Page 54 of After All

Adrianne didn’t say anything, but she gave Peyton a questioning look.

“Jo’s never stayed thirty days,” Peyton said. “She’s never even stayed seven in a row.” Which was, of course, why it had never worked. Then again, it could have been the fact that Jo didn’t really want it to work. After all, if she was stable and sane, Dan wouldn’t have to be at her beck and call. “She always calls after a few days, tells him she’s miserable, and he goes to get her,” Peyton said. “He can’t handle having her gone, so he never pushes her to stay. Usually she agrees to go after her doctor or therapist really insists, but that motivation only lasts so long. So, anyway, Dan will only invite me for dinner for the first couple of days. Because he knows she won’t be there much longer than that.”

Adrianne just nodded. Everyone knew how this went. Peyton was plan B. Maybe even C. And Dan almost never got beyond plan A. Jo. All the time. He went to work—though he took calls from her at least twice a shift, and he’d had issues with bosses because of it. But otherwise, he only did things that involved his wife.

“But you’ll go,” Adrianne said.

Peyton shrugged. “For lunch. But yeah.”

“I think it’s nice,” Adrianne commented casually as she picked up a spoon and added some blue food coloring to the blue icing she was using, darkening the color.

“What?”

“That you’ll have lunch with him. Even though it’s crap that you only get time with him when your mom’s gone and that it hurts your feelings a little. You’ll still go because you know he needs someone to have lunch with.”

Peyton sighed. “It’s pathetic. But yeah, that’s our routine.”

“It’s not pathetic, Peyton.”

“To let someone treat you like that? To be there even when they don’t really appreciate it and they’re just using you?” she asked, willing herself not to cry as the words made all of the emotions well up suddenly. God, this soundedwaytoo much like her and Scott, and it made her stomach knot. “For him to not realize that he’s doing tomewhat Jo has always done tohim?” she added, her voice quieter.

“What has she done?” Adrianne asked.

“Expected him to be there no matter how she’s treated him, without thinking about how he never says no, without ever once saying ‘I appreciate you’.” She looked up at Adrianne, appalled that she was spilling all of this. But Adrianne Riley was a sweet, accepting, loving woman who saw people. She reallysawpeople. It was what made her perfect for her quirky, genius husband, who had a hard time relating to people sometimes. Or a lot of the time. “That’s the thing,” Peyton said. “Jo says ‘I need you’ or ‘I miss you’ or ‘help me’, but she never says that sheappreciateshim or loves him. And there’s a difference I think. Between needing someone and loving someone.”

Adrianne seemed to think about that and then she nodded. “I think you’re right.”

“And part of the difference,” Peyton went on, “is that if youlovesomeone, you want to do things for them too.”

Adrianne nodded. “Agreed.”

“And Dan doesn’t appreciate me or love me. He doesn’t reciprocate, not really,” she said, feeling tired suddenly. “But I still show up.”

They were quiet for a few minutes, silently frosting and decorating. Until finally, Adrianne said, “Loving someone when they don’t deserve it, or even want it, is the hardest and best thing there is.”

Peyton looked up. But strangely, it wasn’t Dan and Jo she thought of with Adrianne’s words. It was Scott.

He cared about her. She knew that, deep in her gut, and she hadn’t really deserved it. Or wanted it.

And yet, it was one of the best things in her life.

God, she really was like her mom—she’d been going along just expecting Scott to be there, and she’d never said thank you. Or acknowledged that it meant so much to her.

Well, she was getting better about that. She was learning. Unlike her mom and rehab,Peytoncould be made aware of something and actually make a change. She was definitely taking him cookies tonight. No qualms or hesitation.

“Thank you,” she finally said to her boss. “And just so you know—I appreciateyou. I love this job.”

Adrianne smiled at her. “I don’t know what I’d do without you. The candy is my thing. You’re the cake and cookie girl.”

Peyton felt warmth swirl through her. She knew, of course, that Adrianne preferred making the truffles and fudge and caramels, but she was glad that Adrianne liked Peyton’s work. Adrianne had always been great about letting Peyton try new recipes and had encouraged her learning and practicing new things with cake decorating. “Actually, I wanted to show you my idea for Hope’s shower cake,” Peyton said.

The whole theme for Hope’s baby shower had come to her one day while she’d been doing a chocolate and banana cupcake.

Five minutes later, Adrianne laughed and shook her head. “Wow. This is amazing. If you want to take on the whole shower, I know Delaney would be all for it.”

It was true that Delaney Bennett, one of Hope’s sisters-in-law, wasn’t the party-planning, foodie type. Delaney built custom cupboards and cabinets. With her own two hands. She wore tool belts, she had calluses, and she made no excuses for barely knowing how to use the measuring cups in her kitchen. She didn’t care.

“Well,” Peyton said, feeling a touch shy. “I don’t want to horn in.”

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