A Simple Act of Charity

Just as importantly, he found out a lot more about Jenna during their talks. Not that he saw her much—Jenna worked long hours and it was a rare opportunity that she would arrive home when they had their evening talks, although when she did, it was the highlight of his day. It was clear to see why she was the apple of Robert's eye. His only daughter becoming a nurse and helping people on a daily basis was a considerable point of pride for the man, and he never missed an opportunity to dote or talk about his daughter.

Austin also learned that Jenna was single although not for the lack of trying. She simply worked too much, and she didn't have time to date or for a boyfriend. And when she wasn't working, she was at home taking care of her father, driving him to doctor's appointments, picking up medication, or taking care of the house. If anyone was stretched thin, it was Jenna, and it helped to explain why she was always missing from around the house.

In a way, Austin just felt bad for the woman, having to shoulder so many responsibilities and be the sole breadwinner for the family. While he enjoyed spending time with Robert, it was clear there wasn't much the man could do to help with his condition so everything tended to fall on Jenna. She was stretched thin and in need of a helping hand.

It was for that reason that when the leaves began to turn into their annual display of fall colors, Austin pledged to do all he could to help out the stretched household. One Sunday afternoon in late September, he noticed that the two trees that were in the front of the Gibson's yard had almost completely shed their leaves, covering their lawn and a good portion of their driveway as well. Noticeably, there were even some on his own as well, and remembering his earlier conversation with Robert, Austin brought out a rake from storage and began to clean up the yards.

It didn't take long—lawn work never seemed to for Austin. Truthfully, he had learned to enjoy it during the last years of his marriage as time spent out of the house was less time spent in arguments with McKenzie. There was something peaceful about being close to nature that he enjoyed. For that reason, he took care to rake, bag, and dispose of all the leaves from the lawns of both houses. By the time he was done, you almost couldn't tell that leaves had fallen in the first place.

Satisfied with a job well done, Austin went back inside determined to make the most of what was left of his weekend. The next day, he went to work like usual and came home around the same time as he normally did. After getting the mail, and seeing that Robert wasn't outside today, he approached his front door with his keys already jingling in his hands. Yet, when he got closer, he saw there was something sitting there waiting for him.

Next to the door was a small, brick ledge that extended from the house. Covered by part of the roof, it usually made an excellent spot for packages or the occasional paper. Today, however, there was a small container sitting on the ledge, with a card resting on top.

One look at the container told him all he needed to know about what was inside. Cracking the lid, he found freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, still having the fresh from the oven appearance with warm, gooey centers. Already finding his spirits lifted, he grabbed the card and quickly read the note.

Austin,

Thank you so much for helping us with the lawn work. You have no idea how much we appreciate it. Hope you enjoy.

Jenna Gibson

"Wow, that's so awesome," whispered Austin as he reread the note several times. He hadn't expected or even wanted anything just for raking the leaves, but it brought a smile to his face to be helpful to someone who did so much for everyone already. If anything, it stiffened his resolve to keep helping them. Not even taking into effect the cookies (which were an added benefit) but the fact that he liked talking with Robert so much that it felt great to do a good deed for them. There was also the other factor in that the more time he spent outside, there was an added chance of running into Jenna.

Shortly after the cookies had shown up on his doorstep, he had run into her one day when she was leaving for work. Her hair was carefully done up in a ponytail and her blue scrubs were more functional than fashionable, but she still looked every bit like the bombshell he thought her to be. Now that the two of them weren't strangers anymore, he got an enthusiastic wave from the redhead as her car pulled out of the driveway. Austin gave an excited wave back as well even as he mentally chastised himself for looking like a schoolboy with his arm flapping about so wildly.

After receiving the note and cookies, he began to look for any opportunity to help the Gibson family. Even after the first time he'd raked the yard, most of the trees weren't quite empty yet. After another week had gone by, the branches of both trees in the front yard were now bare, and Austin trudged out to begin the final sweep of both yards. After about an hour of hard work, he had several garbage bags full of leaves sitting on the curb and the following morning, he had a present waiting for him on his front porch once again.

