She nods. “It’s very… realistic.”
“Thanks.” I smile. I’m especially proud of the detail on the wings.
“There is a lot of black and gray,” she adds.
“I mixed the icing myself.” I’d taken notes at Christmas when Mia showed me how they mixed the buttercream and had kept them in my phone.
“Oh.” Finally, she crosses to the long worktable across the room and picks up a tray. She brings it over and sets it next to my array of supplies. “This is what I was thinking.”
I look from my black-and-gray cookie to her purple, blue, and orange neon-colored butterflies, worms, and nondescript insects with polka dots, zigzag stripes, and googly eyes.
“Oh,” I say weakly.
Her laugh finally escapes. “I didn’t show you these before I rushed out or give you any further instructions. That’s my fault. I should’ve told you the birthday boy's five.”
The cookie I decorated does have big eyes. But they are gray. Which go with his gray wings and black body.
I can’t help but laugh. My cookie is as nearly the opposite of hers as it could get.
“Does your expert-in-biology husband know that you are teaching kids that bugs are purple and bright blue?” I finally ask, grinning.
Adrianne shakes her head with a big grin. “Mason and I realized a long time ago that our jobs are pretty different. Where it overlaps is mostly that he helps grow some of the very basic ingredients that end up in my baked goods. But it kind of starts and ends with those crops being picked from his fields.”
I chuckle. “That makes sense.”
She studies my cookie. “Honestly? You’re very good. It’s just not the…aesthetic I was going for. But it’s good. The way I am decorating is actually easier. You should give a few a try.”
I study her tray. “I just might. This is fun.”
She props her hip against the worktable. “Is it? It’s interesting to me that a businessman who loves numbers would enjoy decorating cookies.”
I nod. “I’m a little surprised, too. But I’ve never tried this before. I don’t do much that’s creative.”
“It’s always fun to find a hobby. Especially one that’s so different from what you normally do. I think that’s a good thing.”
“I agree. I think I steer away from creative endeavors because of my parents. Everything creative seemed to come with melodrama and chaos. Which, in retrospect, isn’t fair. I know not all creatives are like that. But that was my experience. So I sought out things that were the opposite. Order and organization. That naturally took me to numbers and things that always added up and made sense.”
“That’s so insightful, Everett,” Adrianne says. “And it’s completely understandable. But I’m glad you’re open to trying some new things now.”
“I really am. More and more lately. I’ve realized that nearly everything I’ve done has been motivated by someone else. First trying to use steer clear of my parents’ lifestyles. Then finding a way to partner with Graham.”
I am not surprised to see Adrianne’s eyes light with even further interest at my mention of one of her children.
“Tell me more about that,” she says.
And I know she’s sincerely interested. I know it has to do with Graham, but I also sense that she’s truly interested in me. Adrianne Riley is incredibly easy to be around. Her warmth and genuineness make me want to linger in her bakery.
I had stopped by to run some ideas past her that I have for starting up her mail-order business. I’d found her elbows deep in cookie decorating and had asked if I could help.
We both knew that I wasn’t going to be much help, but she’d happily found me an apron.
I don’t know if she realizes I am actually in town to see her daughter. Ginny will be getting back from Texas tonight, and I want to be here when she gets home. It wouldn’t surprise me to find out that Adrianne realizes that, but she simply seemed glad to see me and welcomed me into the bakery and her kitchen. Now I’m happy to stay as long as she’ll let me.
“When I met Graham, I didn’t have a specific plan for my college major or my future. I knew that I wanted to do something where I could be completely divorced from my parents' names and their money. Numbers and business made sense. When Graham started telling me about his plans, I immediately wanted to find a way to fit my skills with his. I loved being around him, and we just clicked. So IES was a natural outcome.”
Adrianne smiles. “I am so happy about that.”
“I’m glad that you’re glad.” I mean that sincerely.
