Temptations of Amy

"Is this really what we think is best to do?"

I sat across the table from my wife of seven years. The last year had been incredibly tough on us; we had been going to marriage therapy, and we had both come to the conclusion that we wanted a divorce. Our only drawbacks were our two daughters. The youngest had just barely turned one, and the oldest had just turned three. I took a drink of water, looked her in the eyes, and said, "Yes. I don't want the kids to grow up in a house where the parents can't stand each other and are two totally different people."

Caitlin took our two daughters and moved in with her parents the next day. I helped them move, crying as I drove away. The divorce went smoothly enough; we evenly split everything we had, and came up with a schedule for the girls. Included in the divorce was the sale of our townhouse, which fetched us both a nice profit to put in our pockets.

This was towards the end of 2020, right in the middle of the COVID pandemic. I was considered an essential worker, so I was able to get my mind off things by working a ton. I work in the lumber industry, and the price of lumber had exploded. We were pulling in new records in sales every month and working fourteen-hour days to try to get everything out. It was tiring, but the pay was good enough that, combined with the profit from selling the townhouse, I was able to purchase myself a little house the next year. I was also put into a different job at the lumber yard that paid more, cut my overtime down, and let me leave earlier in the day.

My name is Danny, by the way. I'm in my mid-thirties. Born and raised in Utah. I was a member of the LDS church for a while, but I stopped attending after my divorce. I still believed, but I would just rather be doing different things on Sunday. My ex-wife was upset about it for a while, but now she just keeps the kids on Sundays, and they go with her. It's fine with me, and I really don't mind it at all.

I'm roughly five feet, nine inches tall. I have a bit of a belly, but most people think I'm too skinny. With shaggy brown hair and bright blue eyes, I have an easy-going personality that sometimes gets me in trouble for being too chill.

The divorce was three years ago. I was pretty settled into a routine of a three-day weekend, ten-hour work days, and going to pick up my oldest daughter from school and youngest from daycare, hanging out with them for a couple of hours before their mom got off work and came to get them. I got them every other Friday as well, plus whenever I wanted them or my ex needed a break. The nights I didn't have them, I filled with a few hobbies: playing basketball or hiking during the summer; video games during the winter. Or a mixture of everything, depending on my mood.

As far as dating went, I went on a couple, but nothing stuck. I was starting to think I was just too different of a person for what was available out there. Until I received a Facebook message from a woman that I worked with when I got my first job at the age of eighteen.

My first job was for a local grocery store. I started out as a bagger for the first eight months I worked there. I easily made friends with most of the female cashiers, at least all the ones my age. I eventually moved departments, went to a graveyard shift, became a manager during the day, met my now ex-wife there, and quit for the job I'm at now.

One of those female cashiers was named Amy. She was a year younger than me, and we got along great. It was good enough that she invited me over to her house once, but I turned her down because I was seeing somebody at the time. I always wondered how that night would have gone if I had gone over. There was no doubt that I was attracted to her.

By this point in time, I hadn't seen or talked to Amy in over a decade. Just from following her on social media, I knew that she had moved to California, where she was originally from, before returning to Utah a few years later. She also had a daughter that was around the same age as my youngest daughter, and, as far as social media went, the dad was not in the picture.

It took me nearly three years to do it, but I had recently updated my Facebook to reflect my divorced status. Not that I was in denial or trying to hide it; I just never thought to do it until somebody in my family mentioned it.

Amy sent me a message saying sorry about the divorce. We talked for a few minutes about it, and I was wondering where the conversation was going when Amy said, "So, I was wondering, with my daughter being close in age to yours, would you want to get them together for a play date some time soon? She doesn't have a lot of friends her age, and I would like her to start interacting with kids her age before she starts school next year. We can do it wherever--my house, your house, or a park."

I thought about it for a few minutes, wondered if this was just her trying to find somebody to watch her kid, and was going to respond when she said, "Plus, it's been a while since I've been around a guy I think I can trust, and kind of knows what I go through, being a single parent. It might be nice while the girls play for both of us to have somebody to talk to, vent to, or whatever."

