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: 1.5k
A/N: Ahh!! I can't tell you how much I appreciate all of your love and support for this series. it means the world to me. There's a lot more snark and sweetness coming up and I can't wait to hear what your thoughts are!! Any and all feedback is appreciated. i adore you all. <3
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It's a rotten morning when you're awake even before your 4:30am alarm, unclogging a toilet. Your life was so glamorous. Mrs. Carter in 3G had called multiple times in the middle of the night and you finally answered, since she clearly wasn't giving up. By the time you got back to your apartment, it was almost 5am. You were exhausted and now running late. Wonderful.
A brief, hot shower later and you were walking through the bakery into the safe space of your kitchen. Baking always put you in a calmer state after such a frazzled morning. But first, coffee. You added fresh grounds to the reservoir and hit the button to brew before tying on your apron and washing your hands.
It was a croissant day, so you pulled your chilled dough from the fridge. Carefully, you rolled it into a perfect rectangle and then folded into thirds before wrapping it again. One more hour in the fridge and it would be ready to turn into croissants. The oven was on with the usual pastries baking when you got a text from "B", and this time with an image attached.
Your heart leapt into your throat as you opened the attachment, excited and nervous. It was of a mug of coffee, still steaming, with the caption "Most important meal of the day." No identifiable clues as to who your mystery texter was, and for a split second you were disappointed. Did you really want to know who it was? What happens then? Would you share who YOU were? That was too much to worry about so early in the morning.
Shaking off the thoughts, you clicked the icon for your phone's camera and snapped a photo of your own mug of coffee with one word added. "Agreed." Before sending it, you made sure nothing in the background would give the receiver any idea of your location. You hit send.
The oven timer went off then and you went about finishing all the pastries to sell and deliver. Wanda texted that the train was delayed and she would be a little late, so you took down the chairs and got the pastry case ready for the shop to open. Fresh coffee was brewing as Wanda walked through the door.
"I'm so sorry, Y/N!" she exclaimed immediately upon entering.
"It's fine, seriously, I have things handled," you assured her with a smile. "But I might have to duck back upstairs in a little while for a nap. Today started even earlier than usual," you said with a tired sigh.
"Ooh. I'm sorry. Tenant problems?" Wanda grimaced.
You just shrugged. "Nothing I can't handle. I'm off to deliver. If I happen to be gone when the food delivery truck arrives, will you text me? I won't be far away."
"Of course," she agreed, tying on her own cute apron and pulling her hair back.
"See you in a bit!"
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Your last stop of the day at the Nest proved a little more difficult, since the most convenient parking spot was currently occupied by a Barnes Bakery delivery van. Of course it was. Walking a little further than usual, you arrived slightly out of breath with arms aching as you pushed through the glass door. You staggered the last few feet and placed the two boxes on the counter with a huff. It was then that you noticed your nemesis leaning on said counter. Again.
"Morning, Y/N. Late start today?" he taunted with a grin.
You might have replied more honestly then, but Clint had arrived so you held your tongue. "Limited parking on the street this morning," you said with a mild glare at the curly-haired brunet. He looked well-rested and perfected styled as usual. Jerk.
Clint looked over the pastries and signed the invoice as you absently rubbed at a stain on the sleeve of your sweatshirt.
"Everything looks good," he replied, handing you the form. "I might have to change my order for next week, though. Just a few less items. I guess the more savory items like the bagels are selling better so I have a little less room for your stuff. Not to worry, though, people still like having options," the blond patted your hand with a grin.
Trying to return the smile, you let out a shaky breath. "Of course, yeah. Send me an email of what you'd like to change. No problem."
"Great. I'll see you two later," Clint waved before walking over to help a customer.
Jimmy said nothing, but felt content to linger and sip his cup of coffee without a care in the world.
Having recovered, you whirled toward him. "Feeling proud of yourself?" you asked with a withering glare.