That present was a bottle of top-notch bourbon, nothing like the sort that could be found in the local college bars. Austin grinned excitedly as he read the label, and he couldn't wait to give it a try later on that evening. Of course, just like the cookies, this bottle again had a little note attached to it from Jenna. Quite similar to the first, she thanked him profusely for his help and even ended the note with a kissing emoji.

Over the next several weeks, autumn faded away, and colder weather started to drift into the little town. The first, meager snowfall came early during the week of Halloween and if the weather channel could be trusted, they'd have quite a miserable winter with plunging temperatures and frequent snowfall. Even though it was something Austin was used to from years spent living near the Great Lakes, he still dreaded the arrival of such weather.

Soon enough, winter arrived in full force. One such storm blew through in the first week of November and temperatures dipped into the single digits. Austin woke the following morning to about five inches of snow on the ground, while strong winds made the idea of going outside a harrowing proposition.

"No way, this is so not cool," whined JD at seeing all the snow. "There's no way I'm trudging to class in all of this!"

Austin smiled at his cousin's demeanor, knowing that for him at least, classes were likely to be canceled. However, his job had never canceled a day of work just for a little bit of snowfall. For that reason, Austin found himself suiting up to go tackle their driveway before he'd have to leave for work. Funny enough, JD was heading back to bed just as Austin was putting his snow boots on.

As soon as he stepped outside, Austin wanted to go back in. The chill from the constant wind sent shivers down his back and made him feel like he wasn't wearing any clothing at all. He was already freezing from the first few minutes outside, but if anything, it made him work all the faster to get the job done. Once he was satisfied that he'd be able to get his car out of the garage, Austin salted the driveway and hurried back to shelter.

Yet, his eyes glanced over to the Gibson's driveway, and he frowned at seeing it as untouched as his had been fifteen minutes prior. Taking a deep breath, Austin walked over and began to work on theirs as well. Every time he was ready to give up due to the cold, he pictured Jenna having to shovel it on her own and that kept him working diligently. Finally, he finished their driveway in the same amount of time it took to do his own and salted it heavily.

Once he was back inside, Austin brewed a heavy cup of coffee and removed his heavy clothing. He rubbed his hands together thoroughly to warm them and even gripped his full mug with both hands in an effort to warm up from the cold. At least he could smile internally about doing another good deed, even if each of his fingers felt like they could fall off at any given moment.

Luckily, it was Friday and as Austin was leaving the house, he left his driveway with no problems and headed to work. The day breezed by, and that evening, he spent a quiet night at home as JD finally managed to get himself out of bed and head to the bar for a bit of pre-weekend celebration.

It must have been an exceptionally good celebration as JD didn't come home that night. A late-night text from his cousin let Austin know he got too trashed, ended up sleeping on a friend's couch and not to expect him until midday. For that reason, Austin enjoyed the house to himself once again, making for a relaxing start to the weekend.

That is, until the doorbell rang. Knowing that it was a bit too early for any package deliveries, Austin padded across the floor and opened the door slowly. On the other side stood Jenna Gibson, wearing a shy smile and carefully bundled up in an oversized jacket.

Austin nearly stammered at seeing his dream girl so close once again. Once glance from her bright, blue eyes had him tongue-tied and feeling awkward. "Oh, h-hey, Jenna. What's up?"

She smiled as she wrapped her arms around her torso, clearing indicating she was cold. The temperatures hadn't quite recovered yet from yesterday. "Hey Austin! Can I come in?"

"Of course!" Austin beckoned her inside and shut the door to the frigid weather behind her. Jenna gave herself a good shake before quickly losing her oversized jacket. Underneath, she wore a simple forest-green sweater and a pair of hip-hugging jeans. Her ravishing red hair was once again pulled back into a ponytail but as usual, she looked gorgeous.

Not knowing what to say, Austin threw up some word vomit right from the start. "Make yourself at home! It's just the two of us right now."

Jenna giggled. "Don't you have a roommate? I've seen another guy here before but only in passing."

