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Pumpkin spice lattes. Pumpkin pie. Pumpkin muffins. Pumpkin everything. Every coffee shop, bakery, and dessert place was straight in the middle of Pumpkin Hell, and as much as Jean hated it, it brought in customers like nothing save for the Christmas season.
Everyone liked to joke that it was ditzy, rich white girls with no sophisticated food palette who drooled for the autumn treat, but it was everybody. Jean had been working in the same bakery for 7 years, and every kind of person imaginable had purchased at least one thing with the flavor of pumpkin spice mixed in.
It was the same every year, except this year. At least to Jean it was. They had a new regular, a cute guy with freckles: Marco, who had been stopping by for the past few months. He eyed the pumpkin treats for just a little longer than anything else, and yet, he never got any.
"Hello again." Jean greeted said regular in a voice sweeter than he'd use on his other customers, not that he noticed.
Marco gave him a small smile as he walked over, stopping as he noticed the free sample stand. Jean had been a little devious today, opting to put out mini versions of their pumpkin muffins to give Marco the chance to try what he seemed to want so bad, for free.
He only blinked and turned back to Jean, the sweet smile still on his face, "Just the usual today."
Jean died a little on the inside, and he wanted to groan. The usual? The usual was a shortbread cookie. And that was what Marco ordered every single time, without fail. He didn't even seem to have any interest in the other products until autumn arrived with all of its pumpkin treats!
"You know, I've gotta ask," Jean started, sliding open the back end of the large display case, "Do you come here all the time just for these little guys? I've been thinkin' of making a new flavor of shortbread cookies, since sales have been so good lately."
Jean was not in charge of the new menu items. But he'd been working here for so long, and he was so loyal to their brand, that generally if he said they should think about adding something, the owners would seriously consider it.
Marco laughed a little, touching his face in what Jean guessed was embarrassment, "Oh, y'know. They're a lot better than the ones at Panera."
Jean raised his eyebrows a little, "Of course they are!" In reality he was shocked, but also very touched. They were in constant competition with the Paneras and Starbucks all around, so much so that he'd seen the comings and goings of the owners trying to add sandwiches and specialty coffees to the menu.
They never worked out quite well, what with pricing problems and their inexperience of the market. It was the baked goods that started the place, and it was the baked goods that would keep the place running. That's what Jean always said, and he knew the owners appreciated his enthusiasm for that fact even if it meant he was pointing out that their new stuff sucked.
"And I'm sure if you made anything new it'd be great." As if Marco would know, only having tried one of the dozens of items available.
Jean saw an opportunity as he wrapped up the lone shortbread cookie, and he decided to take it. "Well, why don't I make something, and since I don't know anyone who loves shortbread as much as you... you can be the first person to try it out? Maybe Saturday, after I close?"
The offer didn't seem to register with Marco at first, but as he pulled his wallet out of his pocket he nodded slightly, "Yeah, yeah okay. After close? I can do that." He said somewhat quietly, handing over the cash.
Jean was overjoyed beyond realization, but he kept his professional cool as he exchanged the small cookie, "'See you then. Have a nice day!"
"Mhmm, you too!" Marco said, taking the cookie before turning around and leaving the store.
The feeling Jean felt inside was a strange mix between triumph and nervousness. He hadn't really had any idea what he was gonna do on Saturday. He'd just, basically asked out one of their regulars on a date! What if he screwed it up and they lost a customer because of it?
"Flirting with the customers? Really?"
Jean turned his head to the side as Sasha, his manager and the daughter of the owners, stepped out of the back room with a fresh tray of blueberry pie bites.
Did he loathe the entire culture surrounding cafe employees being romanticized? Yeah, he did. And he was being a big awful hypocrite by asking a regular out, but, it wasn't like he hit on Marco at all, at least. Right?
"I... I dunno what you're talking about, Sash, he's, he's just like a friend! It's, it's not flirting we're just gonna, gonna meet outside of the work place." Jean tried to defend himself, hoping Sasha wouldn't rat him out and get him in trouble.
Sasha shrugged as much as she could without dropping the tray, "Whatever, just don't go screwing him, alright? He may only buy 3 cookies a week but that's 3 more cookies a week than the summer."
Jean sighed, turning around fully and shaking his head, "That's, that's crazy, right? All the stuff in here and he only wants shortbread cookies!? They're the nastiest damn things in this--"
"Shh! Don't say that out loud, what if a customer comes in?" Sasha scolded. "And Just because you don't like them doesn't mean they're gross."
They totally were gross, and there was no way Jean was going to feed even more of the awful things to anyone, different flavored or not.
