“Probably in some episodes, but we have that apprenticeship lined up, so he’ll stay in France once we’re done filming there.”
“That must be a great opportunity, getting to work in France like that?” Izzy feigned innocence, but kept an eye on Wyatt as he listened to Del’s answer.
“Oh yes, and the pastry chef he’s going to apprentice under is the number one in the world, currently. It’s definitely something not just everyone can get. He’ll of course still have to pass the basic tests the chef will set for him, just to see his base level, so to speak, but Wyatt has been cooking since he was little, so he’ll have no problems with that sort of thing.” Again, the pride made Del’s voice different.
“Hey, Lettie said Jimmy came to the house?” Justin asked suddenly, and Izzy remembered a white guy that screamed former-white-supremacist-trying-to-do-better from the greenhouses.
Wyatt cleared his throat and sat up a little. “Uh, yeah. His girlfriend is pregnant and they wanted cupcakes for a baby shower. I’m going to make them for them.”
“That’s nice. I know they’re having some money issues, so it’s great they have someone like you to ask.”
For a moment, Izzy wondered what that meant. It could’ve been a slight to Wyatt’s skills, but it didn’t feel like that.
“Wyatt charges for only the ingredients if the person making the order is low income,” Del explained for Izzy’s comfort.
“Yes, and charges the rightful cost of his excellent skills if the person is wealthy,” Justin said with some not at all hidden glee.
Wyatt ducked his head and blushed again, his long hair falling to cover his face, but not before Izzy saw how pleased he looked.
“Do you do other things or just cupcakes and cookies?” Izzy asked as he reached for another piece of the obviously homemade garlic bread.
“Yeah, I make cakes. I do anything from simple ones like cheesecakes to big wedding cakes. It’s really something I like to do. I’ve been thinking about learning about different kinds of breads next,” Wyatt said, a spark in his eye that definitely wasn’t there before. Then he seemed to catch up to what he’d just said, and deflated just a tiny bit. “But I guess we’ll see.”
“I love bakeries,” Izzy said. “I used to live a block from one as a kid and the baker was a friend of my dad’s. He used to give me treats and fresh bread to take home. It was really nice.” It had felt like a safe place, up until he was uprooted at nine when his parents divorced and Mom pulled him away from everything he’d ever known.
“Yeah, they’re awesome. Those little neighborhood ones, especially. Did you know that in some places, whenever a business space becomes available close to a bakery, there can be bidding wars when people want to get their businesses close to one? Because people love the scent of freshly baked goods so much?” Wyatt babbled with enthusiasm again, and Izzy found it…lovely.
“I didn’t know that, but it honestly makes so much sense. I don’t think I’ve ever walked past a bakery and not smiled at the scent.”
Wyatt flashed him a shy smile, and something inside Izzy warmed significantly.
“So, Lettie, how are the dogs doing?” Del asked, and Lettie put her fork down, looked at her dad—that was what the kids called him it seemed—and began to explain every dog’s progress in detail.
* * * *
After dinner, Izzy insisted on helping to clear the table, and Justin and Lettie helped him while Wyatt ran off to somewhere. Del went to answer another call, which made Justin a bit tense.
It couldn’t be easy to know that your lover would leave for months soon. It was obvious how happy and in love they were, and it made something inside Izzy restless in a way that he couldn’t exactly define. It seemed a shame, that was all.
“You could go with him for a while?” he blurted out, making Justin snap his gaze to him.
Then Justin smiled slightly. “I guess so. I just haven’t really…I have so much to do here, you know? The kids could deal of course, but with Wyatt going too, it’d leave Lettie here on her own since she’s got school.”
Lettie huffed. “I’m not a kid, Justin.”
“I know you’re not, but still. Leaving the business too, even for a week or two…”
Izzy wondered if Justin knew he’d said “if” Wyatt goes and how much he actually sounded like he wanted to go for a bit himself.
“I guess there’s still time.” Then something possessed him, some weird feeling he had about Wyatt and his behavior, and he asked, “So Wyatt’s big on the simple stuff, huh?”
Justin opened his mouth, then closed it and gave him an assessing look. “I guess you can put it like that, yeah.”
Neither of them continued the conversation from that, but Izzy felt like he’d done something that might’ve been good. He just didn’t know how exactly yet.
