I washed my bowl out and set it in the sink. Glancing over at the stove, I put the lid back on the pot of Chili and wiped my hands on a towel hanging from the oven. Turning up the glass of iced water, I all but chugged it down to wash the spice from my mouth. I knew I needed to quit eating hot chili. I dreaded the inevitable heartburn I would no doubt experience later.
I heard the front door open. Peering around the corner I saw my daughter Julie kicking off her sneakers in the small foyer. Her hair was tied on top of her head. Her white shirt and black gym shorts were soaked.
"How was the gym?" I asked.
Julie's eyes widened dramatically and she blew out a loud gust of air.
I smiled. "Broke off, huh?"
"I think I might have over done it today," Julie told me.
She pulled open the refrigerator and fetched herself a bottled water. Julie wasted no time putting it to her lips and guzzling the water.
I motioned to the stove. "Well, I know this is probably a bad time to say this, but I've got chili made if you want any."
"Dad, are you serious?" Julie protested. "You can't be eating stuff like that. Are you begging for stints or something?"
I patted the air. "Sorry, sorry. A little every now and then won't hurt."
Julie raised an eyebrow and looked at the stove. "Right. And what does a whole freaking pot do?"
I leaned on the island in the middle of my kitchen.
"Did you work out with Tamara today?"
Julie shook her head as she put the water back in the fridge. "No, she's still on vacation with her mom. Sarah came with me. Oh, she's gonna crash here tonight, is that cool?"
The image of my daughter's incredibly beautiful friend flashed in my mind. I remembered vividly the last time Sarah had been in my home. I felt a throb in my shorts. A mixture of emotions tumbled inside of me, excitement and arousal wrestling with discipline and guilt. I was about to invent a negative answer to Julie's question when Sarah stepped into the kitchen.
I hadn't realized she had come in with my daughter, but there she was. Her hazel eyes were on the floor as she retied her luscious brown hair into a ponytail. Dressed similarly to Julie, she wore a tight pair of pink gym shorts. Her smooth tan stomach was exposed beneath her black spandex sports bra. I wanted to absolutely melt when I saw her, partly because I had been nervous to see her ever again, but mostly because of how amazing she looked.
Those warm eyes rose to meet mine. They made me feel simultaneously comforted and filthy. The corner of her mouth twitched into a smirk when she saw me. Sarah then glanced away and went to the refrigerator.
"Dad, that's cool right?"
I blinked at my daughter before making a snap decision. "Yeah, sure. It's no problem."
I instantly pondered on my answer. To avoid being awkward or raising any sort of suspicion, the reasonable thing to say was yes. I realized, however, what this meant. Sarah, my daughter's gorgeous friend whom I had shamefully had sex with during her last visit, would be in my house all night. My skin grew hot and my mouth felt sticky. I tried not to look in Sarah's direction. I had to play it cool.
Julie headed into the laundry room, leaving Sarah and I alone in the kitchen. I stood awkwardly quiet by the island, trying not to look Sarah's way. She made this hard to do when she set the bottle of water she had gotten on the counter and leaned on the island on her hands. Our eyes met. A small polite grin formed on her face.
"Hey, Mr. Harris," she said. "How've you been since I saw you last?"
The hair on my arms stood as I glanced nervously toward the laundry room door. I hoped Julie wasn't listening too closely or reading too much in to what was said.
"Great," I replied.
"You're sure it's okay I stay over tonight?"
Sarah licked at her top lip as she bit gently at the stud in her tongue. Her hazel eyes watched me tauntingly. I swallowed hard and managed a smile.
"You've been welcome here ever since you and Julie were little girls, Sarah."
I made sure to emphasize the last bit. It was my attempt to shake her loose, to get her to realize that I wasn't comfortable having sex with a girl that had been my daughter's best friend since they were no taller than my waist. Still, my resolve was wearing thin. Sarah was practically leaning over the island, affording me a look down her black spandex top. I beat my little moth wings away from the flames and glanced back at Julie as she reentered the room.
"Hey Dad, don't start that load of clothes tonight," Julie instructed. "I've still got some stuff upstairs that needs washing."
I nodded. "Alright, honey."
"Oh, if you go back to the car, can you get my phone, Sarah?"
Sarah took a sip from her water and nodded. "Yeah, mine is still in there, too. You taking a shower first?"
"Yeah, I gotta get outta' this skin."
"Okay, I'll be up in a minute."
I watched as my daughter let down her hair and headed for the stairs. Instantly, my chest grew cold when I was alone with Sarah in the kitchen. I turned away from her and went to the sink to wash my hands, not because they were dirty, but I needed something to keep my eyes away from her. For a moment I considered going to the living room, or even to my bedroom, but something kept me from leaving her. It was all so confusing to me. I wanted her gone, but I basked in her presence.
"Are you still mad at me?" I heard her say.