He just shrugged with a smirk. "Well, I'm not unhappy with this turn of events. You know how it goes...supply and demand," he annoyingly explained before taking another sip.
"Yes, I understand that concept. It doesn't take a business degree to grasp it," you spat back at him. "Did you have to hog the whole street, too?"
"Looks like I have another..." he glanced at his watch, "15 minutes before the meter runs out, so yeah, I do. No more deliveries, so I might just stay a little longer." Jimmy pushed away from the counter and settled on a nearby chair.
Fists clenched at your sides, you took a deep breath and grabbed the invoice off the counter. One last glance his way and you left without a word. What an insufferable man. Reaching your car, you got a text and saw it was from Wanda. You rushed back to the bakery just in time to see a delivery truck double parked outside.
"Sam, hi!" you jogged up to meet the man on the sidewalk.
The handsome, dark-skinned man gave you a smile as you arrived. "Hey, Y/N. Just in time, any later and the company starts to charge for late deliveries," Sam told you regretfully. He had been your regular driver since you had opened. He was always kind to you, but the company did have regulations to uphold.
Catching your breath, you replied. "I know, I'm sorry. Rough morning. I'll get the cellar door open."
Rushing through the bakery and briefly speaking to Wanda, you squeezed down the narrow stairs at the back of the kitchen hidden by a door and into the small cellar. Most business, especially food establishments, had to have a storage area but limited real estate meant it had to be underground. You could barely stand up in the cellar and hauling 50 pound bags of flour up the stairs wasn't fun, but you made the most of it.
You unlocked the padlock from inside and knocked twice before pushing the heavy metal doors open. The knocking alerted anyone nearby to get out of the way. Sam assisted laying the doors flat and then climbed down to help set up the ramp along the stairs. The best way to get everything down the stairs, or at least the non-fragile items, was by sliding them down with someone who could catch them at the bottom. It also helped you check off ingredients as they arrived and you could make sure they were put away properly.
Sam hollered that he was ready to go and you gave him a shout that you were as well. It only took about 15 minutes to unload and catch the items, but by the end your arms were aching and your back was sore from bending down in the small space.
"That's the last of it," Sam called down to you, but your brow furrowed at that. Something didn't add up.
Climbing up the stairs, you accepted the order invoice Sam handed you and you looked it over. "I'm missing a bag of flour," you told him, concerned.
"Yeah, I know. It busted open all over my truck when I tried to lift it. The loading guys must have torn it. Sorry about that. We could try to get a bag to you tomorrow, but there would be a delivery charge," he said apologetically.
Biting your lip, you weighed the possibilities. The delivery fee was a crazy amount of money just for one bag of flour and you just didn't have the extra money. You always tried to order a little extra just in case, but without that bag of flour, you'd just have to cross your fingers that what you had would last you until next week.
"No, that's okay. Just credit me the bag of flour and I'll get more next week," you decided.
"Alright," he said, making the adjustments to your invoice. "Sign, please."
After waving goodbye to Sam and locking the cellar doors, you checked in on Wanda at the front.
"Hey, Y/N. Business has been steady, but nothing I can't handle if you want to take that nap?" she offered.
Pushing away the desire to sleep, you shook your head. "No. Thanks, though. I need to work on a few savory recipes I've been thinking about," you said resolutely.
"Right now?" she asked, concerned.
"Right now," you replied, squaring your shoulders.
It was time to fight back.
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Oh, snap!! She's ready to fight!! Ugh, Jimmy and is bagels. And a photo from "B"!! Ahh!! Turned out to just be coffee, but I'd be nervous, too! And Sam!! yayyy!!! I love him. Such a sweetheart. It also occurred to me while talking to Becca that some might not know how croissants are made! Or croissant dough, as mentioned, so I added a link to a youtube video. Trust me when I say any homemade croissant you buy is worth every penny! I love you guys. Can't wait to hear your thoughts!! Thank you for reading!! :)