Chapter Two

Richard Pressman set his coffee cup on the small kitchen table, licking his lips of the remnants of coffee lingering there as he turned the page of his newspaper. He loved lazy Saturdays. At the sound of tires on the driveway, he turned to the front of the house, a smile creasing his face as he slid out of his chair. Justin was home from college, and Richard had to admit, he had been waiting for this day for quite a while. Over the past few months, the house had seemed unbearably quiet since his wife, Jean, left him for someone in her office. It would be good to hear some other voices outside of the ones in his head filling the home.

He opened the front door just as Justin and his girlfriend, Valerie, slid out of the car, both looking sore from being cramped in Justin’s tiny vehicle. “I didn’t expect you for a couple of more hours,” Richard said, waving at the others as he stepped out of his house. “I was sure you’d sleep in after having partied the night away last night.”

Valerie placed her hands in the middle of her back and stretched. Richard had to force himself not to stare at the way her ample breasts pushed against the fabric of her shirt, her nipples poking against the material. She let out a deep breath as she straightened, her breasts spilling out of her low-cut neckline. “There were no hangovers,” she said as she dropped her arms to her sides, glancing over at Justin. “Your son cut the partying off before ten last night.” She shook her head, a playful grin on her face. “Out of college only a few hours and already he’s an old fuddy duddy.”

Richard scoffed, shaking his head. “He’s not my son then. My last night of college my friends and I partied so hard, we found ourselves awake two towns over with no recollection of how we got there and no car to get us back. Hell, I didn’t even remember the name of the girl I woke up beside. It was the blow out of all blow outs to send us each on our way.”

“See?” she said, pointing to Richard as she turned to Justin again. “I told you that’s what we should have done. One more big night of party life before the reality of now being true adults bears down on us.”

Justin rolled his eyes as he walked around the car to Valerie. “As if being a true adult will slow down your partying. We both know better.”

She swatted his belly, feigning shock. “Please, you’re going to give your father a bad impression of me.”

Richard reached their sides, choosing to hug Valerie first. Taking her in his arms, he pressed her to him, her large breasts smashed against his chest. “Nothing could give me a bad impression of you, sweetie; don’t you worry. Well, besides the fact you’re dating my son. That kind of calls into question your judgment.”

“Hey now…” Justin started, but Richard laughed, pulling his son in for a tight hug, as well. “Welcome home, boy,” Richard said, both arms around his son. “I’ve missed you.” As he stood back, glancing at Justin, he couldn’t stop the smile that crossed his face. “Now, let’s get your bags settled, and you can tell me all about your night. Coffee’s on. I’ve been looking forward to having you back home.”

“Coffee sounds great,” Justin said as the two men pulled apart. “And thanks again for letting us crash here for a while. I promise, week at most, and then we’ll be out of your hair.”

“Stay as long as necessary,” Richard said. “I promise you won’t be in my hair. It’s been way too quiet around here, lately.”

“Are you sure?” Valerie asked.

Richard felt the grin cross his face. “Definitely. You’ll brighten up the place with your gorgeous looks.” He gave her a playful wink. “Makes looking at Justin’s ugly mug worth it.”

The blush that warmed her cheeks warmed Richard’s heart.

He helped them unload both cars, stowing most things in the garage until they could sort through it and decide where to put everything. He had to admit, it was going to feel odd having a woman in the house again, but Valerie would definitely brighten the place up. He had forgotten how gorgeous his son’s girlfriend was with her soft blue eyes and the way her blond hair draped over her round shoulders to barely brush the tops of her ample breasts. By the way her nipples poked through the fabric, he could tell she didn’t go for those padded bras, either. Not that he minded, of course, as much as it shamed him to admit, considering she was his son’s girlfriend, and he knew he shouldn’t be looking at her that way. Still, he wasn’t blind or dead. There was no way he could miss how hot the girl was, and to him, she was basically still a girl, even though she was twenty-two.

