“Mom, look. Someone is moving into Johnson’s old house across the street,” Amber said.“It’ll be nice to have the house occupied,” Amber’s mom, Tillie, said. “It’s been vacant for far too long.”“We could bake some brownies to bring over later,” Amber suggested. “It never hurts to be neighborly.”Tillie shrugged, “Sure, why not? I don’t have any brownie mix, but I have all the ingredients to make them from scratch.”“Your scratch brownies are better than any mix anyway, Mom,” Amber said as she turned on the oven to preheat it.Tillie smiled. Amber was such a good daughter. When they lost David, their beloved husband, and father, to cancer, it had been hard on them both. Becoming a widow at fifty hadn’t been anywhere on her radar. Amber took a semester off from school, and they had helped each other grieve and work at the hard task of moving on.That was ten years prior. Now Amber had graduated and moved into a cute little apartment above the accounting office where she worked. Still, every Sunday, she came home to spend time with Tillie.Today they had planned to hang out and watch old movies. But there was no reason they couldn’t whip up a batch of brownies while they did so.Once the brownies were in the oven, Amber and Tillie turned on the 1983 classic, Risky Business. Amber made some microwave popcorn and grabbed a couple of Coke Zeros from the fridge.The smell of popcorn mixed with brownie was decadent. When the brownies were done, Amber removed them from the oven to let them cool. Then she rejoined her mother in the living room.After the movie was over, Amber suggested they cut the brownies and take them over to the new neighbors. Tillie agreed. So, they headed across the street and rang the doorbell.When the door opened, Tillie felt a tug of desire that she hadn’t known still existed within her. The man standing inside was handsome and looked to be about her age.“Hello,” Amber said awkwardly as her mother and the man just stared at each other. “I’m Amber, and this is my mother, Tillie. She lives across the street, and we thought you’d enjoy some delicious, home-made brownies.”The man’s brow furrowed. “Tillie Benson?” he asked, sounding astonished.“Why, yes,” Tillie said. “Well, it’s Tillie Wyman now. Oh, my goodness, is that you, Dan Holeman?”“In the flesh!” he answered exuberantly.Amber watched as her mother’s face lit up for the first time in a very long time. “Where do you two know each other from?” she asked inquisitively.“We went to high school together,” Tillie said, smiling.Dan laughed, “We were more than just classmates, Amber. Your mother was my first serious crush. And, if I’m not mistaken, she had more than a little crush on me too.”Tillie blushed, “No, you’re not mistaken.”Dan smiled, “Won’t you both come in? It’s a mess, of course, with all these boxes. But the couch and chairs are available. I can get us some lemonade to go along with these brownies, which smell delicious, by güvenilir bahis the way.”“Oh, Dan, we don’t want to get in the way of your unpacking. We just wanted to be neighborly. But listen, once you get settled, Amber and I would love to have you and your wife over for dinner,” Tillie said.Dan’s smile faded a little, “Well, it’s just me, I’m afraid. Darlene and I have been divorced for about ten years now.”Tillie apologized, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know…”“Don’t be sorry,” Dan interrupted. “It was for the best. I was never enough for her.”“Well, her loss then,” Tillie said.Amber had a sudden, brilliant idea. “Hey, Dan, why don’t you plan on joining the two of us for dinner tonight. Mom, I can get some dinner started, and you can help Dan set up his kitchen. Mom’s very organized.”Dan grinned, “That sounds wonderful! Is that okay with you, Tillie?”“Sure, I am happy to help with the kitchen,” Tillie agreed. “And we’d love to have you as our guest for dinner.”Amber went back across the street to give her mother time to catch up with Dan and help him unpack.“Your daughter is a lovely young woman, Tillie. Just like her mom,” Dan said as he opened the box marked bakeware.Tillie blushed, “Always the charmer.” She chose the lower cabinet next to the stove to store the bakeware and motioned for Dan to open the next box.“I couldn’t help but notice that Amber asked me to join the two of you for dinner. Is her father out of town?” Dan asked, handing Tillie the box with the kitchen towels and oven mitts.Tillie’s eyes lowered, “No, I lost David ten years ago to cancer. It was hard on both of us, but we’ve survived and gotten stronger for it, I think.”Dan took Tillie’s hands in his, “I’m so sorry. That must have been rough. I’m glad you didn’t have to go through that alone.”She smiled, “You’ve always been so kind, Dan. Thank you.”She went to move, but he kept hold of her hands. She tilted her head and looked at him. He let go reluctantly.After all of the kitchen boxes were unpacked, and everything was neatly organized, Tillie said, “Well, things look great here. I’m going to go home and see if Amber needs any help. Plan on coming over in about an hour.”“Tillie, I can’t thank you enough for your help. Can I bring anything?” he asked.“Just bring your appetite. Amber is a wonderful cook!”She rushed across the street and headed inside. Amber seemed to have everything under control, so Tillie went upstairs to change into something a little nicer.When she came back downstairs, Amber noticed that she had not only changed but had added a little mascara and blush.Amber grinned, “You look nice, Mom.”“Thank you. I just felt a little grubby,” Tillie said. “And my face looked a little tired.”“Mom, it’s okay if you want to look nice for Dan,” Amber said. “He’s really handsome.”“Oh, I just…” she stammered. “Yes, he is really handsome. He’s hardly changed a bit since high school. Whereas I look every bit my age.”“You do güvenilir bahis siteleri not!” Amber protested. “You are blessed with beautiful skin, your hair is beautiful, and you have a really fit body. You’ve done a good job taking care of yourself.”