Step-Daughter Clues Me In

A step-daughter's loyalty to her step-dad saves the day. Not a BTB, and no willing Cucks. I hope you enjoy it.

Amy and I (John Stevens), have been married for twelve years. She is 38 and I am 43. Amy had been divorced for two years when we met. We dated for about a year and then got married by a Justice of the Peace in a quiet civil service. The only guest in attendance was Nicole, her daughter who was five years old at the time.

Amy's ex, Ron, is an over-the-road trucker whom she divorced after catching him with a female trucker. Once divorced he married the gal and they bought their own rig and are a long-haul contract driving team. They visit our town for a few days about twice a year to see Nicole. He seems like an okay guy and is never late with his child support payments. Nicole told me she enjoys his visits but thinks of me as her "dad."

Of course, being the stepfather of a cute 17-year-old girl is not without its challenges. While we usually get along quite well, she's still a teenage girl and attracts a lot of attention from teenage boys. Just because I'm the stepdad doesn't mean I'm any less protective of my little girl. I've had to give the stink-eye to a couple of bozos that came sniffing around and that pissed Nicole off, but a dad has to do what a dad has to do.

Nicole is an excellent student and a decent athlete. I was happy to buy her a car for her 16th birthday, not only because she deserved it, but also because it freed Amy and me from all the taxi service required for her extracurricular activities.

Amy had been working part-time and when Nicole got her car, she decided to go back to full-time work. I was not thrilled about the idea, but her extra income would add greatly to Nicole's college fund, so I supported her decision.

Not long after her return to full-time Amy was invited to a GNO with her coworkers. The gals liked to go out on a Friday night and usually, they'd go to "Jimmy's," a local cafe/bar that had decent food and live music. It was not a "nightclub," that attracted a swarm of youngsters, it was much more subdued.

Amy and her five coworkers usually attracted a good bit of attention from the guys at Jimmy's. Two of the girls are single, mid-twenties, hotties that are out every Friday. The other three are average-looking, young married moms. At 38, Amy was the oldest of the ladies, but years of work at the gym had allowed her to keep herself as fit as the two young hotties in her group.

The four married ladies didn't go out every weekend but usually accompanied the youngster about once a month. Their evening usually would include a bite to eat and a couple of drinks. All of the women would get asked to dance and the married ladies usually accepted one or two dances each evening. The four moms would seldom stay past ten o'clock and never past eleven.

"Girl's Night In" started when one of the youngsters tore up her knee on a ski trip and didn't want to go to Jimmy's on crutches. Gail, one of the moms, invited everyone to her house. The ladies liked the more intimate and comfortable setting and decided to continue the GNI instead of a GNO.

About three years into the rotation, it was Amy's turn to host the GNI for the fourth time. I had been home for each of her previous gatherings and ended up being the waiter and bartender while the ladies sat around in our family room.

The gals usually consumed a fair amount of booze and could get a little raunchy toward the end of the evening. After having been smacked on the ass a few times when I brought in fresh drinks, I tried to stay out of harm's way as those evenings progressed.

To that end, I took my laptop into the dining room and was reviewing some quarterly reports. The dining room is at the opposite end of our house, well away from the ladies. I barely heard Amy yell for me to bring more wine. The wine fridge is in the dining room so I grabbed a bottle of her favored white wine, opened it, and took it in.

I poured a couple of glasses and Jinny, the youngest of the group, said, "Amy, your manservant is quite handsome! Does he just pour wine or is he available for other services?"

Amy laughed and said, "That old man is probably older than your dad!"

Jinny looked me up and down and said, "That's okay, I always was a Daddy's Girl."

I must have turned bright red as all the ladies roared with laughter. I winked at Jinny and strutted back to the dining room, empty wine bottle in hand. I got my laptop and snuck upstairs to my bedroom.

My phone went off, alerting me that someone was in my driveway. I wondered who would be coming to the party this late, but then my camera showed me it was Nicole. I got up and went down to greet her. She came through the door dragging a large canvas bag full of laundry.

"Hey, baby! Why are you home? We weren't expecting you for a few more weeks."

"The plumbing burst in the dorm and flooded us out. We're on remote classes until it's fixed. I'm guessing that will be about the end of term, so here I am."

"Welcome home, honey. Your mother is hosting her GNI tonight. I'm sure they'd love for you to join them. I'm hiding in my room."

