Arriving at the back entrance to the bakery, she blinked in surprise when she saw Alexis already standing outside the door, huddled in a huge blue puffy coat.The long dark strands of her hair blew gently in the wind where it came out from the hood.The coat looked almost like a sleeping bag, extending all the way down to her ankles.Only her face could really be seen.
“Alexis?What are you doing here so early?”She was also curious why Alexis wassobundled up.It was cold, but not to the point where Audrey would wear a sleeping bag-style coat.
On the other hand, Alexis looked really warm, whereas Audrey was shivering slightly…
“I couldn’t sleep, I was too excited,” Alexis confessed, smiling shyly at her.“And then I got to the point where I was afraid that if I didn’t get up, I’d end up sleeping through my alarm and be late, so I decided being early was better.”
Audrey had to laugh as she unlocked the back door because she’d had a similar experience.
“I did the same thing,” she admitted.“Although I must not have been up quite as early as you.”She opened the door, and the blast of warm air made her sigh in relief.Maybe Alexis had the right idea with the super puffy warm coat.It wasn’t stylish; Audrey’s mom would throw a fit if she saw Audrey wearing something like that… but she wasn’t making decisions to please her mom anymore.
Maybe this winter, she’d get a super unstylish, super warm, super puffy coat.
Alexis sighed with relief as she followed Audrey through the entrance into the warm kitchen.Warm compared to outside, at least.It would be even warmer once they got the ovens going.
“I’m still not used to the winter weather here,” Alexis said, shrugging off her jacket to reveal a sensible white t-shirt and blue jeans underneath.Her body type was the opposite of Audrey’s; she was petite all over, and on her, the simple clothing choices made her look like a short model.Her long dark hair had been pulled back into a severe bun, keeping all of it out of her face and pinned neatly in place.It reminded Audrey of the way she’d had to wear her hair for ballet class when she was younger, before her mother had decided she was too fat for ballet.
Audrey had told her there was no official uniform and to wear whatever she was comfortable in, but now she felt overdressed compared to Alexis.But she would also be in the front of the store today, as well as the back, so she’d wanted to make sure to dress up a little.Though she’d chosen comfortable tennis shoes to go with her black-and-white polka-dot dress and short socks over her stockings.
Hm.
Maybe the coat wasn’t the only reason Alexis was warmer than her.
She’d felt like she’d needed to wear a dress today, since it was the grand opening.Was that from her mother’s influence?No… she liked her dresses.She’d wanted to be a little fancy.Tomorrow, she’d wear jeans or at least some kind of pants.Today was special.Besides, her mother would have been horrified that she was wearing tennis shoes with a skirt, even if it was the more sensible option.
“You’re from Savannah, right?”
“Florida, actually, but I went to school in Savannah.SCAD, the College of Art and Design.”Alexis sighed.“Not that my degree is going anywhere at the moment.The Pittsburgh theater scene is only so happening.”
It was a joke, but Audrey could feel the disappointment coming off Alexis at not being able to follow her dreams.She could sympathize, considering how long she’d squashed her own to please her family.
Alexis was in an even worse situation, though.She wasn’t here to please her family; she was here because her only family member left, her aunt, was sick and needed someone to take care of her while she went through treatment.
“It’ll get better.Your aunt has three more rounds of chemo, right?”
“Right.”Alexis smiled wanly.“And then some waiting and some tests, then she’ll decide if she’s getting a mastectomy or not, and then we’ll see.”
When Audrey had hired Alexis, she’d known that it was possible the other woman would be moving away during the summer, but she’d also been the best person for the job.She baked, she was a good decorator, and she didn’t mind the early hours or the pay.
“If you ever want to make something special for her here, do it,” Audrey offered.
“Thanks.She’s usually not super interested in food after the chemo, but there are usually some good days before the next round, so I might take you up on that.”
“Please do.Okay.Not to change the subject, but…”
Alexis laughed as she walked over to the hooks on the wall where several pink and cream aprons with the Cupcakes and Crumbs logos on the chest hung.She took one off the wall and put it on as she spoke.
“Let’s absolutely change the subject.Are you excited about today?”
“More like terrified.”Audrey sighed, but she couldn’t stop the smile that spread on her lips.“Also, really excited.I can’t believe this is finally happening.”She spread her arms out wide.“It feels like a dream.A really good one.”
Alexis beamed at her.
“Good.That’s what it should feel like.”She took another apron off a hook and walked it over to hand to Audrey.“It’s going to be amazing.”
“I hope so.Okay.Let’s get started.”
They got the lights on, the ovens preheating, and the counters wiped down.Being here in the bakery made it easy for Audrey to focus on her excitement.Sure, she was still nervous that no one would show up today, but at the same time, she could easily picture a long line out the door.Especially since they served basic coffee along with a small fridge of refrigerated drinks, though she expected the coffee to be more popular on an early morning.
