Kenna’s voice broke her out of her deep reflection.

“Yeah Sydney, spoiled much?” Addison said, gently teasing her.

“I told both of you about this place,” Sydney said, smiling at her friends in the rear-view mirror while pulling the Mini-Cooper into the driveway.

“You told us your dad had a house on the beach, not a mansion on the beach,” Kenna said.

“This isn’t a mansion guys,” she said, laughing.

She was thankful now that they hadn’t stayed with her mother in Beverly Hills and her friends hadn’t seen that house.

“Both of you remember what I said about my father, he’s going through a really tough time right now, just be nice to him.”

“Don’t worry so much Syd, he’s going to love us,” Addison said.

As the time for Sidney’s visit drew closer, Don got busy cleaning the house; getting the pool sparkling clear, making sure there was fresh linen for the beds and buying more provisions than he would normally use when he was alone. It had been some time since he had a house guest, let alone three young women, and to be truthful, he was feeling a little nervous. He was wondering whether his choices of food were what young women eat, or what they might all talk about, as he felt a little out of touch with the ‘young’ scene. Don had been waiting all day, trying to keep busy and had changed his clothes twice.

“‘What’s the matter with me?” he mused to himself, as he looked out the window for the umpteenth time.

Just as he was thinking what to do next to occupy his time, he heard the thumping, bass beat, of loud music and tires crunching up the gravel driveway.

“Well here we go,” he thought, and made his way to the entrance hall, casting a last glance in the mirror as he went past, giving his reflection a quick once over. He couldn’t help but notice that his dark hair had been taking on a ‘salt and pepper’ tint over the last several years and he knew this divorce wasn’t helping that in the slightest. However, he still got his fair share of looks from women, even some younger ones, which always helped to stroke his ego. He strived to stay active and was actually in better shape now than he was a decade ago. He quickly put his divorce and his appearance out of his mind as he anxiously opened the front door.

Sydney watched her father open the door and approach the car. He looked thinner since the last time she had seen him. Had he been eating well? He did say he had been swimming in the morning, maybe that’s it. She knew he had to have lost a few pounds with all that exercise.

“Hi Dad,” Sydney said, as she exited the car and walked up to her father and gave him big hug.

“It’s great to see you, Syd,” he said quietly, returning the hug and feeling a little self-conscious under the gaze of her two friends who were looking on.

She closed her eyes and felt his strong arms wrap around her; that warm, loving embrace that she hadn’t experienced in months. It was a feeling that she sorely missed, even though she didn’t realize it until now.

Almost immediately, a lifetime’s worth of memories came flooding back from her subconscious. When she was five, he taught her how to swim in their backyard pool, when she was seven, he taught her how to ride a bike, when she was thirteen he drove her on her first date with a boy, and when she was fifteen, he taught her how to drive a car.

Tears began to well up in her eyes as she whispered into his ear, “I missed you, dad.”

“Hey, I missed you too sweetie,” he said, burying his head in her hair and inhaling its fresh, outdoor smell, ”and we have some catching up to do, but maybe you might like to introduce me to your friends first?”

After they broke their embrace, she felt more than a little embarrassed wiping a tear from her eye. She hadn’t expected that sudden rush of emotions that she was now feeling and she desperately wanted to get herself back under control, especially in front of her friends.

“I’m sorry Dad,” she said, as she took his hand in hers, squeezing it firmly. “These are my best friends Addison and Kenna.”

The other girls had exited the back seat of the Cooper and were amorously holding hands, watching the tender display play out in front of them.

“Hi, Mr. Anderson,” Addison said enthusiastically. “You have such a beautiful house.”

“Thank you,” he said, extending his hand, expecting a handshake, but each of them moved quickly forward following Sidney’s lead and gave him a quick group hug.

Don felt their warm bodies pressed against his as they put their arms around him, each one lightly kissing the nearest cheek, their firm breasts pressing hard against him.

“Wow, errrrr…nice to meet you,” he stuttered, quickly removing his hands, when, due to their skimpy tops, he found warm, bare flesh on each of their backs. “And please, call me Don, ‘Mr.’ makes me feel my age,” he said, trying to make light of it all.

“Looks like we’re acquainted already,” he said to Sidney, giving her a quirky smile, “how about I move the luggage into the house, while you show Addison and Kenna around.”

