"What's the matter, Dad?"
Eric Tanner looked over at his nineteen year old daughter in the passenger seat. "Nothing. Why?"
"You've been so quiet the whole trip," Stacy said.
"The whole trip hasn't even been half an hour yet."
Stacy stared straight ahead. "Is Mom mad at you again?"
She could hear her father's sigh. "No, she's not mad at me...again. You make it sound like it happens all the time."
"Doesn't it?" she asked. "Seems like every time I come home for a weekend you two are fighting or something."
There was silence for a moment. Then Eric replied, "We're both under a lot of pressure at our jobs. You know that. We're lucky to be working and we're going out of our way to keep it that way. Sometimes we aren't as...cheerful...at home as maybe you'd like. We'd give anything to be in your shoes, with no responsibilities, or worries, or cares."
Stacy's head snapped in the direction of her father. "No worries?! I have five classes this semester. Hard ones!"
Eric tried not to smile. He remembered those days. What he thought were worries then seem trivial now. But he'd never admit to Stacy that things weren't all that smooth between him and her mother. Pressure was building in their relationship. Frustration mounted.
Eric needed to change the subject. "So, how are you doing?"
"In the classes? I'll pass them all. Actually, I'll get a couple A's and a couple B's. But they're hard," Stacy said emphatically.
"I'm sure they are." This time when Eric looked over, his eyes lingered a little longer on his daughter. She was prettier every time he saw her. Her mature body filled out her t-shirt and shorts like a model. He noticed she had her blonde hair cut a little shorter than normal, and the wind in the convertible caused it to dishevel in a very sexy way.
They chatted amicably for the remainder of the trip, but Eric knew he was beginning to deal with an adult child now...not just a little girl. Physically and mentally, his daughter was growing up.
Stacy felt relieved as the car turned into their driveway and finally into the garage. It was going to be good to see her Mom again and put aside the daily grind of school. She truly was concerned about the apparent friction between her parents. Stacy was determined to cheer up one, or both, of them over the weekend.
She hurried into the house while Eric got her bag from the trunk. It never ceased to amaze him how much stuff his daughter needed for a two day stay. By the time he was inside, Eric could hear the two females gabbing away. He looked into the family room and noticed, for the first time, that Stacy was now at least an inch taller than her mother, Cheryl.
For all the faults there may have been in Eric's family life, he never under-appreciated how fortunate he was to have two such beautiful blondes in the same house. Cheryl was a fitness fanatic when she had time off from her busy job as a marketing director. Her forty one year old body could easily belong to, well, her daughter. And that's basically what happened, except for Stacy's additional inch or so in height.
Eric never had direct evidence, but he suspected that Cheryl sometimes used her body as a bargaining chip in her dealings with high-level media executives. Cheryl's flirting was legendary both at work and home. In addition, when Eric took her to his law firm's social functions, he rarely let her out of his sight for fear of losing her to another partner in the firm...either for fifteen minutes or for life.
Now his two girls were together again at home and for a couple days, at least, maybe there would be peace.
It was a typically beautiful South Florida March day--sunny and warm. Stacy's plans were no more complicated than spending as much time around the pool as possible. She loved the way the stone patio, with its umbrella tables, offered protection from the sun and the pool area allowed for sunbathing. She'd always tanned very easily without burning, despite her light complexion. The contrast between her bronze skin and blonde hair drove more than a few guys at school crazy.
Within an hour of arriving, Stacy was in her favorite bikini and sitting on the back porch with a drink in hand. She never took for granted having been the only child of a fairly rich set of parents. Nor did she feel guilty. She just enjoyed it.
The first time Eric passed by the sliding glass doors leading out onto the patio, he grimaced at the sight of the drink. He was always afraid of the college life turning his daughter into a binge drinker. He remembered his own days at school. But then his attention turned to Stacy in her little bikini and the drink became secondary in importance. He stared at her leaning back in the lounge chair, her body stretched out in comfort. Stacy's breasts bulged against the top of her suit, while the thin strap of material around her waist seemingly disappeared between her legs.
Eric looked around in guilt when he finally walked from the doors, hoping Cheryl didn't see him gawking at Stacy. In spite of his guilt, he found himself looking out at the patio every opportunity he had for the next hour. Finally, he decided to go outside himself during the halftime of a game he was watching on TV.
Eric was surprised to find Stacy's lounge chair empty when he slid open the doors and stepped out. The sound of a splash made him look at the pool, where Stacy's lithe body soon surfaced and began a slow trek to the far end. Eric walked over while Stacy reached the wall, turned, and started back. He was sitting by the time she started one more lap.
It was then that Eric realized Stacy didn't have a top on. He couldn't see anything--she swam slowly with her head down and her body cutting through the water--but her bare back gave away Stacy's secret. She managed to turn at each end of the pool without ever fully exposing the top half of her body. Eric considered leaving; then decided to stay.
After five full laps, Stacy glided over to the side of the pool near her father. She had noticed him when he first approached the pool and spent two laps calculating her next move.
Stacy put her arms on the edge and rested her chin on top. "This sure beats sitting in the dorm room," she said with a smile.
"Somehow I doubt you would be sitting in your dorm room on a Saturday," Eric said.
"Maybe not. But it's good being home and not having to worry about stuff for a while."
"What 'stuff' do you worry about?" Eric asked.
Stacy's expression got more serious as she thought for a second. "Classes. Assignments."
"Guys," her father interjected.
"Guys."
Eric watched Stacy steady herself in the water, still unable to see anything lower than her arms and shoulders. "Are you dating anybody?"
"Not really. I could be if I wanted to. But I'll wait," she said.
"For what?"
"For when I'm ready." She looked at the chair next to her father. "Hand me my top, please."
Eric stood up, grabbed the tiny top and walked it over to Stacy. At first, he hung it directly in front of her. But when she went to grab it, he pulled it just out of her reach. Stacy leaned hard against the side of the pool, using her free arm to cover the upper part of her chest.
"Dad! Give it to me!"
Eric dropped the top and Stacy snatched it before it hit the ground. She sank farther into the water and pulled the bikini over her head, then started tying it in the back as she bobbed back up. Eric got a tantalizingly quick glimpse of the breasts before they were barely covered by the suit.
