Apple Didn't Fall Far from The Tree

Authors Note: Thanks to BumblingFool for the title. I couldn't come up with a title that worked for me.

I can't provide feedback to him through the Lit website, so adding some thanks here to Oatmeal1969. I find your comments very helpful. I think your feedback has helped me with my writing.

All characters involved with any sexual activity are 18 or older. All of my works on this site are copywritten by CurrentParameter and may only be used or reused with permission.

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Lili was lying in bed naked, her lover pounding away at her. His cock thrusting in and out of her. She closed her eyes and thought, "I'm so close, just a little longer."

He told her, "You are my slut."

She managed to get out, "Yes, I'm your slut, don't stop."

He told her, "And I fuck better than your husband."

She was so close, finally she came, screaming, "You are so much better than my husband!" She then ground her pussy into him, trying to wring out that last sensations from the orgasm as he then exploded into her.

She finally fell limp to the bed, and he looked down at her. While propping himself above her with one hand, he massaged one of her beautiful breasts. He watched her catch her breath as his cock shrank and retreated from her pussy.

Lili opened her eyes to look at him, but a motion caught her eye. Her husband, Jim, was standing there holding his phone, recording them.

He coldly said, "I thought you were up to something. This is all I need for the prenup."

Lili screamed, "Nooooo!"

=======

It had been eleven years since Jim Philips moved back to his hometown of Rockridge. He grew up there, but once he was old enough, he left town to experience the wider world. Frankly, the wider world was just the community college in the state capital.

Although he had apprenticed as an auto mechanic in his father's garage since he was 14, he wanted to go to college to learn about some of the newer technologies. All cars had computers in them now, and although his father had bought some basic equipment, there was a lot that his father couldn't take care of.

After graduating, as he enjoyed being on his own, he took a job at one of the larger auto shops in the capital for the experience and potentially to live. It wasn't that he didn't like Rockridge, but in a small town like theirs, the only job would be working for his father, and he liked the idea of making it on his own.

Then the accident happened. His parents were grocery shopping when a truck ran a red light and slammed into their car. They were killed instantly. His parents left their house and the garage to him. He was then 23, with no family and the owner of his parents' house and his father's garage.

It was tough, but the people working for his father loved his father and went out of their way to help him learn how to manage them and the garage.

A few months after the funeral, and taking over running the garage, he met a woman. She was about the same age as his mother had been when she died. The woman's car needed some work. Like everyone in the small town, they knew who he was and what he was going through. She invited him over for a home-cooked meal. Although he turned her down at first, she kept at him until he finally agreed.

Harriet Franks was a widow. Her husband had passed a few years earlier from a heart attack. She couldn't stand being alone in their large house, so she decided to buy something smaller, close to her sister, who lived on a farm outside of Rockridge. Harriet was a schoolteacher at the local elementary school.

Over the next year or so, Harriet became a mother figure to Jim. He would go over for the occasional home-cooked meal, and then they would sit on the porch and enjoy a sip of her favorite brandy.

On one occasion, sitting on the porch, Harriet asked, "Jim, when are you going to find someone? You can't keep hiding with this old woman."

Jim chuckled. Harriet kept on the same subject for the last month or so. He replied, "You know the situation. I'm modernising the garage. Dad did a great job with what he had, but some of the equipment needed updating for the newer cars. I don't have time to date."

Jim then stood, came over, and gave Harriet a hug. He said, "You know, you are almost as bad as my mom. She was always on me about finding someone."

Harriet gave Jim a grim smile. Jim had learned that she and her daughter didn't get along. Her daughter was a daddy's girl and had gotten away with anything she wanted. Once Harriet's husband passed, her daughter went back to college, and she rarely heard from her.

Over the following couple of years, the two grew closer. She was happy to have a "son" and he was happy to have a "mother".

She managed to get Jim on a few dates. One of the schoolteachers was his age, 27, and she introduced her to him. Although they went out a few times, Jim didn't feel a connection.

Then, one day, he was working at the garage and a beautiful woman walked in. She looked about the same age as Jim, 5'10" with her heels, and a fantastic figure. Her chest bounced as she walked across the floor.

