***

A/N - Okay, so let's just get this out there. These works are mine. My poor little brain came up with the plots and characters, and I'd really prefer you to not steal them. If you're reading this on a site that is NOT Wattpad then it is most certainly stolen. No, I really don't want them converted into fanfics or into other languages as well.

Thanks!

Loiosh

***

               "Are you sure you don't need anything else?" I asked my daughter, Hollie, after we had just checked out with our purchases at the FSU bookstore. It was her first day on campus, and we'd just moved her into her dorm room. After a quick snack, we'd hit up the bookshop so I could get some newer Florida State gear than the stuff I had from 20 years ago when I was a student there and were finally headed back to drop it off in her new room. Yeah, we got some good things for her too, just to make sure she could show off some school pride.

"Trust me, I have enough!" She held up her bag with a grin. "Are you going to be, okay?"

I'd been fighting tears for the last few hours, and I wasn't hiding it well. Hollie was my first baby headed off to college, and I was sure I'd feel the same way in two years when it was her younger sister Gracie's turn. Honestly, I should have already been on the road home, as I could hear the thunder rumbling off in the distance, and it would just delay the four hour drive home that I had to look forward to.

I stopped on the sidewalk in front of her dorm, and then pulled her into a hug as the late August sun beat down on us. "I'm going to miss you, but I'm so proud of you!" She'd gotten a great scholarship to play softball for FSU, which was always a powerhouse team, and she'd done well in school to make sure she had the grades too. "So, I'll be okay, even if I'm crying. Don't worry about me, I'll just bug Gracie while you're up here. Just concentrate on school, and hopefully your other roommates are as nice as Denique."

Denique was the only roommate in her four bedroom suite that we'd met so far, though we knew there were two more coming. She said she was a business major, and from Jacksonville, but that was all we knew. I was happy that she'd been so friendly when she showed up with her mom, and I hoped it continued. First appearances were important, but the long term chemistry among roomies was going to be harder to keep up.

"I'll be fine too, I promise," she whispered back, though I could hear her voice breaking so I knew she was emotional too. The girls and I were extremely close, since their father was almost never around, and so this really was like losing a daughter and friend at the same time for both of us.

"Call me whenever you want. Call Gracie too, she is going to need her big sister."

"I'm not going to be too far away," she pointed out. "Denique said she has a car, so maybe we can come visit."

"If you ever learned to drive, you'd have a car too," I pointed out with a nudge to her shoulder. She'd tried learning to drive, but those plans got scrapped the previous spring. On one of the rare weekends when my husband, Elliot, was home, he took her for a driving lesson and traumatized her by screaming at every single thing she did, and she hadn't been behind the wheel since. She actually had a car of her own, a used Honda Accord, sitting in the garage back home and just waiting for her to learn.

"I'll get there, mom, I promise." I knew she wanted to learn, so I wasn't going to worry about it. It just might take a little more time.

"I know, I know. I'm just making excuses to keep talking so I don't have to leave."

"Well, you better go." She gestured up at the clouds. "Those don't look too nice, and I know you hate driving in the rain."

I looked up, sighing defeatedly when I realized how right she was. Late afternoon thunderstorms in Florida were extremely common, and I tried not to drive through them. Today though, I didn't have a choice. "Yeah, I know. One more hug!" I pulled her into my arms and squeezed her tightly before she begged for her release. "I'll see you soon."

"Halloween!" she assured me. "You know I'll come back for the Halloween party." I figured. Our neighbors, the Marshalls, went all out every Halloween with decorations and a party, and I knew that Hollie wouldn't miss that even at 18.

"Fine, Halloween. I'll see you soon, sweetie. Be good!" I gave her one final hug, and a kiss on the cheek before I headed back to my car, an almost new Acura TLX in pearl blue. Yeah, I could have afforded something nicer, as the owner of my own consulting company we weren't hurting for cash. But as many accidents among the moronic drivers I saw in and around the Tampa area on my commute, I didn't want to risk driving anything too nice for fear of getting it wrecked. The Acura was the perfect blend of nice but not too nice for everyday driving near insane Floridians. So far, in the 18 months I'd had it, it only had one small ding, though there had been many close calls.

As soon as I slid into the drivers' seat, I wiped away a few stray tears, and then loaded my GPS navigation, synching it to the car. My sadness turned quickly to frustration when the GPS told me not to take the highway, but the more rural back roads instead. Evidently the rain hadn't even started and there was an accident or some other delay on the faster route. Great. That meant I'd be on the road for dinner for sure.

Once I successfully navigated my way off of the campus and got onto Route 19, which was my new way home, I dialed the phone of my other daughter.

"Hey mom!" came the bright voice of Gracie. "Did Hollie's drop off go alright?"

