[Felicity Everette]

The early hours that are required to run a successful bakery should be enough to keep one mindful of not being out too late, or better yet; not drinking so much the night before. And yet, Felicity was determined to do what she wanted and just make up for her lack of sleep with extra doses of caffeine. She didn’t even bother trying to sleep last night, so she spent the wee morning hours baking fresh French macarons, thumbprint cookies and her personal favorite; mini monster cookies. It was two mini sugar cookies sandwiches together with her buttercream frosting, covered with a colored frosting in a ‘hair’ look with a grass piping tip, and two eyes on top. They were loaded with sugar and could get a touch messy, but they were one of her best selling treats.

Okay, the macarons were probably the top selling item on the everyday scale, next to the coffee, but the mini monster cookies were a solid seller. Felicity ‘sampled’ a few to help satisfy her sweet tooth. She went about finishing the different flavored macarons, adding in their fillings and adding gold flakes or luster dust where needed. In the large fryer across from her one of the newly hired bakers was frying the first batch of doughnuts for the day. This made her smile, nothing beat the look of the freshly filled dessert case, except for the fully loaded donut case.

“I’m going to get some coffee in me before the breakfast rush, want any?” Felicity called out as she set about getting the coffee makers going and prepping the bar with freshly stoked bottles of creamer and flavor syrups. She received a grumbled answer about being on a ‘cleanse’ for the week and she nearly winced. The only ‘cleanse’ she participated in involved consuming so much alcohol that it made her sick. It wasn’t something she didn’t often. Getting sick that is, the alcohol consumption happened on the regular. Some might say she had a problem, but Felicity just wanted to enjoy all the things life had to offer. And alcohol was fun!

She smiled as those first strong notes of coffee filled the air, she let her dirty blonde hair down from the up do and hair net, if fell to just past her shoulders. Her morning crew would finish the doughnuts while she managed the front of the bakery. They were down a barista, so she didn’t mind stepping in and being there. Not when it meant she’d enjoy copious amounts of coffee after not sleeping last night. French roast coffee, two shots of espresso, two pumps of white chocolate mocha flavor syrup and almond milk; her absolute favorite way to start any morning manning the front of the bakery. Felicity sipped on the hot beverage and refrained from moaning audibly at how delicious it was. She didn’t need to be seen as weirder than she already was!

She tied a purple apron over her white loose fitting T-shirt and dark denim jeans. She didn’t have a strict dress code for people working in the bakery, just the purpler aprons. She went to each table and cleaned them again, just to be sure everything was set for when she’d turn on that ‘OPEN’ sign. Which would be in less than fifteen minutes. Now two people worked on the donuts in the back of the bakery lots of glazing, dipping and filling was being done and the donut case was nearly finished. Felicity gave a nod of approval and picked up her coffee. She finished off and refilled the napkin dispensers, then ensured a bag was in every trash can.

She waved to a couple that was passing by outside as she flipped the lock and raised a hand toward the ‘open’ sign. She glanced around and sent a jolt of electricity from her hand to the sign and smiled with glee as it came to life and the neon letting flashed to indicate that they were inside ‘open’ for the day.

——————

Two hours after opening, the first of the morning rush died down, Felicity was able to go about tidying tables and making conversation with patrons casually while keeping an eye on the counter.

[Mason Lancaster]

I like my coffee black
Just like my metal

---

The twenty-four hour shifts that Mason worked meant he would get off shift at eight in the morning, when he wasn't staying to cover the next day. This morning, he was coming straight out of a forty-eight stint. The first twenty-four hours passed by with very few calls. Last night, however, was a different story. Every time he got back to the station it seemed like he was getting another call. He wasn't sure if it was a full moon, or what was going on. Before working in emergency services he would have laughed at people who were superstitious about full moons, but now that he had this kind of experience, he truly believed the crazies out.