Jim stuttered once she got to the counter. He asked, "May..... may I help you?"

She smiled, "Yes, I think I have a flat tire. Can someone take a look at it?"

Jim at first nodded, but then remembered he could speak. He replied, "Sh.. Sh.. Sure. I can do that for you."

He followed her out to her car. It was a new BMW X3 M series. He whistled, "Nice car."

She replied, "I was showing a house in town, but I drove over something when I started to head home to Saddle River. I managed to drive it here."

Jim looked at the wheel rim. It was destroyed. He said, "You should have asked for a tow. You drove on a flat tire, and the rim has been wrecked. I think I have a tire in the right size, but I'll have to put it on a standard rim. That will allow you to drive it, but then you will need to get the BMW dealer in Saddle River to order you a matching replacement."

She pouted. Jim thought she looked sexy. She asked, "How long will that take?"

Jim glanced at his watch. He replied, "It is almost closing, but I can get this done."

As Jim worked to get a tire on the standard steel rim, he occasionally glanced up to verify that she was actually here. In a small town, you get used to seeing the same women, but she was a knockout.

As he was finishing, he thought, "Go for it."

He came to the counter and passed her keys. He said, "All set."

She asked, "How much do I owe you?"

Jim got up the nerve and replied, "Well, since you are the best-looking woman to come in here in years, how about this? If you let me take you out for dinner, the repair is free."

She appraised him. She asked, "Won't your boss have a problem with that?"

He grinned, "Well, I own the place, so the boss will be just fine. I'm Jim, by the way."

She again glanced at him. Finally, she said, "Why not. I planned to eat at home, but it is already getting late." She held out her hand and introduced herself, "Lili."

Jim said, "Great. Give me a few minutes, and I will be right out."

Jim went into the bathroom to clean up. Fortunately, he had to go to the bank today, so the tire was the first time he got his hands dirty. Also, since he was at the bank, he had a nice shirt and blazer in his office to change into.

When he came out fifteen minutes later, she looked him over. She commented, "You clean up very well."

Jim smiled. He walked over to her and held out his arm. She took it, and after turning on the security system and locking up, he escorted her to his car. She was impressed by his classic Mustang.

The restaurant in town wasn't fancy, but it did serve good food. He asked for a table near the back that was a little more private.

She told him that she was a real estate agent in Saddle River and had a client looking for a house in Rockridge.

Jim had been thinking of buying a house as an investment property to rent, so they discussed buying houses as investments.

She asked about the garage. He told her about his parents and having to learn the hard way about running a business, but that things were going very well now.

By the end of the meal, Jim thought that dinner had gone well. As they pulled up to the garage and her BMW, he asked, "Say, would you mind if we do this again sometime?"

She smiled and replied, "I would love that." She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek before jumping out of his car.

As she drove away, Jim just sat there thinking, "I am one lucky bastard."

=======

Over the next few weeks, they got together a few times. Saddle River was a half-hour drive from Rockridge, but sometimes they met in other towns, depending on where she had appointments on those days. Jim was more than happy to meet her wherever she wanted.

The next time he was over for dinner with Harriet, he had an extra bounce in his step.

She took one look at him and asked, "OK, who is she?"

Jim grinned and replied, "I don't know what you mean."

Harriet just gave him that motherly look that said, "Don't bullshit me."

He laughed and told her all about Lili coming into the shop and their dinners together.

Harriet was so happy for him. She said, "It is about time."

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A few months later, Jim had a barbecue at his place for his staff and their families. He also invited the two people he considered closest to a family: Lili and Harriet.

Lili helped him set up, and he had the barbecue warming for everyone to show at dinner. He was excited because Harriet was finally going to meet Lili.

Jim heard the knock on the door.

He said to Lili, "Keep an eye on the grill. That is Harriet with her famous potato salad.

Jim welcomed Harriet, taking the bowl of salad from her. He exclaimed, "I'm so excited for you to meet Lili!"

She looked at him in a motherly way and replied, "And I am looking forward to meeting the woman who put a smile on your face."

