InsaneJournal

Who: Annabeth Chase and Audrey Baxter
When: Early June (after the frost)
Where: Baxter Bakery
What: Working/Checking in/Preparing for the Scotland trip
Rating/Warning: Low/None
Status: Complete when posted!


Audrey finished some paperwork that she was doing in the back room. She’d put a fan up in her office blowing air AT the door, trying to fend off the smells coming from the bakery. They were making her feel more and more sick, so she was fighting against them. But eventually she had to come out through the kitchen and into the main lobby of the cafe. She glanced at her employees, looking a bit green. “Do we have any ginger tea?”

“I think so, I can make you a cup,” Annabeth offered immediately as she got a good look at her boss, “You okay?” She definitely looked a little green, so ginger tea was a good idea. Before she got an answer she moved to look through the tea cupboard and find a package of ginger tea leaves and grabbed some water to heat up. Hopefully it wasn’t anything contagious because Annabeth didn’t want to be sick with anything during her summer vacation.

“A bit green, that’s all.” Audrey said the thing they were both thinking. “...no big deal.” She moved over to sit on one of the stools that they had behind the counter. There was a saying that Audrey had heard a lot; If you have time to lean, you have time to clean. But she hated it. Sometimes it was slow, and there was very, very little--if anything--to do. Once the counters were cleaned and cases were stocked, it was okay to sit and chat a bit. She was laid back like that. “When does school end, Annabeth?” She asked, leaning back against the wall.

Once the water was finished boiling she poured it over the tea bag that was resting in a mug and handed it over. She knew Audrey knew that it had to steep for a while, so she didn’t bother saying that part of it, “Here ya go. And school ended last month. We get out pretty early for colleges around here. I’ve been trying to pick up a few more shifts here and there, so feel free to start scheduling me more.” The more work the better because she wanted to have enough money to survive during the school year when her hours would decrease once again.

“Thank you,” Audrey said, accepting the mug. It already smelled wonderful, but would take a little more time to steep to a pleasant taste. She lifted it to breathe in the steam, and then lowered it again to set on the counter. “Oh, that’s good. I can use the extra hours.” She added, giving her employee a smile. “And you’ve got your passport all sussed out for the Scotland trip?”

“Yup! I just got it in the mail a couple days ago. My old one expired so I had to get a new one. I am so excited about this! I can’t believe we all get to go,” Annabeth couldn’t wait for the trip. It would be so exciting and glamorous to work on a wedding like this. And it was worth it to be able to bring Percy along. This summer was going to be great.

“Of course! I don’t think I could do it without you guys. I need my crew, you know?” Audrey said, giving Annabeth a bright smile. “I’m going to need all the help I can get.” She added, leaning back a bit in her chair. “I’ve never catered anything like this before. I’ve got the menu settled, but I’ve still got to work out how many man hours it’ll take to get everything prepared for the big day.”

“Oh no worries, I’m sure all of us that are able to go are more than willing to help you out with anything you may need. You employee us and we are happy to serve. Besides, I don’t think anyone would pass up a trip somewhere cool in exchange for working. I’ve never had to cater anything like this before, so it will definitely be a learning experience,” and something fun to tell her friends at school about when they all gathered up again for the fall semester, “So, don’t worry, we totally have your back.”

“I can’t tell you how much that means to me,” Audrey said, giving her employee and friend a smile. “We may have to do a couple of trial runs… get the crew in here and practice making the dishes on a smaller scale.” She shrugged her shoulders. “Think I could tempt a few people here with the promise of a good dinner?”

“Yes! I would totally come in for a free dinner. Heck, maybe I can convince Percy to come and help us out even though he doesn’t work here. He’ll be coming with on the trip, so maybe make him earn his trip by helping,” Annabeth nodded eagerly at the idea. She would totally help Audrey out any way she could and prepping for this event was a very good idea. They definitely didn’t want to mess anything up for this wedding.

“We’ve got a lot of boyfriends, girlfriends and husbands or wives coming along on the trip,” Audrey said, obviously thrilled at the idea. Merlin was going to help with some magic stuff so they didn’t have to pay full price for travel. ...or anything. Magic made for instant travel. It was pretty awesome. “I’m sure they all wouldn’t mind giving a hand. Or, at least they’ll have someone to hang out with while the rest of us are working.”

“Perfect. I will make sure to text him and talk to him about it and let you know,” she turned to look over her shoulder and noticed that there was a crowd starting to form, “Oh! I better get back out there and go help out the other cashier. Don’t worry too much about the trip, it will be amazing. We will do a great job because you make amazing food.”

“Oh, yes.” Audrey said, giving Annabeth a smile and a nod. She was such a good employee. Audrey was lucky to have her. “Good. Thank you very much, Annabeth. For everything. But especially for the tea.” She lifted it, gave a cheers, and then turned to head back into her office. She had some paperwork to finish. And, possibly, a nap to take.