Tuckered out from the night's adventure, Andy slept until noon the next day. With Brooke having the day off, she and Kimberly hung out in Brooke's bedroom all morning chatting. Kimberly told her about her date with Paul—except the parts when Andy appeared from nowhere under their table, and when Paul punted him like a soccer ball at the overlook. Kimberly's selective recollection left out the parts she was fondest of, and the story she ended up telling seemed empty to the story she knew. Thinking about Andy coming to her rescue really made her juices flow. It took all her willpower to not tell her best friend about her dad's heroics.

"Guess Paul won't be calling you back," Brooke laughed, crossing her eyes and clutching imaginary testicles between her thighs.

"I hope not!" Kimberly said, laughing with her. She added, "Your dad was right, though. He warned me about older men. I didn't believe him."

Brooke nodded soberly. "Do you still like him?"

"What?" The question took her aback. But she couldn't play dumb on an issue she had been open about with her friend in the past. "You mean your dad? A little, I guess. I haven't thought about it in a while."

Brooke pursed her lips. "I've seen him look at you when he thinks no one is paying attention. Since you moved in," she added.

"Really?" This Kimberly already knew, but it worried her that Brooke noticed it, too. "It's probably something to do with his size."

"And your size by comparison." Brooke grinned devilishly. "I have an idea of how we can tease him."

Kimberly blushed. "I don't think we should."

"Oh, come on, Kim! He's so little right now. Don't you want to mess with him? We'll never get another chance like this. I can tell you want to. Look, you're blushing!"

"Am not!"

"Are too! I bet you're dying to shake those big boobs of yours in his face."

Kimberly turned a darker shade of red. Her friend certainly understood her proclivities. The idea of teasing Andy, of intimidating him with her size and her blossoming body, which she knew he liked, aroused her. After last night, she was more infatuated with him than ever.

But she also knew there was a line he wouldn't cross with her. And she was hurting both of them for trying to get him to cross that line on his own.

Brooke expected her to jump at the opportunity to make Andy squirm, but Kimberly couldn't share her reasons for refusing. A lot had transpired in the last few days. A week ago, giving Andy a thrill would have sounded like a fun way to pass the afternoon. That was the girl Brooke thought she was talking to.

Kimberly forced a smile, accepting the role she had to play, for her friend's sake. "Tell me your idea."

Kimberly pulled her car into the mall parking lot, which for a Wednesday afternoon was pretty empty. She parked near the mall entrance and turned off the engine.

"We're here," Brooke said in a sing-song voice. She got out of the car and let her father out of the car seat.

Andy jumped down from the car onto the hot asphalt. His thin shoe soles offered little protection from the heat radiating from the blacktop. He looked up at Brooke and Kimberly, expecting one of them to pick him up.

"What's that?" he asked. Brooke was strapping on what looked like a backpack, except the pack rested on her chest and had holes in the sides and bottom.

"This is the baby carrier I'm going to carry you around in, Dad."

Andy snickered. "You've got to be kidding. I'm not riding in that thing."

"This is the easiest way to carry you around the mall, Dad. Come on. Up you go."

Her hands reached down and lifted him up. He winced as her hands pressed into his sore ribs. "Ow. Be gentle, Brooke."

Kimberly winced herself at how roughly her friend was treating Andy's fragile little body. It occurred to her that Brooke had little experience handling her father. It had been mostly Alecia and Kimberly who had taken care of his needs so far. That would change when Alecia left town on Sunday.

Brooke positioned Andy's legs and arms in the holes of the baby carrier and tightened the straps. "Hm, it's really loose."

"Babies are a lot fatter than a shrunken adult," Kimberly said.

"That makes sense. Is that too loose, Dad?"

Andy was facing out from his daughter's chest, his legs splayed out like an infant. He twisted his body in the baby carrier, trying to free himself. "Get me out of this thing, Brooke. I look ridiculous!"

Brooke smirked. "Aw, I think you look cute, Dad." She looked at Kimberly.

