audrey (bidabble) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2016-08-10 13:32:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, audrey, isabelle lightwood |
Who: Izzy and Audrey
When: Late June
Where: Baxter Bakery
What: Catching up
Rating/Warnings: Low/None
Status: Complete when posted
Audrey sent Izzy a note to come and meet her at Baxter Bakery so the pair could check in with one another. It’d been a while since they’d had a pow wow and Audrey wanted to check in and make sure that Izzy was doing well. They could also talk about Audrey’s maternity leave, coming up quick!
She was in the back, rolling out some sugar cookie dough. There was a bowl full of different, summery shapes they could cut, bake, then decorate together. Audrey smiled as she worked, waiting for the younger woman to arrive.
Izzy had found it challenging but fun running BB2, it was doing well bringing in a good profit and she had a good flow of regular and new customers. The atmosphere was nice and she was making it hers while still keeping to Baxter’s ideals.
“Hey Aud” she said as she made her way into the back of the bakery, “Mmm smells good, sugar cookies?” she asked, moving to put her bag down and wash her hands so she could join in.
Audrey couldn’t be prouder of the Baxter Bakery Empire the pair of them were growing. Izzy was doing a wonderful job keeping with the same themes and feel of the original location, but putting her own spin on it and making it fresh and new. Audrey still kept oversight on the products sold at both bakeries, but she left almost all of the design decisions (and all of the personnel decisions) to Izzy.
She looked up and smiled as the other came into the back room. “Sugar cookies. I’ve got about eight colors of royal icing, I thought we’d play while we talked.”
Izzy was extremely grateful for the chances Audrey had given her, not just taking her on as an apprentice but also believing in her as a manager. It made her feel proud and confident.
“Have I ever told you how much I love our meetings?” Izzy said with a grin, pushing her sleeves up before coming to stand next to Audrey to help. After all the lessons and time they spent together while Izzy was learning they worked well together.
Audrey laughed, grinning brightly as she motioned toward the bowl of cookie cutters. “I do, too.” Then she finished rolling out the dough and grabbed for an umbrella shaped cutter. Her plan was to make brightly covered beach umbrellas, sand buckets, and starfish for the display. “How are things going at BB2?” She asked, starting to cut out the umbrellas.
Izzy got started too, pulling out the cutter for starfish and cutting out shapes from the second lot of dough Audrey had already rolled out.
“Things are going great, I’ve brought a contract with me for you to look over because we’ve been asked to cater a beach party a few local charities are holding on July 4th” Their second location being slightly closer to a large beach was apparently working out well.
“Hey, that’s amazing! I’ll definitely look it over.” Audrey was able to get a dozen umbrellas out of the dough she’d just rolled. She started to carefully move them to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. “I was thinking about doing some special things for July 4th, but I didn’t get around to it in time. Sugar cookies shaped like stars topped with Pop Rocks? That’s special enough, right?”
“Thanks” Izzy said, hoping Audrey would be happy with it, it wasn’t as high a value as it usually would be since it was a charity but it covered their working costs with a little extra. “I think so, and we can do any shapes with red, white and blue icing and people would easily associate them. Maybe even flag shaped ones and red, white and blue cake pops?” she suggested.
“Cake pops!” Audrey beamed. “I love cake pops. The kids love them, too. You know we always sell out of cake pops when we make them. It’s just labor intensive, so we don’t do it that often.” Surely Izzy knew all about that. “I just wish we could figure out how to make them quicker.”
“It is labor intensive but they are a good seller” Izzy said, “I’ll look into it, I mean there must be a way to make the process easier and faster” She’d do a little research and find out.
“Sounds great.” Audrey said, nodding. She put the first batch of shapes into the oven and set a timer, then set about rolling out the dough again for another batch. “I’ll be taking maternity leave fairly soon. I’m due in September… so I’ll be gone September first. And probably going absolutely stir-crazy!”
Izzy nodded as she rolled out the dough for her second batch too, “Do you have anyone in mind for this place or did you want me to manage the two locations while you're away?” Izzy wouldn't mind it would just mean no baking time and more managerial tasks. Not ideal but good experience.
“I think Caroline can handle most of the day-to-day stuff,” Audrey said. She’d been working with the blonde to get her trained up. “But there are a few things where I was hoping you’d check in with her. Hopefully I won’t need more than eight weeks off. I can bring the little one with me in to work, like I did with Ben. But I’m sure Caroline would appreciate having the extra help for those couple of months.” She paused. “I have to run all this by her, though. See if she even wants to help manage the place while I’m gone.”
“Of course. Just let me know, I mean I can definitely check in with her and make sure she’s okay with everything. I remember how nerve wracking it can be” Izzy smiled, the first time Audrey had gone on maternity leave when she had Ben had been quite an experience. But a good one in the end.
