"I'm worried about my boys, Marge," Gina Smith confessed to her best friend after church one day.
"Why?" Marge replied. "You're a great mother, and your boys seem happy and they do ok in school, right?"
"I know... maybe I'm over thinking, but I feel like they need more of a male influence in their lives. Clancy never was around that much right after the divorce, and he rarely calls now than he and Kimmy have moved to California," Gina said, practically spitting out the name of her ex-husband's new, younger wife.
"Have you been dating much?" Marge asked.
"No. A little, but nothing has gone anywhere. It's hard to find a good man at 38. I realize that it may be unfair, being a divorcΓ©e myself, but a lot of middle aged divorced men give me the creeps. I feel like a lot of these guys are still on the market for a reason," Gina explained.
Marge nodded. "I'm sure you'll find a diamond in the rough if you're patient."
"That's easy for you to say, still happily married to your high school sweetheart. But, regardless of me and my male needs, I don't want to thrust being a good role model for my boys on a potential boyfriend, at least not right away. I want something a bit more... organic than that."
"What about a male babysitter?"
"I've thought of that, but I see these teenage boys, and I can't imagine them being responsible enough. Hell, sometimes I wonder if the teenage girls I've had are really up to it. I guess I was lucky with Madison, but now that she's a junior she doesn't have much time anymore," Gina said.
Marge thought for a moment. "I think I can kill two birds with one stone. You know my younger son, Keith?"
"The one who just finished college?" Gina asked.
"Yes. He still hasn't found a job yet. It's a really tough economy right now. He's living at home with me. You'd have to ask him yourself, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind helping you out, and making a little money in the process," Marge suggested.
"Do you think he'd do it? I can't pay him anymore than I pay the girls, $15 an hour."
"When you have no income, an extra 40 or 50 dollars a week goes a long way. I'll talk to him, and have him call you, ok?" Marge said. Gina and Marge hugged goodbye and walked to their cars.
Keith called a couple days later. "Hi Mrs. Smith, this is Keith."
"Hello Keith! I was expecting your call. And we're both adults, please call me Gina. Mrs. Smith is my mother-in-law. And technically it's Ms. Smith."
"Oh, well, right," Keith replied. "So, Gina, my mom says you'd like me to watch your kids on Friday night. What time do you want me to come over?"
"The girls plan to meet up around 8, but I'd like the boys to get some time to get used to you before I leave. Is 6 o'clock ok? I'll pay you for the whole time you're here, of course."
"That sounds great," Keith agreed.
Gina was surprised how deep Keith's voice was. She remembered him as a skinny teenager at church with a crackling voice. He'd stopped going with Marge once he started high school, and she didn't recall ever seeing him after that.
Gina was almost stunned by the young man who arrived at her doorstep promptly at 6:00 Friday evening. He was tall and broad shouldered, with a hint of a 5 o'clock shadow on his face. Still, she recognized Keith's dark brown eyes and dimpled smile almost immediately.
"I can't thank you enough. I don't know if Marge told you, but I'm worried my sons don't have enough of a male influence on them ever since, you know, the divorce. BRANDON, PAUL, come in here please!" Gina called out. Two boys appeared one a few years older than the other, but both with red hair that matched their mother's.
"Brandon, Paul, this is Keith. He's going to take care of you tonight while Mommy goes out, ok?" The boys nodded, sizing up their new sitter silently.
"Hey guys," Keith said, bending down on one knee to speak to them at their level. "Are you two glad it's Friday and there's no school tomorrow?"
"No school!" Paul, the younger of the boys cried out with a gleeful laugh. Brandon simply nodded shyly.
Gina, meanwhile, was admiring Keith's fit young body, especially his ass, which was slightly outthrust in his prone position. 'He'd never look at me, but there's nothing wrong with me appreciating him,' she thought to herself.
"Why don't you men go play in the living room? I'm going to go get ready," Gina said. The boys ran off, and Keith smiled at her briefly before trailing after them.
Gina went upstairs and stepped into the shower. She took the time to shave her legs and trim her pubic hair to a close patch. It was a habit Clancy had gotten her started on, and one she'd maintained despite the lack of male attention in her life. 'You should always be prepared, just in case,' she thought to herself.
Gina's outfit was all about "just in case", especially the lacy bra and thong underwear set she wore under her dress. She didn't expect any guy to see it that night, but it still felt nice to dress up sexy, even if just for herself. That, and on the off chance she did meet an eligible man, she didn't want to be caught in tattered old undies.
Gina was done with her make-up before seven, and went downstairs to check on Keith and the boys. She saw that they were engrossed in a Playstation game. She overheard Keith teaching Brandon something about how to beat a certain monster. It was like a foreign language to her, which made her smile all the more at Keith's actions.
"My ride should be here soon," Gina said, announcing her presence to the young men. Her sons remained engrossed in the game, but Keith turned to face her. Gina was flattered when his eyes popped open a little at the sight of her.
"You look great!" he exclaimed. "You're going to have to beat the men off with a stick tonight!"
"You flatter me," Gina replied with a smile. "But thank you. I shouldn't be too late tonight. The boys have already eaten, but help yourself to anything in the fridge or pantry. Don't let the boys eat too many snacks. Their bedtime is ten. It's a Friday, so it's ok if they stay up a little later than that, but they should be in bed with the lights off by 10:30. I should be home a little after midnight."
"10:30. Got it," Keith replied.
"Call your mother if there are any problems. Hell, you're 22 right? You can probably handle any emergency on your own. Sorry, I'm used to dealing with 14 and 15 year old girls."
"It's ok; it's natural to worry about your sons, especially with a new caregiver. I've watched kids before. Not recently, but they'll be fine. Don't worry; we'll have a great time. Just enjoy yourself," he said with a wink.
"Oh, I will. A couple of my friends tend to get a little crazy," she said with a wink. "Boys, you be good and go to bed on time. Have fun, and thanks again Keith," she said. There was a knock on the door, and Gina left for the night with her friend.
Gina had a great time at the wine bar, although there were no unattached men there who caught her eye. Still, she loved chatting with her friends, and after ordering a bottle of wine and drinking half of it by herself, she had a nice buzz going.
The group dispersed around midnight and Gina arrived at her front door shortly thereafter, the unfinished half of her Pino Noir bottle in hand. Most of the lights were off but she heard the sound of the TV in the family room. It turned off a moment after she stepped inside, and Keith appeared shortly thereafter.