looked down at her cart for a minute. "Hey, you used to be in construction, right?"

"Yeah. I was a builder for a long time. I'm not working now though."

"I remember April talking about it. You were pretty successful from what she said."

"I did OK." I hated talking about it with people I really didn't know.

"Would you be interested in making some extra money?"

"Well, I'm pretty well set at this point, but I'll always listen."

She looked around and said, "How about dinner this week? I can explain everything better someplace a little more quiet than this."

"How about a quick idea so that I don't waste your time?"

She gave me a devilish grin and said "It wouldn't be a waste of time even if you weren't interested. How about it?"

"Well, I know it's not ideal, but how about tonight? I could use a hand with the kids and then we can have some privacy and talk."

"I like it. What's your address? I'll MapQuest it. I have to drop off my stuff and change, but I can be there in like an hour or so."

She reached into her purse and pulled out paper and pen and I wrote down my address and phone number. We checked out and outside the store split up to go to our cards. "See you in about an hour", she called. I waved back, loaded the car and drove home.

I pulled into the driveway and saw that Cindy was home. I called the kids for help and without any encouragement from me the car was quickly unloaded and everything was put away. One thing I could always count on was help from the kids and their friends. They knew they had a good thing and never took advantage of it.

"Hey Billy, where's your sister?"

"I think she's in the game room with some of her friends." I started to shout thanks, but he was already out the back door. I walked to the game room and found Cindy with four of her friends. Cindy saw me, came over and gave me a big hug.

"How was your night kiddo?"

"Awesome. Thanks for everything." I hadn't done anything except let them use our lake house for the late night party.

"Do I need to go out there and fix anything?"

"Dad, please. Everything is clean and secure. Everyone helped." The other girls were standing off to the side while we spoke and I looked over at them. Tina, Cindy's best friend, came over and gave me a hug.

"Thanks from me also Mr. Starling. It was awesome." Tina was the sweetest of Cindy's friends. Every time she had dinner over, I got a big hug and I never was able to get her to stop calling me Mr. Starling. April had really like her as well and made a point of telling Cindy to include her in family dinners. Tina's parents were divorced and her mom was a total bitch. She treated Tina terribly and her father had disappeared. We always suspected he left because her mom was so evil. Somehow, Tina had grown up pretty much a complete opposite of her mom and I liked to think it was because she spent so much time with us. She was also incredibly gorgeous with thick black hair that hung to her ass, big green eyes, dimples and better than average tits. But she had no self confidence and was so shy it was almost painful to watch.

One time a couple of summers ago, Tina was over and Cindy had convinced her to wear one of her bikinis. But since Cindy isn't as big as Tina, the bikini barely covered her tits. It caused a lot of problems for the men in the house and afterwards, April had teased me relentlessly about it. That night we had crazy wild sex as she talked about having sex with the large breasted beauty. It never progressed beyond that, thankfully.

"I bought a bunch of stuff to grill tonight, so if you guys want to stay, you're all welcome."

Tina accepted immediately and the other two girls, Lori and Leslie, said they'd call home to see if it was OK.

"Where's Steve?"

"Oh, he had to go home. His family is having some sort of big dinner tonight."

"Well, his loss" I said and smiled at Cindy. "Oh, do you remember a woman that mom used to work with by the name of Lucy?"

"Yeah, they shared a room for a couple of years. A real hottie I remember. All the high school boys talked about her. Why?"

"She's coming over tonight."

"Look at you studly", Cindy said.

"It's not like that. She stopped teaching and got into real estate. She asked me if I was looking for some small work and I told her I'd talk to her about it."

"Well, good for you dad. You need something to do." Just then Lori and Leslie came back in and said they could stay for dinner.

"Cool. I should have enough, but let me know if anyone else shows up."

"Will do dad."

I walked back to the kitchen, grabbed a beer and stepped outside to watch the festivities. The gang was playing football now, so I took a seat to watch for a while. My phone rang and when I answered Lucy was on the other end. "Hey Frank, its Lucy. Do you need me to bring anything?"

"No, I've got everything covered. But you may want to bring a bathing suit. I'm sure at some point we'll be either in the pool or the pond. So come prepared."

"Pool or pond? Wow. I'm really looking forward to this. I'll see you in a little while."

"Looking forward to it." I hung up and watched the game for a while longer. I decided I needed a shower and headed back inside. I had the water running when the phone rang again. I thought about letting it go to voicemail, but thought it may be Lucy needing directions. It turned out to be Robin.

"Hey stud. Whatcha doing?"