I thought that actually did sound nice, so I replied back, "That sounds like it could work out well. I'm off on Mondays, and when I have my daughters, the youngest gets bored while the oldest is in school. Would Mondays work for you?"

Amy said that Mondays would work; it was also her day off and the one day during the week that she didn't have school. We made plans to meet at a local park the next Monday and ended our conversation. Afterwards, I went onto Amy's Facebook profile and browsed her photos. Most were of her daughter; some included Amy. There are a lot of group photos involving friends or family, some nature shots, concert pictures, and one or two memes. Then I found one taken in early June of just her and made it bigger.

She was holding the phone above her head and tilting it down to show her body. She had dirty blonde hair that ended around her chest, and it looked like she had gotten it wet and was letting it air dry. Big hazel eyes complimented her pretty face, with red lips. She had on an unzipped white jacket and a light blue spaghetti-string tanktop. A slight hint of her flat stomach led to gray sweats on her legs, with black and blue vans covering her feet.

As beautiful as her face was. as pretty as her eyes were, and even though her stomach looked flat and toned, my eyes were drawn to her chest. Amy had at least double Ds, if not slightly bigger. They were pushing against the tank top she had on, the tops of which were visible from the angle she took the photo from. Amy wasn't super skinny, with wide shoulders and hips, so her breasts fit her body perfectly.

I was starting to grow hard in my pants, and I laid down on my couch, slipping my hand into my shorts. I flicked through some more of her pictures, finding a few of her in a bikini, one of her hair in braided pigtails, and just some every-day shots of her. As I finished growing to my full six inches, I pulled my cock out, sat my phone down, and closed my eyes, rubbing one out as I thought of her.

That Monday, Amy messaged me to confirm our plans, and we exchanged numbers, just in case something happened. After dropping off my oldest at the school bus, me and my youngest got ready for the day and enjoyed a morning together before heading to the park after lunch.

Amy and her daughter were already there and walked up to us as we got out of my car. We shared a brief hug with each other before she leaned down to my daughter and said, "Hi. I'm Amy. This is my daughter, Avery. What's your name?"

My daughter was hiding behind my leg and quietly said, "I'm Alexis."

"It's nice to meet you, Alexis. Will you be my daughter's friend?" Amy asked her. Alexis nodded her head, yes, and came out behind my leg. The two kids quickly ran off to the playground, leaving me and Amy to follow behind them. Amy today had her hair pulled into a messy ponytail behind her head. She had on a black jacket that was zipped up, and she had her hands in her pockets. Tight blue jeans covered her legs, leading down to knee-high tan boots. I admired her butt as we walked to the picnic tables next to the playground, where we sat down next to each other and watched Alexis and Avery play together.

"I really appreciate you doing this," Amy said. "Avery goes to my mom's house while I'm at work and school, and it's great, but I know she needs kids her own age too. And I can't afford daycare or a preschool. I've been worried about her not making friends when she goes to school next year."

"It's no problem. I told Alexis about it this morning, and she was so excited to make a new friend." I told her in response. "What are you going to school for?"

"Nursing. After Avery was born, my life really changed. I stopped smoking pot, don't drink as much, and knew that I had to get an actual career so that I could take care of her," Amy said, snapping a picture of the girls playing together.

"That's awesome; good for you. Kids really are good at making you see what's important in life." I told her.

She said, "I agree. Not trying to get too personal or anything, but how are you and your ex getting along? Did you have any custody problems?"

I sat back at the picnic table and said, "We actually get along pretty well. Custody was super easy to determine. I get off before her, so I pick them up from daycare and school every day, and then she picks them up when she gets off. They stay over night at my house most Fridays, and I take them back to their moms Saturday night so they can go to church with her on Sunday. Depending on what's going on, sometimes I'll get them on Sunday nights as well. It's taken a lot of communication and driving, but it's been worth it."

"That's good. Avery's dad wanted nothing to do with her from the second I told him I was pregnant and signed over his rights." Amy said.