"Yep. I'm on the way home now, but the weather looks like it's going to get pretty brutal. You're going to be on your own for dinner. Is Jashanna still there?" Jashanna was the adorable best friend to my daughter, with almond colored skin and the brightest smile to go along with the head of curls that she had. She also spent a lot of time at our house because her mom was almost never home, and her little brother wasn't the nicest person around. But we loved having her, so it was like having another wonderful daughter. They'd been best friends since the beginning of elementary school, and I hoped they lasted longer than all the friends I'd lost over the years when I grew up. I still had a couple of close friends, don't get me wrong, but my bestie was someone I worked with, and had met much more recently than in my high school days.

"Of course she's here!"

"Hi Mrs. Meadows!" I heard Jashanna call out from Gracie's end. "And don't worry. We'll have the leftover Chinese food if that's okay."

"That's fine. If you change your mind, there should be some frozen pizzas in the freezer too. If it gets bad, just call Nana, and you know she'll pop over." Nana was my mother in law, Elizabeth, who was probably the only reason I was still married to her son.

"We'll be fine, mom. Just drive safely. We have movies and food, so we'll be fine."

"Have you heard from your father at all? Do you know if he is going to be there?"

I heard Gracie snort with derision. "No, of course not!" I couldn't say that it was a shock. I wasn't sure which of his mistresses he was with this weekend, but it surely wasn't with his family. I would have left him before Gracie was born, but I adored his mother, and I didn't want to hurt her. Besides, it wasn't like I had anyone I was trying to pursue. But maybe I should, because Gracie would be out of the house soon enough, and it would be pretty lonely with just me in the big house.

"Okay, call me if you need anything, sweetheart. Give Jashanna a hug for me."

"I will, love you!"

With that sorted, I continued on my way. The dark clouds made it look like it was nighttime already, and my wipers were moving at high speed to counteract the rain, but it didn't give the best counterpoint to the music by Paramore that I was playing. Before long, I was crawling along the road, barely doing half the speed limit as I noticed that there was almost nobody else driving in the weather.

After several hours, my belly was growling, and I gave in when I saw a place called Burger House in what the GPS told me was the little town of Chiefland, which I'd never heard of before. I parked, and then dashed inside, trying not to get too soaked since I foolishly had no umbrella in my car. It was a waste of my time though, as my dark brown hair was already soaked, and my ponytail could act like a weapon if I swung my head.

"You picked a great night to be out," joked a tired looking waitress at the counter.

"Yeah, this wasn't exactly my plan." I dried my feet off, glad to be wearing some simple, soggy Converse, a pair of cotton shorts and a loose tee shirt for a top. I'd expected to work while moving Hollie in, but the only spare piece of clothing I had now was the tee shirt I'd bought back at the FSU Bookstore. "Can I get the biggest cheeseburger you have, large fries and a Coke Zero?"

"You got it!" she said with a grin. I could tell she was amused at the damp state I was in, but I didn't mind too much.

"Hey, is there a hotel anywhere around here?" It was already close to 8pm, and I was still hours from home at the rate I was driving. My arms were already sore from how tight I was gripping the wheel, and I didn't want to keep going. The only thing I hated more than driving in the rain, was doing it in the dark.

"Yeah, you just passed it. Just a few hundred yards up the road there is a Quality Inn. There's a Days Inn too, but it's a bit further, and not as nice."

Shit, I couldn't believe I'd passed it. I guess it wasn't the end of the world though, since it was only a minor backtrack. "Great, thanks." While I waited for the food, I pulled up their number, dialing it and quickly making a reservation with the nasally sounding gentleman on the phone. I liked the idea of a nice bed, even at a cheap hotel in the middle of nowhere. I leaned back in the chair I'd grabbed while waiting for the food, and then guiltily ran my hands over my flared hips. I knew I shouldn't have ordered all the food, at my age it was hard to keep myself looking good, but I was famished and impulsive. Besides, it wasn't like I was worried about picking anyone up, and my husband hadn't looked at me like that in many years. Even if he had, I wasn't ever going to look at him like that again.

"Foods up!" the waitress called out a bit later, shaking me from my thoughts.

"Thanks," I replied, taking the heavy paper bag from her. I walked quickly out to the car, feeling the rain soak through the remainder of my clothes. I'd have to hang them up in the hotel bathroom for sure tonight. The waitress was right, the hotel was just a short drive up the road, and I was there in only a minute. The parking lot was packed with cars though, and I was forced to park further away than I'd have liked, before I ran through the downpour with my food and FSU gear. I was suppressing a giggle at the absurdity of the situation by the time I reached the office, knowing that I must look like a drowned rat.

