AIDAN
Considering this was my vacation, I didn’t have to wake up this stinkin’ early, but old habits die hard. It wasn’t like I was getting that much sleep anyway. The last two nights I stayed up well into the night working my body as hard as I could, though that still was not enough to drive away my urges for Clio.
Yesterday, I gave in and checked in with the office. I’d promised myself before I got here to only spend an hour or two a week on work, but I blew that promise the day before as a means to stay away from the one person I so desperately wanted to spend time with.
None of these feelings made sense. A few days before, I’d been struggling with the worry that I’d never find anyone that interested me enough to want to pursue a relationship or anything even close to one.
Now, in such a short time frame, I’d managed to not only meet someone who sparked feelings in me I’d never felt before, but I’d also managed to find the one woman who was unequivocally off limits to me.
There was no way I could be that guy in his forties who went after one of his grown daughter’s friends…except for the fact that every instinct in me told me that was exactly what I needed to do.
Now, it was the first day of Lila’s internship, and I was glad to be awake early. It would allow me to revive a tradition that I’d started with my daughter on her first day of school.
She’d been so nervous to start school, so I made sure to make her a special “good luck” breakfast consisting of all her favorites and told her that with this breakfast in her belly she was guaranteed to have a successful day. I’d made that breakfast on the first day of school every year until she started college and for every big event in between.
I quickly dressed and was in the middle of brushing my teeth when the smell of bacon wafted into my room. I followed the smell and the sight that met my eyes caused a tightness in my chest: a red-cheeked Clio with flour streaked across her t-shirt as she flipped a pancake.
There was a plate of bacon set off to the side, as well as several bowls with cut-up fruit. I thought she’d looked sexy in that bikini, but watching her make breakfast set off some sort of primal call inside of me.
She almost dropped the pancake she was flipping when she saw me there watching her with my hands in my pockets. I couldn’t blame her for being startled. I could only imagine what I must have looked like to her if it revealed even a little of what I was feeling. Before she could say anything, I asked, “The good luck breakfast?”
She smiled shyly. “Yeah, how did you know?”
“I started making this breakfast for her when she was a girl,” I said and instantly regretted it when I saw her dismayed expression.
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry, I should’ve known it started with you. I didn’t mean to step on your toes-” she said, seeming genuinely distressed.
“Clio, Clio, it’s ok. You’re not stepping on my toes. I’m glad that Lila was able to carry on the tradition with you,” I said, moving to her side at the kitchen island. “You mind if I help?”
“Yes, of course, I mean it is your kitchen,” she said.
“As long as you’re staying here, it’s your kitchen, too. I want you to be comfortable,” I said, grabbing a pancake and some fruit to make the smiley face pancakes I always made for Lila when she was little. I saw her eyeing my artwork.
“Are you jealous of the artistry?” I asked, and to my delight, she laughed. I looked at her in mock outrage. “You laugh, but I’ll have you know that this pancake smiley face has been featured in all of the go-to culinary magazines.”
She raised an eyebrow. “You expect me to believe that when you forgot the most important part?” she asked in a teasing manner as she grabbed a slice of strawberry and tucked it underneath my whipped cream smile, so that it looked like its tongue was sticking out.
“Well played, Clio. I should be wounded, but I’m just glad my daughter has been able to enjoy the elevated version of these pancakes for the last few years,” I said as I whipped up some scrambled eggs and tried to keep my eyes to myself, which was difficult considering the way Clio’s full breasts swayed beneath her t-shirt as she whisked the pancake batter. Never in my life did I think I’d find pancakes so goddamn sexy, but I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to look at a stack again without thinking about the way her chest jiggled.
Clio and I fell into a companionable silence, though I could feel her nerves, which I both loved and hated. I did not want her to feel the least bit uncomfortable, but it was also nice to know that she was still affected…especially after seeing her on the balcony the night of our dinner out. In that moment, it seemed like all the feelings we’d tripped over since we discovered how we were both connected by Lila just unfurled between us in the moonlit night. I wanted her, that much was clear, and though there was a distance in between us, I thought I could feel her longing and her conflicted feelings.
By day, however, she mostly avoided me. When we did see each other, our interactions were overly polite, and it was driving me nuts.
I wanted to see the woman I met on the beach, her bright, determined eyes…the passion brimming over from her smile. When I’d caught her watching me from the balcony, I saw that woman again, and I would do just about anything to see her more often.
“It’s nice of you to do this for Lila. You’re a considerate friend,” I told her as I pulled plates out of the cabinet.
“It’s the least I can do for her really. Besides, today is a big day, and I want to send her off with a belly full of love,” Clio said as she gathered utensils and napkins to set out.
“A belly full of love huh?”
She laughed. “Yeah, I know it sounds kind of silly, but it was something my grandmother always said. She would always make meals big enough to feed a football team, even though there were only four of us.”
She went on, relaxing visibly as she talked about her grandmother and the rest of her family. I learned that she had a little brother who just started high school and that he was mad at her for not coming home for the summer because he wanted her to teach him how to play the guitar. She guessed from his complaining that he was trying to impress a girl.
“Well, I guess you have to give the kid credit for wanting to go the extra mile. It’s funny what people will do when they’ve found someone who hits all the buttons for them,” I said, giving her a sidelong glance.
Our gazes held for a moment, and to my anguish and my satisfaction, I caught her eyes flickering to my mouth. “Clio,” I said huskily.
“Oh my god, I cannot believe you two,” Lila’s voice pierced through the fog of my desire for Clio.
Clio turned away from me guiltily, but I turned slowly to face the music, sucking in a deep breath in anticipation of what would come next.
“Lila, I can explain-” Clio started, but Lila just laughed as she moved closer.
“There’s not much to explain about my favorite people making a good luck breakfast. You all are the best,” she said as she grabbed a plate and started filling her plating, chattering a mile a minute about what lay in store for her at the law firm.
Talking around mouthfuls of pancake and bacon, Lila worried aloud as Clio gave her words of encouragement and I gave her last minute advice for how to deal with persnickety lawyers. The whole scene looked suspiciously domestic, and I could almost pretend that my hands weren’t itching to get on with my daughter’s best friend.
I scolded myself mentally, refocusing my attention on Lila. “I’m really glad I have you both to come home to after this. Between your cheerleading,” Lila nodded towards Clio, “and your advice,” she said, referring to me, “I feel like I’ve got a leg up compared to the other intern.” She smiled at us, then her eyes widened.
“What’s wrong?” Clio asked, concerned.
“I just saw what time it was,” Lila said, nodding her head towards the clock on the microwave. She wiped her mouth with the napkin Clio had laid out for her and scooted out of her seat, carrying her dishes to the sink. “I want to make sure I’m the first one there. You know, let them know I’m ready to work hard.”
I smiled at her, pride swelling in my chest as she went to grab her things. It had happened too fast-her growing up. But I was so impressed with the young woman she’d grown into. I glanced over at Clio and saw to my amusement that she had the same smile on her face.
No matter what happened, or didn’t happen between us, I was glad my daughter had a friend who seemed almost as invested in Lila’s happiness as I was. Those types of friendships were important to have and was something I hadn’t invested much time in when I was younger. I wish I had. It would have been nice to have someone to lean on during the divorce, or just someone to shoot the breeze with.
I think part of me really wanted to find that in a partner.