= SARAH POV =
The next day I woke up bright and early to the sound of my alarm at 7 am. I was excited and maybe somewhat eager to submit my application and finally have a job.
Chris was still fast asleep, so I tiptoed around her and went for a bath, then changed into a pair of gray office slacks, a small black tank top and a matching gray blazer.
I noticed that the attire was pretty casual as Heather and Amber weren’t wearing any uniform like the kitchen staff had been. However, they both looked really fashionable, so I wanted to put in a bit of effort.
I chose a pair of cute light gray pumps, grabbed my bookbag, wallet, and keys, and left.
Walking down the street in the early morning was so refreshing. The crisp air smelt fresh with the scent of dew settling on the grass.
As I drew nearer to the café, the smell of freshly baked bread wafted through the air, and I felt myself get weak at the knees at the thought of breaking apart some soft milk bread and dipping it into a latte…
Just then, Heather stepped out of a black four-seater car just a little way in front of me, and I picked up the pace to catch up with her.
“Good morning” I greeted cheerfully, eyes as wide as a ranchu as I took in my new boss.
Heather smiled down at me. It only just occurred to me how tall Heather was even in my pumps, which were about 5 inches tall, she was still about a head taller than me.
Just like the day we met, her long, flowing black hair fell far past her waist in soft, glossy waves. Elegant, composed, and almost untouchably refined, the way she smiled at me carried an air of calm confidence rather than arrogance which I felt emanating from Ms Jun; like someone who was fully aware of her power but had no need to prove it.
Today she wore a fitted brown blouse beneath a dark pinstriped blazer, paired with a belt that sharpensed the silhouette. She looked sophisticated and understated, leaning toward corporate luxury rather than flashy glamour.
“Good morning to you too. The kitchen staff seemed to be overzealous today; I could smell their baked goods as I drove in” Heather said calmly, longer fingers reaching for me, settling on my shoulder as she steered us towards the front doors of the cafe.
If it had been Ms Jun, I would have immediately shrunk back, but Heather had given me no reason to be on edge around her, and I might have leaned into the hold a little; her care felt almost motherly in nature.
“ Have you eaten? If you haven’t, there is always a bite to eat in the kitchen,” Heather suggested as we walked into the café together.
“I would love something from the kitchen. I smelt it on the way over, and I can’t stop thinking about milk bread,” I replied, my eyes trying to look behind the counter to the small door that separated the kitchen from the main dining area.
“Fantastic, I absolutely have to recommend our milk buns. They might look simple, but they are great for soaking in coffee or tea,” Heather suggested as she walked us over to the little door behind the counter, holding it open for me to pass through.
Immediately, the smell of baked goods hit me, the aroma so strong my mouth began to water.
“Intense right?” I heard Heather’s voice say as I stepped aside to let Heather come through.
“It’s amazing” I replied.
The space beyond the door really was huge! The way there was no indication of the vastness created the illusion of stepping into a Tardis. From the door the kitchen stretched on for at least a mile.
That little door hid a whole factory of bread baking and cake making. It was no wonder there were so many options for a cafe that seated only 20 customers. There were different stations dedicated to different types of pastries, desserts, and even main course dishes.
Heather walked ahead of me, heading towards what looked like a canteen area, where most of the staff were seated, having breakfast and chatting away.
I picked up the pace and caught up with Heather, who was looking left and right at the different stations.
“Is something wrong?” I asked.
“Oh no, I just use this time to see which areas are marked ‘On Menu’ and which aren’t as those are indicators for us at accounting to know what to look out for in terms of this week’s food budget” Heather explained. Even this early, she was already on top of things.
“Ruby has a tendency to recklessly purchase fresh goods that often go to waste if not accounted for and then spends even more on new cutlery or kitchenware that she feels will enhance the food experience. If I don’t keep my finger on the budget, we’d be bankrupt by the end of the week” Heather explained with a sigh, pointing out the small neon sign that was lit up at some stations and dark on other stations.
“Those are things I will need you to take note of so that you can take on some of the more tedious tasks such as tabulating profit and creating data analytics on what has sold and what didn’t from our sales for each week”.
“Milk buuuuns~!”
Heather and I turned to the sound of a familiar voice singing out milk buns, just in time to see Amber bounding towards us with a basket of soft round buns.
“Amber…” Heather said and sighed, looking at the smaller woman fondly but also a little annoyed.
