Characters: reader, Bucky (Jimmy), Wanda, Clint.
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: 2.5k
A/N: YOU GUYS. I hope you're excited. :D We've got more tasty pastries and snark and flirting and then.....well, you'll see. ;) Any and all feedback is appreciated ! I adore you all!! <3
_________________________________
Walking into the Nest the next morning, you felt quite confident about your new pastries. Stepping up to the counter, you weren't surprised to see Jimmy already there with boxes of his own and a bread rack full of bagels. Not even he could bring down your mood, though, as you set down the pastries and opened the top box. It was a different kind of smell that wafted up toward you with the savory items and even Jimmy was tantalized by it.
"Ooh, these look new," you heard Clint comment as he handed Jimmy his paperwork.
"They are," you confirmed with a wide grin. "Sun-dried Tomato and Havarti scones finished with cream and coarse sea salt. And these are Pear and Smoked Gouda Croissants with a spicy mustard," you finished describing with a proud nod of your head. Even your admittedly-handsome competition seemed impressed.
"Wow. They sound amazing," Clint said as he reached for a small plate and a knife. "Guess I'll give them a try, huh?"
Clint lifted one of the scones with a pair of tongs, placed it on a plate and cut off a piece before popping it in his mouth.
"Mmm. Oh wow," he muttered with his mouth full. "That's incredible. Jimmy, you gotta try this."
The tall brunet barely hesitated before he had a piece of scone in hand. You watched his eyes grow wide upon first taste and all you could do was smile. This was your favorite part. Yes, you loved being in the kitchen and creating, but seeing people's reactions to something you've put so much love and time into making, that was what you yearned to see.
Clint was already sneaking a second piece when Jimmy finally swallowed and gave his opinion.
"It's, uh....that's good. I like that combination," he uttered calmly, clearly downplaying his reaction for your benefit. It didn't matter what he thought, though, only Clint. Nothing could bring you down this morning.
"Yeah, I thought those flavors would complement each other. This croissant, on the other hand...that took some creativity. There's a hint of sweetness from the pear but the gouda and mustard really round out the flavor profile. Here," you offered, picking up one of the croissants and cutting it in half. You offered the plate to the two gentleman.
Clint took a bite and practically groaned as you bounced happily on the balls of your feet. He liked it, you knew it!
"So?" you prompted.
"Uh mah gah," the blond man nodded enthusiastically with mouth full. "Yeah. That's one of the best things I've ever put in my mouth," he finally said more clearly after swallowing.
Jimmy, on the other hand, was silent and when you looked over, he had devoured the pastry and was currently licking every morsel from his fingers. You let out a giggle when you heard a small groan from the back of his throat, but when Jimmy saw you noticed, he masked it with a cough as he swallowed.
"Not bad," he declared calmly while wiping his hands on a napkin. "I have one more thing for you to taste, though, Clint," Jimmy smirked as he opened a small white box.
You peered inside to see what looked like biscuits of some sort so you glanced at Jimmy quizzically.
He shrugged. "I had some spare time so I thought I'd try something new. Buttermilk biscuits with cheddar and chives," Jimmy explained as he placed one of the flaky biscuits on a plate.
Gaping at him, you glanced from the man before you and the biscuit Clint was cutting in half. "YOU bake? You made these?" you questioned.
Jimmy laughed at your reaction. "Of course I bake! My dad's been in the business almost all my life, you don't think he's taught me a few things? Frankly, I'm insulted, Y/N," he replied, putting on a fake pout.
You rolled your eyes at his dramatics. "Yeah, well, I guess you don't seem like the type to get your hands dirty, Mr. Business Degree," you mocked with a cheeky grin.
The brunet opened his mouth to respond, but Clint interrupted. "Ooh, that's good, too. Try it, Y/N."
Eyeing the biscuit, you picked it up gingerly and sniffed it. Jimmy scoffed at your hesitation but you were truly giving it a full evaluation. The biscuit was nice and flaky, tender without being fragile, and speckled with bits of cheddar and chives. Taking a bite, your eyes flew open at the surprising burst of flavor in your mouth. Dammit. He could bake. You took your time chewing and swallowing, then reaching for a napkin before you turned his way.
