Yesterday She was Still a Girl

Part One:

Rachel's emerald green eyes sparkled at her birthday party. Her auburn hair in a high ponytail and her skin, taking after her mother, was tanned with just a few cute freckles, very different from most natural red heads. Her 5'2 frame is compact and fit. Very clearly the gymnast/cheerleader and track star one might see her to be. For being such a shorty, those thick, powerful legs propel her 117 pound body to under 12 seconds in the 100 meter. Her sweet smile beamed as she listened to her friends sing "Happy Birthday" and she blew out her candles. She smiles graciously as tears start to stream down her cheeks.

Her mother isn't dead, not in the literal sense, just figuratively. She fell victim to the grip pills and alcohol, and quickly found the needle and all the "friends" that come with it. The divorce wasn't pretty by any means, but I very fortunately was able to win the day and kept almost everything from her poisonous grasp. Its been hard on Rach. Up until about 3 years ago, they were inseparable, often mistaken for sisters. Stacy, Rachel's mother, was impossibly beautiful. We married out of highschool and she went to college while I served my country. Stacy looked exactly as young at 35 as she did when she was in high school. In fact, there were many occasions where, traveling abroad, they were both mistaken as my daughters. That's far from the case now at 38, she looks like a haggard 60 year old. What a shame.

Not that I look especially old. I just have the tell-tale grey that gives me a "distinguished" look. I'm a very fit 42 year old single father of a very popular and active teen daughter. I own and operate an extremely successful private security/private intelligence agency. I'm 5'10. 210 pounds, blue/grey eyes, salt/pepper brown hair with a touch of red. Rachel really caught the red hair gene from me and luckily the olive skin from her Hispanic/Native American mother.

She's a good girl. I really never have any problems out of her and she's truly trustworthy. She has terrific friends and their families are all very good to us. Hers is a private school, which is out of necessity, for safety reasons. I've dated off and on over the last year, found some nice companions in her friends single moms, but all casual. Nothing really that I'd consider a relationship or even potential relationship.

She smiles as she wipes away her tears sheepishly and apologizes to her friends who all huddle around her and give her a big group hug, they know why she's upset. Caitlyn has a similar experience with her dad. He fell victim to the powdered beast and almost snorted through a million dollars before her mom was able to wrestle away the construction company and get him out. Lexi's dad left her mom, for another man. So this group of friends does seem to understand how harsh life can be. She walks over to me a buries her face in my chest and sniffles. I hug her right and reassure her.

"I know Princess."

"Daddy, I wish we were more important than her drugs.." she sniffles quietly and wipes her tears away. She forces a smile and hugs me again. "I love you Daddy."

"I love you too babygirl."

She turns back and rejoins her friends, her tough little chin held high. I'm so proud of her. With her competitive cheering background and awards she's one of two freshman girls being fielded on her colleges cheer squad. Being a nationally ranked gymnast certainly has helped her keep her mind focused and her coaches are amazing. Caitlyn is the other freshman girl on cheer squad. Their college, much like highschool, has different levels of cheer. Rachel and Caitlyn were selected to be bumped up the the "varsity" squad that handles to football games and larger events. There, the freshman cheerleaders are basically a separate group who handles less noteworthy events. The program is highly sought after though, and just being selected to attend is a dream come true for these kids. Lexi is a year older, but all three girls are in competition cheer and gymnastics together and they are practically inseparable.

After a couple more hours the party is breaking up. Her friends trickle out and as usual, the three are hanging out and end up sitting at the pool, dangling their little cute feet over the edge. It's early October but still very warm out. I step out onto the deck and call down to them.

"Who lives here?" I ask and all three raise their hands and smile.

"Just checking." I smirk. "Who's cooking dinner?" They all throw their hands down and giggle.

"A house full of women and I still can't get a home cooked meal?" I ask incredulously.

"Ain't no ring on this finger!" Caitlyn waves her left hand over her head jokingly.

"Oh my gawd Cat!!" Rachel swats at her laughing. They all laugh as I roll my eyes and slip back into the house.

"Dude. Your dad IS hot AF. You know that right?" Lexi grins over at Rachel.

"Stoooop iiiiit!" She brushes the comment away, blushing. "Dads can't be hot. Handsome. But not HOT. Don't be gross."

"Ummmm no. Daddy Jack is HAWT" Caitlyn chimes in. "H. A. W. T." She spells out. "His scars are sexy. I wish he'd tell us how he got them. He doesn't ever even tell you about his work stuff?" She asks.

