Characters: reader, Bucky (Jimmy), Wanda.
Summary: Discovering the cute guy you just flirted with is the heir of a rival bakery, you suddenly find yourself running into him all over the city. Can your small boutique bakery compete? And how do you deal with the guy who seems determined to make your life a living hell? Luckily you're distracted by a secret admirer...But who is he? (Inspired by "You've Got Mail", Enemies to Lovers)
Warnings: none! Mild swearing?
Word Count: 1.4k
A/N: I'm so grateful for all of you who have shared your love for this series. I'm having so much fun hearing all your theories and offering guesses about who "B" might be. ;) I'm pretty sure we all know, but it's rather amusing to see the two developing relationships! :D Please let me know your thoughts on this part, any comments or feedback are appreciated! I love you guys. <3
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Alarms were the worst. 4:30am wasn't even a real time in the morning, it was more like the middle of the night. Part of you knew that you were the boss and got to set your own hours, but the other part was aware that there was too much to do so you grumbled and rolled out of bed before getting ready for the day. Some mornings, the only reason you didn't smash your alarm was because it was also your cell phone and you needed that for conducting your business and checking email. And texting.
A tease of a smile tugged at your lips as you slipped on your shoes. Pulling out your phone, you scrolled through the messages between you and the stranger, "B". It was nothing. Pure nonsense. But somehow, even those small interactions sparked a warmth in your chest. Sadly, with your crazy work hours and superintendent duties, you didn't have much time for a social life. Is that how you viewed this...whatever it was? A replacement relationship? God, you needed to get out more.
Shaking your head, you bounded down the outdoor stairs in the dark and unlocked the front door of the bakery before locking it again behind you. Flicking on only the kitchen lights, you turned on the oven to heat and pulled out pastries from the fridge so they could proof before baking. You turned on some music, nodding to the beat, and then grabbed a pad of paper so you could put in an ingredients order later that day.
There was a constant balance between quality and food cost when running a business. You strived to be as organic as possible and entirely non-GMO, but that came at a price. Just as you were finishing your list, the preheat indicator light switched off on the oven so you filled it with pastries before setting a timer.
Next you went out front to check yesterday's products for freshness. You preferred to bake everything fresh, but it wasn't practical to toss everything at the end of the night. Not to mention, it would be wasteful, so you let some items carry over to the next day. The few that didn't quite meet your standards were added to a box under the counter and it would all be donated to a homeless shelter later that day.
The oven timer sounded then so you ventured back into the kitchen to remove those trays and replace them with another round of pastries. Roughly an hour later, everything was baked, glazed, and/or sugar-dusted, and ready to go in boxes or in the pastry case. You heard your phone chirp from the far end of the table where you'd left it, so you wiped your hands on your apron and woke up the screen to see what the alert was.
A text. From B. You smiled automatically, knowing it was bizarre to get excited about a message from a stranger. Part of you wondered why he was up was up so early, reading the clock that showed 6:30am.
B: Coffee or tea?
You snorted at that.
FG: Is that even a question? Coffee, all the way.
B: Whew! Good. I'm wary of tea-drinkers. How do you take yours?
FG: Cream, one sugar. Why?
B: None of those frothy, frappe, dessert-disguised-as-coffee drinks?
One more message came right after.
B: And I thought there might be ways to get to know you without divulging too much "info" that you're so nervous to share. :)
A grin stretched across your face. "B" wanted to get to know you, even coming up with a way so you weren't uncomfortable. How considerate. He was right, you didn't think twice about sharing your usual coffee preference. Leaning your elbows on the table, you pecked out a reply.
FG: I'm not entirely opposed to the frilly drinks, but they are rare for me. What about you?
B: Black, three sugars.
FG: Interesting...
Wanda knocked on the front door then and you realized that the shop was opening soon. Setting your phone aside, you let her in and started removing the upside-down chairs from the tables. Your deliveries that day weren't expected until 8am, so you helped Wanda stock the pastry case and brewed some fresh coffee for the early morning customers. You flipped the sign to "Open" right at 7am with a customer already waiting outside so you held the door open and greeted them. The day had officially begun.
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The morning went by quickly, dropping off your deliveries and then jumping straight into the day's baking. You had a special order for a dozen each of three types of croissants to be picked up tomorrow, so you set those aside and did a quick inventory of what needed to be made. You stayed pretty busy, but you stole small moments to check your phone and send off a short reply to your new digital pen pal.
After his coffee inquiries, it became a game of "this or that" going back and forth throughout the day. Your answers were sporadic, but he didn't seem to mind. Mountains or beach? Milk or dark chocolate? Socks or no socks? The conversation got a little heated when he asked if you preferred The Beatles or the Rolling Stones. You were a hard-core Beatles fan and he was adamant that the Stones were better. Pff. As if Mick Jagger could compete with the Fab Four?
You had to change the subject then, to salvage whatever "friendship" you had left. He changed the game to favorites. Favorite ice cream? Favorite smell? Favorite book? The list went on and with every reply, you felt yourself getting more and more attached to this mystery man. His texts were becoming the highlights of your day.
In the late afternoon, you told Wanda that you'd be back in about an hour and she assured you she had everything under control. Walking one block to the corner and then taking a right, you soon arrived at your favorite local market. Before you left, you had sent an order online for all of your bulk items like flour, sugar, butter, eggs, all the essentials. There were some items you preferred to get locally, though, so since you needed groceries for yourself, you thought you'd do it all in one trip.
Carrying two shopping baskets, you carefully sorted your purchases between personal and business items. Keeping separate bank accounts for each made things easier, not to mention more legal. You had an accountant who helped handle your finances, thank heavens, but there was still a lot of responsibility on your part as well.
Gazing at one of your baskets, you turned down the next aisle and accidentally bumped into the man before you.
"Oh! I'm so sorry, sir, I should have..." you quickly apologized, but then your brain caught up to the familiar face with gasp. "You!"
Jimmy's overly-confident grin made an appearance, of course. "Y/N. Fancy meeting you here," he said jovially.
Snapping your gaping mouth shut, you came to your senses. "What are you doing here?"
Jimmy narrowed his eyes and lifted the basket in his hand for you to see. "Same thing you are? Shopping?"
"No, I mean...obviously, but why aren't you doing that in Brooklyn?" you asked, accusingly.
He took a deep breath and let it out with a huff. "Well, I could, but I think my ice cream might melt on the subway ride back here," he replied.
Jimmy seemed to take pleasure in your confused expression, but he continued on to explain.
"I live here. About two blocks that way," he indicated with his thumb and a smug expression.
"Wha...why?" sputtered loudly, in shock.
He chuckled at your outburst. "I wasn't keen on staying with my parents and my friend from college had a roommate move out. Guess it was meant to be, huh?" Jimmy shrugged cockily, still wearing that stupid grin. Reaching for something on the shelf, he leaned uncomfortably close to you as he spoke his parting words at a whisper. "See you around...neighbor," he said with a wink.
Your heart sank. Great. Now you had to find a new market. He was ruining everything.
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Part 5 coming soon!!
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Surprise!! Guess who lives nearby?? ;) That complicates things, huh? What did you think of B's approach of "getting to know you"? What sort of answers would you give? Personally, I'm on the side of The Beatles, so I had to write it that way. ;) How would you react to running into Jimmy? Welcome to the neighborhood, huh? I look forward to your comments!! I love you all! Thank you for your love and supports. <3