"Time?!""U-Uhm... 8:15, chef!"Levi nodded to himself as he meticulously decorated the top of a boston cream donut with oreo cookie crumbles. Taking a step back, Levi put his hands on his hips and smiled proudly to himself.
"Perfect. That's the last one! And we've still got plenty time to spare, see? Better safe than sorry!" He grinned and turned towards his fellow coworker, a young man named Nathan who was about the age of nineteen and had been assisting Levi since about six in the morning. The young man nodded back in response, a sheepish smile on his face. No doubt he was exhausted from all the work, but Levi's energy so early in the morning was difficult to keep up with in and of itself, plus Levi's energy levels never seemed to waver.
Satisfied, Levi carefully placed his newest pastry onto some wax paper and carried it to the walk-in cooler for storage. As he placed the donut down, Levi took a moment to admire the entirety of his masterpiece. Sprawled across nearly every shelf were several dozen different varieties of unique donuts that Levi himself had spent the previous night and this entire morning working on. These were no ordinary donuts, either! Oreo Boston Cream, Maple Bacon Bar, Cheesecake stuffed, S'mores glazed, Peanut Butter & Jelly, plus some regular donuts for those who weren't so adventurous. Levi had spent many hours crafting unique creations that would catch peoples eye and surprise their taste buds. He had woken up at nearly 4am to come to the cafe and get the ovens firing, as he knew it would take much time to bake this many donuts and have everything be ready by the time the festival started. Sure, he overshot the time and he could've let himself sleep for at least another two hours. Not to mention he would most definitely start crashing by 3pm, but who cared?! Not Levi - that's what coffee was for! He was determined to put together something fun for the festival that the cafe had never done before. Plus, if there was one thing Levi was passionate about - it was pastries!
"Alright!" Levi left the walk-in cooler to see Nathan on his phone, clearly trying to take a break from all the hustle that Levi had him doing from the very start of his shift.
"Let's start bringing these out by fives to present to people at the register, in the cooler." Nathan quickly straightened up and put his phone into his back pocket.
"Yes, chef. On it!""Be careful with my babies now..... or you're fired!" Levi paused, watching Nathan with a straight face who looked back at him with confusion, wondering if he was serious. Levi chuckled to himself and began to wash his hands off in the sink.
"I'll be careful, don't worry!"Drying his hands off on his light blue colored apron, which was currently speckled with flour patches, Levi left the kitchen to go check on business at the front of the cafe. He was happy to see that people were already steadily flowing into the establishment for coffee and a quick breakfast. The Cozy Bear was fortunate in that it was located right on Main street which is where the festival happened every year, so even without the donuts the cafe was bound to be bustling with business during the event. This time of year was typically the most profitable for the cafe. Still, Levi wanted to do something special. What was a festival without outrageous food?!
"You doing okay up here, Alice? Do you need any help?" He circled around the back of the register where the woman was taking an order from a man who was ordering an everything bagel and tea. Hearing the mans accent, Levi eyed him over curiously.
"I'm okay, Levi. Thank you!""Ohhh, you're that guy, huh?" Levi leaned against the register counter, a playful smirk on his lips as he addressed the man. He did not know his name, but Levi knew of him. The man with the heavy accent who put up a night club in a country town. He was the talk of many people in town.
"The business guy, right? Uh, What's it called again? Uh... Eu.. Eulogy? No, that can't be it... Eugenics?" Levi looked up as if he was trying hard to recall the name of the club.
"Ah, you know what I'm talking about. How are you liking Sanctuary?" He grabbed a large cup and began to pour out the tea that the man ordered while the woman at the register went to the back to grab a bagel. Levi in truth knew what the club was called, but what was the fun in that? Putting three sugars into the tea, Levi put a top on the tea and slid it across the counter to the man. As Alice returned with the mans bagel, he gently took it from her and slid that over to the man as well.
"This one's on the house. Welcome to town."