"Nope. He doesn't tell me anything. He never told Mom anything either. I'm just used to it. I'm glad he's not going out as much now that he fully owns the company. I like that he has an office job now." She smiles trying to change the subject.

Lexi isn't ready to give up the topic. "Allie said when he was seeing her mom she heard them doin it and you know her mom doesn't ever cuss, right? But she said her mom was cussing and screaming and she was obviously sore the next morning and she saw where she was texting Casey's mom talking about how big he is and how..."

"STOOOPPPPP. GROSSSS!!!" Rachel covers her ears and stands up to walk away, her face pointed to the ground as she plops down in a lounge chair away from the other two.

"And how she was cumming non stop from the time he put it in till he finished. She said she cummed more in one night than she had in her whole life" she continues telling Caitlyn.

"I uh...maybe Rachel didn't wanna hear all that." She smirks. "But seriously. Daddy Jack is hot..." she says wistfully.

"You two are sick!" Rachel shakes her head and calls out to them as she can still hear them, but they all three giggle as teen girls do.

After a few minutes the topic does change. They get in the topic of their competition cheer squad and share harmless gossip about who's dating who and they migrate into the house still talking and laughing. They all go upstairs and emerge a few minutes later in bikinis and fill their water bottles. "We're gonna hot tub Pop. You wanna?" Rach asks. The other two immediately encourage me. "Yeah Daddy Jack. Come on!"

I instantly cave. "Sure. I'll be right out. You guys ok if I have a cigar?" I ask.

"Mmmm how dignified, sir" Caitlyn, mimicking a cigar hold and puff.

They all agree that it's fine and I open the liquor cabinet and wave my hand across. "Birthday girls pick..." I offer the wines to them as I take down a bottle of 18 yr old MacCallan. "Wine ONLY girls.. and our little secret.." I caution them.

"Of course!" They agree. They mull over what they want to try and I go up to change and bring a 20 stick humidor down to the bar and choose a cigar while they giggle and pour their glasses of wine. I catch Lexi's glance and she smiles and her eyebrows raise in flirtation, I think. But I'm sure it's just because I'm letting them have some wine.

Caitlyn is wearing a simple black bikini with ties on the back, behind her neck and ties on each hip. Lexi wears a similar bikini, blue bottom, white top. Rachel wears an American flag design bikini, hers has a clasp in the back and silver rings on the hips. All three are similarly built, with Lexi being the tallest at about 5'6. She's well built, powerful and trim. Her eyes are often blue and grey, she's mixed, black mother and white father. She definitely got her looks and personality from her mother. Her hair is sometimes a little frizzy, but she always makes it cute, and she's always smiling. Her sweet dimples make her a doll. Caitlyn is compact and powerful, built almost exactly like Rachel. She's more pale and can only tan very lightly. She has dirty blond hair and sky blue eyes, often accented with sultry dark eyeliner. When her hair isn't up in a messy bun, it falls and frames her face and she most definitely has a mature appearance when she wants to. But her smile brings her right back to the little munchkin that she is. They all have large B to small C cup breasts, firm, tight bodies. They all have their bellybuttons pierced and usually have matching hardware. They seldom paint their fingernails because of the rules in their various sorts and different groups they are involved in, but they do get mani/pedis weekly as a ritual, their toes usually matching as well. And just as a nod to a pop classic "on Wednesday's we wear pink".

After they've poured their wine, Rachel takes her glass and the bottle out and I follow. We set our things down on the table and walk with our drinks to the rolling hot tub and slowly ease in. We talk, small talk, discussed the party from earlier and I listen to them chat about their friends some more as I puff my Oliva and sip my scotch. I really do enjoy watching them talk and relax, smile and have fun with each other. These girls work hard and they are truly good girls. Before I'm half way through my cigar, we are all sitting on the edge of the hot tub to cool off, the girls have finished off the bottle of wine they chose and Rachel asks "Daddy, you need another one while I'm in there?" Casually assuming I'm ok with her getting another bottle.

"Sure babygirl. But again...SECRETS. Right?" I look over at them all and the laugh. And spout various agreements. She takes my glass and glides off toward the kitchen.

"Daddy Jack" Lexi says. "I wanna know about these" she points at the scars on my right side chest and shoulder. "Is it some secret spy stuff or did you like, just trip and fall through a window or somethin?" She jokes. I can tell she's feeling her wine.