"Yeah, that's my cousin, JD," said Austin while running his fingers through his hair. "He had a very late night and is still nursing a hangover at a friend's house."

Jenna started to laugh. "Oh, those college days. When the weekends were just there to recover from the party nights."

"Yeah, I don't think my cousin will ever grow out of that," said Austin with a chuckle.

"It's good to know that at least that bourbon I sent over will go to good use then," said Jenna as they entered the living room. She took a seat on the couch and pulled her leg underneath her before turning to face him.

"Yeah, about that," said Austin as he sat across from her. "I never really got a chance to thank you for that. That was really one of the coolest things you could've done. And the cookies from before, you have no idea how happy I was to get those."

"You have no idea how happy I was to not have to take care of the lawn," said Jenna with a smile. "With everything that's going on right now, I barely know how I could fit it into my schedule."

"Oh, that was nothing," said Austin with a wave of the hand. "I mean, I know it's got to be hard with your father and the cancer and everything. I figured it was the least I could do."

Jenna nodded silently without saying anything. She picked a spot on the floor to stare at, and for a moment, the smile dropped from her face.

"I'm sorry to have brought that up," said Austin quickly, sensing he had upset her with the cancer talk. "I know it's not the best subject."

Jenna shook her head. "It's just gotten really tough in the last few months. It's only the two of us, and it's been that way for quite a long time. I was used to pulling my weight but now having to shoulder so much of the burden just to keep up really gets to me some days."

"I can understand that," said Austin with a quick nod. "That's why I wanted to help. Even if it's just something small like some yard-work or shoveling a driveway, the more that I can help, the less that'll have to fall on your shoulders."

"You have no idea how much I appreciate you," Jenna said in a whisper. "My dad used to take care of everything like that and he took real pride in doing it. I know it kills him on the inside to be immobilized and not able to help."

"He seems like a good guy. And a good father as well," said Austin. "I enjoy all the time I get to talk with him."

Jenna beamed with a smile. "He really likes you too. He talks about you a lot. It's really sweet knowing he has a friend or at least someone he can talk to besides me."

"Well, I'm always here for that," said Austin finally.

Jenna watched him for a moment before asking the next question on her mind. "So is it really just you and your cousin here then? No girlfriend or anything?"

Austin took a deep breath and shook his head. "Ah, no. Just the two of us. No girlfriend. Just an ex-wife." He grimaced internally for blurting out that last part, knowing it could potentially scare her away.

To his surprise, Jenna just smiled. "Yeah, that's what my dad said. I really meant it when I said he tells me all about you."

Austin nodded silently. He hoped Robert hadn't told her the whole story and judging by her reaction, she didn't seem to know. While he had slowly come to terms with his infertility, he still didn't like to broadcast it to every newcomer to his life. Especially one like Jenna.

"Hopefully not everything," he said quickly before letting the subject drop.

Jenna smiled and looked away for a moment. There was silence between them as they both processed the situation. Not knowing what to say, Austin blurted out the next easiest idea that came to mind.

"Your dad told me you don't have a boyfriend either."

He shut his mouth quickly and struggled hard not to roll his eyes.Smooth, so fucking smooth.

Thankfully, Jenna didn't take it the wrong way. She nodded and said, "Yeah, that's right. It's kind of hard to date right now. There's just so much going on in my life that I can't really focus on anything else. It takes so much effort just to date, you know? I feel like I don't have any energy left over to even think about it sometimes."

"I know that feeling," said Austin. "Sometimes it's all I can do just to make it to bed in one piece some days."Especially knowing that most women wouldn't want me after finding out my swimmers don't work. He swallowed hard as he tried to push the negative thought from his brain.

Jenna didn't seem to notice. "Exactly! See, at least someone understands," she said with the cutest giggle.

"Well, it's a good thing you came over today then," said Austin, finding himself smiling back at her. "Now we know we can just be our own two peas in a dateless pod."

Jenna almost doubled over with laughter. "Oh my god, that's so funny!"