"It doesn't suck," you told him flatly, but he had already seen your previous expression. Jimmy just grinned, looking pretty proud of himself.
"Alright, kids," Clint piped up,"if you have more for me to sell today, we'll see how it goes. Send me the ingredients list and pricing info. Gotta get back to it." The sandy-haired older man gathered a few of the boxes in his arms and handed them to one of his baristas to stock the pastry case.
Giving Jimmy a hard look, you turned on your heel and headed for the door.
"See you tomorrow, Y/N," he called out to you, but you dismissed him with a wave of your hand.
Once you had returned to the bakery, you checked in out front but Wanda had things under control. You mixed up a batch of cinnamon roll dough and while it was rising, you went to your computer and pulled up the recipe program you used.
For each recipe, you entered all the amounts for every ingredient. It took a long time to enter each recipe when you first started using it, but now it only took a few minutes for every new item. All of your ingredients and prices were stored in the program, so once everything was entered, it gave you a summary of nutritional information and how much it cost to make the full recipe.
Based on the amount of servings, it also told you how much each scone, for example, costs you to make. You took that information and factored in the time you spent making it, along with hopefully adding a profit, and it gave you the price you had to charge your wholesale customers. Prices were a little higher at your retail bakery.
Your new savory items had good, quality ingredients and took a little more time to make, which also meant they were a bit more expensive. Clint would understand, though. Obviously he loved the scone and croissant. Right? Typing up an email, you gave him the price information and also a list of ingredients in case any customers asked about allergies or something. After hitting send, you checked on your dough, but it still had another 15 minutes or so to rise.
Popping a tray of cookies in the oven upon Wanda's request, you then sat down again to do some paperwork. To your surprise, you saw a new email pop up from Clint, so you clicked to open it. That was quick. Your heart sank a little as you read it, though. Apparently, he couldn't purchase both of your new items because of the higher cost. He wanted to keep the Pear Gouda croissant, but according to him "the scone was similar to that new biscuit, which was cheaper to buy, so we're keeping that one."
Of course. How did Barnes Bakery keep inching their way in? It was good that Clint liked the croissant, but it was only half of what you hoped to accomplish. Your products needed more exposure in order for your business to grow and if Jimmy the Jerk kept taking up space, it was less likely you would be able to gain more ground.
Taking a deep breath, you sent off a quick response to Clint and thanked him for buying the new croissant. It wasn't his fault that Jimmy was a little weasel. Clint had to do what was best for his business, too. Pushing away the paperwork, you thought for a moment and grabbed your phone.
FG: Could I cash in that rain check for a distraction?
Sending the text to B, you left the office and washed your hands to begin the cinnamon rolls. Seconds later, you heard a text alert and glanced at the screen.
B: Of course! In fact, I have some spare time so I thought I'd take a stroll in the park. Can I take you along with me?
Frowning down at the text, you wondered what he could possibly mean by that, but you replied.
FG: Oooookay????
Placing your phone on the table but out of the way, you turned on some music and began to roll out the dough. The next text came only a few minutes later. You dusted off one flour-covered hand and opened the text to see a picture of the leaves changing colors in Central Park.
B: Don't you just love New York in the Fall?
The photo and caption made you grin. Yes, you did love Fall. In fact, it was your favorite season, but now that you thought about it, you barely even had the time to notice the changing leaves and slight chill in the morning air. You'd been working so much that you forgot to take a breath and look up once in a while.
Another message arrived a moment later. This one, with a photo of the sun peaking out from behind the Bethesda Fountain, giving the bronze angel a backlit outline. It was a great shot, actually. No caption this time, just a sun emoji.
You spread the cinnamon mixture and sprinkled the pecans before rolling your dough into a spiral log. Another text alert sounded. You had changed the setting on your phone so the screen wouldn't sleep for hours and now, even with messy hands, you were able to peek at the messages. He seemed to understand your lack of responses, given his next text.
