Dice || 𝗕𝘂𝗰𝗸𝘆 𝗕𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘀

Three

Candice's day always started off with the alarm going off at 6 AM. She was an early riser, so she had no trouble getting out of bed to start her morning routine.

She always gave herself a good 45 minutes to get ready before getting into her blue Chevy—which she admitted was far too large for someone of her height and stature—and shipping out.

When she'd been relocated to Oregon three months before, SHIELD provided her with essentials. One of her conditions was to be put some place serene—she stayed in a nice place in a forested area. Nature was nice, and she found it better to be around rather than toxic people.

By 7 at the latest, she was out of the house and on her way into town, stopping at her favorite coffee shop.

She was a well known customer, issuing every familiar and unfamiliar face a lovely smile and a quaint 'good morning', every day.

"Candice!" Brady, the cashier smiled when he saw hers on her face as she approached the counter. "How are you this morning?"

"I'm lovely, how about you?" She replied, removing her wallet and handing him a Lincoln. "Cool haircut by the way."

The tall, skinny blonde smiled at her acknowledgment, looking down for a moment. "Thanks."

She laughed a little at his sudden sheepishness. "No problem." She ventured down to the wait counter to see her usual cup of joe sitting there, Miss Sunshine scrawled about the side.

"Good morning, Mark." She greeted the nice looking Latin-American gentleman with a smile like she always did. "How's my favorite barista doing?"

Mark Martinez smiled, showing off his pearly whites and schoolboy charm. "I'm not so bad. You're looking great like always."

She laughed, picking up her cup and curtsying comically. "Why thank you, my good sir." She turned slightly, showing off her dark blue sweater tucked into her skinny jeans.

Mark really liked Candice. Like, a lot. He loved the way she came in every single day with a smile on her face, how nice she was. He knew her order by heart, her cappuccino with an extra shot of caramel and whipped cream because she said "I like it extra fluffy". She was beautiful with her brilliant smile and vibrant style. That was why he was sincerely hoping she would notice his phone number written on the side of her cup.

"You're looking great today, too." She noted, nodding to his shirt beneath his apron. "I'm digging the plaid, you're really bringing it back."

He chuckled sheepishly. "Thanks. Anything interesting today?"

"Breaking things will always be interesting. That's the day in the life of a mechanical engineer." She shrugged with a grin. "I'll tell you about it one day."

And this was his chance to make his move, glancing down at the cup and nonchalantly gesturing to it. "You could tell me about it anytime."

She raised her brows and looked down at what he was pointing at. Under her white fingernails, she saw the ten digits. "Oh." She lifted the cup then looked at him. He was avoiding her eyes, face turning a little red as he let out a breath. "Tacky, I know I'm sorry—"

"No," she interrupted his apology with a shake of her head and a little chuckle, golden curls bouncing about. "It's okay! I will!" She pursed her lips in a grin and he smiled with surprise.

"Really?" He was skeptical about this now, raising one eyebrow.

"Of course." She laughed. "I gotta go," she pointed back towards the door. "But I'll call you."

Martinez hadn't expected that to go so well and so easily—but of course, we'll and easy seemed to be the life of Candice Collins, resident day-maker. "Yeah, okay."