“Hey, girls,” Sidney said, maybe a little louder than necessary, “if you can untangle yourselves from my dad, I’ll give you the grand tour.”

The three girls walked up the sidewalk and into the house.

It had been three years since Sydney had been inside the beach house and it looked as if very little had changed. The front door opened into the great room which had large vaulted ceilings and a winding staircase that led up to the two smaller bedrooms. Right off the great room was a large open kitchen and an attached breakfast bar as well as a small informal dining room table. Just off the kitchen was the large formal dining room that Sydney couldn’t remember ever eating in.

While surveying the large expansive space, the memories came flooding back.

She remembered cooking breakfast for her parents, the three of them eating at the breakfast bar while laughing and joking with each other. Much happier times.

The voices of Addison and Kenna brought her out of her deep reflection.

“Sydney, it’s so beautiful,” Kenna said, “I love the dark oak rafters, they go perfectly with the beige walls. And look at that fireplace, it’s just beautiful, and I love how that elegant stonework goes all the way up the wall and into the ceiling,”

“The furniture is so sleek and modern Syd, and these paintings, they’re just beautiful, who decorated this place?” said Addison.

“My mom did, she used to be an interior designer before my dad got his real estate business off of the ground.”

“Well she did an amazing job,” said Addison.

“What’s through that door?” Kenna asked.

“That’s the master bedroom.”

The three girls peered inside the expansive room at the large king-size bed. It was a strange feeling for Sydney not to see her mom’s things inside the room. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but the whole house felt different even though it looked exactly the same.

“C’mon, let me show you your bedroom,” Sydney said, eager to put these strange feelings behind her, even if only for a few minutes.

The girls walked up the winding staircase to the second floor where they were met by Don at the top of the stairs. He had somehow managed to get all three of the girls’ luggage up there in one trip.

“I thought for tonight Sydney, you could sleep on the couch and let the girls have the two bedrooms.”

Addison and Kenna softly giggled while Sydney immediately began to blush.

“Dad, they’re going to sleep together in this bedroom and I’m going to sleep in my old room down the hall.”

Don gave Sydney a puzzled look until the realization of what he was being told hit him and he began to blush as well.

“Well, ummm… that sounds like a good plan too,” he said, his face breaking into a soft smile.

“C’mon let me show you the best part of a house,” Sydney said while walking by her dad, and giving his hand a soft, gentle, reassuring squeeze as she passed, letting him know it was alright.

She led the girls back down the stairs and into the great room. The three girls peered out of the large west-facing picture windows towards the back yard and the ocean.

Sydney opened the door and the three girls walked out onto the large deck. It had a beige outdoor couch, love seat, and two chairs which sat on large brown ceramic pavers. The deck also had four sunbathing chairs. Of course, the best part of the outdoor living space was the large, sunken, in-ground pool and hot tub. The deck was enclosed by a four-foot privacy wall with a gate and several steps that went down to the sand. About fifty feet beyond the sand was the Pacific Ocean.

Kenna and Addison’s mouth dropped open when they viewed the stunning sight.

“Sydney, it’s just beautiful,” Addison said.

“Being here again reminds me how much I’ve missed this place,” Sydney said.

After several minutes of taking in the awe-inspiring site, Sydney broke the silence.

“Anyone feel like a swim?”

Don was still thinking about the hug he had got, both from Syd, and her two friends, while he watched the girls going from place to place, examining all the different aspects of the property; making appreciative little ‘Ohhhs’ and ‘Ahhhs’ as they took in all of the splendid features. He couldn’t help but compare his daughter to them as they turned this way and that, and what he saw, put her alongside them in the ‘stunning’ category.

Like Sydney, Kenna had long blonde hair that was nearly halfway down her back. In contrast, Addison had long brunette locks that were just as long, or maybe even a bit longer than the other two. All three girls were average height and extremely fit. Because of an almost daily workout regimen, the girls had managed to avoid the ‘freshman fifteen’ syndrome that plagued so many first-year college women.

Watching Sydney show her friends around the house, Don couldn’t help but think back how, as a little girl, they had been very close, and now here she was, a grown woman and he still felt that closeness that was hard to put a name to.

He saw them coming back into the house, no doubt to get changed and take up Sidney’s suggestion for a swim. It certainly was the right evening for it, warm, but not too hot and a gentle breeze just about moving the palm leaves on the trees.