"Amanda, why are there panties on the kitchen countertop?" Joe Johnston hollered to his 21-year-old daughter.
As single parent for the last 11 years, Joe had survived a constant volley of unpredictable, awkward situations that come with the territory when a father raises a daughter on his own. Puberty, periods, and proms. Bras, boyfriends, and breakups. However, after Amanda had gone off to college, Joe had settled back into a relatively ordinary life. It took all of two days since his daughter returned home from her junior year to throw him another curveball.
"There aren't panties on the countertop, daddy. Because nobody's called them panties since 1992," Amanda replied entering the kitchen wearing a white sports bra and barely there black running shorts -- their ultra-high cut exposed the curve of her butt. "Undies, underwear, drawers... or in this case, thong, would be more accurate."
Joe saluted in return. "Got it. But the question remains. What are they doing on our counter?"
"They're cute aren't they?" Amanda said, never missing an opportunity to make her father squirm. Picking up the lavender lace thong, she unfolded it, and held it out in front of her dad.
Joe rolled his eyes but briefly admired the thong, noticing the delicate white satin ribbon in the middle waistband.
As Amanda refolded the undergarment neatly and placed it in her leather handbag, she replied, "But to answer your question, I borrowed it from a friend and I'm giving it back to her this morning."
Joe wrinkled his brow. "Since when do girls share panties... undies, I mean?"
"They're my friend Grace's. I met her at school last semester. She actually grew up here but went to Jefferson High. We've gotten pretty close. We share everything."
"And why on Earth did you need to borrow them?" Joe inquired.
"Dad, I really, really don't think you want to go there," smirked Amanda. "But since you're so inquisitive, they're too tight and pinched my cooter so I'm giving it back to her. She's quite petite. Just your type."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Joe retorted, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh c'mon. Don't deny it. 'Petite blondes in their twenties.' It's all over your browser search history, daddy."
Joe's eyes bulged and his cheeks flushed. "I...umm...I thought I cleared my history."
"Daddy, I'm a computer science major. Do you really think I can't get past that? Anyway, there's no need to be embarrassed. We're both adults. Besides, mom was a petite blonde hottie back in the day so it's no surprise you're into that. It's endearing actually."
Sipping his piping hot cup of black dark roast, Joe reflected back on his wife Jennifer, who passed away 11 years earlier from a stroke. From the first time he saw her, he was enamored with her cute body, pert boobs and amazing ass.
Amanda on the other hand had gotten her genes from Joe's side of the family. At 5'10", the brunette bombshell had a stunning athletic physique. Toned arms. Washboard stomach. Deep brown eyes. Though her breasts were confined by her sports bra, her cleavage announced Amanda was blessed with a bountiful chest.
A scar on her left knee was the only flaw on an otherwise glorious set of legs. Reconstructive surgery to repair two ligaments had caused Amanda to lose a bit of her burst and ended her promising university tennis career two years ago. Rather than wallowing in sorrow, she committed herself to distance running.
"So anyway..." Joe said, desperate to change the subject to anything other than his internet search history. "What's on your docket for today?"
Amanda ran through her schedule, which included a morning 10K run, followed by lunch with Grace, a trip to make some returns at the mall, and a movie with her boyfriend, Ethan.
"And at what point in there are you going to look for a job?" Joe asked.
"I know. I know. I just want to take this first week home from school to chill," Amanda replied. "Besides, everyone is desperate for help with the pandemic. I can get a job anywhere, just like that." Amanda snapped her fingers.
She has a point, Joe conceded. Not up for an argument with his daughter so soon after she had come back home.
Amanda gave her dad a peck on the cheek, put in her AirPods and headed out the front door for her run. "Have a great day at work, daddy. Love you."
"Love you, too, honey."
Joe turned and began tidying up the kitchen, wiping down the counter and putting a few stray dishes in the dishwasher. As he grabbed his worn leather laptop case, he noticed Amanda's handbag sitting on the stool. A flash of lavender fabric caught his eye. He paused before reaching in and grabbing the thong.
