"Oh yeah, I'll definitely call you!" Jack lied as he unlocked the door to his car and got in. He sighed as he unceremoniously tossed the box of leftovers into the passenger seat and closed the door behind him. Another date, another dud. Cathy had been his sixth first date in two months. He didn't understand, she had hit all the specs; a charming divorced mother of two who worked as a clerk in county government. She was charismatic, attractive and a softball enthusiast. She should have been the perfect date for the 42-year-old Jack, but like all of the other women before her, Cathy felt dull as hell. No woman could ever replace Anna.
Jack had lost the love of his life, his wife Anna, 17 years prior when a drunk driver T-boned her car. It had left him alone with their 3 year old, a single dad and his son. 'Daughter,' Jack thought, 'Daughter!' It had been a while since he had accidentally misgendered Kayla. Kayla... All of this was Kayla's fault.
"No!" He told himself while adjusting his mirror and putting the car into reverse. "Don't blame Kayla for this. This is on you!" Since his wife had died, his daughter Kayla had been Jack's whole world. He had dedicated everything to making sure she could have a good life. He had paid for every school trip or club, spent quality time with her, gave her space to discover herself during her teen years and was helping as much as he could with college. When she had come out to him a year ago as transgender, Jack hadn't really understood what that meant, but had worked hard to educate himself and continue to be a good father. She wanted to start hormones? Absolutely. She felt more comfortable living at home instead of on campus? Of course! She didn't have the money for new clothes? He took care of it. He had heard horror stories online about parents disowning their trans kids. He vowed to be the best father of a transgender kid ever. But now... he was even worse than those monsters.
Jack turned left at the next light and shook his head. He wasn't going to allow himself pity. He just had to keep trying. Eventually, one of these dates was going to work. He was going to fix this. He had to. Then, things could go back to normal. He pensively continued on his drive home. The restaurant had only been a few miles from his house, in case he wanted to bring his date back. It was pointless. He never did. Thankfully, it meant he only had to be alone with his thoughts briefly. His bad thoughts. His thoughts of her.
He once again shook himself and looked in surprise. He was home. He had driven the 15 minutes from the restaurant in the blink of an eye. A light was on in the living room of his two-story Cape Cod-style house. 'Kayla must be watching a movie or something,' he thought as he made his way in the front door. The small foyer was starting to darken, but the fading evening light still shone on the cottage style interior adorned with family photos, a small shoe rack and the door to a coat closet.
"Kayla, sweetie," He called out as he entered, "I'm home!" He took of his shoes, put his coat away and made his way into the quaint, farmhouse kitchen where he put his leftovers into the fridge. Jack heard footsteps and then a few seconds later his daughter appeared wearing a white tank top and dark blue underwear.
"Hey dad!" she said as she gave him a side hug and opened up the door to the fridge, "How was the date? Bring me any leftovers?"
Jack didn't reply. He was too busy looking at Kayla. She had dark brown eyes and hair with pale skin and a slender frame. The thin tank top she wore barely hid anything as her nipples protruded, tantalizingly, from the other side of the fabric. Despite himself, he risked a glance down and saw the small bulge in her underwear that called to him like the sirens to Odysseus. Ever since going on HRT, Kayla's body had started transforming into a soft, feminine form with curvy hips, petite breasts and an ass that Jack couldn't help but be transfixed by.
Kayla's head reappeared from the fridge, now with the Styrofoam container in her hand. "Dad?" Kayla repeated, "You ok? You look pale." Jack loosened his tie and swallowed deeply. "The date was fine. Boring."
"Boring? That's what you said last time!" Kayla gave Jack a worried look. "Dad... look, I know you said you were ready, but are you sure? It really seems like you're still not over Mom."