"You look real cute, Mr. Speed," Kimberly said convincingly.

Andy felt a little better when they reached the welcoming air conditioning of the mall. As the girls walked through the mall chatting, he even started to enjoy himself. The baby carrier was actually pretty comfortable, better than being carried over the shoulder or on the hip. Plus, most people didn't look twice at him, so he didn't have to worry about being recognized by anyone he knew. Strangers just assumed he was his daughter's baby.

The girls stopped next to a clothing store. "Kim, does your bathing suit still fit?"

"Brooke, you know my bathing suit hasn't fit since last fall."

"You should get a new one. You can't go the whole summer without using our pool."

They entered the store. Kimberly rummaged through racks of bikinis and ducked inside the dressing room with an armful of her favorites.

Andy craned his head up at his daughter, eyeing her suspiciously. He hadn't missed the scripted nature of the conversation just now. He knew they were setting him up for something. "What's going on, Brooke?"

"What do you mean, Dad? Kim's trying on a bathing suit," she said innocently.

"Uh-huh."

Inside the dressing room, Kimberly was looking at herself in the mirror. She had on an aqua-colored two-piece bikini that left little to the imagination. It was way more revealing than her Twin Peaks uniform. She self-consciously pinched the sides of her belly, where she still had a little baby fat. She began to doubt herself. They had come into this store to tease Andy. Maybe they were taking his attraction to her for granted. What if he didn't like how she looked? What if he laughed at her?

"Come on, Kim. What's taking so long?" Brooke said.

Kimberly took a deep breath and poked her head out of the dressing room. "I need a second opinion."

"Okay!" Brooke headed into the dressing room.

Andy started struggling in the baby carrier. "What? Brooke, no—"

Kimberly backed into the wall of the small dressing room as Brooke and Andy came through the door.

"Hubba hubba hubba!" Brooke exclaimed.

Kimberly posed with her hands on her hips. "It doesn't show too much skin?"

"It shows just enough."

"You think a guy would like it?"

"I don't know. Let's ask a guy. Dad, you're a guy." Brooke struggled to contain her laughter. "How does Kim look in her bikini?

Andy's mouth was hanging open. Kimberly's body was nothing short of spectacular. From the top of her pretty head to her bare feet, and everything in-between, she was a feast for the eyes, a walking, talking wet dream.

He recovered his dignity quickly. "Brooke, let me down from here!"

"Aw, don't be shy, Dad. How does she look?"

"Let me down!"

"Okay, I'll let you down in a minute. First, tell us how she looks."

"Yeah, Mr. Speed," Kimberly said encouragingly. She felt a tingle between her thighs as Andy calmed down and looked her over.

"You look nice," he said sullenly.

Brooke clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle laughter. "Just 'nice,' Dad? I think she looks hot!"

Kimberly felt Andy's eyes on her again, and was inspired to put on a show. She rolled her shoulders back, thrusting her round breasts out from her athletic frame, filling—then overfilling—the 38F cups of the bikini top. She ran her hands across her slim waist and down her long legs, hamming it up to her friend's delight. "Don't I look hot, Mr. Speed?" she asked sweetly.

"Uh, you look very nice and hot," he conceded, shifting to accommodate his solid erection. "Now will you let me out of this thing, Brooke?"

"Lemme just check the boobs first."

Andy's voice was shrill. "What?!"

"What?" Kimberly said at the same time.

Before Kimberly could react, Brooke raised her hands to Kimberly's breasts, pushing them against her chest and squeezing them from the sides, causing them to twist and bulge in the small bikini top. Kimberly gasped at her friend's boldness. This wasn't part of the plan.

Andy pulled his head back, as he was inches from Kimberly's deep cleavage, and her soft swells exploded between his daughter's probing hands towards him like some sensual 3-D film. "Brooke, what the hell?!" he yelled.

"The top's a little tight, but it'll do." Brooke released her friend's breasts, leaving them quivering. "Now the butt."

"What?" Kimberly said.

