[SamAdams76]

I'm working on a short story in which a runaway girl breaks into a man's house and cleans up the place, hoping he will come home and decide to keep her around and provide shelter for her in exchange for...well, I'm still working that out but I'd like to keep it PG rated as the girl is only 16. So more of a father/daughter type thing. I'm thinking of making her older so something more can develop but if I make her too old, she won't be able to be a teen runaway and that's important to the story as I already have the plotlines worked out (she ends up becoming a popular country music singer).

The man is a divorced truck driver and is away from the house up to a week at a time. Lives in a small ranch house that is falling into decrepitude. I think it could be a good story - maybe even turned into one of those LIFETIME TV movies.

[Trumpet 1]

Maybe the girl is his niece. His sister’s daughter. And his sister died or moved to another state and the niece wants to keep living in the home town with her high school friends and band, volleyball, choir, and choir practice. And maybe she has an order sister or female cousin who is going to community college and also needs a rent free place to live. Her choir practice teacher turns out to be the truck driver’s love interest. And the truck driver winds up driving the motor home with every body on board to the various concerts and dance halls.

[hanamizu]

There is a short story, “Too Soon a Woman” by Dorothy Johnson, that resembles a bit the story you are working on. And in keeping with the thread, it involves eating as well. I had my students read it for literature, but most didn’t get the last line.

[McGavin999]

Have her be 17 and on the run for over a year, that’s why she’s tired of running. The attraction could build carefully until her 18th birthday

[House Atreides]

The man is a divorced truck driver and is away from the house up to a week at a time.
***********************************************************
Make him a truck driving serial killer. That way you can work some pathos into the story. /s

[\/\/ayne]

Well, the abusive foster father needs to show about 3/4ths of the way into the story to get pummelled by the truck driver, then arrested for abuse. Then it turns out many more girls come forward.

At 16 there are plenty of online options to finish high school.

[CottonBall]

Sounds good. I would read or watch it