Blossom wasnât one for Carol Singing, not really. But she knew that they were attempting to raise some money for the shelters around the town, so she was part of her Biology class volunteers to go around some of the neighbourhoods to raise money and sing. Even though Blossomâs singing was definitely not worth giving money for.
She even had a cute little Christmas outfit, the leggings with the little Christmas tree smock was just festive enough that she could enjoy the snow rather than frown at the Californian weather. It did call for a small heat up after being out, which meant a stop of at Baxterâs before she headed home to get off her feet.
And the smell of the awesome baked goods just meant that maybe she should treat herself to a little bite too.
Audrey was inside the cafe behind the counter. She had the place super staffed--basically, anyone who wanted hours at this time of year got them; because everyone needed a little extra cash for the holidays--so she wasnât actually working. She was holding Bea, who was what, a few months old now? And introduced the baby to every customer who came through the door.
âBlossom!â Audrey grinned brightly when the younger redhead came in. Of course she remembered the girlâs name! She remembered many of her customersâ names. And redheads had to stick together, right? (Also, Blossom? What an amazing name.) âHappy Holidays! I love your sweater!â
âHey! Happy Holidays to you too!â It was a nice all inclusive greeting, Blossom liked it, she wasnât a Christian purist by any measures. âOh my gosh is this your little girl?â Blossom loved babies, and fawning over them, and making them laugh, she loved when babies laughed. âHey little girl, arenât you a pretty thing, yeah you are!â Also, the baby talk was unavoidable.
âIt smells so good in here, I wanna just gobble it all up.â But no, just one treat and a nice hot drink, no binge cookie eating until after Christmas day.
âThis is Bea!â Audrey said, turning a little so that Blossom could get a good look at the baby. âCan you believe I made this? Inside my belly.â It was a very strange thing to say, but hey, Audrey was really proud. Really proud. The baby was pretty perfect.
The baker loved it when people praised the smells and flavors inside her bakery. Her grin spread brightly. âI know that feeling. You can tell by looking at my thighs! Ha! What can I get for you?â
âHi Bea!â Blossom was happy to stand and let the little girl grasp on her finger, Blossom shaking it up and down while making some noises just because. âSheâs adorable, I definitely believe she came from you.â And how babies came onto the world was marvellous, there wasnât a lot of mystery regarding the process, not if you were an informed young woman like Blossom was, but it was a pretty amazing occurrence all the same.
âMy dad always says, never trust a skinny baker. So I think you just prove that this is indeed the rule.â Blossom wasnât really part of that âskinny = prettyâ thing, and she thought that curves were a naturally occurring instance of bodies. âBesides, you have a baby to keep healthy, who cares about thighs.â Audrey was far too beautiful a woman to worry about her size. âUm, can I get a latte and maybe a muffin? Iâm going carol singing, I donât want anything too heavy in case I get all dry throaty.â That would not make her sub-par singing any better.
Audrey laughed. It was amazing how friendly the baby was. Both of her kids, actually. They definitely took after their parents. Which was also a little nerve-wracking, because the magic thing would kick in and Audrey and Merlin would certainly have their hands full! The baby gurgled playfully at the bright-eyed, fire-haired woman and then broke into a huge, drooly grin.
âHa! I think your dad is onto something there.â Audrey said, beaming at the younger woman. âGood point. I just make for a softer cuddler, thatâs all.â She winked. There was something to be said for giving a soft, warm hug. She was a mom, after all. Wasnât that a requirement? âAbsolutely. What kind of muffin?â Audrey lifted her wand and magicâd the pen to write Blossomâs order on a cup, then moved to the pastry case to grab the young womanâs snack.
See, the Professor was smart with more than just science stuff. And that was totally important in a dad. âHow about a blueberry?â That sounded fine, and she could nibble as she went so she kept her energy okay and didnât get too cold from it all. She was planning ahead, look at her go. âEven if all I wanna do now is stay here and soak up the heat and smell.â Was there anything better than the smell of coffee and baking?
âBlueberry it is.â Audrey pulled the pastry out with a set of tongs and put it into a bag. See? Sanitary. Not that her hands were dirty, but yâknow. Laws and stuff. She moved back over to hand the bag to Blossom. âWell, you know youâre welcome to stay as long as you like, honey.â She gave a warm smile to her customer. âLet me make your drink, though, and you can get on your way. Iâm sure youâve got important things to do.â
âJoy to spread, ears to assault.â For the most part, Blossomâs singing wasnât that bad certainly, but goodness she wasnât the best by any means. âIf we donât finish too late I might convince everyone to come back for hot chocolate or some teas or something, itâll be nice to warm up somewhere homey too.â And Blossom really liked the smell of the bakery in general.
âHey, weâd love to have you back afterward! Though, I may have to insist upon a serenade.â Audrey teased back. She was putting together the drink quickly, and slid it across the counter to the younger woman. âDrink, pastry, is there anything else I can get for you?â Otherwise she could finish up the transaction and send Blossom on her way.
âDrink, pastry, I am set!â Blossom just gave another grin for the decidedly fun, happy woman, âThanks so much, and we will most likely stop in.â Paying for her drink and muffin, dropping extra in for the tip jar because everyone worked so hard and Blossom really loved this place.
âSo weâll see you later, there will be singing! Although I canât promise itâll be good.â But it would be festive, and jolly, that was important.