Chapter 1 - Gracie the bakery girl

Melissa waited patiently in line at the bakery, watching the girl behind the counter smiling at customers and rush back and forth to fetch doughnuts, lattes, pound cake slices, and all manner of fresh delights from the racks that lined the back wall. The chirp of the young salesgirl's voice was cheerful and sincere, making Melissa smile.

Melissa had moved to the tiny town of Bayside a little over 2 months ago to take on a new job as the manager of a government contract. Every week since her arrival, she had stopped into this very bakery to pick up a box of sweet treats for her office, a gesture which, along with her levelheaded, competent leadership style, had made her very popular with her employees. Melissa had to admit that she had enjoyed these weekly visits just a little bit more since new high school graduate Gracie had started working behind the counter.

Gracie was a bubbly, cheerful young girl who planned to work for a year or so after graduation to save some money for college. Her aunt owned the bakery, and so it was a logical choice for her first job. She was petite but very curvy, with the slightest hint of softness to her curves. Her hair was dirty blonde and shoulder-length, with some very unfortunate, cheap-looking platinum highlights. Gracie clearly didn't know much about fashion and beauty, and made most of her aesthetic decisions based on what was trendy among her classmates. That explained the unflattering skinny jeans and that awful white eyeliner, thought Melissa to herself with a smile.

Melissa had previously lived in a larger city, and it showed. She was well-traveled, well-spoken, and most definitely well-dressed. Even in the business-casual work environment, she favored pearls, fitted blazers, pencil skirts, and stilettos, which showed off her nipped-in wasp waist and her long, glamorous legs. Her auburn hair was either pulled up into a loose chignon at the nape of her neck, or worn down in loose curls. She was certainly a head-turner in a town like Bayside, a fact which she knew and ignored. Melissa had very particular tastes, and the attention of 'hot' guys didn't enter into them.

Finally it was Melissa's turn at the counter. She flashed a winning smile at adorable Gracie, whose own sweet face broke into a dimpled grin as she recognized her friend and favorite customer. "Melissa!!! How are you?"
"Hello, pretty girl. Got time to take a break and catch up for a minute?"

"Sure thing, hold on a second." Gracie jogged to the back room and called to her aunt that she would be taking a quick break. Melissa got an eyeful of Gracie's tiny, tanned love handles just barely peeking out over the waistband of her tight skinny jeans. It made her grin inwardly. Someone has been making herself right at home in the bakery, she thought. The sight made Melissa want to lick her lips. Delicious.

Gracie poured two cups of coffee and set a big slice of chocolate cake on a plate before walking over to a table by the window to join Melissa. This was their weekly tradition ever since Gracie had begun working. Melissa was the most glamorous person Gracie had ever met, nothing like the women she knew in Bayside. Melissa was friendly and fascinating, and Gracie felt that she had really hit it off with her. She loved their weekly visits.
Melissa sipped her black coffee as she watched an animated Gracie load her own cup with cream and sugar. Gracie was telling her a story about one of the boys she had dated in high school who was now trying to get back together. Inwardly, Melissa rolled her eyes at the juvenile gossip, but she knew that it was all part of her investment in her relationship with Gracie. Her happy-go-lucky demeanor was adorable, and her blissful lack of concern for calories was tantalizing to Melissa's cultured tastes.

Melissa had many fantasies about Gracie, but none of them compared to the weekly experience of chatting with her while she stuffed herself with chocolate cake. If little Gracie wanted a sophisticated mentor and friend, Melissa was happy to comply, but not without encouraging the bubbly youngster to add a few pounds to her curvy frame. She took small bites of the cake so Gracie wouldn't realize that she was consuming the entire thing, but with every moist bite that passed Gracie's plump, pink lips, Melissa felt her heart beating even more quickly. She imagined cute little Gracie's tiny belly slowly expanding like rising dough over the waistband of those increasingly tight jeans as she pushed another bite into her mouth.

Melissa shivered with joy. Even though she may have had somewhat ulterior motives, she really did admire the girl's positive outlook and strong work ethic. Sadly, the girl's love life wasn't so impressive. She confided in Melissa how her ex-boyfriend had cheated on her, and that with most of her friends off at college already and her heavy work schedule, she had trouble meeting nice boys. She was thinking about getting back together with him.

"I mean, I just don't know if I should trust him again, you know?" Gracie looked at Melissa for guidance. Now that all her girlfriends were out of town, she had come to value Melissa's friendship and advice, even if she was 10 years older than Gracie.

Melissa fought the urge to laugh. High school problems must seem so huge and life changing to an 18-year-old. Melissa hadn't agonized over whether a 'boy liked her' or not for so many years she had forgotten how important it must be to Gracie. She solemnly counseled the girl to give him a second chance, but that if he messed up again, to cut her ties. She noticed with relish that Gracie had cleaned the plate of chocolate cake and was chasing a few crumbs around with her fork.
"I'd better be going soon, and I don't want your aunt to get angry at me for stealing you away for too long, either! It was great to catch up with you," Melissa said as she slid back her chair and rose from the table. "I'll just grab the usual order of doughnuts for the office and be on my way."

"Sure thing, Melissa. Great to see you too. I always love talking to you!"

The girl packed up the order of doughnuts, and Melissa paid for the coffee, the cake, and the box of pastries. She did genuinely feel bad for Gracie since all of her friends had moved away.

"You know, Gracie, if you get lonely over the weekend and feel like getting together, I'm usually available. I feel so bad that you don't have other girls to hang out with! You must get bored."

Gracie's eyes lit up! Her IDOL Melissa actually wanted to hang out?? "Yes! Definitely! Let me give you my number!"
They exchanged numbers and Melissa carried her doughnuts out to her car, after waving goodbye to a chocolate-cake-filled Gracie. It was looking like she was going to have a very interesting weekend!