Pancakes and hugs

Opening the door a big smile crossed Bailey’s face as he Candi standing outside, wearing a muted yellow sundress with barley there small polka dots, a sweetheart neckline, three thin shoulder straps at each shoulder and a tiny little knot tied into a bow at the center of her bondace. While the neckline showed less of her cleavage than what Bailey wore, her dress was a little shorter and puffed out more thanks to a petticoat Bailey assumed. She had paired the dress with a yellow hairband, a white plastic bracelet, matching white plastic hoop earrings and a pair of white ballerina flats that had an ankle strap. Making Bailey taller that Candi by two and half inches for once instead of her being half an inch taller, thanks to the shoes he was wearing. He had avoided her like he had everyone or tried to, but looking at her now in a matching outfit it came back to him that she was the one he called when he needed a ride away from the fraternity house, it was with her. Now she stood there smiling at him like he was at her, and holding two purses. One black leather with bold bright yellow stitching and the other a crocheted white satchel purse, the second she held out for him.

“Good morning sis!” Candi declared when she saw her friend open the door. She wasn’t expecting Bailey to lurch forward, wrapping her arms around her, holding them tightly together. It was often her that glomped onto someone excitedly, having it done to her by her best friend was a great way to start a day she thought.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t like text you back and didn’t answer when you face timed me!” This was someone who instinctively was there for him. Candi didn’t ask for favors in return or anything, when Bailey needed someone she was there. The purse… her just bringing an extra purse so he could have something to match his outfit was the smallest of things and him ignoring her when he was feeling low, just made him feel like a heel. Candi pulled back, keeping her hands on Bailey, but holding her at arm's length.

“Well it sounds like someone totally learned a lesson. You do it again and you will get no hugs for a week.” She gave her friend a bright smile as she teased her. Bailey smiled back, the girl always had the most infectious smile. Looking over his shoulder at the open door, he motioned for her to follow him inside.

“If you are hungry Aunt Megan and I like made some breakfast, if you were like later I wouldn’t have even brought it up.” Candi stopped just inside the door, cocking her head to the side.

“Why? OH! OH! Yeah like before I forget Daddy says he needs to talk to Aunt Megan about our shopping and… the best part is Daddy gave me his credit card. Here, this one is for you.” Candi put the crochet white purse into Bailey’s hands before digging into her purse, pulling out a black metal credit card. “He totally gave me the metal one without a limit for us today!”

“OH MY GOD! I always wished I could afford to have one of those!” Bailey reached for the card that he coveted. The thing was a sign that you had truly made it in the world, for a creditor to trust you to buy whatever you wanted, no matter the cost because they knew you could afford it. He didn’t ever think he would get one, but dreams of it and winning the lottery went mostly hand in hand for him. Candi pulled her hand back, moving the card out of her friend’s reach.

“You can hold it if you tell me why you thought about keeping what you made for breakfast a secret? You should not be keeping secrets from your big sis.”

“Pancakes, we made cornbread pancakes.” Bailey said as he made grasping motions for the card. Candi handed it over, starting to walk past her friend, stopping just long enough to bounce her hip into hers as she walked through the living room and into the closed off kitchen. Bailey followed along, the purse in the crook of his elbow as he held the black metal card in both hands, running his thumb across the white indents of the name of the card holder.

“Good morning Aunt Megan, I was told you and Bailey made…” Candi gave the older woman a big smile, watching her hang up an apron and taking in her outfit. “Wow, you look amazing!”

“You are just the sweetest thing and look at you. I swear you are more beautiful by the day, I’m surprised your father lets you out of the house at all.” Candi giggled happily at the compliment.

“He threatened me once that he was going to buy a shed to lock me away till I was like, no longer a teenager, but I think that was more because I was being more emotional that day and he was being like super not sensitive. OH! And he said he needed to talk to you about our shopping today!”

“I will give him a call shortly, hopefully he isn’t being insensitive today.” She said hoping the girl took in the word. She knew from experience she could be smart as a whip, but didn’t often give off that impression. “For now why don’t the two of you sit down for breakfast.”

When they sat down to eat, Megan got the phone number for Derrick before leaving the room, deciding to get the phone call out of the way before eating. It was a short phone call, coming back into the room to see Candi pointing a fork, still heavily laden with pieces of a double stack of pancakes. “Eees are ooo uch…” Candi said unintelligibly with her mouth full. Stopping and chewing her food a few more times she swallowed before continuing. “These are so much better than the waffles we had the other day! You like did such a good job! I tried to make Daddy some pancakes like a week before we came here and I swear I almost started the house on fire. The fire alarm was going off, he had to open the back glass door and wave a towel around to get it to stop. I am terrible and I think when we take that cooking class together you will have to keep me from starting another fire.”

