Chapter One
Cynthia whisked around her small boutique, making sure that everything was in its place. Even though Better with Size was tiny, it still seemed to carry everything a girl could ever want, from underwear to prom dresses, BWS had it all. It was Friday, and a new shipment of inventory had come in. Cynthia was just putting out the new, summer-style shoes when she heard the sound of the bell ringing, indicating the arrival of a customer.
Cynthia turned around and greeted the large, busty girl, who looked a little embarrassed to be walking into a plus-size store. “Hello. I’m looking for a prom dress…” Her voice was low and she kept looking out into the hallway as if the mall goers would judge her for being in there.
“Not a problem miss. I’m sure we can find you something to your liking in our selection. Are you here alone or do you have someone to help you?” Cynthia asked, wondering what this sweet, young girl was doing all by herself. “May I add that you have great skin?” She reached out, touching the girl’s arm, letting her fingertips run along the soft surface. “Do you use any foundation?”
“I don’t wear makeup…” the girl said meekly, batting her eyelashes.
“Oh? No? Really? I would’ve never guessed!” Cynthia said enthusiastically, a bright smile on her face. “Well, I wish I was that lucky.” The high school student looked up at the shop owner and shook her head.
“Are you kidding me?” the girl blurted out. “You’re gorgeous.” Her cheeks colored and she quickly looked down. Cynthia just smiled at her and took her hand, bringing her toward the back of the store, where there was a rack of dresses.
“This is all we have for now. If you find a style you like, let me know. Even if it’s not in your size, I sometimes have other sizes in the back.” The girl nodded and started going through the selection.
A few minutes later, a large, burly man entered the shop, a disapproving grimace on his face. Following close behind him was a pale-skinned woman, holding a bag that was much too big. She swayed her hips as she walked and her high heels clicked loudly on the floor. Quickly, Cynthia walked up to the counter, holding a gnarled wooden pencil up to her chin, as if in contemplation. She took a piece of paper and jotted something down. Instantly, the woman’s shoes grew quiet and Cynthia smiled to herself. Her spell had worked.
“How may I help you?” she asked from behind the counter, a friendly smile painted on her face.
The man just shook his head, his beefy hands clasped behind his back. “We’re here with our daughter, Tamara.”
The woman followed him to the clearance section. “I still think she would be better off going to Macy’s,” she said, loud enough for everyone to hear. “My daughter? In a plus-size store?” The woman shook her head. Cynthia’s eyes narrowed in their direction, feeling her blood boil in her veins.
“Well, I’m sure your daughter will fall in love with the right dress when she sees it,” Cynthia said through gritted teeth, suddenly standing right next to the woman, a hand on her voluptuous hip, looking intimidating.
“Yeah…” the woman mumbled, walking away. Cynthia grinned subtly in victory, walking over to the young girl. “Do you need any help picking out a dress?”
“I don’t know what to get…” she responded worriedly, biting her bottom lip.
“Well, let’s start with color. What do you like?”
“Blue. Darker shades of blue,” the girl answered. Instantaneously, there seemed to be an increase of blue dresses on the rack.
“Okay. Now do you know what style you’re looking for? A tight, sexy fit or something a bit more princess-style?” Cynthia asked, holding up two wildly different dresses, both in a pleasant shade of blue.
“Well…” The girl looked over at her parents and then dropped her voice down to a hushed whisper. “Anything that would make me look good. I want to prove to them that I’m not some whale.” She sounded like she was about to cry. Cynthia felt pity for the girl, bringing her into a tight hug.
“Why don’t you hop into a dressing room and I’ll bring you some dresses to try on,” Cynthia offered.
“Oh, do you need to know my size?” The girl looked even more worried than before.
“Not at all. I do this for a living. I’m pretty good at working these things out.” She winked at the girl who suddenly looked hopeful. Cynthia took her time, browsing through the rack, occasionally tapping her finger against a piece of fabric, seeing it change before her very eyes. “This will never do…” she mumbled, pulling out a dress and then hanging it back up again. “Ah! Perfect!” She held up a shimmering blue dress, her hazel eyes now sparkling with excitement. She couldn’t wait to see how the girl would look in this.
She brought it over to the dressing room and then helped her put it on, zipping it up for her and guiding her to the floor-length mirror. The girl stopped dead in her tracks when she saw her reflection. The dress fit her perfectly. It seemed to hide every ounce of fat that ever made her feel self-conscious. Its tapered pattern gave her the illusion of an hourglass figure, making her look even sexier than she already was.
“I think you look absolutely amazing,” Cynthia whispered, leaning in close, flashing a bright white smile. “I’m sure you’ll have all the boys flocking after you with this one!”
The girl giggled with glee, doing a little twirl so she could see the bottom half of her dress flow with her movements. “I love it!” Hurriedly, she walked over to her parents, who stood there with their mouths agape. They couldn’t believe how well it suited her. From the color to the pattern, it was completely breathtaking.
“We’ll take it,” the parents said in unison, the girl’s face lighting up like a midnight star.