"Damn, that sucks. Guy doesn't know what he's missing. Being a father is the best thing about life. "Were you two in a relationship when you got pregnant?" I asked her.

"Nope," she answered back. "We met at a bar, slept together a few times, then he ghosted me after I got pregnant, and he signed everything away. I honestly didn't know that much about him."

"Sounds like it might be better that he's not involved in Avery's life," I said, trying to be compassionate.

"Yeah. I'm hoping that one day I'll find a male role model for her. My dad is pretty good with her, but he's still in California. I have a cousin here, but he's not the best influence, but he does love and care for her."

We sat in silence and watched the girls play. Of course, when Amy first messaged me, I thought that this might turn into a relationship, but from the way she sounded, she wasn't showing too much interest in me.

Eventually, the girls started to get tired, and we said our goodbyes, making plans for the next week. Avery and Alexis hugged before leaving, while me and Amy waved goodbye after getting into our cars.

I debated texting Amy throughout that week but decided not to. She finally texted me Sunday night, setting up another play date for the next day. We decided on a different park, and she said that she would bring lunch for all of us after asking what kind of sandwiches we liked.

We beat Amy and Avery to the park the next day, pulling out some drinks we had purchased for everybody and getting a picnic table. Alexis was playing on the playground when Amy and Avery arrived, and she ran up to them, giving them both a hug as they got out of their car. Alexis pointed to where I was sitting, and I watched them all walk over, Amy carrying the sandwiches while Avery arrived with a bag of chips. Amy was dressed much the same as the week before, just with different colored clothes.

After we all ate, the girls ran off to play, and I said, "Thanks for lunch; that was good."

Amy laughed and said, "Oh, thanks. I'm not a very good cook, so Avery has to settle for sandwiches a lot. I'm glad she doesn't complain. Yet."

"Well, maybe I'll have to have you guys over for lunch or dinner one day and cook a meal for you." I said.

Amy smiled and said, "That might be nice. I'm just happy these two are getting along today. It was a tough week with her."

I asked what happened, and she said, "It was just one of those weeks. I was at school and worked a lot. She doesn't understand why Mom is always gone. I yelled at her a couple times at night, but it was just from being tired and exhausted. It made me feel bad, especially when I made her cry."

"I kind of know the feeling. It's tough. But I know that you're doing the best you can. She might not understand it now, but I'm sure she'll appreciate it when she's older," I told her.

"Thanks, Danny. I needed to hear that," Amy said, flashing a cute smile at me.

"Of course. You know that you can always call or text me if you need somebody to talk to or vent to. You don't have to wait until Mondays." I said.

"I know. I almost did this last week. It's nice having a friend to talk to about stuff like this." I nodded my head yes, and she said, "So, I meant to ask last week, but I forgot. And again, don't answer if it's too personal. But have you seen anybody since the divorce? Or even have any interest in it?"

I thought for a minute about how much I wanted to share before I said, "I go back and forth. I've been on a couple dates, but nothing serious and no second dates."

"Anybody you have your eyes on now?" She asked me.

I laughed and said, "Truthfully, there is just one girl. I've only talked to her a few times, so I'm still trying to figure out how she feels." Despite what Amy had said last week, I was still holding out hope that we might develop something. Even if it was just for one night.

"Well, at least you have somebody you're talking to. The last few guys I've talked to, all they've wanted is sex. And when they find out I have a kid, they leave. I told one the other week that I wanted a relationship, not a one-night stand. He asked for a titty picture instead." Amy said, staring out at the girls.

"That's such bullshit. I hate that about guys." I told her, making her laugh.

"Me too. Thankfully, there are still nice guys out there like you," she said. Well, at least I'm a nice guy.

Amy did text me during the week, asking what I did for a living. I told her about my job at the lumber yard, and she asked a few questions about it before she changed the subject, asking if Alexis would like to do something different besides a park on Monday. I told her I would ask and let her know.

We would continue like this for the rest of the fall months in Utah. As the weather got colder and snow started to fall, we stopped going to parks and instead found indoor activities for the girls to do. Some weeks, one of us would drop our daughter off at the other house for a few hours of play time. On the days that my daughter was at Amy's house, I usually sat around the house doing nothing, waiting for her to come home.

