sweet dreams !

“ yes   ,   all of the bread.   it’s been a long day. ”    though every day was a long day so that was truly no excuse.   she watches as the woman takes a seat across from her , resting her elbows on the table between them.    almost like clockwork another basked of bread was set down on the table   ,   the empty one being taken as the waiter took malin’s drink order.   as he scurried off she turned her attention back to the girl.    “ well if your day has been the shitty one i think we should start with that    ,   because my day was incredibly uneventful. ”

“ it’s a flat white with a hint of cinnamon , ”   she says   ,   embarrassed that she hadn’t been paying attention in the slightest.    “ you can give it a try   ...   but if you don’t like it please let me buy you another , ”    she says   ,   “ i swear i woke up with my head screwed on backwards today. ”   she shakes her head softly.   “ and please come next door and let me grab you a pastry or something , they’re fresh out the oven. ”

“ surprisingly i do , ”    she says with a chuckle as her actual drink was set on the counter a few moments later.    “ a flat white with a hint of cinnamon   ... ”   she says   ,    “ but i will happily order you another hazelnut cappuccino   ...    it’s quite good , i can see why you get it. ”    she hands him the cup so he can give it a try   ,   “ no hard feelings if you don’t like it.   and for stealing your coffee   ...    please come by the shop and grab a pastry. ”

“ actually yes , it is, ”   she can’t help but chuckle as he set the box down.    “ unfortunately not   ,   these particular eggs are going to become cakes   ...   or cupcakes    ....   maybe a danish or two. ”    typically she had most of these orders delivered but she ran out of supplies earlier than anticipated.   “ thank you for helping me  ,   i would have been out one hundred and forty four eggs.   alright   ,    tell me   -    what’s your favorite dessert flavor ?    you’ve earned it. ”

she can’t help but chuckle   ,    returning to stirring the contents of flour  ,    eggs   ,    milk   &    sugar  in the bowl.    “ so the myths are true , ”    she teases   ,   “ the way to a mans heart is with food. ”    of course she always welcomed critiques but she had to say   ...   she loved the praise far much more.    who wouldn’t ?     “ now why would i go and do that ?   i’m trying to rack up the number of proposals i get   ...   i think we’re on number thirteen.   that’s got to be some kind of record. ”

she’s quick to grab the coffee cup that’s set down on the pick - up counter.   so quick that she doesn’t bother to look at the name on the cup.   and even quicker to take a sip   ,    only then did she realize this was not her coffee.    “ shoot  , ”    she says    ,   glancing down at the name before meeting the gaze of the coffees rightful owner.    “ that’s what i get for being impatient , ”    she says   ,   “ let me buy you another. ”          @ashfordmisc​​

“ over here ! ”    she waves at malin as she entered the restaurant   ,   offering her a smile.    “ i got here early   ...   which means the bread basket is empty , ”    she says   ,    gesturing towards the empty wire basket in the middle of the table.    “ but don’t worry   ,    i already ordered another. ”     ( starter for @ofmalin​ )

“ believe it or not    –––––    a heart attack is not my goal here , ”    she says with a smile.    she writes down the color   ,    along with a few little notes.    cakes were kind of her thing.   well   ,    they were her favorite thing.   “ don’t worry   ,   i’ll figure something out , ”    she tells him with a swift nod.    “ how old is she turning now ? ”

“ i’m actually supposed to be meeting a friend   ... ”    that was the plan at least.    though elena was hardly surprised when she received a text from her friend saying she’d been stuck at work.    “ now if she shows up or not   ...   that’s anyones guess. ”    elena takes a seat at the bar , setting her bag down on the bar stool beside her.    “ but since i’m here already   ...   hwo about a gin and tonic ? ”

“ i thought he did look a bit familiar , ”    elena replies    ,    glancing once more over the tedious details.    she didn’t consider herself an art critic in the slightest    ,    an admirer at best.    her artistic talents were not with a paint brush   ,   but with sugar instead.    “   i do see the chuck norris resemblance , ”    she says with the slightest of shrugs.    “ perhaps he was the inspiration. ”

“ go ahead and grab one   ...    on the house , ”    she says with a smile    ,   gesturing to the platters at the end of the counter.    “ well you’ve come to the perfect place.   how old is she turning ? ”    elena questions    ,    pulling out her notepad to take down some details.     “ and of course   ...   what’s her favorite color ? ”

the kitchen was chaotic   ,    though it would be around this hour.    the boxes were lifted out of her arms in a swift motion   ,   leaving her to adjust the bag on her shoulder.    once they are outside and the door is shut behind them she takes a breath   ,     “ looks like it.   business must be booming. ”    good thing she’d brought extras.    “ i threw in some new things i’ve been working on   ,   thought this would be a good place to try them out.   no charge of course. ”  

it’s a relief when he takes the box from her hand  ,   making it far easier for her to reach for her keys and unlock the store door.    “ well even if you did   ,   i think you’d be quite disappointed with what’s in the bags. ”    plastic bags filled with nothing but eggs and baking powder.    “ unless you have  particular fancy for eggs , ”    she says.    she manages to get the door open and holds it open behind her so he can make his way inside.    “ just on the counter is fine , ”    she says    ,   gesturing to the countertop. 

“ it really is your lucky day , ”     she says with a grin on her face   ,   gesturing towards the end of the counter as the door shut behind him.     “ two words : mini cobblers , ”    she announces    ,    “ and i’m fairly certain there’s some raspberry left. ”    ( starter for @austinhughes​ )

being short staffed for the week meant elena was spending more time than usual at the shop.    though she didn’t necessarily mind   ––––     it gave her some free time to work on some new recipes she’d been holding off on.    spotting a familiar face walking through the door she wiped her floured hands on her apron.    “ just in time , ”    she says    ,    a smile curving on her lips.    “ cream cheese danishes fresh from the oven. ”    she gestures to the platter set out on the counter.    “ you get to be the first judge. ”     ( starter for @jurvssics​ )