Feel My Soul Avenger

Muffins for Pepper

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       When I eventually made it downstairs there was already a whole laundry list of things that needed to be done. There was a long line forming at the till, fresh baked goods that need to go into the display case up front, a ton of tables that needed to be wiped down, and my manager/landlord Leon already looked like he was about to have a coronary. Leon was a nice man in his mid 40's who owned a few cafes around Midtown with his wife and Soulmate Julia. The day I moved in, they made me dinner, and promised to help me with anything I needed even though Julia was 4 months pregnant. She had a heart of gold, and when she found out that I was alone in the city, she made sure I had all of her contact information in case I ever needed anything. They were good people, and so I promised myself that I would help them in any way that I could.

        Even though my shift wasn't supposed to start until 6:30 and I had planned on grabbing some tea and a muffin for breakfast, it looked like they really needed my help. Without wasting any time, I grabbed my apron and walked up to my boss man, before I firmly but gently took the tray of burnt baked goods out of his hands. They weren't salvageable by any means, and they needed to go in the trash ASAP before I fed them to the feral raccoon that lived behind the building. His name is Rocky, and he's my buddy.

        "I'll remake these, why don't you grab a quick cup of coffee and sit down?" I made sure to say this in a no nonsense tone so he wouldn't question me. I may not have worked here long, but I worked long and hard, even on my days off. The end result of that, was that I had learned everything I possibly could about his business, and could run the shop with my eyes closed if need be.

        "Do you even know what those are?" He asked me skeptically as he followed me into the kitchen. I watched him as he raked a hand through his black hair in frustration. It wasn't directed at me by any means, but by how badly his morning had been going so far.

        "Of course I do! Who do you think you're talking to? These are obviously our triple chocolate muffins. I get one, or five, everyday!" I laughed as I threw the burnt food into the trash. "Now go and sit for a minute., you look like you need the rest. I'll remake these and whatever else we are out of, and when I'm done I'll work the counter with whoever comes in."

        With a resigned nod and a relieved smile on his face, he did as I said and went to have some coffee. That man needed a break every now and again, especially since he was overworked, under-staffed, and dealing with a very hormonal pregnant wife whenever he wasn't at the cafe. With a sigh, I got to work redoing what had been messed up earlier. I thanked every deity I knew of, and some that I didn't, that I loved both cooking and baking, and was good at it. With practiced hands, I mixed and measured all of the different ingredients until I had not only finished the Triple Chocolate muffins, but also our Multigrain Muffins, Blueberry Muffins, and Razzleberry Muffins. Once those were in the oven and the timer had been set, I decided that I had done enough for now. We had enough to get through our morning rush, the rest could wait until later. Leon did have a Baker on his payroll after all, and it was still his job to do the baking. I was just helping him get caught up.

        As soon as the last timer went off, I took the different trays up front, one by one so as not to drop anything, before I began loading up our display case with all of the delicious smelling goodies I had just made. By now my stomach was rumbling in discontent, and my mouth was watering from the look and smell of these delicious looking treats. All I wanted to do was snatch up a muffin or pastry, and run to a corner to devour my treasure. I had a Triple Chocolate Muffin in my hand and I was ready to make a break for it figuratively speaking, when I heard the bell above the door ring.

        I'd lost track of time as I was baking, but the line was down to nonexistent at the moment, and whoever my coworker was, wasn't anywhere in sight. With a sigh, I sadly put back the delicious piece of heavenly chocolate goodness, and walked up to the register to meet the tall gorgeous red head who had just walked in. That beautiful muffin would be mine later, right now I had a job to do.