“No like, it was all Aunt Megan, I just helped a little. Stirring the batter and pouring. She is such a good cook, like you have no idea!” In the past Bailey had learned he needed to perfect or come close to perfecting six meals, two for each to be able to impress a girl. It had worked with Mommy, but he wasn’t going to take credit for someone else's work, but he was going to try and remember her recipe so he could recreate this later. Megan came up, giving a kiss to the side of Bailey’s forehead, just after her hairline. It felt good to be appreciated, it was one thing for someone to give you a compliment, it was another to overhear one that someone gave when speaking about you.

“Thank you pumpkin, but don’t sell yourself short and Candi it just sounds like you need more practice, though when you say another fire it makes me wonder how many fires you have started.” Candi used her fork to cut another piece off her double stack of pancakes.

“It like, isn’t important.” She said before stuffing her mouth full of the not so bite size portion of pancakes she cut off. A lilting giggle escaped Bailey’s mouth as he thought about her antics and picturing panicking in the kitchen as she started a fire after she poured milk into a bowl of cereal.

“Well, I’m glad you are enjoying what WE.” Megan pointedly nodded at Bailey. “Made. Now I just got off the phone with your father and I do see he gave you his card. It seems the two of you actually do need to go shopping today. I’m going to rearrange my schedule a bit to go with you, so we can update your wardrobe with things for the two of you to wear around an office.” Glancing at the two yellow dress wearing girls that had their mouths full of food she didn’t see any confusion on Candi’s face, but Bailey didn’t look to understand and considering everything Bailey had gone through she didn’t expect a lot of retention right now.

“He told me about the two of you getting into his liquor and wanting to teach you some life lessons about responsibility.” She knew it happened after Bailey left Liam’s company and she wouldn’t blame anyone needing a stiff drink after that experience, but she couldn’t speak to that openly. “If you are going to do that sort of thing girls, I’m happy you did it somewhere safe, but you both knew that you shouldn’t have done that. You are both adults now and if you are curious about that sort of thing, maybe talk to someone so everyone can make sure you experiment the right way.”

“So like.” Candi made eye contact with Bailey. She didn’t want to try it, and it tasted awful, but she wanted to know more. “If we asked you, could we have like tasted it over here with you?” Candi said, looking back to Megan. The question made her think for a handful of seconds.

“Yes, but I still would have done it with your fathers permission. If he said it was okay, I would have also introduced you to a few drinks that actually taste good.”

“Good, cause like it was horrible, I don’t know how Daddy drinks it, it's like, umm almost like how gasoline smells.” Bailey shoved the last mouthful of pancakes in his mouth, mentally grumbling, he liked whiskey, but he would admit things like honey whiskey tasted a lot better. Megan laughed at the girls' comparison.

“I don’t think it is that bad, nothing impresses a man more than a woman who drinks a glass of whiskey, while smoking a cigar with him. So long as the patriarchy is in charge we have to do things we don’t like to get ahead.”

“Ahead.” Bailey laughed, after finishing his bite of food. Taking in the older woman sitting next to him with her low cut top, showing off his large chest. It made him think of one girl… he couldn’t for the life of him remember her name, but he did remember how stacked she was and how appreciative she was when he started her off at his parents' store with a higher starting wage than was normal.

“No, not like that.” Megan looked between Bailey and Candi, shaking her head at Bailey’s one word that sent Candi into a fit of giggles. “How about the two of you wash your plates while I get something in my stomach before we head out.” With nothing left on her plate other than syrup, Candi got up from the table, walking around to give Megan a hug from behind.

“I’m happy you are coming with us, it was fun shopping with you before. I wish I had an aunt like you.” Megan put her hand over the teenager's arms, giving it a little squeeze, the comment didn’t make her tear up, but it had definitely struck a cord that improved her day. Candi hugged her tight, closing her eyes, hoping and wishing her Daddy would work up the courage to propose so she could have the family she always dreamed of.

When they were getting ready to head out Candi excused herself to use the restroom, and as soon as she closed the door Megan took one of Bailey's hands between both of hers. “Pumpkin, I don’t want to **** you into anything, but I need you to remember who you are, who Bailey Ann Best is and how she dresses.”

“Okay… like, why? Is something wrong with how I look? Should I change?” Bailey looked down at his outfit, taking the hem of his dress between his index finger and thumb, pulling on the garment slightly. Wondering if he had done something wrong and if Candi had noticed. Him not realizing how much he sounded like a worried teen girl.

“You look pretty as a picture pumpkin, but you can’t suddenly start dressing differently so some of the things we buy today wont be say… conservative. You understand?”

“Yeah like, I guess.” It wasn’t lost on Bailey that the complement, pretty as a picture wasn’t something a guy would ever want to hear, but it brought a tiny bit of joy to him. He had pictured the outfit out to be both cute and a bit sexy at the same time and hearing the compliment filled him with a bit of pride.

“A good girl always looks her best and like I’m a good girl, happy and proud!” He felt a mental twinge, his stray thought about the girl at the shop giving him a blow job, how it made him wonder if Aunt Megan had ever done something like that and now her talking about him dressing sexy to the office. Before those thoughts picked up speed he picked up the borrowed purse, pulling out the compact mirror to make sure his face didn’t need any touch ups, to give himself something to focus on.