They walked through Jim's house to the back door. Once they go on the deck, Jim said, "Lili, this is my friend Harriet."

Lili was smiling as she turned around, but once she saw Harriet, the expression turned into a frown.

Harriet also frowned and flatly said, "Lilian."

Lili stared at Harriet and replied with the same tone, "Mother."

Jim just turned to look back and forth at them, shocked. He asked, "Mother, what do you mean Mother?"

Lili responded, still staring at Harriet, "She is my mother."

Harriet stated, "And she is my daughter. Been, What? Seven years."

Lili stared back at her and flatly said, "Yeah, since Dad's funeral."

Jim was shocked. The perfect moment where the two women that was closest to him would finally meet became what appeared to be an unwelcome reunion.

Jim didn't know what to say.

Harriet said, "Well, do you want to have it out and ruin Jim's party, or shall we park it and come out of our corners later?"

Lili stared at Harriet and then looked at Jim. Her face softened. She said, "Let's deal with this later."

Harriet replied, "Good." She then took the potato salad from Jim, walked down the deck stairs to the table, and placed it down with the rest of the food.

Jim looked warily at the two women. He was still so shocked.

Lili came over and kissed him on the cheek.

Jim's workers and their families then started to arrive. That kept Jim from asking either woman what the hell was going on.

The party went well, Jim seemed to be the only person who noticed the cold stares the women gave each other.

After the party was over, both helped clean up. As far as Jim could tell, they hadn't said a word to each other, but as they finished cleaning up, they both came up to him. Lili asked, "Do you mind staying outside for a few minutes?"

Harriet added, "We need to talk."

Jim just nodded, still trying to figure out what was going on.

He sat on the deck with a beer in his hand, trying to concentrate on the label on the beer while actually trying to hear what the two of them were yelling at each other about.

Finally, after fifteen minutes, things quieted down. Ten minutes later, they walked onto the deck.

Jim stood looking them over and tried to make a joke, "Well, it doesn't look like you physically hurt each other."

Lili and Harriet glanced at each other before turning back to him.

Harriet stated, "We have agreed to a truce. We will be civil to each other."

Lili continued, "We won't get in the way of each other's relationship with you."

Harriet added, "But don't ask about our past. Until we have sorted that out between us, we don't want to talk about it."

Jim just stared at them and said, "O.. K... but can I ask one question?"

Lili replied, "It depends on the question."

Jim asked, "Different last names?"

Harriet replied, "Lili has her father's last name."

Lili replied, trying hard not to sound snarky, "And she reverted to her maiden name."

Jim stood silent for a minute before responding, "That makes sense now. Lili Thomas and Harriet Franks."

Harriet grabbed her now-empty bowl and said, "Sorry if we ruined the party. It was a great barbecue." She then glanced at Lili and asked, "Dinner still next Sunday?"

Jim nervously glanced at Lili. She just nodded slightly. Jim breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, "Looking forward to it."

Harriet then came over and gave Jim a kiss on the cheek. Jim gave her a hug, and after she gave Lili a cold glance, she left.

Jim looked at Lili, questions flooding through his mind. She grabbed his hand and asked, "Can you please let us sort this out so you aren't in the middle of it?"

Before he could reply, she whispered in his ear, "If you drop it you can fuck me in the ass again." She then grinned at him and held out her hand.

Jim nodded and took her hand. For the next hour, Jim forgot all about the conflict between the two women.

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Over the next months, Jim and Lili got closer. The conflict between Lili and Harriet was always in the back of his mind, but never seemed to cause any issues in his relationships with the two women. He had tried to bring it up a few times, but was constantly shut down by both women. Eventually he gave up.

Finally, one night, after having dinner with Harriet, they were sitting on her deck sipping some brandy. He brought up something that he was very nervous about. He stated, "I'm thinking of asking her to marry me."

He thought he saw a brief look of concern in Harriet's eyes, but it was only there for a brief moment. She smiled. Not a fake one, but one that showed she was genuinely happy about his news.

She said, "I'm happy for you. You two seemed to be very happy."