Feeling his confidence begin to come back, Austin allowed himself to stop feeling so tense around her and to relax a little more. It helped knowing that even though Jenna was his physical ideal, she could be fun to be around too. His heart stopped seizing up every time she smiled at him, and their conversation began to flow a little smoother.

That is, until she dropped the biggest bombshell on him. The type that came completely out of left field and left him tongue-tied. Of course, it all started innocently enough after a few more minutes of idle conversation.

"You really have no idea how thankful I am about the snow shoveling from yesterday," started Jenna while giving him a funny look. "I really don't know how to properly thank you."

"You don't need to thank me at all. That was part of the deal I worked out with your dad. No payments necessary," said Austin with a smile. "Honestly, it's just nice to help out when I can."

"No way." Jenna shook her head. "I need to do something for you. Good deeds shouldn't go unrecognized."

"What did you have in mind?" he asked. "I might have to pass on food though," he said teasingly. "Don't want to get too fat on cookies." He patted his stomach jokingly.

Jenna bit her lip and looked him in the eyes. "There's something else I could do for you, if you like?"

"What's that?" he asked without a clue.

Her eyes flickered down to his lap and then back to him. Austin watched her do it a few more times before his brain caught up.No, it couldn't be.

"What are you suggesting, Jenna?" he asked in a near whisper.

"I was thinking maybe I could help you out for a change," she whispered in return. Before he could respond, she raised herself from her position on the couch and scooted closer to him.

Much closer.

When she sat back down, she was right beside him and her hand rested against his thigh. If Austin thought he was beginning to relax around her, that single move turned that idea completely on its head. Was she seriously suggesting what he thought?"

His eyes flickered down to her hand. "Um, do you mean . . . ah, is this what I think it is?"

She nodded slowly. "Is that okay?"

"You don't have to do that. I mean, I could never ask you to do that."

"I know," she answered. "But maybe I want to. You've helped us so now it's time for me to help you."

Austin gulped, unsure of a response to that. Jenna took his silence as a question but left her hand against his thigh.

"Is that okay? Would you . . . want that?"

He swallowed hard. "Yeah. I definitely would."

Jenna smiled. "Okay. Here, let me help you."

With those words, her hands drifted to the button on his jeans, undoing it and then sliding down the zipper. She helped him pull them down to his ankles leaving just his boxers between Jenna and his manhood.

To make matters even more embarrassing for the moment, the very thought of being even somewhat intimate with Jenna had his body responding in a completely natural way. As soon as the constricting jeans were free, his boxers tented quite prominently as his arousal took over.

Jenna brought her hand to her mouth and giggled lightly. "I guess I'm doing okay so far?"

Austin's face went red but he managed to nod. He didn't trust his voice to respond in that moment.

She didn't wait for him to say anything further before her hand slipped through the slit of his boxers and grabbed his erection. Austin let out a low hiss as her hand made contact, her fingers still cold from the time spent outside just a short while ago.

"Oops, sorry," she said with a laugh. Her hand released him, and he temporarily missed the contact as she rubbed both hands together to warm them up. When she was ready to grip him again, he was pleased to feel the warmth of her touch.

In that moment, she began to work his cock, slowly masturbating him and beginning to learn the way his body responded. Her efforts started slow, pulling his foreskin back all the way before pushing it all the way up his unit. She gave tender and deliberate strokes with various different grips as she explored his body.

After enough time, those slow explorations began to speed up, and she moved her hand more quickly along his entire length. Austin leaned his head on the couch as his eyes rolled back in pleasure. Having her hands on his most intimate part was sheer bliss and he never wanted her to stop. Even Jenna seemed to be enthralled by what she was doing. Her mouth hung open slightly as her hand worked, her breathing short and very rapid as her elbow worked in a steady rhythm.

Finally, she began to slow down. Austin opened his eyes and found her looking right at him.

"Can you take your boxers off?" she whispered quickly.

Well past the stage of modesty, he nodded and quickly shimmied them off his hips to join his jeans on the floor. Jenna's eyes went wide as she took in his full erection, unencumbered by any clothing to block her view. She licked her lips once it was fully in sight and then returned to her already established rhythm.