He gestured for them to lead the way to the kitchen, Justin stepping in front and Valerie following behind. Richard took the opportunity to stare at the girl’s heart-shaped ass in her tight shorts, his brows popping up in appreciation before he stepped in behind her. Yeah, her presence was definitely going to brighten up the house, as well as perk a certain old man up.

“So, what’s the plans for now?” Richard asked as Justin and Valerie slid into chairs around the table while he poured two more cups of coffee.

Justin shrugged. “I have some interviews set up, but that’s about it. I was just eager to get away from that campus and back to a normal life of sorts. You know me, I prefer the calm life.” He chuckled as he said it, taking the cup of coffee his father offered him.

Richard handed Valerie her cup and then pointed to a couple of white ceramic dishes on the table. “Creamer and sugar are there if you need them,” he said as he slid into his seat. “And how about for yourself, Valerie?”

She smiled over at him, the gesture putting a sparkle in her eyes that warmed his heart. “I’m not as stuffy as your son,” she said with a slight giggle. “I want to take a little time to breathe before jumping into anything full time. Have a little fun first, you know? And please, call me Val. Everyone does.”

Richard nodded. “Sounds like a smart idea. I always told our kids that once you start working, you never stop. Don’t be afraid to take time to play first. Life’s too short not to have fun.”

She grinned over at Justin as she reached over, placing her hand on his. “That’s what I keep telling him, but he’s Mr. Business. I’ll just have to have enough fun for the both of us.”

“Hey, I don’t want to be the last one through the door,” Justin said. “I want to be the first to wow them. I’m not going to achieve my goals by taking time to play.”

“I’m sure you’ll wow them just fine,” Richard said. “But life is more than work.”

Valerie nodded as she slid her hand back to her coffee cup. “Agreed. Work is to fund your life, not be your life. I prefer to save my energy for what happens when I clock out for the day.”

“Exactly,” Richard said, pointing to Valerie. “You should listen to her, Justin. The girl has a good head on her shoulders.”

Justin cocked an eyebrow at his father, smirking. “Except for her choice in boyfriend?”

Richard laughed, waving off the statement. “Everyone has a lapse in judgment once in a while.” He glanced over at the young blonde, a smile creasing his face. “I’m sure Val here has a lot of other great qualities.” He forced his gaze not to fall to her chest as he said that last line, wondering if his son had already plundered Valerie’s treasures. Richard knew if it had been him, he would be between the girl’s legs as often as possible. The two seemed complete opposites, however, Justin a serious goal-setter, while Valerie appeared more the take life as it happens sort. How the two wound up together, Richard had a hard time understanding. Not that he blamed Justin, of course. Not at all. Valerie was a step in the right direction for Richard’s son. She was also not the type of girl Justin had ever dated before. It would be interesting to see where the two of them wound up in the days and months ahead now that college was over. “Well, you’re welcome to stay here as long as you want,” he told her. “Unless you have plans to visit your folks. Are they near here?”

Valerie shook her head. “I saw them at graduation. They’re heading to Indiana to visit my aunt and uncle.” She shrugged. “I wasn’t ready for a trip like that just yet, so I was glad when Justin offered for me to join him here.”

Justin smiled over at her as he lifted his coffee cup to his lips. “What can I say? I wasn’t ready for her to leave me just yet, even for a little while. Once we get everything set up here, we can make plans to go visit them.”

Richard chuckled. “That’s my son, the planner. Growing up, he had notebooks all over the place with lists and schedules.”

Justin blushed as he dropped his gaze to his coffee cup. “Well, actually, I still have plans in a notebook. I just haven’t shared them with Val, yet.” He glanced over at her, giving her a sheepish shrug. “I kind of figured I had hit you with enough plans for graduation and getting here that you weren’t ready for the rest.”

Richard laughed harder. “There’s my son.”

Valerie giggled as she reached over and squeezed Justin’s wrist, shaking her head. “I am not surprised.”

Richard took a sip of his coffee, staring at the young girl over the rim of his cup, wondering once more how his son had landed such a carefree woman.