Nicole laughed, "I was going to just crash, but a glass of wine sounds good. I guess I'll go say hello to everyone." She kissed me on the cheek and scampered off to see the ladies, as I climbed the steps.

In the morning I had the kitchen to myself as the girls had both slept in. I was on my second cup of coffee when Nicole came into the kitchen. "Good morning sweetheart! I made cinnamon rolls, they're in the oven and should still be warm."

"Thanks, Dad," she said in a tired voice. She got coffee and a roll and sat at the table. She was unusually quiet and after a few attempts to start a conversation with her failed, I knew something was bothering her.

"Nicole, is something wrong, sweetie?"

She squirmed in her chair a bit and I could see she was wrestling with a decision.

"Dad, I..." She turned away to check the stairs and then returned to me. "I heard something last night that upset me. I didn't know if I should say anything, but I ... well, Jinny was pretty drunk last night and she kept saying things to Mom about you."

"Oh, baby, she was pretty drunk and she was just being silly. Please don't let anything she said about me upset you."

"At first I thought it was funny. She kept talking about how sexy you are and how she really wanted to be with an unselfish guy for once instead of another young, pump-and-dump, chump. She said she's been jealous of Mom since she told them you always ensure she gets hers when you're together."

"Oh god, baby, I'm sorry you had to hear that kinda stuff about me and your mom. I had no idea Amy talked about our private lives when she was with her friends. I'm sure it was embarrassing for you to hear that kind of thing."

She chuckled. "Yeah, well, that didn't bother me too much because, well, ... girls talk, so it was no big deal until..."

"What? ... Did your mom say something gross about us? Oh, baby, they were drunk, I'm so sorry."

"No, Dad! it was Jinny. She said it wasn't fair that Mom got to have you and her Ex.

I paused. My brain was trying to compute what Nicole had just said, "But Ron was years ago, Jinny doesn't know him, I mean, how could she?"

"Dad? Didn't Mom tell you? Ron sold his truck and is working as a dispatcher for Fleetside Logistics. He and Diane moved back here months ago."

I was stunned. "No, she never said anything. But still, how would Jinny know Ron ... unless he's been to Amy's office. He must have visited Amy and she told Jinny he was her Ex when she introduced him.

"I don't know, Dad, maybe it was just the wine, but it seemed like Jinny was implying something was going on. I just laughed it off like everybody else, but it bothered me."

"Okay, Honey, well don't worry about it. I'm sure it's nothing. I'll talk to Amy about it. Now, do you want another roll?"

I put another roll on her plate and returned the others to the oven. We chatted about school and how her remote classes worked. She said she'd have to go back to campus for her exams, but the rest of her classes would be online.

"Well, I have a lot of yard work to do today. Do you have any plans?"

"I'm going to get my laundry started this morning and then call Heather and see what she's up to. I haven't seen her in a while."

"Oh, I remember Heather, (my mind conjured up a memory of the teenaged hottie) I haven't seen her since your pool party."

"Dad! What's with the big grin? Are you thinking about her white bikini?"

(BUSTED!) "Uh, I, er, well, she did look pretty cute in that swimsuit."

"Dad! Don't be a perv! She was only 18 then, she's 21 now. Neither one of us look like a high school girl anymore," She said and laughed.

I'd finished cutting the backyard and came in for a drink of water. Amy was sitting at the table sipping a cup of coffee. She looked up when I came into the room.

"Did the mower wake you?"

"Yes, but I needed to get up anyway. ... Oh man, I drank too much wine last night. I can't imagine how Jinny, Ellen, and Mary are doing today."

I just nodded and finished my water. "Well, I've got to get the rest of the yard done," I said and then turned and walked out the back door.

As I cut the grass I thought about what Nicole had heard and what it meant. It was odd that Amy never mentioned Ron was back in town and working just a mile from her office. It's even worse that he may have visited her office, maybe taken her to lunch and she never told me. It's clear that I need to talk with her about Ron and why she chose not to inform me of her interaction with him.

I finished my chores and went inside to get a much-needed shower. Amy was dressed and sitting in our front room, sipping coffee. Her hair was still damp from the shower.

"Are you all finished with the mowing?"

"Yes, now I need a shower," I replied as I climbed the steps.