"I can't believe you called me out on that!" I poke back. "I DID trip and fall. I just let people assume there's a cool story with it."

Rachel comes back and sits next to me and hands me my glass and the bottle of wine and cork screw. "I got the foil off but that's all I can do. Need your help, Muscles." She's feeling her wine too.

I pull the cork and pour her glass and the other two hand theirs over and I pour them as well.

"Daddy was telling us how he got those scars.." Caitlyn says casually. "Some Russian spy or something...go on?" She muses.

They laugh and take big gulps of their wine and Lexi stands up "its hot. Wanna float?" She offers and turns to the pool. "Sounds good to me!" Rachel says. They all adjust their hair, Rachel spins hers into a bun, Caitlyn wraps hers into a messy bun and Lexi repositions her ponytail higher, like Princess Jazmine in Aladdin.

They all coo as they step into the shallow end and work their way onto the floats.

Being a man, I can't help but notice the three sets of nipples that instantly demand to be noticed in the cool water.

I opt out and pull a lounge chair toward the edge and watch and share in conversation. They are all feeling their wine for sure now. They're being much more casual and cavalier in their conversation. Lexi especially. She turns her focus to me and splashes playfully at Rachel. "Hey, Red. Did you know your dads sexy? Like, it's not even fair. Dads aren't supposed to be sexy but THAT MAN right there is a hot ass dad!" She declares.

Rachel grits her teeth and hides her face in embarrassment. "Shut up!!!" She growls.

"Yeah man...cmon. You know he's hot" Caitlyn chimes in. "We alllllll think it" she glances over at me and winks playfully. "Like, seriously. All of us think you're super hot Daddy Jack."

Lexi blurts our "I wish you were MY Daddy, I'd steal you away from mom. She's old. I'm young, fresh and innocent!" She hides her face and turns her head as she realizes what she's just said. "Ooooo k. So that just happened..."

Rachel's eyes widen "DUDE!!!" She yells in shock.

"Well. I heard about him and Ainsley (Casey's mom) and he clearly knows what he's doing in bed! I might as well learn from someone who knows how, right?" She says more boldly.

I sit in stunned silence. I've never heard the girls talk like this. I assumed that maybe they did, being teenagers and all. But I never expected to hear it myself. The wine has them talking very openly. En vino, vertitas I suppose. I see Rachel roll off her float and swim over to the ladder and storm out of the pool and grab her towel and barge into the house, slamming the sliding door closed behind her.

"I was just playing" Lexi says with a half shocked look on her face.

"Just shut up Lex...seriously." Caitlyn scolds and paddles toward the edge and climbs out and trots into the house wrapping herself in her towel.

"Daddy Jack, I'm so sorry. I..." Lexi turn her pouty eyes toward me. "The wine. I'm so so sorry. That's not me you know? I was just trynna be funny. I shouldn't have said any of that. Should I go check on her or should I just go home?"

"YOU aren't driving anywhere Lex" I say as I stand and offer my hand to her as she floats toward me. I lift her off the float and drape a towel over her shoulders. "She'll be fine. You should go talk to her. I know you were just being a goofball, but I get why she's bothered by it, so you should go tell her what you told me. You three are inseparable. Don't let this get in between you guys. Go..." I shoo her ahead of me and she wraps the towel around her waist as she walks in.

I gather up the glasses and bottle and head back into the house myself. I gulp down the remainder of my own drink and set the glasses beside the sink. I head up to my bedroom and start the shower. I step down the hall and Rachel's door is ajar so I listen for a second.

"It's ok. I just..that's my dad. I know how you all see him and I get it. But he's MY dad. I mean, it's one thing to know what you think. It's way different for you to say it like that."

"Rach, I'm so sorry hun. Please forgive me. Us. Like I said. It's the wine. You know I'd never dis you like that. It just wasn't as funny as I thought it was gonna be." Lexi pleads.

"And I shouldn'ta laughed either Red. I'm sorry" Caitlyn adds.

"I hate you guys" I can hear Rachel say through a grin, not meaning it at all. I can tell from the silence they're probably all hugging and all is right in their world.

I step quietly back down the hall and into my room, close the door and step over into the shower. The upstairs has my master bath, Rachel has a bath attached to her room and there's a third bath attached to the guest bedroom at the opposite end of the floor from my room. I can tell when the water temp changes a slight bit that other showers are being started. I finish up and towel off. I pull on some lounge pants and brush my hair and teeth to get the cigar smell cleaned out.