Between all the calls, Mason got no sleep last nigh. Of course, he had made plans with a couple of the people on his regular shift who hadn't worked last night. They were going to the gym and then maybe for a five mile run after. This was a normal activity for them, they were all signed up for a marathon in May. Generally Mason was a happy participant, but this morning he just wanted to go home and crawl into his bed to pass out for a few hours. Max would undoubtedly crawl up next to him, way too warm and refusing to give Mason more than just a sliver of space at the edge of the queen sized mattress. The dog acted like it was his bed, and Mason was merely allowed to use it from time to time.

Mason finished hanging up his uniform, having changed into his street clothes already. A grey t-shirt, black zippered hoodie over that, black athletic shorts, and grey and black sneakers. He grabbed his car keys, his phone and earbuds, and his wallet. He shoved the wallet, phone and earbuds into his pockets and made his way out of the station.

It was a short drive from the fire station to get to the bakery. He knew that they had good and fresh coffee, and he was looking forward to grabbing a fresh muffin or donut to go with it. He smirked at himself, thinking of all the jokes he and his coworkers made about the deputies running out for coffee and donuts, and here that was just what he was doing. But he needed fuel before his work out. If he could just put the coffee in an IV and get the caffeine directly into his blood stream, he might consider it today.

Once he was parked, Mason got out of his truck, clicking the remote until her heard the distinct 'beep beep' of the alarm set, and he walking into the bakery. He was so exhausted that he was facing decision fatigue as he glanced at the baked goods in the case. Should he get a frosted donut? A blueberry muffin? A croissant? There were just so many options. He stood in line, staring at the case, pretty sure he was about to fall asleep on his feet.

---

Tag: Felicity Everette
Note: Here's a very sleepy Mason! Hope you don't mind me dropping him in here, he says he definitely needs this caffeine and sugar fix.

[Felicity Everette]

Felicity was in the back of the bakery placing a fresh batch of thumbprint cookies onto a sample plate for the top of the case. She liked to have fresh sweet for people to sample without them feeling obligated to ask. Though she also had a strict policy that people should try it before they buy it, so she gave samples anytime someone wanted to try something new. There were enough things in life people were stingy over, why not just share the baked goods?

She heard the bell alerting her of a customer entering, so she scooped up the plate of colorful cookies and set them beside the display case where anyone could reach, then set her eyes on the man who walked in. He was easily the most attractive customer she’d had in this morning, her thought was almost enough to make her wish she’d opted to dress cuter today. Instead, she just gave a smile and greeted him.

“Good morning, do you know what you’d like or would you like some recommendations on local favorites?” Felicity asked, unable to hide the fact that she was also just now taking in how tall he was, especially in comparison to herself. He had at least eight or nine inches on her.

---

Tag: Mason Lancaster
Note: I love it! Felicity might just be finding herself crushing lol

[Mason Lancaster]

I like my coffee black
Just like my metal

---

How long was he standing there, staring blankly at the case of freshly baked treats? Was it five minutes? Five seconds? Mason wasn't entirely sure. When the cute short blonde came over to offer assistance, he was certain that he must look like a zombie, just standing there and staring at the case.

"Honestly, a recommendation would be great." Feeling like he was moving in slow motion, Mason gave a sleepy smile and ran his hand through his hair. "Something that goes well with a large black coffee."

Mason let his arm fall lazily back at his side. He could see the blonde looking him over. He assumed that she was considering what to recommend for him, using whatever judgements she could get based on his appearance. He wasn't sure if his monochromatic athletic ensemble said what kind of food he would best enjoy, but he supposed it might be as best an indicator as anything else.

Hopefully, the jolt that he was going to get from the coffee and confection would be enough to keep him going a couple more hours.

---

Tag: Felicity Everette

[Felicity Everette]

Felicity eyed him up and down, gently tapping her chin for a moment before she raised a brow. “Are there any allergies or dietary preferences I should be aware of first?” She asked with a smile, not wanting to cause any possible allergic reactions or stomach issues. That would be the worst way to start the day. And she definitely did not want to cause this man any issues. The contrary, she wanted him to return. If not to chat with her, then for the delicious baked goodies.