Audrey chuckled. “I’m still around, though. Even when I’m home with the baby. I can be reached almost literally twenty-four hours per day. The chances are likely that I’ll be awake with the little one when the text comes in, no matter what time it is.” She finished rolling the second dough, and started cutting again. Different shapes this time. These were going to be very cute, summery cookies.
“I know but you should be resting and enjoying time with the baby when she arrives” Izzy said, it was important that Audrey take time out. “Anything we can’t handle we’ll set up a time to come see you about it but other than that we’ll sort everything we can and anything else can wait”
“You’re so sweet.” Audrey said, giving her a smile. “I know you will. But I’m still around. And as little sleep as I’m sure I’ll be getting, I’d love to have a distraction every once in a while. I’ll surely be texting and facechatting and scrapbooking or whatever all those silly social media things are.”
Izzy laughed, “I get texting but the others even I’m not up on, I wonder if that makes me old before my time or something?” she pondered, social media wasn’t really a big thing for her other than the usual routes that most people had anyway. She used the network more than anything else. “But I promise to give you regular updates so you don’t go mad”
“No, I don’t think that makes you old.” Audrey said, laughing a little. “If you’re old, then I am, too.” She smiled warmly, finishing up the next batch of cookies and sliding the second tray into the oven. “Good. Regular updates is a good thing.” She paused for a moment. “Maybe we should hire someone to handle all the social media stuff for the bakeries.”
Izzy did the same with her batch before considering what Audrey had said, “That’s actually a really good idea, just someone to do an hour or so a day on all those applications we know nothing about” she grinned, “Maybe Merlin knows someone, I mean he set up our app so he might have an idea of who could do the social media stuff” In Izzy’s eyes it was all kind of the same.
“I’ll ask Merlin. You don’t think we’ve got someone on staff already who could take on the title?” Audrey asked. She started to tidy up their work area now all the cookies were in the oven. It was so much easier now she was more confident with her magic. One swish and the cleaning rags went about cleaning on their own. Then she started sorting through frosting choices and toppings. Royal icing and sprinkles?
“Not that I can think of but then I’ve never really discussed social media with them much before” she admitted, as she stepped back to allow Audrey to work her, literal, magic. Izzy had a soft spot for the star shaped sprinkles they were always her favourite.
“Maybe it’s time to send out some feelers.” Audrey mused. She tucked her wand away as the things were cleaning themselves up, and passed over some decorations to Izzy. As soon as the cookies were done they could cool them magically, and frost right away. Until then, Audrey slipped onto a stool and opened a bottle of water. (There were plenty should Izzy want one, too.) “I’ll ask Merlin, too.”
“Good idea. I’ll check with my staff too” Izzy said, deciding to grab herself a drink and sit next to Audrey, “I can’t believe she’ll soon be here” she had to comment as she looked at Audrey’s stomach.
“Perfect.” Audrey said, smiling warmly over at Izzy. Then she ran a hand over her belly. “I can’t believe it, too. I mean, it’s really becoming real now! We’ve started to work on the nursery.”
“Please tell me it’s not all covered in pink?” Izzy teased her with a grin, “I demand some green and blue in there”
Audrey laughed. “No. Definitely not covered in pink. I was Hufflepuff, so I’ve put a bunch of yellow and black in there. Unfortunately, it all comes with bumblebees on it and stuff.” She grinned. “A lot of stuff from when Ben was little.”
“Bees look cute on kids though” Izzy said, “I have to admit I’ve noticed the cooler stuff seems to be in the ‘boys’ section of shops, I mean why are they even separate?” she might have wandered around the baby department sometimes to see what she could get when the new baby came.
Audrey chuckled. “That’s very true. They’re cute in almost everything.” She grinned. “I dunno, I think baby girls are supposed to be more cutesy-fluffy, and baby boys are supposed to be more… adorable? Boys get all the cool licensed t-shirts and whatnot. I can find anything Star Wars for Ben, but I haven’t seen anything like that in the girls department.”
“Urgh, I swear if I ever have kids all their stuff is coming from the boys department whether they’re boys or girls” Izzy said, “Until they’re old enough to pick stuff for themselves anyway. The stores need to get with the programme and start giving girls cool stuff too and I don’t mean a pink Princess Leia shirt” she rolled her eyes.
Audrey chuckled. “I know that feeling. I’m sure we’ll just get whatever clothes people want to give her. And hand-me-downs from what Ben used to wear.” She jumped a little at the sound of the timer going off, then turned to pull the cookies out of the oven. They had to cool for a couple minutes on the cooling racks before Audrey and Izzy could ice them.
Izzy nodded happy with that, as a tomboy herself as a child she thought it was important to let kids chose their own path and that included not dressing them in perfect pink clothes just because they were a girl, “I knew you were a cool mom”
Audrey laughed, then cast the charm over the cookies to cool them so they could ice them. Then she put her wand away and got out the icing. “I’m certainly trying to be.” She said, giving Izzy a grin.