Brooke grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her around. She kneeled down, and the exquisite curve of Kimberly's tapered waist filled Andy's vision until his face was literally surrounded by Kimberly's pale, round butt cheeks, which Brooke proceeded to squeeze in a similar fashion.

Andy just about lost it at the sight of Kimberly's firm backside, which needed little support from the thin, aqua-colored bottoms she was wearing. He tore his eyes away long enough to relearn how to speak. "That's enough, Brooke! This isn't funny."

"I'm finishing up now, Dad," she said. She slapped Kimberly's juicy butt as she stood up. "There. Passed inspection. Want to try on anymore bathing suits, Kim?"

Kimberly was incredibly aroused, and, scantily clad as she was, she was afraid Brooke would be able tell. It was time to end this.

"I don't think so. I'll get this one."

Brooke and Kimberly bought some Chick-fil-A at the food court and sat down for lunch. Brooke let Andy down from the baby carrier and he jogged around the mostly empty food court to let off some steam.

"We should get some ice cream," Kimberly suggested, keeping an eye on the little man roaming among the tall tables.

"Sure. Eric will hook us up," Brooke said. She lowered her voice. "Where did you learn those moves? In the dressing room back there."

Kimberly shrugged. "Twin Peaks, I guess. Some of the other girls flirt like that for better tips."

"Those moves were pretty advanced for Twin Peaks," Brooke said. "I think my dad really liked it."

"You do?" Kimberly asked. She knew, of course.

Brooke lowered her voice further. "Did you like it?"

Kimberly decided her best friend knew her well enough to tell if she was lying, so she answered honestly. "Yeah, I did."

"What did you like about it?"

Kimberly played with her fingers. The questioning was getting too intimate, but by not answering she'd only reveal more than if she did answer.

"I liked… him being overwhelmed by me… cornered, like a little mouse." Just talking about it made her wet again.

Brooke sat back in her chair, grinning slyly. "I knew it. Don't let my mom catch you teasing him. Not that you'd take it too far, but I've seen her get jealous around the women my dad works with."

Kimberly exhaled softly. This was a dangerous tightrope, being so open about her crush on Andy, especially when she was still learning the scope of her attraction and figuring out what to do about it. She felt no more of the anger at the little man for the double standard he'd tried to hold her to a few days ago. He was so small and helpless, there had to be different standards for him. He was indeed like a mouse, and how she dealt with him depended disproportionately on her feelings towards him, not on his actions. And those feelings now were the strongest she'd felt in her young life.

Again she saw a parallel with her faith. Whether man was sinful or virtuous, his life depended on God's character, full of grace.

Andy depended completely on her, and they both wanted the same thing. It was in her power to provide it. Kimberly felt the logic propelling her towards certain conclusions that troubled her. The more she thought about it, though, the more inevitable it seemed. Her heart pounded in her chest. She was thrilled and disturbed at this revelation. This wasn't who she was, was it?

A woman pushing a stroller sat down a few tables away. She set her toddler loose on the floor.

"Look," Brooke said.

Andy and the toddler stood looking at each other. The chubby, curly-headed blonde boy was about 2 feet, 6 inches tall, head and shoulders taller than Andy. The contrast in their body proportions was notable. Despite only being 8 inches taller than Andy, the boy was probably four times his weight.

The toddler had never seen a shrunken man before. He looked back at his mom uncertainly. "It's okay," she said, but her eyes were on both of them like a hawk.

Andy walked up to the boy, giddy from the surreal experience of looking up at a toddler. "Hey, kid." He stuck out his hand like he was meeting a colleague.

"High five," the boy's mother said.

He slapped Andy's hand. Andy shook his wrist. "The kid doesn't know his own strength!" He crouched into a martial arts stance.

"Doll!" the boy shouted. He stepped forward and pushed Andy in the chest. Andy fell back and landed with a thud on his butt.

Brooke burst out laughing. Kimberly felt a flutter in her stomach and fought down the urge to run to Andy's rescue.

"I'm so sorry," the mother said, walking over to her son. "Come here, Prescott. Bad boy. We don't push."