While awaiting his response she got started on making the large black coffee. She grabbed a cup from the stack of ‘large’ cups, poured in the black coffee and smiled as the deep bitter and toasty note hit her nose. She absolutely LOVED the smell of coffee. It was so soothing and warm, exciting and comforting. Perhaps she just had the tendency to romanticize silly things like that. At least she wasn’t boring. With practiced ease she closed the lid on to the cup and turned to present it to him with a smile, slipping a thin cardboard cozy on it first.

“Be careful, it’s hot. Freshly brewed about ten minutes ago.” She causations with a smile and gave a nod to a customer leaving their table with a wave.


Tag: Mason Lancaster
Note: So sorry for the delay, didn’t realize how hectic my last two weeks would get!

[Mason Lancaster]

I like my coffee black
Just like my metal

---

”No allergies, nothing like that.” Mason let his sleepy smile spread on his face. ”I eat just about anything.” He really wasn’t a picky eater, but he couldn’t decide what he wanted to get this morning. He was dealing with decision fatigue, mostly likely because he was running on no sleep and had just come off of a busy shift where he had to make a lot of other decisions. But also, it was just a bad habit, being bad at deciding what to eat.

They actually joked at work all about this sort of thing all the time. Put any of them in a high stress situation and they could take control and make a million decisions, but ask the group of them to decide what to eat for lunch and it was going to take about three hours for any of them to decide what they wanted to eat.

”Sounds perfect. Thank you.” A nice fresh, hot coffee sounded absolutely perfect. The fresher the better, especially since he drank his coffee without sugar or cream in it. He actually liked the flavor of coffee, and didn’t feel the need to cover it up. His sister was the opposite, and he tended to make fun of her when they got coffee together, asking her what the point was if she was going to cover the flavor. Maybe it helped that he could smell and taste the subtle differences in coffee, different blends tasting very different to him.

”I was originally thinking about a donut or muffin, but you have so many delicious looking pastries here, I didn’t know what looked best.”

---

Felicity Everette

[Felicity Everette]

“Okay, well in that case….” Felicity trailed off as she gave him another once over and then took in the pastries and goodies in the case. It might seem silly to be giving such deep thought to a simple task like making a recommendation on a pastry, but she was passionate about her baking and wanted to match him up with something she thought he might enjoy the most. She had to give him another reason to stop in her little bakery more often after all.

“I’ve got it!” She blushed at how her words came out a bit more excited than she had intended them too. She put a glove on and grabbed a sheet of parchment paper to retrieve the baked good; a delightful looking croissant that had a decadent dark chocolate drizzle on the top with a sprinkle of coarse sea salt. She placed it in a bag and offered the bag to him.

“It’s a personal favorite of mine; a salted caramel croissant with a dark chocolate drizzle and dusting of coarse sea salt on top. It pairs wonderfully with our black coffee. But don’t take my word for it, give it a try and an honest rating.” Felicity smiled, her cheeks still rosy with a mixture of excitement and nervousness. Not that she expected him to try it right this moment. But the croissants were her baby. She spent hours working on the perfect recipe and butter to dough ratio, not to mention the flavor combinations and such. She likely drove her friends crazy with the amount of times she insists they try all her new things before they debuted in the bakery.

Tag: Mason Lancaster
Note: I’m SO sorry for my absence, was dealing with family stuff and my youngest just turned 1.

[Mason Lancaster]

I like my coffee black
Just like my metal

---

Mason smiled as the woman behind the counter exclaimed excitedly. It was cute, and she clearly took pride in her work. He was more than grateful not to have to think about what he wanted, and let someone else pick it out. Even if it ended up being something he wouldn’t normally choose for himself, it wasn’t like he was a picky person.