"Getting ready to take a shower. Thought you needed a nap?"

"I did already. I have a little while before I'm heading to work and wanted to give you a quick call. Is it a bad time?"

"No, not at all. Just didn't expect to hear from you. What time do you head in?"

"My shift starts in about forty five minutes. Have plans for tonight?"

"Yeah. The kids have a bunch of friends over, so I'm going to grill some burgers and dogs for them."

"Oh how cool is that. You do that often?"

"At least once a month now that the weather is getting nice. It's a bunch of fun and the kids enjoy it."

"I bet. Wish I didn't have to work now. That's one of the drawbacks about my schedule. I miss half the weekends."

"Yeah, I remember my mom going through that. And now my sister."

"Oh, I didn't even think about that. Now that she's the boss, she doesn't have to work so many weekends." There was a pause. "Shit, I didn't mean to sound bitter. That's not what I meant. I actually like your mom a lot. She's a good boss."

"No problem. I didn't think you were complaining. Hey, can I call you tomorrow? I've got the shower ready and need to get stuff started for dinner."

"Oh, no problem. But don't call too early. Is it OK if I call you in the morning if I'm awake enough?"

"Yeah, I'll be here. Have a good shift."

"Thanks. Have a good party."

"Bye."

I hung up the phone and jumped into the shower. After getting cleaned up I felt much better and headed to the kitchen to start getting things ready for dinner. The doorbell rang and I heard Cindy run to see who it was. "Oh, hi. I'm Lucy. Your dad invited me." It sounded more like a question then a statement.

"Oh, right. He told me about you. Come on in. He's in the kitchen. Right through that door."

"Thanks." The door opened and Lucy walked in. My breath caught in my throat as she came into the kitchen. Behind her I saw Cindy give me two thumbs up and then run back to her friends. Lucy was stunning. She was wearing a tank top that hugged a huge set of tits and showed a well toned stomach that was pierced at the belly button. She was also wearing a pair of jeans that looked painted on her narrow hips. Her blond hair was pulled back from her face and tied in a pony tail. I couldn't understand how I didn't notice her back at the store, but realized she'd been wearing baggy clothes.

"Hey there. This is quite the house."

"Thanks. I'll take you on a tour later."

"I'd love that. This is for you." She placed a bottle of bourbon on the counter along with a bottle of wine. "The bourbon. The wine is for me."

"I told you you didn't need to bring anything. I've got plenty to drink and probably several bottles of wine."

"I was always taught to bring a present when I'm invited for dinner. And I wasn't sure about the wine, so I just brought my own. Besides, it's my ex-boyfriends and I really would like to get rid of it. I hope you're not offended about that, but the breakup was ugly and he hasn't come back for it."

"Well, thank you. I appreciate it." I picked up the bottle of bourbon and realized it was a fairly expensive bottle. She smiled and leaned over the counter. The weight of her breasts pulled her shirt down and I got a good view of her tits. I looked away quickly, but caught a small smile on her face. "Would you like a glass for your wine?"

"That depends. Would it be lady-like if I just drank from the bottle?"

I picked up my beer and said "If it's OK for me than it OK for you."

She laughed as I went to the cabinet and handed her a wine glass and cork screw. "Thanks." She opened the bottle and poured herself a healthy glassful. "So, how about that tour? Do you have time?"

I looked out the window and saw the kids start to mill around the patio. "How about after we feed the animals? If dinner is late, they start to eat the furniture." Another laugh and she went to the sink to wash her hands.

"OK, so what do you need help with?"

"Can you clean the lettuce? I'm going to start the grill."

"Sure."

I walked out to the patio and turned on the gas for the grill. I spotted Tommy and asked him to give me a hand. "Can you start getting things ready for dinner? I've got the food out, but you know the drill."

"No prob dad." He called a couple of his buddies and soon the four of them were heading into the house. No sooner had they gotten into the house then they were back outside. "Dad is that Ms. Angelo?"

"What? Oh yeah, Lucy. I ran into her at the store and invited her over."

"Dad, you can't do that."

"Why not? It is my house."

"Dad, seriously. There isn't a guy here that hasn't fantasized about her. And now we have to have dinner with her dressed like that?"

"Tommy, go get the stuff and be nice."

"Shit dad. You're going to have some very unhappy girls on your hands."

"Sounds like your problem, not mine."

I walked back into the kitchen with the boys close behind. Lucy had finished the lettuce and was slicing some tomatoes. I had to admit, I could see why they were having problems. Lucy was gorgeous.