Unfolding it, Joe grazed a thumb over the tiny white satin bow. He admired the intricately decorated waistband with violet lace, which subtly offset the luxurious, lacy lavender fabric. It didn't seem like the type of undergarment you'd find at Target. Taking measure of its size, he agreed with his daughter's depiction of Grace. She must be petite, indeed.
Joe folded the thong back up and placed it back in his daughter's handbag. He grabbed the keys and headed to work.
Two Weeks Later
Having wrapped up his last conference call of the day with a sports drink client, Joe packed up his laptop case, flipped the switch and headed for the door. As head of account services for a major advertising firm in town, Joe and the rest of the executive team had implemented a half-day workday on Fridays during the summer.
Pulling onto the freeway, his navigation system alerted him to a car accident ahead. His time to arrival to home added another 45 minutes. "Crap," he thought.
Seeing the exit for Pine Street less than 1/8th of a mile away, Joe veered off the freeway and took the exit. Five block later, a bright yellow and white canopy caught his eye. He deftly maneuvered across a lane of traffic and pulled his Acura to the curb. Kozak's Bakery. When Amanda was a girl, Kozak's was a frequent stop for the Johnston family. Amanda loved the lemon paczkis with powdered sugar. The Czech pastries were similar to jelly donuts. Kozak's made them bigger than what's traditional, requiring Amanda to use two of her hands.
Jennifer usually got a chocolate croissant. Joe didn't have much of a sweet tooth but always ordered something to keep his ladies happy.
Five years after Jennifer died, the bakery closed its doors. The building had sat empty ever since but Joe read somewhere that a new owner was going to reopen the place.
A black and white sign hanging on the front door window indicated it was open for business. "Well, I'll be damned," Joe thought. Leaning forward, he took a moment to admire the building, which had a fresh coat of paint and a new canopy. It was almost exactly as it had been 15 years ago.
Turning off the car and unbuckling his seatbelt, Joe wondered if the new owners had gotten their hands on the old recipes. How fun would it be to surprise Amanda with her favorite treat? "Worth a shot," he thought, opening the car door.
Joe strolled up to the bakery door and pulled it up. A jingle jangle of the bell hanging above jogged more fond memories. He looked around noticing the counter with stools and a handful of tables spread around the small bakery.
A young woman wearing a white apron pushed open the kitchen door. Observing Joe, she put him in his early-to-mid 40s. Grey slacks. Dark hair. Olive complexion. It looked like he kept himself in shape though there were signs of a developing dad bod. "Hi, welcome to Kozak's, how can I help you?"
Joe stepped to the display case and observed the store worker, a cute blonde with upswept hair tied up in a blue handkerchief. In her 20s. He noted her name badge that read 'Sam.' "Hi, Sam, my family used to come here at least once a week back when it was open. My daughter used to get these pastries with powdered sugar. Any chance you make those?"
"Paczkis? Yes, actually, the new owner says he missed them so much, that's one of the reasons he decided to reopen the bakery." She stepped toward the case and leaned over. "We have raspberry, cream cheese and strawberry."
Joe clucked. "No lemon?"
"Sorry, we're out of lemon. It's our most popular. I actually just sold the last two but if you can wait 20 minutes there's a batch of lemon in the kitchen that's almost done."
"I guess that'll be fine. I'm not in a rush," answered Joe.
"Anything I can interest you in while you wait?"
"Sure, what do you recommend?" said Joe looking through the dessert window.
"My favorites are the chocolate and caramel petit fours," Sam said with a French accent on the dessert name. They're a little messy but if you like chocolate, they're the bomb."
Joe was indifferent toward chocolate but enjoyed the irony in being served a desert called "petit" by a stunning petite server. He told Sam that sounded delicious.
Sam placed four of the square deserts on a vintage patterned plate and set it in front of Joe on the counter, where he had taken a seat on a barstool.