After my shower, I opened the bathroom door and could see Amy sitting in one of the small chairs next to our bedroom windows. She had a magazine on her lap and closed it when she looked up at me. As I walked out, I wrapped a towel around my waist and held it in place with one hand. I didn't acknowledge her as I moved toward the dresser.

"There's my handsome man! Do you need some help drying off?"

Two days ago that kind of flirty invitation would likely have led to a quick romp in the sack, but today it earned little more than a grunt as my reply. I dropped the towel and slipped on a pair of boxers. Amy just stared at me as I pulled on a teeshirt and slipped on my shorts.

"John? ... Are you okay? Is something wrong?"

I studied her face as I sat in the other side chair. "We have a problem. I believe you've been hiding things from me and I want to know what's going on."

Amy's mouth dropped open as she did her best fish-face impersonation. It took her a moment to gather herself. "I, uh, hiding things? What do you mean, hiding things?"

"Nicole told me Ron and Diane moved back to town. She said Jinny mentioned him last night, so she's obviously met him. Would you please explain to me how it is that your coworker could have met your ex-husband?"

"John, I think I told you they had moved back here, at least I thought I did. I mean, it's no big deal, why would we care if they moved back here?'

"I care because you absolutely never told me about seeing Ron. I care because you must have introduced him to Jinny and never bothered to tell me you'd seen him. I care because I think you didn't want me to know he was back and I want to know WHY you didn't want me to know he was around!"

"No, no, no, I thought I told you, I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to hide anything. Jinny and I ran into Ron when we went to Baron's for lunch a few months ago. He was there with a coworker and we ended up setting together."

"And how many times have you seen Ron since he moved back to town?"

"Uh, er, well, I've had lunch with him a couple of times, and he and his coworker were at Joe's when I went for an after-work drink with the girls."

"So, did he know in advance that you girls were going to be at Joe's, or was that just another innocent, random event?"

"I swear I didn't tell him, but maybe Jinny told Dave, his coworker. ... John, it's no big deal, nothing happened. We are friends, nothing more."

"Then why were you hiding all this from me? Does Diane know you two are hanging out together, or is Ron hiding things from his spouse too?"

"John, please, I don't know if he told Diane. Baby, you're making way too much of this. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I guess I just didn't think it was a big deal. I promise I'll let you know if I ever see him again."

I just looked at her, searching her face. She seemed sincere, but she had successfully hidden her activities from me for months. Maybe what she was saying is true, but my gut said she was not being completely honest with me. I decided not to say anything about what Nicole had heard Jinny say because I didn't want to put Nicole in the middle of things.

I shook my head slowly, "Amy, I am not very happy about this. I can't help but feel you deliberately hid things from me and I have to ask myself why you would feel the need to do that."

"Oh, Baby, I'm so sorry I have upset you. I guess I can see why you'd be bothered, but Ron is just an old friend to me, nothing more."

"Amy, you were married to the guy. You slept with him for several years and gave birth to his child. That's a good bit more than just an old friend. ... Look, you know I'm not usually the jealous type, but this whole circumstance bothers me."

"I'm sorry. You're right, I've been inconsiderate of you. I swear I'll keep you better informed about what I'm doing."

I nodded, bringing the discussion to a close. I still was not at all convinced she was being completely honest with me. For the first time in our relationship, I was unsure of my wife's fidelity.

I stood and she hugged me. I hugged her back and kissed the top of her head. I released her and told her I was going to the hardware store and would be back in an hour, or so.

I was not happy and she knew it. I had no proof she'd done anything more than she'd admitted, but my questions had put her on notice that I was now suspicious of her. I assumed that would cause her to rethink what she'd been doing. The question in my mind is, would she now make every effort to be completely above board with Ron? OR, would she become far more careful in concealing her activities with her ex-husband?

Over the next week, things were a bit chilly at home. I tried to act normal, but I'm not a great actor. Amy went out of her way to try to make me relax and forget about what she'd done. She skipped an after-work outing with her co-workers, opting instead to call me and ask me to meet her at a quiet little cafe near my office.

We had drinks and a light dinner. She talked about work and asked about my latest project. It was quite pleasant and when we got home she dragged me into the bedroom.

Amy was in the shower and I was sitting in my recliner, sipping a beer when Nicole came downstairs. "Well, from all the noise I heard, I guess you two are back to normal."