When she described the croissant, it honestly sounded delicious. Both salted caramel and dark chocolate paired beautifully with coffee, especially black coffee. It wasn’t what he would normally pick out for himself, generally considering something with chocolate and caramel to be overly decadent, but it still sounded good. Maybe it was how sleepy he was making him want something on the sweeter side this morning. ”That sounds delicious, actually.” He smiled and pulled his wallet out of his pocket to pay for the pastry and coffee.

”You guys really make everything here?” He got the sense that they did. This wasn’t a chain, and she seemed invested in her customer’s opinions. He’d have to remember this place. He was already thinking about bringing donuts to work.

Once he had finished paying, he grabbed the bag and the coffee and found a seat in the corner near the window. It was bright outside, too bright this morning for him to want to actually sit at an outside table. He pulled out his phone, scrolling through a couple texts that he missed the night before with how busy they’d been while he sipped the coffee. When he bit into the croissant, he understood why the employee had been so excited about recommending it. It was absolutely delicious, and even with the salted caramel and dark chocolate it wasn’t overly sweet.

”It’s great, really. I probably never would have picked it out, but I’m glad to have tried it.” Mason commented when he spotted the employee again. ”Thanks for the recommendation.”

---

Felicity Everette
No worries at all! Life happens. Let me know for changes.

[Felicity Everette]

Felicity couldn’t help but beam with pride as she nodded, punching in his total for the register, cashing him out and handing him a receipt. “Yes, actually. Anything that doesn’t sell and couldn’t be considered ‘fresh’ for the net day is taken and donated to the local shelter. It makes for a busy morning, but I’ve always thought starting with everything fresh was the best option for my customers.” She gave a nod, then stepped back around to tidy up another table and do some lightly sweeping. Felicity actually had a nice arrangement with the local food pantry, they showed up a little after closing time for the donations, it really narrowed down any potential waste and let her offer all fresh goodies the next day. It worked out nicely, and it gave her the option to also help give back to her community.

Felicity stopped by Mason’s table when he told her his opinion and she couldn’t help but smile with absolute delight. “Well thank-you! It’s always exciting to hear a recipes is a hit. I think I spent about seven attempts with this one trying to get the chocolate to salted caramel ration right with the pastry.” She blushed at how excited she sounded and suddenly felt a bit self-conscious at her over-zealousness. She cleared her throat, then smiled with a nod. “Anytime, half the fun of making these goodies, is making recommendations to my customers… by the way, I’m Felicity. Owner and head baker here at Wild Child Bakes.” She extended her hand to him with a smile.

Tag: Mason Lancaster
Note: I do apologize for my absence, I should be posting more regularly now!

[Mason Lancaster]

I like my coffee black
Just like my metal

---

The girl seemed thrilled to explain the process, how they donate anything that doesn’t sell by the end of the day to ensure fresh stock for their customers. It seemed like a good business plan, and he knew that it was common place for bakeries to donate sometimes, but he never really thought of it as a daily thing. He supposed keeping up with projected sales and trends would be important, but he was sure they knew that since it seemed like they were successful enough.

She started straightening up as Mason sat at the table. He was too exhausted to pay much attention, but he could still hear her moving around. He was grateful that he was able to tune it out this morning, that he could ignore the sound that the bristles of the broom made as they scraped across the floor, however lightly she was sweeping. He was aware that most people wouldn’t even notice, they wouldn’t be bothered by it at all. If he had been, he would put in his earphones and listen to music. That was his habit in public when he was overwhelmed, but he was glad that he wasn’t this morning.

When he complimented the pastry, Mason noticed a redness on her cheeks. It was cute. Even Mason, as oblivious as he normally was socially, was able to recognize the excitement that made her face light up as she talked about it. It made sense, when she introduced herself as the owner of the bakery.

“It’s nice to meet you, Felicity. I’m Mason.” He reached out and shook her outstretched hand. “With how good your coffee and pastries are, I’m sure I’ll become a regular face around here. My caffeine intake is the only way I function on a daily basis.” He joked, but the amount of coffee he drank would probably give anyone with a sensitivity to caffeine heart palpitations.

---

Felicity Everette
Let me know for changes.