Jim commented, "But you haven't been in the same room with her to see us."

Harriet patted the back of his hand and said, "I have seen the two of you around town. I just make sure I disappear, so I don't ruin your moments. The issues that we have between us are in the past and shouldn't factor into your future together."

Jim started to say that he would feel better if they could get along. They were mother and daughter, but Harriet anticipated the comment. She said, "Look, you aren't going to change the way that we feel about each other, you have let it go."

Jim slumped his shoulders and stared at the brandy sniffer. He finally turned back to her and said, "OK."

A few months later, Jim took Lili on a trip and, while eating dinner with a view that looked over the ocean, got down on one knee and proposed. Lili was beyond happy and gave him a huge hug while screaming, "Yes!"

Both Lili and Harriet brought up the subject of prenups. Harriet, because he needed to protect his business, and Lili, because her father had left her quite a bit of money.

About a year later, Lili and Jim were married. Harriet was there, and as people didn't know that Harriet was Lili's mother, no one raised even an eyebrow when she sat in the spot normally taken by the mother of the groom.

Lili wanted a house of their own, something with a pool and a place where they could raise children. It meant that he had to move to Saddle River. There were also more school options when they got to that point. While dating Lili, he had started to buy houses to rent as a side business. He added his parents' house to the mix and rented it out.

Things went well for several years. Jim still went at least once a month for Sunday night dinner with Harriet, and she dropped by the garage occasionally. Lili never objected to his relationship with her mother.

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The problems started when a new agent started to work with Lili. One Hedley Lamarr.

Jim didn't like him right away. Hedley struck him as incredibly superficial, all image and no substance, and incredibly full of himself. However, he quickly became the top performer of their real estate agency.

Lili seemed to become enamoured with his ability to sell houses, which annoyed Jim to no end. Around the house, it became "Hedley this" or "Hedley that."

However, one day, Lili stopped mentioning Hedley entirely. Jim didn't notice her acting any differently. No unusual hours or strange phone calls. She was a real estate agent, so evening showings and phone calls at all hours were already normal, but nothing that he saw that she was trying to hide from him.

Hedley, however, all of a sudden seemed to like to drop by the garage. Jim had learned by accident that if you wanted to annoy Hedley, just call him "Hedy". That usually pissed him off and he usually would leave shortly after.

Jim vented his concerns to Harriet over their usual brandy. Harriet, however, was distracted. She told Jim that Lili loved him and there was nothing to be worried about.

However, a month later, Harriet asked Jim to come over. She told him that she saw Lili and Hedley in a parking lot, sitting in Hedley's car. She thought she saw them kissing.

That shocked Jim. He sat at her dining room table, just holding his head in his hands. He finally looked up at Harriet, tears streaming down his face. Harriet handed him a brandy. He took a sip. She stood and rubbed his back.

Finally, he asked, "How could she?"

Hariet sat beside Jim and held his hands. She took a deep breath. She said, "Well, I was hoping that she wouldn't be like her father."

Jim looked at her. He asked, "Her father?"

She sighed, "This is why we don't talk to each other. Her father was a cheat. She was a daddy's girl and knew about his affair. When I confronted her father, he had a heart attack and died. So, I wasn't talking to her because she knew about the affair and didn't tell me, and she wasn't talking to me because she blamed me for her father's death."

Jim asked, "Why didn't you warn me?"

Harriet looked at her hands for a minute. She finally said, "Well, because you were happy, and just because she supported her father, didn't mean that she was going to be a cheat. That was what we argued about that night. If we told you, it might have soured the pot." She sighed and looked at her brandy. She added, "I'm sorry. I really thought she learned from her father's mistake and wouldn't cheat."

Jim snorted, "If she is cheating. You only saw a kiss."

Harriet paused. She gave a sad smile and said, "You might be right, but keep an eye out. It may have been inappropriate, but maybe no farther than that."

She then slumped into her chair.

Jim looked at her. Somehow, Harriet looked smaller. There was something not related to Lili that was bothering her. He asked, "Are you OK?"

She patted the back of his hand and said, "Oh, don't worry about me."