Prescott smiled at Andy as his mother led him away.

Brooke walked over and stood over her dad. "Aw, did the bully hurt you?"

"Haha," Andy intoned, standing up.

She fastened him into the baby carrier. "Let's keep you in here where it's safe."

They walked over to the ice cream shop. "Hey, Eric," she said to the young man behind the counter.

"Hey, Brooke!" the young man answered. "Thanks for covering for me yesterday."

"No problem. You remember, Kim."

"Sure. How's it going?" He nodded curtly to Kimberly.

Andy observed all this with interest. He'd first met Eric when he took Brooke on a movie date when she was a freshman and he was sophomore. He had filled out since then, had let his hair grow out. He looked more the part of slacker than nerd, which Andy pegged him as 4 years ago. Moreover, he seemed to still be really into Brooke, as he hardly looked at her taller, bustier friend.

"Who's the little one?" Eric asked, turning his attention to Andy for the first time.

"This is my dad."

Eric squinted, then his eyes widened in recognition. "Mr. Speed? You have the shrinking disease?"

"Hello, Eric. Unfortunately that's the case."

"Wow, Brooke didn't tell me. That sucks."

Andy nodded. "We're keeping it to people who need to know."

"Right."

Brooke leaned in close to Eric. "Can you hook us up with some macadamian vanilla?"

"Sure. Two scoops each?"

"Yeah." Brooke looked at Kimberly.

"Yeah," she echoed, distracted.

Eric gave them their cups of ice cream and they strolled toward the mall exit.

"You okay? Brooke asked.

"Yeah. Just a little tired, is all." Kimberly faked a yawn. "I should take a nap before going to work."

A group of girls walked through the glass doors in front of them. "Kim!"
one of them shouted.

"Hey!" Kimberly perked up at seeing her old soccer and volleyball teammates. "What are y'all doing here?"

"Shopping, of course."

"We're looking for something for Debra's birthday party," another said.

"Birthday party?"

"Yeah. She didn't invite you?"

Kimberly realized the invitation must have gone to her parents' house. "Oh, right, Debra's birthday party. I forgot. When is it again?"

"Next Saturday."

"What'd you get?" one of the other girls asked.

Kimberly pulled the aqua-colored bikini out of her shopping bag. The girls murmured in approval.

"I bet that'll give your parents a heart attack!"

Kimberly bit her lip, discomfited by the reminder that her parents had basically disowned her, and that none of her friends except Brooke knew.

Brooke was hovering on the edge of the group. Most of her friends were in marching band. Kimberly was one of her only connections to the sporty set.

"Aw, who's baby is that?" one of the girls said.

Brooke stepped forward, shedding her shyness. "This is my dad, you guys."

Shocked cries all around, and then an explosion of excited chatter.

"He's so cute!"

"Can I hold him?"

"It's the shrinking disease, right? How small will he get?"

"He's like a little baby!"

Andy found he couldn't get a word in with the girls, who fawned over him and touched his arms, legs, and hair. His gaze darted frantically between the girls' large, painted faces and their enormous, protruding bosoms. Brooke seemed to know what was happening and took advantage of this last chance to tease her dad.

Kimberly found herself suddenly on the outside of the group. Seeing all the female attention Andy was receiving, how the girls took liberties touching and fondling him, she felt a dense, dark pit of jealousy displace the soft spot in her gut she had for Andy. Because of the forbidden and secret nature of her feelings, she had to share him with others.

She was relieved when Brooke broke away from the mob of girls and started heading for the exit. "Okay, that's quite enough. My dad appreciates it, he really does."

Kimberly followed after her. "Bye, you guys."

"Bye, see you at Debra's!"

They emerged from the mall's shadow into the bright sunlight as they walked to Kimberly's car.

"I had a good time. Did you have a good time, Dad?" Brooke asked.

"It was an experience," Andy said diplomatically.

"What about you, Kim?"

Kimberly didn't answer. She had a lot on her mind.