This is my first contribution to this wonderful site and the first thing I've written in probably 30 years, so please be gentle with me!
I would value feedback though, as I want to keep writing and improve x
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It was a warm, late summer day and I was happy to be able to enjoy the afternoon sun for a while. I'd got home from work early, put on a nice floral summer dress and had time for a mango daiquiri in the garden before I needed to start getting dinner ready. My daughter, Lauren, had arrived home from work too, in her usual boisterous way.
"Looking good, Mum!" she enthused from the back doorway. "What's that, is it cocktail night? I'm so up for that! I'm having one the second I get out of the shower. Back in a bit!"
"In a bit, sweetheart," I chuckled, but she was gone. Oh, hold on, she's back...
"I love that dress by the way, you look hot!" she chirped loudly from the kitchen. And then she was gone again.
"I'm fine thank you, sweet. Yes, my day was good, thanks for asking" I muttered towards the empty doorway, before relucantly heading inside.
As I cleaned the worktop, I remembered what had caught my attention as I arrived home earlier: a removal van across the road, just a couple of houses down. Some would call me nosey, I'd call me friendly and welcoming, but having checked it was still there, I found my sandals, made half a dozen cups of tea, put them on a tray with some biscuits and made my way over.
I was greeted with some thanks and even cheers from the small group of removal men, one of whom shouted into the house, alerting whoever was inside to the arrival of liquid refreshment and sugary snacks. I was suddenly the most popular person in the street and feeling pleased with my decision to do something kind, as each recipient thanked me in turn, a couple of them complimenting me on my choice of biscuits (chocolate Hobnobs - only the best).
As I went to put the tray down on the wall of the front garden, a tall, broad figure of a man, presumably the new resident, emerged from the front door. It's no exaggeration to say I almost dropped the tray - the guy smiling warmly and walking towards me was gorgeous. I guessed early to mid 30s, about 6'2 or 6'3, give or take. Slim, but broad shouldered and muscular, dark hair swept back from his forehead and a shadow of stubble across a sharp, handsome jaw. The sheen of sweat on his neck and grubby white t-shirt were to be expected from a day of heavy lifting and only added to the appeal.
I involuntarily touched my hair, cursing myself for not brushing it. Was I sweating from my hour of sun-worship? God only knows what I looked like! At least I had a pretty dress on. Some might even say, my daughter included, a sexy dress. Mid thigh length, and I think I have nice legs for my age. It hugged my figure just enough to accentuate my hips and bum - yes I have quite a big bum, but a lot of men, and women, would say that's not a bad thing. And without being too obvious, it was low cut enough to show off my best assets (36G in case you were wondering).
"Hi, I'm Ant. Thanks so much for the tea, that's such a kind thing to do!" He spoke warmly, in a deep voice that almost made me weak at the knees. I could only place his accent as "somewhere south of here."
I composed myself and shook his hand. It was big, his grip firm but gentle. I let the moment linger for a second longer than is probably considered normal, squeezing his hand and just drinking him in. I took a breath.
"Oh, you're welcome! I'm Jill, welcome to the street! I live just there" I said, surprisingly calmly, before ruining it by gesturing idiotically towards my house. I folded my arms to stop myself from nervously waving them around.
I deflected the attention from myself by interrogating Ant about his job, his house move and anything else he wanted to share, and just enjoyed his smooth voice and blue eyes as I listened to him speak. Ant lives by himself, he's single (internal smile from me, before reminding myself he's a bit young for me and obviously way out of my league), he's a manager at an engineering firm, and has moved to Suffolk from Hampshire to work on a major bridge-building project. A promotion meant a permanent move to the area, and he seemed to be relishing the prospect of a new start, a new life and a new job. Or at least he seemed more enthusiastic than most about moving to a sleepy Suffolk town which could most kindly be described as "quaint."
Ant prompted me with some questions about myself, and having calmed down a little, I was happy to share the main headlines: I do admin and secretarial work at a large accountancy firm (which is every bit as dull as it sounds), I'm divorced and live with my daughter Lauren, who is 22 and is an events coordinator at a hotel. I bypassed the subject of my own age, because as I keep having to remind myself, I'm forty-fucking-seven.
"You've had quite a day then" I chirped, moving the conversation on from the inital introductions.
"The traffic was horrendous, and now this" he gestured towards two men struggling to fit a sofa through the front door. "But the van's about empty now, we're nearly done. Hey, is there a decent takeaway around here?"
I thought for a moment, contemplating which of the estabishments in our town might meet his approval. "Come to ours!" I blurted out. "I'm just about to start cooking, there'll be plenty." Fucksake Jill, I thought, leave the poor man alone, he's exhausted, of course he doesn't want to...
"Really..? Are you sure? That would be great! I mean I need to shower, but yes I'd love to, that's really kind, thank you!"
"Not at all, it'll be lovely!" I replied. Not the response I was expecting and I was glad I'd asked. "Oh and don't worry about showering, we honestly don't mind, just come as you are." What can I say? There's just something about a sweaty, muscular man in a grubby t-shirt. Shut up, yes there is, it's masculine and sexy!
As I walked back to mine, I smiled, looking forward to Lauren's reaction to our handsome dinner guest. Yes, he's quite a bit older than her, but probably no closer to my age than hers. We have quite similar taste in men, I was sure she'd be impressed. I had no idea if anything was likely to happen, romantically or sexually, but she's 22 and frankly gorgeous, if either of us stood a chance it was her.
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Three days later, I sat at my desk and thought about Ant. Not just about Ant, but Lauren too.