Up ahead, the sign for Rébelle Patisserie swung gently back and forth in the autumn breeze. You shouldered your bag and took a fortifying sigh to center yourself before sallying forth.
You were going into the boutique bakery for one reason, and one reason alone. You wanted a job. The "help wanted" sign had only been up for two days, and you were going to go in there and make a place for yourself before anyone else got there first.
You lived cakes, breathed muffin recipes, and spent hours perfecting your galettes. You baked for all the neighborhood events, got cake orders for birthdays and holidays, and it was time you took what you loved to the next level.
Also, you were broke. Dead broke. Need-to-find-a-job-now broke.
You took one more stabilizing breath before opening the door, jumping a little at the bell jangling as you did.
You'd been in a few times before, but not for quite a while. The patisserie looked like it had changed hands since you'd last been here. Everything looked cleaner, more organized. There was a cooler of cakes, a wide deli counter with various plates of sweets, and espresso machine behind the counters, and a checkout stand dominating the left side of the space, and then seating took up the rest.
"Hi! Welcome in." A beautiful woman said from behind the counter. As she moved to come closer you saw that she was very pregnant. The only other person in the patisserie was an extremely tall man with long hair pulled away from his face, icing a cupcake with expert precision.
"Um, Hi. My name is Y/F/N. I'm here to apply for a job."
"Oh." The woman looked confused. "I thought my husband took that down already, I'm afraid we filled the position already."
"Oh." The air went out of you. You hadn't been expecting rejection right from the outset and it was a struggle to fix your face before it looked upset. The woman must have seen it anyways, because she scrambled to fix it.
"Wait, Qui-Gon, can Obi use an assistant in the back?" The tall man gave her a meaningful look but didn't say anything.
"You're right. That didn't work out well for any of us last time. I'm so sorry." She said genuinely. You waved her off.
"It's, um, fine. Do you know of anywhere else that's hiring? I'm desperate."
The woman bit her lip and shook her head. You sighed and waved as you turned around to go, trying not to let the dejection hit you until you got outside. Leaves rolled across your path as you returned the way you came, fighting tears. Oh well, back to your kitchen to make consolation scones and to look up job listing websites.
Three days later, you were walking dejectedly back from you second failed interview since the fiasco at the bakery. As if to remind you, you happened to walk right past the scene of the crime, still too embarrassed to glance inside their windows. You couldn't afford a treat right now anyways, your pocket money was nil. You'd had to use the money you'd been saving for pastry school on emergency medical bills a couple months ago and things were looking dire. If you didn't find a job soon then you'd be in serious trouble.
"Wait!" A faint voice down the block called. It was the heavily pregnant lady from behind the register, waddling as quickly as she could to catch up with you.
"Should you be running?" You walk back to her and she puts her hands on her lower back, panting.
"No, but if it finally gets these two to get a move on, i'll be happy." She said. "But I wanted to tell you, the cashier position opened back up."
"Oh? Can I apply?" You ask.
"No application needed, I'm hiring you."
"...What?" You asked, stunned.
"You come into the store all the time, and you seemed both determined and dependable. I have a feeling we can rely on you."
"Padme?" A tall man with shoulder length hair and a scar over his right eye jogged down the sidewalk towards them. "You ran off, are you all right?"
"My husband, Anakin." Padme smiled sweetly. "Ani, I hired this girl to take my place at the register, since Sabé didn't work out."
"Oh, I see." Anakin put his arm around her shoulders. "Did you talk to Obi-Wan about it?"
"No, I'm pulling my pregnancy card should negotiations ensue." She said.
"Hmm. He's not going to like that, but with the twins due any day and him being the reason Sabé left, he doesn't really get a choice about it, does he?"
"See? Diplomacy." Padme beamed up at him and he leaned down to swoop her into a passionate kiss. You felt like a third-wheel.
"Oh, sorry." Padme and her husband broke apart, remembering you were there. You blushed and averted your eyes.
"Come by the shop tomorrow at 8, we'll get started. Now you-" He looked at his wife. "Get inside before you catch cold." Anakin said, ushering Padme away with his hand at the small of her back. You watched them go, still feeling a little bit dazed at this rapid turn of events. But you had a job. You had a job!
As you turned to continue on your way home, you caught sight of another head poking out the patisserie door. It was a sandy haired man with a beard, and he was frowning deeply. As you watched, Anakin and Padme met him and began to speak. You couldn't hear, but you assumed it was about you. Padme pointed at you and you hustled away, not wanting to be caught staring. But not before the other man's face darkened in anger, making your heart pound a little.
All the times you'd been to the patisserie for a treat, you'd never seen him before. Maybe he was the owner or something. You were probably going to find out all about him tomorrow when you started work.
Work. Work. You did a little skip. Things were going to start looking up.