I may have blushed a little as I chuckled. "I guess so. She has been going out of her way to keep me informed of her activities and it appears she is avoiding any secret meetings with Ron. She even skipped an after-work thing with the girls to go to dinner with me."

"Hey, that's great, maybe it was just Jinny being stupidly drunk and nothing more. Dad, I know Mom loves you, we both do."

"Thank you, sweetheart, I love you too."

"Oh, by the way, I'm going to dinner at Ron and Diane's tomorrow night. Diane called me this morning. She said Jinny told her I was home. Seems Jinny is dating Ron's friend from work and they were over at Ron's a couple of days ago."

"Oh? Hmm, I think I remember Amy saying something about Jinny and Ron's coworker. I think she called him Dave, or Dan, I'm not sure."

"Well, I guess I'll find out tomorrow because they are supposed to be there, too."

Just then Amy came down the stairs. Nicole gave her a silly grin and said, "Well, now that things have quieted down upstairs, I guess I'll go finish my homework."

Amy laughed and said, "Well you've got about two hours before I drag him back up there and start all over."

"OMG! Mom! ... TMI! TMI, Nicole yelled as she scurried up the steps."

I smiled at Amy, "I thought it was the Dad's job to embarrass the kid."

"Nope, this is 2023, Moms can do it too," she said chuckling.

A few days later Nicole told me she had a good time visiting Ron and Diane. She said Dave told her she looked a lot like her mom. Then he explained he'd met Amy the same day he'd met Jinny. It had been when he and Ron ran into them at Baron's and ended up at their table for lunch. Nicole said Diane acted a bit surprised by that and remarked that she hadn't known Jinny worked with Mom.

I thought about what she had told me, at least his story matched what Amy had told me about having lunch with them. It was interesting that Ron maybe had not told Diane about bumping into Amy. Why would the two of them try to hide their accidental meeting? ... Fuck, those old suspicions were back in my head.

My boss told me he needed me to go to Cleveland Friday afternoon and attend a 3:00 meeting at our regional office there. Three of us from Columbus were going. After the meeting, the Regional Manager was taking us to dinner. I told Amy and Nicole it would be midnight by the time I got back home.

"No matter, I'm going out with friends from school and will likely stay with one of them. I'll text Mom and let her know with whom I stay."

"I was planning to go to Mary's GNI, but I won't stay too late. Honey, if you drink after dinner, just get a room and spend the night. We don't want anything to happen to you."

The Friday meeting went well and we wrapped things up a bit early. We decided to go to Happy Hour and have a drink and appetizers rather than a full meal. I had just ordered the first round when the Regional Manager got a call saying his child was ill and the wife was taking him to urgent care.

"Tom, for god's sake if your son is that ill, just go help your wife. The big boss isn't here and we'll all tell him you were a wonderful host."

My colleagues laughed and joined in telling Tom to go take care of his family. Once he left I told the guys I was heading home too. The other two decided to stay and make an evening of it.

I started to text Amy, but I remembered she was headed to her GNI, so I just drove home. I got home at about 8:00 to an empty house. I changed and settled onto the couch to watch a movie and sip some Angel Envy Rye.

As I sat there I heard a ding and realized it had come from Amy's iPad. Her iPad was synced to her iPhone, so calls and messages appeared on both at the same time. I ignored it, then it dinged again, and then several more times. Curiosity got the best of me and I picked it up. I flipped over the cover and entered her password (Nicole's birthday). There were several texts to and from Jinny.

Amy: Hey girl, I'm at Mary's, where are you?

Jinny: home, hanging with Dave

Jinny: Ron's here, Wanna come over?

Amy, Yeah, but I better not, John's been weird lately

Jinny: But we had so much fun the last time, sure you can't make it?

Amy: You're bad! John is in Cleve til late

Jinny: Fuck yeah! Get your ass over here. Let's PARTY!

Amy: k OMW!

Well, fuck me. She's leaving Mary's and heading to meet Ron at Jinny's! I pulled up her Find My Phone app and it showed her phone in motion. I checked her contacts and put Jinny's info into my phone. I sat watching her iPhone icon move as she headed to Jinny's apartment. I re-read the text, it said they'd had fun the last time, so that meant this would not be the first time she'd been to Jinny's to play.