My alarm clock blares and I groan as I pull one pillow over my head. It is already 4AM, the usual time I've had to get up since I began working at the small bakery in town. I doubted I would ever get used to starting my day before sunrise, but there was never any shortage of baking and preparing to be done before it opened.
We weren't exactly what I would call the biggest town in the world, but business was always booming, which was pretty impressive for such an out-of-the-way hole in the wall.
On top of working there, I also attended culinary school part-time, a stepping stone to someday running my own bakery or restaurant. Most days, my best friend, Kayla, who also worked in the service industry, as a bartender, just a few blocks away, stopped by during my lunch break.
One rainy morning, during an unusually slow period, I am arranging the pastry displays, when Kayla blows in, her excitement palpitating.
"You're not going to believe this, but word around town is that a movie is filming around here with some pretty well-known stars."
"Oh yeah? Like who?" I ask absentmindedly, while clearing away the tables, balancing stacks of dirty plates left behind by the breakfast crowd on one arm.
"I don't remember all that many, but I'm pretty sure that one of them is Justin Hartley. Now, he's HOT!" Kayla exclaims.
"True, he's pretty cute," I say nonchalantly, not wanting to sound too much like an immature fangirl.
"Pretty cute? Admit it, he's damn sexy."
"Let's be realistic, I'm too old to be pining over celebrities," I say, wiping my hands on my apron after dropping the dishes away in the kitchen.
"Nobody says you have to hang posters of him on your bedroom wall, but actually getting HIM in your bedroom, now, that's a different story," Kayla says, wiggling her eyebrows. "Maybe he'll just drop by one of these days."
"Why would he even come here? There's probably catering services on the set," I argue, refusing to allow myself to become too hopeful or expectant.
A few days later, the shop is bustling. I am so busy trying to get through the line of customers waiting to order, that I barely have time to look up. When I do, I am left speechless by who is standing in front of me.
"Hi," none other than Justin Hartley says with a beaming smile. "Just a coffee for me, please. Black."
I punch in the total and enter the change amount in the register. Still not having said a word, he must surely think that I am a complete simpleton. My first impression is that he seems pretty nice and down to earth, not at all snobby or demanding like I imagined most celebrities to be. By the time I hand him his coffee, I have somewhat recovered enough to say,
"So it's true. There IS a movie filming here. That's pretty unheard of in this neck of the woods."
"Now that you mention it, I don't think I've ever heard of this place before. But it's nice to film somewhere different than the usual big cities."
I am about to say something else, when a few customers are waving to get my attention and I have to excuse myself before heading towards their table.
After I finish taking care of what the customers requested, Justin starts walking towards the exit, but turns before leaving,
"Maybe I'll come back some other time, when you're less busy. No, not maybe, more like definitely. I'd really like to talk with you a bit longer."
I smile shyly, "I'd love that. And I'll hold you to it."
Justin starts heading out, when Kayla appears, almost running into him. He quickly jumps out of the way and holds the door open for her as she enters like the wind blew her in.
When she finally realizes who it is, she does a double-take,
"Oh, hello! Please don't tell me I'm too late for the introductions."
Justin laughs, shakes his head and waves,
"Let's keep the introductions for next time," he says before stepping out on the sidewalk and disappearing out of view.
"I can't believe he actually showed up, and he's a real gentleman, too."
"What did you do?" I ask her, with mock accusation.
"Just a bit of promotional advertising," she confesses, looking quite proud of herself. "So, did you get his number?
'Whoa, whoa, I literally met him like 30 minutes ago. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Besides, he's probably already taken. A guy that good-looking can't possibly be single."
"Or if he is single, I'm sure you could change that by turning on the charm. Try to notice next time, if he's not wearing a ring, that already gives you a 50% chance."
The next day, I find myself looking up towards the door every time people walk in, my heart sinking when it's someone else. It is almost closing time when Justin shows up, and I am surprised at just how happy that makes me. Kayla does get to meet him this time, and we all chat for a bit, although it seems like the conversation is mostly between him and I, I become worried that Kayla will feel like a third wheel.
He seems to stop by on a daily basis now, not that I'm complaining, especially when he confides,
"I love this place. It has great food, great service, and this one girl, Brigitte, well she ain't too bad, herself," he says, almost timidly. "As a matter of fact, I'd say she was the best thing on the menu," he adds, turning flirtatious. "See, you distract me so much, I forgot the other reason why I came here in the first place. I'm supposed to bring a batch of cupcakes back to the set."
After preparing and handing him the box containing a dozen fresh cupcakes, Justin reaches out,
"Don't move, you have a bit of frosting on your cheek... right there," he dabs at the creamy, colorful substance with his thumb and then slowly brings it up to his mouth, making slight sucking sounds, and I wonder if he's doing it purposefully.