=======

The house of cards fell a month later. Jim wasn't feeling well and came home early. Lili had the day off. When he walked into the house, he heard them. Fortunately, that conversation with Harriet had sort of mentally prepared him. It, however, didn't make it any better to listen to them.

He slumped against the wall and cried. It took a minute to pull himself together. His tears then turned to anger. He pulled out his phone and started recording a video. He quietly walked up the stairs. They seemed to have been in a hurry, and Jim stepped over the clothes scattered on the stairs. The bedroom door was open.

Hedley was fucking Lili missionary and Jim just stared at his phone. It helped watching through the screen on the phone, as it almost made it feel like it wasn't real. Lili, as usual, had her eyes closed. When they both finally came, Lili opened her eyes and screamed.

Jim just stared at her and coldly said, "I thought you were up to something. This is all I need for the prenup."

Lili screamed, "Nooooo!"

=======

Jim was mentally exhausted. The last eight months had been hell. First, he caught his now ex-wife cheating. The divorce had gone quickly, even though Lili had protested. She pleaded that Hedley meant nothing and that she got caught up in his bullshit. At one of the meetings with their lawyers, she even threw herself across the table at Jim, pleading for him to take her back. The prenup had been rock solid. The divorce was finalised two months ago.

He had moved back into his parents' house. He had given Lili their house, as he couldn't go back into the bedroom where he found them fucking. Then he was a suspect in the murder of Hedley. Hedley had been murdered in one of the houses he was selling, shortly after the divorce was final.

Fortunately, Jim had been at the birthday party of one of the local cops, so he had several police officers as alibis. Then, to everyone's shock, Lili was arrested for the murder.

Then, sadly, it got even worse. Harriet, the woman who had been like a mother to him, passed away from cancer, and just now, that same woman, who was also his ex-mother-in-law, left him her entire estate, much to the outrage of his ex-wife.

He walked up to Harriet's house, well, his house now. He fished his keys out of his pocket. He had had a key to the house, even before he met and married her daughter. He sighed as he opened the door.

After he closed the door behind him, he took a deep breath. Gone were the smells of Harriet's cooking. The air had a stale smell to it. No one had been in the house since Harriet had been hospitalised a month ago. There still wasn't an explanation of why she never sought treatment for her cancer. She kept her cancer a secret from everyone until she was hospitalised. She had been telling everyone she just had the flu towards the end.

Jim sat at the dining room table and looked around. He thought of his memories of this house. How Harriet had become a mother figure to him after his parents had passed. All the dinners here and at his place.

Jim sighed again. The emotions overwhelmed him, and he started to cry. He sat for several minutes with his deep breaths as he sobbed, being the only sounds in the house.

He then thought of Harriet's last wish from a letter given to him by her lawyer after reading the will. To have a shot of brandy in her memory. He went to the China cabinet to get the bottle of her favourite brandy and a glass. After picking up the bottle, he noticed an envelope underneath it. He set the glass and bottle on the table and poured himself a drink. He then sat and stared at the envelope. The envelope was addressed to him. He examined the writing. Her hand must have been shaking with weakness from her last days before going to the hospital.

He needed some artificial strength before opening the letter, so he threw back the glass of brandy and poured himself another. He remembered all the years of the two of them drinking brandy after dinner. She never explained how she got hooked on brandy.

Finally, he opened the envelope. He pulled out a letter. It was handwritten by Harriet. He started to read.

Jim,

The day that you came over with your concerns about Lili was the day that I found out that I had cancer. I know, I should have told you then, but after listening to you, I decided I didn't want to burden you. I was hoping that there was nothing wrong between you and Lili, and I would tell you at a later date.

At the time, my Doctor was putting together a treatment plan, but one night, after you discovered the two of them in bed and you filed for divorce, Lili came over. She was angry. She started to blame me, like she did all those years ago with her father. We started to argue. It got ugly. Finally, she pulled out her handgun. The one you told me about that she had for personal security when she was showing houses.