"Lucy, this is my son Tommy. I'm not sure you remember him since you left when he was a freshman."

She looked up at him and smiled. "I remember you. You were a lot smaller back then. Nice to see you again."

"And these zombies are some of his friends. They just came in to grab plates and utensils. Right boys?"

"Uh, right Mr. Starling." They walked into the pantry, but never took their eyes off of Lucy. She took it all in stride. Quicker than I ever remember them moving they were back out the door and getting things ready out back.

"Maybe I should have worn something different."

"It doesn't bother me."

She giggled at that and finished up on the tomatoes. "Well, I hope that I'm not a problem out there."

"Don't worry about it. I'll protect you."

"My hero" and she giggled again. I needed to make this girl giggle some more because it made her tits bounce enticingly.

Cindy and Tina came in just as we finished prepping everything and helped bring the food outside. Tina was acting strangely and wouldn't look at Lucy at all. There were about eighteen kids there in all, so I threw a bunch of burgers and dogs onto the grill. Suddenly I realized this was the first time I'd done this without April. We were a well tuned team when it came to these impromptu parties. It was really strange and I was quiet while cooking the food. The kids must have sensed this too as they were extremely attentive to their friends needs. At one point, Cindy came over to stand next to me and placed her head on my shoulder. Lucy was standing off to the side and tried to pretend not to look at us.

A few minutes later, Cindy lifted her head up and I kissed her cheek. "I miss her too." Cindy looked at me with tears in her eyes and kissed my cheek too. After Cindy went back to her friends with some food, Tommy came over and grabbed a plate to take over to his friends.

"You OK dad?"

I looked at him and said "Yeah. How about you?"

"This sucks, you know. I hate not having mom here."

"Me too. But I'm sure she's smiling down on us right now."

He didn't say anything, just stood there waiting for some food. He noticed Lucy standing off to the side. "Promise me one thing dad."

"Name it."

"You're not trying to replace mom." I looked at him sharply, but he didn't have any malice on his face. Just sadness.

"There is nobody in this world that could replace her. And I wouldn't even think about it."

"OK. Then have fun with Miss Angelo. Just so you know, everybody in school wanted her as a teacher. She was really nice and just look at her."

I punched him in the shoulder and her laughed, grabbed some food from the grill and headed over to the table with his friends. Billy and Julie came over and grabbed some food for them and then headed to the far side of the patio to be alone. They were a very cute couple, but I knew I had to keep an eye on them.

Once all the kids were eating, Lucy came over and helped herself. I grabbed some stuff for myself and led Lucy to a small table in the corner. She was very quiet as she ate and I started to wonder if she was OK.

"Everything good?"

"Yeah, the food is delicious."

"I mean with you. You've been very quiet."

"Oh. Well, I just felt a little out of place when your kids came over. Cindy and Tommy looked sad when they grabbed the food."

"It's our first party without April. I guess we were all feeling her loss a bit stronger. I'm sorry about that, but I hadn't thought about it till the food was on the grill. But I promise, we're past it now."

"Are you sure? I can leave and we can meet another time."

"No, please don't go. That tends to happen from time to time."

"If you're sure you're OK, then I'll stay."

"I'm sure. So why don't you tell me more about this project?"

"Well, it's not official. It hit me while we were talking. But the simple explanation is that I have a lot of houses listed that need work. Most of them are foreclosures and the previous owner destroyed the house. My idea is to buy the houses, fix them up and sell them at a higher price."

"Sounds dangerous if you don't have a lot of expendable cash."

"Well, I have some and the company I work for is interested. We actually have been discussing it, but were hesitant because of the extent of some of the damage. One of the thoughts I had was to find a contractor that would be willing to do the repair work and take payment when the house was sold. Of course we'd pay extra and not just the cost of the work."

"Good luck with that. Most contractors are in worse shape than realtors."

"I know. And that's where you would come in. I know from April that you guys have some money and you might be in a position to do something like this."

I stared at her while I thought about what she was proposing. I definitely had the financial means and contacts to get this done. She was all business and stared back at me unflinching. "It's a good idea, but I'd have to give it a lot of thought. Maybe we can meet at one of these properties you're talking about and you can show me exactly what you're talking about."

"I'd expect nothing less. Let me look at my schedule and I'll set something up."

We smiled at each other and the stare was definitely a lot warmer than before. I looked around to see if anyone needed any other food and saw that most of the kids were down at the pond. I knew it would only be a matter of time before the second wave started, so I got up and moved most of the food into the fridge we had outside.