"Come on, just let me sleep in the lounge or something!" a young woman was yelling with a Spanish accent as I opened the door. She was a few inches shorter than my own 5'10" frame and wearing a pair of dark jeans with a black leather jacket. She looked to be just as wet as I was, and on the floor next to her was an old duffel bag and a motorcycle helmet. If she had been riding a bike, I bet she would probably be soaked through.

"Miss, we can't allow that. Now, unless you have a reservation, you'll have to leave," said the grumpy man with the nasally voice from behind the counter. I was very glad I'd made the reservation!

"Fuck! This day can't get any worse. Can I at least look for another place from your damn lobby?" she asked while holding up her phone.

"Of course, we're here to help." The man gave her a simpering smile, and I could tell she wanted to rip his face off. But she stepped to the side, and started to type on her phone while I stepped up to the desk.

"Checking in, the last name is Meadows." I handed my credit card over, feeling guilty that I'd have a room and this girl standing only a short way away from me wouldn't.

"Of course, just a moment."

After a tiny bit of clicking, the man slid a little envelope over, the key card within it. "You're up on the 3rd floor tonight and thank you for staying with us."

"Thanks." I had nothing to take with me other than my food and the plastic bag, so I turned to head for the elevators before I stopped. The girl was soaked, and probably cold and exhausted. Where was she going to go? If she was Hollie or Gracie, I'd want someone to be nice to them and offer them a place to sleep, so why couldn't I do that for her? With a sigh, I walked over to her, clearing my throat to get her attention.

She looked up at me, doing a little double take as her eyes ran up and down my body. I had to admit, she was a stunning woman with deeply tanned skin and inky black hair to go along with her perfectly sculpted eyebrows and chocolate eyes. She wasn't at her best, with the hair plastered on her head and clothes dripping wet, but it didn't change how good she looked. Seeing the way that she scanned my body made a shiver run up my spine, but I didn't think that she'd ever think of a woman of my age like that. "Hey," she said in a low voice. "What's up?"

"Come on, you're bunking with me," I told her. "No sense getting sick in the rain when I'm sure my room is plenty big enough." I turned away, and started walking towards the elevators again, assuming she'd catch up. Sure enough, I wasn't even halfway there before I heard her heavy boots thudding on the carpet as she jogged after me. "Wait, are you serious? You'd let me crash with you?"

"Yeah. If you were my kid, I'd want someone to help out too. Just pay it forward some time."

She ran in front of me, pushing the up button on the elevator. "You really have no idea how much I appreciate this. I could barely see out there on my bike, and I think I'm about to dissolve in this water. If you need me to split the cost on the room or something, I'm down for that."

"Don't worry about it, really. I'd have been in the same boat as you if I hadn't made a last second reservation. We both need the rest, and tomorrow we'll be on our way."

"I just want to be dry," she muttered at the elevator doors, and we stepped inside.

"Yeah, me too!" The scent of my burger permeated the elevator car as we rose, and I could hear both of our bellies rumble angrily.

"Shit, I'm sorry!" she said quickly.

"Don't worry." It was another impulse decision, but she seemed great, and my hips would thank me. "You're welcome to share, I got the biggest burger they had."

She just stared at me with wide eyes, and then a few tears gathered in their corners. "Thanks. Really, thanks again. You have no idea how much I appreciate this."

I gave her a smile, trying to ignore how beautiful she was. I'd dated several girls back in high school prior to trying to get Elliot to settle down for his mother's sake, and I'd always preferred them over guys. But my life didn't take that path, and I was happy to have gotten my two wonderful girls out of my shipwreck of a marriage. This girl was a nice reminder of the past though.

When the elevator stopped, I led the way down to the room, and then unlocked it to let us in. "Would you rather shower first or eat first?" I asked while I put the food on a little table. "I was thinking about eating, because I want to have it while it's warm, but I know I'm pretty soaked and cold, and I know you're the same."

"Food!" she said instantly. "I haven't eaten since I left Fort Lauderdale this morning."

I pulled out the burger, then did my best to rip it in half, then just set the fries next to it with the packets of ketchup. I pushed the larger half over, and then dug into my piece. I never sat down, since I was afraid that I'd make a squishing sound in the chair with my wet clothes.

I had eaten two bites, while my new friend had almost inhaled her burger with happy sighs, when I remembered I had no idea what her name was. "So, what should I call you?" I asked after I swallowed my next bite.

She wiped her mouth with one of the napkins and smirked at me. "Most people call me Zee. But I'd love to have you call me daddy tonight." 

***

A/N - So, this book might be a little fluffier than normal, and (perhaps) a little smuttier? I didn't exactly to a smut/fluff/drama ratio equation, but it just seemed that way to me. Anyway, enjoy! Oh, and feel free to toss a few comments and votes if you like it :)