I yelled at her, "What are you going to shoot me?" She stood there stunned. She dropped the gun and ran out of the house. I never liked guns, so I picked it up with a tea towel and dropped it in a drawer.

I had started treatments for my cancer. You had enough going on, and I still didn't want to burden you, but after several months, the Doctors told me that the treatments weren't having any effect, and the cancer was now terminal. At the same time, I watched as the divorce was tearing you apart. I couldn't add to your burden.

A few days after your divorce was final, I saw them. They were in a restaurant together, and they looked so happy, celebrating the divorce. I saw them and then thought of how miserable you were and how I was dying. How could the two guilty people be happy when the innocent were miserable? I got so angry. As angry as I was when I discovered my husband cheating.

Now, there is something that I have never told anyone. That day, when I confronted my husband and he had a heart attack, I waited before I called 911. I just watched him clutching his heart, in pain. I wanted him to feel all the pain that I had. I wanted him to die. I did eventually call 911, but it was too late. He was dead, but I was so satisfied.

What I didn't know was that that bastard had excluded me from his will. Everything but the house went to Lili, and the house still had a mortgage on it. I couldn't afford the mortgage payments, which is why I ended up starting over here in Rockridge and was lucky enough to meet you.

So, they were happy and we were miserable and I was dying of cancer. I knew what I had to do. I knew from our conversations that when Lily and Hedley did a showing of a house, Hedley would close the house up, and Lili would go and pick up the open house signs from around the area. It only took a week for things to line up.

They had an open house the night you were at the birthday party. It was a house in the country. I parked out of sight, across the street at a closed business. Once I saw that the open house was over. I walked to the house. I hid behind a shrub as Lili left the house, got in her car, and drove off. I then walked up to the house and walked through the door. Hedley was surprised to see me. He was about to ask me what I was doing there when I pulled out Lili's gun. The gun that she had dropped on the floor of my house. I was wearing latex gloves, so it would only have Lili's prints on it.

I shot him. I shot him three times. Then, just like with my ex-husband, I watched him as he went unconscious. I then turned around and left. Dropping the gun in the closet by the entrance. Once I got home, I put the latex gloves in some paper and burned them in my fireplace along with the coat I was wearing.

It was almost like a turning point. Once I had done the deed, my health turned for the worse. It was like I was holding on so I could get that act of revenge for you.

We all know what happened after that. Lili discovered Hedley had been shot and called the police. The police found the gun in the closet. Discovered it was Lili's gun and arrested her. She told them that the last time she saw the gun was at my place, but as my health had gotten so bad, the police were convinced that at the time, I wouldn't have been healthy enough to go over there and shoot him. If they had determined it was me, well, I was already dying. I wouldn't have lasted long enough for a trial.

Now, this was my confession.

Jim, you can take this to the police and free Lili, or as you can see, I have wood in the fireplace ready for a nice fire.

I will let you do as you want. I love you one way or the other.

I don't know what my life would have been like if I had never met you. You were the son that I always wanted.

Remember me whenever you have a sip of Brandy.

Love, Harriet

Jim sat there, staring at the letter. He took another sip of brandy. He felt a chill as he sat there. As if Harriet's ghost was there in the room with him. He hadn't made a decision yet, but decided to start the fire to give himself some warmth.

He read the letter two more times. He thought of the anger and betrayal he felt. He then stood, took a deep breath, and the letter slipped through his fingers into the fire.

As he saw it burn, he thought, "Well, too late now."

=======

Lili was convicted and sentenced to twenty years in prison. Jim wasn't there when the verdict was read out, but he heard that she screamed and cried and called his name out, asking for help.

=======

Three months later, Jim finally decided that he would rent out Harriet's house. He decided to contact a women's shelter and have the house, complete with Harriet's furniture, available to women who needed a place to start over.

They found a woman with a young daughter who was in need, and he was there to help them, with the little they had, to move in. He got down on one knee to introduce himself to the woman's daughter. He said, "I'm Jim. What is your name?"

The little girl shook his hand and said, "Harriet."

That startled Jim for a split second, but then Jim smiled. He looked at the girl's mother and asked, "Do you like Brandy?"