In a few more minutes I can hear them all giggling and everything is back to normal. I pull on a plain white t shirt and walk down the hall. The doors half open and I tap on it from the side but don't peek in just in case.

"It's ok Daddy. We're all decent" Rachel's calls out.

"Well...we have clothes on at least" she corrects herself. "I wouldn't say decent".

I smile and step around and see them all in tanks, Lexi and Rachel in short sleeping shorts and Cat wearing grey yoga pants.

"We wanna watch a movie Daddy. Something scary" says Rach.

"Oh or something yummy John Wick!" Adds Cat. "I'm always up for Keanu." She smiles.

"I'm always good for some Hugh Jackman. MMMMMMMM" adds Lexi.

"Ohh man. Yeah. Or Gerard Butler?!" Rachel offers. "Oh yeah!!!" They all agree. Still feeling their wine I can tell.

"Ok. See you in the theater room or the living room?" I ask as I smile and turn to leave.

"Living room" They all say in unison. I know it's because they will all pile up under a blanket on the long side of the huge leather sectional. The theater room only has a love seat size couch and 8 theater style seats.

The TV in the living room is 81 inches so it's no slouch to watch a movie on. Rachel has always loved a fireplace and our fireplace has a dual setting. One for heat or I can switch it to a setting that's for decorative fires where there's little to no heat coming from the flame. She often sits beside it for homework. They follow me down the stairs and she stops at the thermostat and cranks it down to 60, for good measure.

They find what they want to watch and get it set up. "Daddy?" Rachel starts "we took a break. Can we just finish that bottle?" She motions toward the wine on the counter.

"Yeah...and I won't be getting all dumb and horny.." volunteers Lexi. They giggle and swat at each other playfully.

"Go for it you lushes." I joke. She pads over and grabs the bottle and three clean stems and they each pour their drinks and I sit across from them as they pile in and get tucked in. They've done this since they were in kindergarten. Always the same way. Lexi on the edge, Cat in the middle and Rach on the open end, one leg out of the blanket. Never deviates. They're the reason I got this couch. It's just bigger than the previous one so I have room for myself. I glance over at them as they intermittently take sips of their wine. They agreed on "The Greatest Showman" instead of something scary or action packed. They all love Hugh Jackman and lets be honest, I'm sure they like Zac Efron too. Although I have to admit that I'm curious about this attraction by all of them to these older actors. I know some girls are a bit drawn to the sophistication or dignity of an older guy, but these girls are really complementary to these certain types. Fit, handsome older guys.

"Mmmmm. Sexy.." Lexi moans as the opening sequence begins.

"Really really handsome man" agrees Cat.

"Uh girls...Daddy is right here. And he's SOOO much better looking than some guy Hollywood dresses up!" Responds Rach.

"True"

"True" they both agree and giggle.

As the movie rolls they have slowed down significantly on their wine but they haven't stopped. Rachel leans up and stands, "snacks?"

I pause the movie and stand too. The girls unfold themselves as well and we all wander into the kitchen and pilfer the fridge. The girls opt for a veggie tray leftover from the party and I take two sandwich quarters from another tray. Lexi and Rachel both take water bottles and Cat takes a blue Gatorade. I decide on water myself. They circle around the coffee table on their knees and snack and I sit back down on the couch and eat my sandwiches and start the movie back.

Lexi stands and tucks herself deep into the corner of the couch and wraps up in the blanket, tucking it all the way to her chin. She's got her right knee pulled up toward her and her left leg stretched out along the couch. After just a minute she decides it's too hot like that and drops the blanket down across her lap, her hands still tucked away underneath. Rachel and Cat keep munching slowly on veggies and allow themselves to be consumed by the movie.

I stand up again in a few minutes to go to the bathroom, out of the corner of my eye I notice Lexi staring at me but I pay no attention until I also see movement under the blanket where her hands are tucked. As I turn the movement stops and she sheepishly glances at me and gives me that nervous grin, like "nothing to see here". I move along and go do what I got up to do. When I return all the girls are back stacked on the couch again, Rachel with her leg stretched out but not under the blanket this time. She has her leg propped up and bent, and as I sit down, I can see up her tiny shorts and I'm shocked when I can't look away.