“You overzealous barista” Heather said affectionately, reaching out to gently ruffle the smaller woman’s hair “Just sit down at the tables, you’re gonna trip and fall if you keep running around,” Heather said.
Amber beamed up at Heather, however to my surprise, shot me a dirty look. I took a step back, a little confused, but before I could say anything, Amber piped up.
“Is Sarah going to hog you all morning, she’s already working for you all day” Amber said with a huff, as if she was jealous of the attention Heather was giving me.
Heather burst out into a hearty laugh.
“Amber, I’m afraid so. This is her first day, I need to show her the ropes. Why? Are you upset that you are stuck with cashier duties?” Heather asked.
Amber sighed and pouted, nodding “Yeah, I thought I was finally going to be able to just focus on making drinks again”
I sighed, feeling bad for Amber now, it kind of made sense why she was upset; she was stuck with shouldering extra work.
“If you like, maybe I could-” I started to say.
Heather shook her head “No, I need you to get stuck in. Amber is more than capable, as we increased her pay, so it’s not like she isn’t getting compensated” Heather said, glaring at Amber a little.
Amber smiled sheepishly “So umm…milk buns?” She said, changing the subject.
“Look, I already put out a few ads in the paper. Once a suitable cashier is found, you’ll be off cashier duties ok?” Heather said, resting a firm and calm hand on Amber’s shoulder.
Amber nodded slowly, letting the information sink in like a cat being promised treats, not now, but soon.
“Yes, ok, I guess”Amber replied, a little pout appearing before disappearing again, replaced with a bright smile and a slight propping up of the basket still brimming full of bread.
“Alright now that that is settled, go get a table for us Amber. Sarah, go follow her, I’ll get us some drinks,” Heather added, waving me along as well.
I nodded and followed Amber as she plopped down at a nearby picnic-style table, placing the basket of steaming milk buns between us.
“That’s a lot of milk buns,” I said, and Amber smiled.
“Are they your favorite?” Amber asked me.
“Well…I wouldn’t say favorite, but I do like them” I replied, picking one out of the basket.
“Iwas talking about the buns,” Amber said cooly, reaching for one and tearing it apart as well, her tone suddenly sounding a little cold.
I immediately put down the bun. Suddenly, milk buns had lost their appeal to me.
“What did you say?” I asked, looking up at Amber, confused.
The air around Amber seemed to change. That wide-eyes sweetheart that had bounded over to us seemed to be replaced by a quiet woman who regarded me with some level of disdain.
“Well you’ve met both Jun and Heather, but it’s Heather who you seem to be cosying up to” She replied curtly.
I let out a startled laugh.
“No, Heather and I? No way. Heather doesn’t even seem like she’s into me. She’s the one who defended me from…” I started but I caught myself before I recounted the incident with Ms Jun.
Amber raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. It was only now that I noticed how beautiful Amber was. Blond hair styled in a neat pixie cute, broad shoulders looking regal in the simple white blouse, black waistcoat and lack slacks, matched with black loafers. The attire of many baristas, but it looked almost princely on her.
Amber popped the broken piece of bread into her mouth before briefly looking away, only to snap back on to me, as if she had check to see if anyone was within hearing distance.
“I know what happened. And now that you have a bit of…history with Heather, don’t get it in your head to rely too heavily on her; it’s not very…proffessional” Amber warned in a low, clipped voice.
My eyes went wide.
Was she…telling me… how to behave?
I leaned back and crossed my arms, glaring right back at her.
“Says the girl who practically dissolves every time Heather touches you” I smirked.
I leaned in, my smile spreading across my face “Just say you like her instead of trying to play mind games with me”
A faint blush rose up Amber’s cheeks and she seemed like she was about to protest, but the sound of heels approached stopped her in her tracks.
“Here, I got us some sausage rolls and an egg sandwich. We need protein, not just milk buns, you little Jun-obsessed woman” Heather said from behind me as she approached us and set down a tray. There were three sausage rolls and three egg sandwiches.
Heather put down a cup of orange juice in front of Amber, then a Latte for me, and a dark roast for herself.
Amber muttered a meek thank you, before shooting me an angrily look, which I countered with a roll of my eyes.
“Is…everything ok?” Heather asked, looking between us.
“Oh yeah, we’re fine, Amber was just telling me how luck I am to have you as a boss” I replied, smirking a little.
Amber kicked me under the table, not hard, just warningly, which only made me grin and wink at her.