B: You're probably busy and you don't have to respond but I hope my tour of Central Park can put a smile on your face. :) And that you don't mind me blowing up your phone. ;)
Your heart leapt at that, suddenly grateful that this near-stranger was willing to take the time just to cheer you up. If you didn't know any better, you'd have thought you might be falling for him. That was crazy. Right?
Another photo popped up, this one of an adorable dog with a hand reaching out to pet his furry head. Whose hand? Was it HIS hand? It seemed to be, from the angle of the photo. Your heart rate spiked again, just seeing even a small part of him. Your mind wandered to what he might actually look like, but you really had nothing to go on. It was your own fault, agreeing to not share any personal information. The more you thought about it, though, the more you knew it didn't matter. If B were as sweet in person as he was through text, then you would appreciate his looks no matter what.
The texts continued for most of the day as you worked, popping in to respond when you could. He walked through the park for quite some time, sharing a photo of a rollerblader who was mid-fall that he caught at just the right time. You felt better about laughing after B said he was just fine. Another photo included what you would say was the same hand, this time holding a hot dog from a street vendor. Hopefully he washed that handsome hand after petting the real live dog. Yikes.
Somehow you made it through your afternoon of baking but ended up helping Wanda during the late rush, so you missed any texts from B for a while. When you finally got a break, you went straight to your phone that was finally fully charged. It nearly died after being unlocked for so long. Eagerly opening your messages, you realized that slowly you had become invested in his "distractions" and photos depicting his movements throughout the day. You wanted to know what he would do or say next. He shared a photo of a baseball game and later a view of the Brooklyn Bridge taken from somewhere near the water. The last picture he sent was of the sunset over the skyline with a caption.
B: Hope your day has improved and maybe I might have had something to do with that if I'm lucky. :)
Grinning like a fool, you felt undeniably drawn to this person. You kept scrolling to see a few more messages near the end of the day.
B: I have somewhere to be and sharing would probably give away some of that carefully guarded information, so I'll sign off for the night.
You actually felt a little disappointed at that. Suddenly, you were incredibly curious to know where he was headed and what he couldn't share. Could you maybe push beyond that barrier? Now you felt a little silly to be so skeptical about letting him see your true self. His last text stopped you in your tracks, however.
B: Maybe someday we can share the day together in person....
You read the words over and over until you finally comprehended their meaning. He...wanted to meet you. In person. It was vague, sure, but that was probably just out of respect for you. You were the one who was holding back. Setting down your phone, you leaned your elbows on the wooden table and put your head in your hands. Why did this feel like such a big deal? Why did this seem like a life-changing decision to make? Because you had...connected? With a stranger? You couldn't even call him that anymore. He was a friend.
Inhaling deeply, you pushed away from the table and unlocked your phone to reply. After pacing a few times, you finally typed a short message and hit send before you lost your nerve.
FG: Did you really mean that? About meeting in person?
Those few seconds after sending almost felt like a heart attack. Quickly, you locked your phone and stepped away from it to avoid fixating on expecting a reply. You planned to help Wanda close the bakery, but before you even left the kitchen, you heard the chime. Sprinting back to your phone, you opened the text immediately.
B: YES. You pick the time and place, I'll be there.
Heart hammering in your chest, you inhaled a shuddering breath and exhaled. Was this really happening? Running every possible scenario through your head at lightning speed, you finally shook your head to stop overthinking it. The ball was in your court. It was up to you if or when it happened. This man has been nothing but sweet and respectful to you and quite frankly...he had become one of the best parts of your life right now. You deserved a bit of happiness.
Pecking a few letters into your phone, you finally hit send.
FG: Okay.
_________________________________________
Eeeeee!!!!! It's happening!!!! :D Ugh, I know, Jimmy keep weaseling his way in but she had a little success too! I guess we'll have to see what happens next. ;) Also! There really is a program where you can store recipes and figure out nutritional info and prices and stuff. I've used a few before. Kinda fun. Did you love B's walk through the park and sharing of photos? I seriously LOVE Fall plus I just had to add that line from "You've Got Mail". ;) So???? He wants to meet! She said Yes!!! What happens now?? I hope you're excited. :D I love you all! Please let me know your thoughts, I always love to hear from you. <3