I was starting to really like Amy. She was fun to talk to, our goals aligned well, and we had similar interests. But, every time I would come close to asking her out, she would mention how great of a friend I was or tell me that some girl would be extremely lucky to meet me some day.

On a Friday night in early December, Amy texted me to ask what I was doing the next day. I told her I just had some housework planned, and she said, "I made plans with my mom to watch Avery so I could get her Christmas shopping done. Do you want to join me? You don't have your kids, right?"

I confirmed that I didn't have my kids, and we agreed on a time for her to pick me up. She ended the conversation by saying, "Awesome! It'll be nice to spend some time with another adult with no kids around."

I was outside my house waiting for Amy when she pulled her mini-SUV into my driveway. I quickly jumped into the passenger seat to get out of the cold and said hi to her. "So, there's one thing I want to get at Walmart, then I want to head to the mall. We can shop there and maybe get some lunch too. How much shopping do you have left?" Amy said, pulling out of my driveway.

"Not a ton. My kids are going to be at their moms this year, so I've only gotten them a few things to open a couple days before Christmas." I told her.

"I couldn't imagine not having Avery on Christmas. I'm sorry you have to go through that," Amy said sympathetically.

I laughed a bit and said, "Honestly, it's not that bad. The first year was weird, but we had just barely separated. Last year, I had them most of the day, then dropped them off at their moms. And this year, there's a chance I might get them for dinner, but it's just going to depend on how the day goes. It'll be nice to sleep in a bit, and I'm sure I'll be getting lots of pictures and videos."

I was half hoping that Amy would invite me to her house for Christmas, but instead she said, "Still, that has got to be rough. I don't know if I told you or not, but I'm going to Mexico for the new year with some friends, and it's going to kill me not to see Avery for a week."

"No, you hadn't said anything about Mexico. That will be tough, but I'm sure you'll have tons of fun." I told her, getting her to laugh.

"Yeah, it will be. Are you going to miss me while I'm gone?" She asked me as she pulled into the Wal-Mart parking lot.

"Of course," I said. "I won't know what to do that Monday. Or who to text when my kids do something dumb."

As we walked into the store, Amy said, "I guess you'll just have to hang out with another girl who wishes they could be your girlfriend."

Did she just admit that she wanted to be my girlfriend? I didn't have much time to think about it as Amy pulled me into her shopping trip, asking what I thought Avery would like, what toys to get as she grew older, and even asking if she should get something for Alexis. Before I knew it, we were both walking out with a couple of bags and heading to the mall.

She again threw me for a loop as we walked into the mall, saying, "Thank you again for coming with me. This is so much easier having a friend come along who has older kids that can give me advice."

She gave me a small and quick side hug as we started shopping. Amy bought a few items of clothing at the first store we went to but couldn't find anything she liked at the next two, so we decided to get some lunch before browsing the rest of the stores.

We both went straight to the Chinese restaurant located in the food court, laughing as we ordered nearly the same thing. Amy tried to pay for hers, but I stepped in front, paying for both meals, as she gave me a dirty look next to me. Seeing it, I said, "Oh, stop, friends can be nice to each other, right?"

She smiled and said, "Damn, and here I thought we were on a date."

We sat down at a table in the crowded food court and started to eat. Amy was talking about other stores she wanted to visit when she stopped and said, "Were you serious about missing me when I go to Mexico?"

I laughed and said, "I mean, it's going to be different not seeing you on Monday or hanging out while the girls play, but it's not something I have any control over. Will you miss me?"

"You're my friend, so of course I'll miss you," she said while taking a bite.

"So, were you just joking about thinking this was a date?" I asked her.

Amy put her fork down and said, "Definitely. I would hope that our first date wouldn't be shopping for Christmas presents. If we did ever decide to go down that road."

"So, if we did have a first date, how would you want it to be?" I said this while taking the last bite of my food.

Amy started to pack up her food and trash, stood up, and said, "We better get back to shopping."