She covered her thighs as well, and I did my best not to stare as she bent over to do her lower legs. We’d seen each other nude more times than I could count, but we hadn’t been joking and making sexual innuendos those other times. Not most of them, at least.
“Ready to get back to work?” I said at last.
“Let’s do it.”
I shot her a look, but she hadn’t meant anything by it. I told myself I was imagining things and pulled on my gloves.
The cool morning was a distant memory, replaced by a hot and humid afternoon. I could already feel beads of perspiration forming, so I was glad I’d shed the last of the sweatsuit, which would’ve lived up to its name.
I followed as Mom headed toward the corner of the yard. The flower beds in back were much smaller than the front ones, but they were more crowded with shrubs and trees. We worked around them for more than an hour before we cleared all the weeds and loose brush that had accumulated over the winter.
“I think we’re ready for mulch,” I said at last.
“I think so. We’ll have to be careful, though.”
“Oh? Why?”
“We’ll have shovels and rakes and implements of destruction,” she said, “with all our tender parts exposed.”
“Nude gardening isn’t what it’s cracked up to be?”
“Oh, I didn’t say that. It’s much cooler.”
“It is,” I agreed.
“And the view’s nicer.”
My eyebrows shot up.
“You aren’t the only one who likes to look.”
“Well, look but don’t touch.”
“Says who?” she teased.
“The rules.”
“The ones you said are made to be broken?”
“Yes, those rules. Now, quit teasing me if you aren’t going to do anything about it.”
“I’m sorry,” she said with a grin. “I know I shouldn’t. But… you’re so much fun to tease.”
“Well, I’m also a man who hasn’t had sex—real sex—in months.”
“But Christy takes care of you in other ways, right? I mean— I thought—”
“She does, but it isn’t the same.”
“I know, honey. And I’m sorry. I’ll quit teasing you.”
“Thanks. I’ll survive till I see her, but still… Let’s not tempt fate.”
“Um… no.”
The garage had a side door that opened onto the backyard, so I didn’t have to put on clothes and leave the privacy of the fence to fetch more mulch. I loaded the wheelbarrow and trundled it toward the back fence.
We set to work dumping and spreading bags. It wasn’t difficult, but it took concentration, especially if we wanted to avoid cuts and scrapes from the vegetation. Still, I managed to enjoy the sight of Mom working nude, and I caught her stealing glances at me every once in a while. My dick never grew to its full length, but I was semi-aroused the entire time, which she must have noticed.
“I don’t know about you,” she said as she raked a last bit of mulch around a shrub, “but I’m done. The new plants will keep until tomorrow.”
“Are you sure?” I glanced at my watch. “We still have a couple of hours of daylight.”
She shook her head. “I’m bushed. I want a shower and a cold drink, in that order.”
I wiped sweat from my brow and didn’t care if I left a smudge. “Sounds good to me.”
She started to take off her gloves, but then stopped and looked guilty.
“What?”
“Your shower. It’s still full of houseplants. I can move them and clean the potting soil—”
I waved away the offer. “I’ll shower in your bathroom, if that’s okay.”
“You want to go first?”
“Nah. You go ahead. I’ll have a drink and then a shower.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Chapter 6
I grabbed a Coke and held the cold can against my forehead. It felt good for a moment, but I wanted the liquid more than the cool, so I popped the top and drained half of it in one long pull. The fizzy cola bit the back of my throat, but I emptied the rest in a few gulps. Then I crushed the can and covered a belch. I took another from the fridge and drank more slowly.
I hadn’t bothered to put on clothes, since I was going to shower in a few minutes. I’d taken off my shoes and socks, though, and my feet were shockingly white below the grime on my legs. The rest of me was covered in a mixture of dirt, sweat, and sunscreen. Even my penis had a smudge of dirt on it, although I couldn’t remember touching it.
I replayed the afternoon and tried to decide if Mom had been flirting for real. Teasing was one thing—we’d both done plenty of that—but I kept telling myself I was reading too much into her innuendos and suggestions. Our family had long-established rules about no contact between parents and children, although Erin and I weren’t kids anymore. We were both grown-ups, and my mom knew it.
So, why was she flirting with me if she couldn’t—or wouldn’t—follow through? I pondered the question and then asked myself another: what if she wanted to change the rules? A fantasy was fun, but it didn’t affect anyone else. Reality could get messy. That had always been her main objection to us having sex: it would change our relationship.
But our relationship has changed, I reminded myself.
I’d been living on my own for a while. I still came home to visit, but that was all it was, a visit. I didn’t even think of it as “home” most of the time, especially since I didn’t have my own bedroom anymore. But while the sleeping arrangements had changed, our relationship hadn’t, and she was still my mother. Yet I couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d been flirting with me for real.
So, what if I were right? What then? Would I break the rules? Would she? Or would we just bend them? And if we did, how far would we go?
“This is crazy,” I said aloud. I was overthinking things, especially about something that probably wouldn’t happen anyway.
Still… what if it did?
“Yeah, right.” I laughed at my own wishful thinking.
After a moment I crumpled my empty can and threw it in the trash. Then I ducked into the guest bedroom to grab my toiletry kit before I headed to the back. The master bedroom door was open as well as the one to the bathroom.
Mom smiled when she saw me. She had a towel wrapped around her torso and another around her head. Part of me sighed with relief. If she really wanted to do more than flirt, she’d have been nude. Still, I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed, although I shook it off and smiled in reply.
“My turn?” I said.
“Sure.” Her face and shoulders were still pink from the shower. “Although… you might want to wait for more hot water. I used it all. Sorry.”
“Christy does the same thing, so I’m used to it. Still, I don’t see how you can do it. Take such a hot shower, I mean, especially after being so hot outside.”
“Some like it hot.” Her eyes flashed before she motioned me in.
The bathroom wasn’t exactly small, but the entry was narrow enough that I had to be careful as I moved behind her. A single layer of terrycloth wasn’t enough to keep us honest if I brushed against her. I was already thinking about sex, and I felt like I might explode if I touched a soft, feminine body.
I tried to focus on the shower instead. The water was barely lukewarm, even with the tap turned all the way to hot. I couldn’t do anything about it, though, so I stepped into the shower and closed the frosted glass door. I let the spray wash over me and tried to forget my earlier thoughts. After a moment I began to scrub away the dirt and grime. The water at my feet ran brown from my efforts.
I had to wash twice, but eventually decided that I was clean enough. Then I shook the can of shaving cream and squirted a dollop into my palm. I spread it around my penis and over my testicles. I shaved away the stubble and tested my work with my fingertips. On a whim I decided to shave again, just to be extra-smooth. Then I rinsed away the remnants of shaving cream, turned off the shower, and sluiced water down my arms and torso.