Her blonde hair clings to her translucent skin, and bless her, she's so unaware of what she's doing to me that she's not even bothering to hide her body. My daughter joins Pippa at the edge of the pool, a curious expression on her face.
"Why aren't you coming out, Dad?"
"I'll be out in a minute," I inform them, looking away from Pippa to try to calm the situation in my boxers. Numbers. Yeah. If I think about the sales reports I was reading before I left my office today that should work. Except it doesn't. My dick twitches with awareness just knowing Pippa is a few feet away. Okay, think, Eric. Think. I need Pippa to know what’s going on, so she can leave my sight. That's the only way I'll calm down. But I can't exactly spell out the reason with my daughter here.
"Bones," I blurt out. "Some of my bones hurt. The water helps."
Julie raises her eyebrows. “You’re not making sense, Dad.” Of course not. I’m trying to bullshit my way out of this. I’m the worst father in the world.
Pippa looks crestfallen. Come on, Pippa. Adult code. Replace the s with an r. She continues to stare at me questioningly, so clearly she’s not getting it.
“There’s some wood here in the water. I’ll pick it up.” Wood. Come on, Pippa. Finally, her eyes widen in understanding, as Julie says, “I think Dad hit his head when he fell in the pool.”
Pippa giggles, then tells Julie, “Let’s you and I go inside. I'm cold and I need a towel."
"Okay."
Pippa throws me a furtive glance over her shoulders, winking at me as the two of them head back in the house.
***
It takes me about ten minutes to calm myself. Afterward, I leave the pool and hop in the shower inside the bathroom adjacent to my room. I use the time to cool down. After I put on dry clothes, I head to the living room. The snippet of conversation I overhear stops me in my tracks shortly before entering the room.
“Do you ever feel lonely, Pippa?” Julie asks.
“Sometimes.” Pippa’s voice is calm and smooth. “Do you feel lonely? It’s okay if you do. Everyone does once in a while.”
“I’m okay, but I think Dad feels lonely lots of times.”
I flatten myself against the wall, barely believing what I’m hearing.
“What makes you think that?” Pippa asks calmly.
“He spends a lot of time with me. In Boston, I have friends at school who only have one parent. And their parent goes out on dates.”
Wham. I feel as if someone punched me.
/> “Would you like for your dad to date?”
“I don’t want him to be lonely. I want him to be happy, and if he meets someone nice, both of us will be happy. You’re nice. Do you like Dad?”
“I, well… Um,” Pippa stutters. “Everyone likes him.”
“Why don’t you ask him on a date?” Julie continues. I smile, imagining how red Pippa’s ear tips must be.
“I—Wait, what?”
Julie continues in a serious tone. “The high school students at my school had a spring dance where the girls asked the boys out. You should ask Dad. He doesn’t know how.”
“Why do you say that?”
“If he knew, he wouldn’t be so lonely.”
My daughter is the best kid in the world. I listen intently for Pippa’s reply.
“We should hurry up with the nail polish,” she says. “Let’s try the red one.”
They delve into a discussion about colors next, and I stay hidden for a few moments longer, digesting this new piece of information. I drag my hands across my face in disbelief. All these years, I thought my self-imposed ban on dating was for my daughter’s own good. Apparently not. Remembering Pippa’s non-answer when Julie asked her if she likes me, I chuckle. I can’t believe even my daughter is trying to set us up.