“Thanks, honey,” Tillie answered with a sigh.“So, Mom, did you and Dan date for a long time?”“Oh, goodness, I can’t say we ever really dated. At least not seriously. Your grandfather disapproved of my dating in high school, so we hung around as friends, mostly. I had hoped that maybe after graduation, we’d end up together, but he joined the Air Force, and I went away to college. We wrote letters back and forth for a while. But, eventually, the letters were less frequent. Then I met your father, and we fell in love. So, it all happened how it was supposed to. If I had ended up with Dan, I wouldn’t have you!” Tillie explained.“Did you ever think about him over the years?” Amber asked.“Oh, once in a while, I would wonder whatever happened to him, but in a fond way, not in a longing for him sort of way.”Amber nodded and asked, “Can I say something and not have you get mad at me?”“Sure, honey, you know you can always tell me what is on your mind,” Tillie answered.“I think Dan moving here is a sign. I think you should spend time getting reacquainted with him and see where it goes,” Amber suggested.“Oh, honey, if you mean what I think you mean, I’m not sure either one of us is looking for that. I’m just looking for friendship,” Tillie sighed.“Then why did you put on makeup?” Amber asked.Just then, the doorbell rang. “Saved by the bell,” Tillie laughed as she went to answer the door.While her mother greeted Dan, Amber sent a quick text to a friend.Call me in an hour, please.“I hope you don’t mind that I’m a little early,” Dan said with an easy charm. He handed her a six-pack of cold Corona Light.Tillie gave a warm smile, “Not a bit. We can have drinks in the living room while the meal finishes cooking. Do you want a glass for your beer?”“No, thanks. Bottle’s good. I’m sorry I forgot about limes,” he answered.“Well, as that is Mom’s favorite beer, we just happen to have limes,” Amber laughed. “You two go ahead and have some beers and catch up. Dinner is about twenty minutes away.”She headed back into the kitchen to allow her mom and Dan some time alone.Tillie wondered, at first, how the hell they would fill twenty minutes with conversation when she had just spent the better part of the afternoon at Dan’s house helping him unpack. But talking with him proved comfortable and easy, and the time seemed to pass very quickly.During dinner, Dan made a point to include Amber in the conversation, asking her about her job and such. Tillie found herself wondering how on Earth his ex-wife could ever think he wasn’t enough.When the dinner plates had been cleared, they opted to take their baked apple dessert into the living room.“Dan, would you like coffee iddaa siteleri or tea with your dessert?” Amber asked.“Actually, I wouldn’t mind another beer if it’s all the same,” he replied.“I think I’d like another beer too, honey,” Tillie said.Just as Amber brought the beers out to the living room, her phone rang. She went back into the kitchen to take the call.“Okay, so why am I calling you?” Sarah, Amber’s best friend, asked curiously.Amber kept her voice low, “So, my mother’s old crush from high school just moved in across the street from us, and I wanted an excuse to ditch them.”Sarah laughed, “That boring, huh?”“No, not at all. I just want to get out of their way and give them time to reconnect,” Amber whispered.“Oh. Ohhh, I see,” Sarah said, “You’re a really good daughter, Amber.”Amber went back into the living room and asked, “Hey, Mom, would you mind if I cut out early tonight? Sarah just called and asked me to stop by her apartment on the way home.”“Sure, honey, that’s no problem. Is everything okay with Sarah?” Tillie asked.“Yeah, everything’s fine. We just haven’t hung out in a while. You know I wouldn’t leave you if you didn’t have company,” Amber explained.“It’s fine, really. Give her a hug from me,” Tillie said as she stood up to hug her daughter goodbye.Amber said, “I will. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?” Then she turned to Dan, “It was really nice to meet you!”Dan stood, “It was nice to meet you, as well. Thanks for the delicious dinner.”After Amber left, Tillie found herself wondering whether it was okay to ask about Dan’s divorce. Before she could say anything, Dan said, “I have to tell you how nice it is to be able to sit down and have a wonderful homecooked meal and to enjoy pleasant conversation. I’ve been pretty much on the road for work ever since the divorce. But I’m sick of the travel and decided it was time to find a job that didn’t make me feel like a nomad. Being able to stay in one place has allowed me to buy a house again finally.”Since he brought it up, Tillie figured the divorce was fair game to talk about. “Was it the travel that affected your marriage?” she asked quietly.“No, when Darlene and I were still married, I wasn’t traveling nearly as much. But when she decided she was done with me, being on the road was a more comfortable choice while we hashed out the settlement,” he answered.“Would it be impolite of me to ask how she could just decide to be done with such an amazing man?” Tillie asked, treading lightly.“No, not at all. I simply didn’t have the right package,” he said, taking a rather large gulp of his beer.Tillie tilted her head, “Come again?”Dan smirked, “You heard correctly. My dick isn’t apparently big enough or black enough. Talk about a humiliating kick in the crotch.”“Oh, Dan, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have asked. That’s terrible! Shame on her!” Tillie said, frowning.“It wasn’t always that way. I made her happy enough in the beginning. But when she got a promotion at work, I started looking less and less attractive. She didn’t like that I’d let my hair go gray. And she started wanting me to use large dildos in her pussy, and would only let me fuck her ass,” Dan said bluntly.