I hummed along to the music coming from the radio in the kitchen as I wiped a wet cloth over the counter. Cleaning has always been relaxing for me, there's just something about it that calms me down. Even though I love cleaning, my room is an exception. I just can't seem to keep it clean.
I just finished cleaning when the tinkle of the bell alerted me of a visitor. My head shot up and I took in the stout, scary looking man standing just inside of my shop.
He walked over to the display and bent over to get a better look at the pastries.
"I'll take a slice of the vanilla cake and two cups of coffee." His voice was lower than I imagined, but soothing.
"Are you going to eat here, or do you want them in a bag?"
He thought about it for a moment.
"For here," he decided.
"That will be $5,60, mister..."
"Jimmy."
"I'm Nessa, if you need anything else, just call out my name," I said as he gave me the money.
I grabbed a plate with a fork and put the slice of vanilla cake on it. I placed it on the counter for him to take.
"Feel free to sit wherever you'd like. I'll bring the coffee to you as soon as it's done."
He grunted and sat down in a chair in the corner of the bakery.
I brewed the coffee and slipped back to the kitchen to switch out the cakes in the oven for a new tray.
The bell above the door rang, making me walk back towards the front. That was the biggest problem with being on my own, I can't be in the front- and in the backroom at the same time. The amount of cakes I almost burned was embarrassing.
A guy with floppy blond hair was staring at the cakes on display.
I smiled at him, "Welcome to The Bakery."
His gaze flickered over to me. He gave me a once-over. My smile faltered a bit. I've become very acquainted with the different looks men give. This one was not a pleasant one, it made my skin crawl.
"Well hello there."
"Can I help you with anything?" I eyed him warily. The warning bells in my head were going off, but I forced myself not judge before I got to know the guy.
He smirked at me, "I am in the mood for something sweet. Any recommendations?"
"Everything is sweet in here."
"Including you, I see."
I felt myself blushing. Not blushing because I took it as a compliment, no I was blushing because I was embarrassed.
I caught my reflection in the glass case and felt even more embarrassed.
Flour and buttercream stained my face. I was itching to wipe it off but felt too embarrassed to do it now. I'd have to wait until I served this customer.
"The chocolate is really sweet, but we also have fruit tarts or vanilla cake."
"Do you have cupcakes as well?"
I nodded and pointed to where the cupcakes were on display.
"I'll take a chocolate, a vanilla and strawberry cupcake."
"For whom may I ask?"
"Max, but you can call me whatever you want," he winked.
I heard a snort coming from Jimmy, probably laughing at Max's attempt to flirt with me. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep myself from laughing.
"I'm guessing you want it to go?"
He nodded, "Unless you want me to stay?"
He leaned closer to me. I was happy for the counter separating us. The guy was attractive, that's for sure, but he's also way too cocky for his own good. He reeked of desperation - or maybe that was his cologne. Could be both.
I grabbed a box to put the cupcakes in. When I collected the cupcakes, I closed the box and placed it on the counter.
"That will be $7,50."
He handed me the money in exact change, and I handed the box of cupcakes over to him.
I was about to bid him goodbye, when there was a hand on my face, I jerked my eyes back up to Max. His eyes gleamed with mischief.
"You've got a little something, right there."
Max brushed his finger against my cheek. He withdrew his hand slowly. I gulped, "Thanks."
"No worries, babe." He slipped a piece of paper in my hand, "Call me!"
Baffled, I watched him leave the shop before crumbling the paper up and throwing it away.
I stalked over towards Jimmy with the two cups of coffee in my hands.
After ten minutes Jimmy came up to the counter and ordered another two cups of coffee. It surprised me, that amount of caffeine must not be good for you.
It went on for a while like this, Jimmy finishing his cups of coffee and ordering more.
I placed a glass of water on the table and sat in the chair in front of him.
"Talk to me."
"What?"
"I said, talk to me. You've drunken eight cups of coffee within the hour."
"So? Can't a guy enjoy some coffee?" He glared at me. "Why are you even talking to me?" The latter he mumbled, probably not for me to hear.
"First of, of course you can enjoy some coffee, but so much caffeine is not good for you. If there's something bothering you, it's better to talk about it, then to bottle it up.
Secondly, because I care."
He scoffed, "You don't even know me."
"Then talk to me. I want to get to know you."
I could see the hesitation in his eyes, but there was also a bit of relief and that was enough for me to keep pushing.
"Jimmy, just tell me what's wrong.
What happens in the bakery, stays in the bakery."
He rubbed a hand over his face, "Fine."
A giddy smile adorned my face. I love getting to know different people. I find it so interesting that everybody has their own story, their own world they live in.
"It's just so hard." He released a long breath. His hands wrapped around the glass of water.
"What is?" I tried my hardest not to see too eager.
"It's hard pretending to be all scary and tough. I have to put up this front every day and I'm tired of it." He clenched his jaw.
"At my job I'm the leader, I have to be a good example for the rest. But lately the pressure has been weighing me down, especially since our rivals arrived."
"What if you shared your position with someone? And if you're a leader, isn't it better to connect with them and show them your humanity?"
He shook his heard so hard that I'm surprised his head didn't fall off. "No way, I'll lose all the respect that cost me years to build up."
We sat in silence for a while, both thinking.
"How about this. With me, you can be whoever you want to be. See this as a place to escape to. This is a safe place. I won't judge you. And like I said, what happens in the bakery, stays in the bakery. Not that I have anyone to tell, I barely know anyone." I mumbled the last part.
"Pinky swear?"
The -at first scary looking- man, didn't look as scary anymore. He looked more like a lost puppy.
I wrapped my pinky around his, "Pinky swear."