“Oh, thank you Amber, I didn’t know you think so highly of me,” Heather said warmly with a calm smile, reaching out to ruffle Amber’s hair again.
The cold, icy exterior which had been directed at me seemed to dissolve under Heather’s attention. A soft smile spread across Amber’s face and it was like the woman who had been scrutinizing me melted away, and some pretty little barista was left in her place, gazing up at Heather like she was her entire world.
I rolled my eyes and decided that whatever was Amber’s problem? It was no longer my problem.
Clearly the girl had some unrequited love for the other woman.
As we ate, I looked around and realized that there were some kitchen staff running the ovens and serving out the pastries for others to help themselves with, while others were sitting around and peacefully eating their breakfast.
“Sorry, this might be a rude question, but how come some of the kitchen staff are working, and others are eating?” I asked as I took a bite from my sausage roll.
“Not at all, this is your first day; please ask any and all questions you might have so that I can bring you up to speed” Heather replied immediately as she cradled her mug of black coffee with her long manicured fingers.
“So we have two shifts. A day shift that starts at 8 am to 3 pm, and an evening shift that starts from 4 pm to 11 pm. After that, we have the night shift which starts from 2 am to 9 am. The night shift comes in staggered, based on what they specialize in and how much time they can each commit. We run an attachment program that provides elite chefs to join in and elevate their skills by working under our lead chef and CEO, Ruby Jun, who has won countless awards and is a world-renowned chef in her own right”
“Wow…I had no idea Ms Jun was so talented” I gasped, leaning forward, engaged as I listened to Heather talk about how the kitchens worked.
Heather smiled proudly “She is. This is the reason why our little cafe has customers all year round, no matter the season. People come from everywhere to try a bit of Ruby’s genius. Aside from the cake, you really should try the cuisine we offer. We might not boast ratings like high end restaurants, but our food is world-class never-the-less”
I leaned back, tapping my finger to me lip as I quickly committed this information to memory.
“So the cafe doubles up as a training centre for elite chefs? That is intense” I said thoughtfully.
Heather nodded as she took another sip of her coffee.
“The dough we make for all the buns and bread needs to go through a very specific fermentation and proofing, and it requires a certain level of expertise that we don’t expect from our regular kitchen crew. They also handle the pre-frying and even drying of the ingredients that we use in our recipes.
By separating the prep work from the actual baking that starts at about 8 am, we ensure that every day we can provide fresh and delicious food for our customers without overworking our precious crew, who work so diligently and tirelessly for us. This leaves the day crew to focus on café food production”, Heather explained as she took a sip of her coffee “In order to avoid compromising the quality, we hire the elites chefs for that position rather than have they sign up as students, as it requires a lot of skill and very little room for error, so we need them to be committed for the time that they are with us”.
“Wow that is incredible,” I said as I turned my head and watched as the diligent crew continued to work. The practiced hands efficiently provided buns and other pastries for the hungry staff in the morning; acting as an invaluable asset to the cafe and the backbone of it’s operation. “Not to be rude but, why would a top chef want to work for a small café for shift work in the wee hours of the morning?”
Heather tore off a piece of her egg bun and popped it in her mouth, thinking for a bit before answering.
“Being in the Food & Beverage industry, no matter what stage or expertise you are, if you have learned everything you need to learn at that point, things can get boring without challenges. Every chef wants to make their mark, or they want to push themselves to try something different” Heather explained, setting down the now empty mug and reaching for her eg bun again.
“We get a lot of applications from budding new chefs at elite schools who want a place to get paid to practice their bread-making, seasoned chefs who want something to do during their retirement, or even ambitious mid-career chefs who are looking to expand their portfolio by taking on extra shifts after their work, in a new environment. Those who are able to pass our simple 12 sample baking audition are given a placement no matter at what stage of their career they are; however, it is Ms. Jun herself who oversees the auditions, and she is more than happy to kick even a seasoned chef to the curb if she is unsatisfied with the work” Heather explained and then shrugged
“I really don’t care, my job here is just to make sure that everyone gets paid and leaves on time because I really hate writing up Overtime payment work slips” she added, popping a piece of the egg bun she had torn off into her mouth.
“Oh so that’s why the contract includes two lines which didn’t quite make sense, the first one being Do not work more than the exact length of your shift and the second one was Please leave five minutes before your shift, you will still get paid in full. Are these rules put in place so that you can ensure that you don’t have to deal with overtime?” I asked, shaking my head “To avoid having to deal with different shifts overlapping and getting confusing?”.