Muffins were the safest bet to get any person: They weren't too sweet, too soft, too, well, anything. Jean could tell that Marco was a pumpkin spice kind of person. Maybe he'd never gotten anything because he thought the flavor was too girly, who knows?
Saturday afternoon, Jean had made the best damned pumpkin muffin he'd ever made, probably, and he was sure Marco would like the surprise. It even had pecans in it, and a drizzle of cream cheese frosting. Even if Marco declined the gift, at least it would look nice.
Although Sasha had insisted that Jean go through with another kind of shortbread, just in case. Jean really didn't want to but, he needed a good challenge. Shortbread was so bland and boring he never really bothered to do anything with it, and now he had.
Hopefully he wasn't being too forward or something. Some people just got turned off by gifts, but Jean worked at a damn bakery! People couldn't hold it against him if he offered what he knew best.
Jean waited at the storefront after he closed as planned, holding a white bag with all the goodies inside. And right on schedule, Marco walked around the corner at the end of the block.
He looked pretty damn cute, staring down at his phone while also trying to keep his scarf from slipping down onto it. Maybe Jean could teach him how to properly wear a scarf.
It didn't take too long before Marco glanced up and realized Jean was waiting for him, and he put his phone away.
"Hey there." Jean greeted, keeping the bag behind him.
Marco adjusted his scarf yet again, "Hi, uhm, I hope you weren't waiting too long? You close at 7 on weekends, right?"
"Yeah no, I've barely been standing here at all. But I did make you something. As promised." Jean explained, revealing the bag and pulling a white box out of it, which held the muffin, and handing it over.
Marco looked surprised, but took the box anyway and quickly opened it. His lips pressed together as he just stared at the muffin inside, and Jean just didn't know how to take it.
"You're always looking at all our pumpkin pie spice stuff, I thought I'd surprise you with one!" Jean said, feigning confidence. There were people who hated muffins after all.
Marco looked back at Jean, "Oh, that's sweet of you, really, it is but... I'm allergic to pumpkin."
Jean's face dropped, terror and confusion hitting him like a truck. And as quickly as Jean had panicked, Marco looked down at the muffin again, "I, I used to not be allergic? I really liked this kind of stuff.... I'm so sorry--"
"No, no! It's my fault! I should have asked!" Jean interrupted, practically slapping himself on the head in embarrassment. No more flirting with customers. Never again.
"It's okay, really," Marco tried to reassure, closing the box up again. "It looks great! I'm just sorry that I can't eat it. I wish I'd found this place a few years ago." He sighed, pouting a little.
Jean breathed out his nose, disappointed in himself, and pulled the back up plan out of the bag, "I uh, still made you some shortbread? It's chocolate with uh, cranberry and orange bits in it?" The flavor combo sounded weird, but Jean tasted it and it was about as good as shortbread could get.
"Oh," Marco said seriously, "I'm allergic to oranges too."
Jean was just about ready to run back into the bakery and lock the door behind him, never to be seen or heard from again, when Marco snorted with laughter. "I'm kidding! Oh gosh I'm so sorry, you look so upset. It was a joke."
"...Uh?" Jean was a little stunned, honestly. He'd joked around casually with Marco before when he'd been established as a regular, but he hadn't expected something like that.
"How about I make it up to you? With a coffee?" Marco added on, giving Jean a warm smile that again, was so unexpected and stunning. In a good way though.
"O-okay." Jean stammered out, blushing. "But l-lemme fix your scarf, it keeps falling!" He said, a way to keep himself from standing there red in the face and dizzy. Although just as he quickly leaned forward, Marco not flinching at all, Jean dropped the small wrapper of cookies.
Surely, the drop to the floor broke them. Jean was just glad he'd wrapped them at all, but he was definitely making an ass out of himself. He quickly bent down to pick them up though, thankful that the wax paper wrapping hadn't come undone.
Marco's grip on the muffin box was perfectly firm, however, "If you keep this up you'll just have to buy me dinner to make up for it."
Jean was almost glued to the ground, staring up at Marco in a daze. Was? Was he flirting with him? Or was this a joke? It was a joke, right? "Excuse me?"
"Or you know, lunch. O-or coffee, I mean, I'm sorry. Yeah coffee's fine." Marco stammered quickly, bending over a little to lend Jean a hand.
"It's kind of late for lunch." Jean pointed out, accepting the help.
Marco looked up at the sky a little, as if he hadn't noticed the sun set already. "Oh. I guess it's a little too late for coffee then."
Jean wasn't sure where this was going, but he liked he idea he was having. "You're right, it is."