“Exactly, but that is putting it nicely. In all honesty, I just don’t like to deal with extra work and it’s easier to make sure I don’t have any, if no one else does” Heather said smugly, as if she had somehow cracked the code.
“Yeah Heather once dropped me off at my apartment after work because I had stayed overtime to help out with one of the events Jun’s Café hosted, and she even invited herself over to sleep in my apartment, and told me that it was ‘cause it was too much work to drive herself home. She even slept in my bed because she said it was too much work to bring down the extra futon that my dad put up in the upper futon cupboard” Amber said wryly, cleaning her lips with a napkin.
“Heather, if you really wanna be honest, just say you are lazy,” Amber said, though not harshly, just matter-of-factly.
I blinked, and then I raised an eyebrow at Heather.
“You just…let yourself into an employee’s apartment and slept there…you know that’s kind of a power play. Sounds like that could have become a HR issue, especially the sleeping together part” I said cautiously.
Amber’s face turned bright red and Heather choked on her egg bread.
“N-No nothing happened, I just mean…” Amber piped up, looking from me to Heather.
I stared at Heather though. Her eyes darted away as if she was hiding something as she grabbed a nearby bottle of water to wash down the piece of bread.
I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.
Ah…so this is why Ms. Jun and Heather are business partners…
Ms. Jun is not the only predator at the table.
“Hey, don’t look at me like that. Nothing happened, and I drove us to work the next day, so it worked out to her benefit as well,” Heather said, trying to defend herself, although her ears noticeably turning bright red as well.
“Yeah, and it was really nice to have company~! It was the first time getting so squished while I was sleeping,” Amber beamed, while drinking her orange juice.
I kicked Heather under the table immediately.
Heather sheepishly looked away and said nothing.
“Amber, next time you need a lift home, let me know, and I’ll help you get a cab,” I said shaking my head, “ And you, maybe start writing a police report about yourself, taking advantage of staff on duty just cause you are supposedly too lazy to drive yourself home is not an excuse. Take a cab to a nearby hotel. What kind of example are you setting for your staff? One of these days you’re gonna end up getting confessed to unexpectedly and it’ll be your fault cause you encouraged it” I chided Heather.
“Hey…Heather can stay over my place anytime” Amber said, glaring at me.Her large green eyes framed by her golden locks, flashed angrily as I clearly was trying to step in between of several red flags that she didn’t know she was tolerating.
I sighed and shook my head. Amber looked like an adorable pixie that just flew in from a land of baked goods and sweet treats, with icing sugar dusting her lips and her nose. It was no wonder Heather leaned into the attention Amber gave her, who wouldn’t want a cute little barista fawning over them?
“Amber, you can see Heather every day, but if she is blurring the lines with you, it’s a red fl-” I started to explain.
“Alright, alright!” Heather suddenly cut in, waving her hand as if to ward off my input.
“ I’ll try not to stay over at Amber’s… I admit it was not the most responsible thing I did at the time” She wais, running a had through her long brown locks, for the first time I met her, looking a little unsure of herself.
Then that cool, calm mask slid right back into place, self-assurance oozing off of her.
“However I’m not apologizing for that day. I was tired, and it’s a long drive home, and I was drunk. Amber kindly left out that part. The very act of driving her home was fine as I had only had one or two drinks, but we continued to drink at her place, and at that point, it wasn’t safe anymore” Heather explained firmly.
My eyes snapped to Amber who just rolled her eyes at me.
“She wanted a bit of sake” Amber said softly, but I could see the wheels turning behind those large green eyes.
I let out and exasperated sigh and decided to just drop it. These two clearly had history, though it didn’t seem to have progressed beyond just one-sided love.
“It’s ok, Sarah; Heather can stay overnight at my place anytime; I like watching her sleep; she’s sexy,” Amber added and giggled to herself.
Heather’s face went pale and I laughed so hard I dropped the last bit of my sausage roll.
“What? Did I say something funny?” Amber asked, cramming the last milk bun into her mouth.
Heather grabbed the empty basket and got up, walking away quickly, clearly a little shaken at the idea of Amber watching her sleep that night.
“Ah well, working here is going to be quite interesting, it seems.” I grinned.
Amber shrugged as her eyes followed Heather’s retreating figure.
“Oh it’s going to be interesting alright, maybe having you around might be a good thing,” She said after swallowing the milk bun, large green eyes returning back to me, “Welcome to Café Jun”
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