Upon hearing that Irene had arrived, Susan rose from her seat.
A connoisseur of fine wine, Susan wasn’t one to let an opportunity like this slip by.
She longed to savor the wine to its fullest, and to her, that meant pairing it with a perfectly delectable dessert.
However, she always found herself disappointed by the food that accompanied her wines.
Even the finest veal dishes and aged cheeses often failed to complement the deep flavors of the wine she had so carefully procured.
But what Irene had prepared for her the day prior had broken her disappointing expectation.
She possessed an innate understanding of the gastronomic harmony Susan prized so dearly.
And for that, Susan held Irene in high regard.
She wasn’t one to seek attention or strive to outshine others. Rather, she had a philosophy, a purpose.
With her worldly skills, and her striking appearance as a bonus, she certainly could have found herself in a wonderfully happy marriage.
But, instead, she’d fallen in love with baking. And she was driven by pure passion to find success in that realm.
As someone who had yet to find love and had no children of her own, Susan was more than willing to take her under her wing and support her the way she would’ve supported her own daughter.
“Madam, the food is ready,” Patty announced.
“Tell them to bring it out to the garden,” Susan instructed, taking her seat by the fountain.
From a distance, she spotted Rosie lingering by the manor’s entrance.
As the door swung open, Irene emerged.
Confident and dignified, she exuded an elegance that made her seem the true master of the estate.
‘The more I see her, the more I like her…’
With each passing moment, Susan found herself growing fonder of her.
She contemplated the possibility of adopting her as her own, despite there only being a slight age difference between them.
It may have been an unconventional relationship, but she couldn’t bear to let her slip through her fingers.
As Irene approached, Susan beckoned her to take a seat.
She greeted her with a polite bow before settling into the chair designated for her.
“Well, what news do you bring from Rosie?” Susan inquired.
“She’s found her calling.”
“Ah, indeed? And what might that be?”
“She wanted me to let you know we’re brewing up petal tea. We’re mixing things up a bit.”
“Petal tea?”
“Yes. It truly might become the talk of the town.”
“Hmm… not a bad idea. It would pair well with desserts, no?”
“Exactly. There’s nothing quite like a hot cup of tea to go along with dessert. Although, a good wine would produce a similar complement.”
“Certainly. Would you introduce your dish?”
On the plate in front of her sat an arrangement of round, hearty-looking buns of some sort.
“The wine you sent me was just like a pebble on a beach.”
“What do you mean?”
“When I tasted the wine, I couldn’t help but think of the pebbles on the beach, remaining dry even when washed time and time again by the tides. That’s the form of persistent dryness I tasted.”
“You’ve got quite the discerning palate.”
“I enjoy the dryness, but sometimes it can feel a bit heavy. That’s why I made this, a treat to return some airy moisture to your mouth.”
Irene rolled up her sleeves and grabbed one of the buns, splitting it open.
Out spilled a golden, glossy cream.
Susan marveled, never imagining there’d be something hidden within the bread.
“I hope that this cream may moisten your palate, just as the sea water moistens the pebble.”
Susan smiled contentedly at Irene’s words.
She took a sip of wine and took a bite of the cream-filled bun. The flavors melded harmoniously.
The cream was sweet, velvety.
It was a flavor unlike any she’d experienced before.
And the bread itself, tearing apart like the tender flesh of a succulent chicken, was exquisite.
“With this, the flavor of the wine is even better than it was yesterday.”
“I’m honored.”
“By all means. Well. Have you considered my proposal? I’m willing to draw up a contract. I’m prepared to go to quite the lengths to make it all happen.”
Susan set down her wine glass and awaited Irene’s response.
Irene slowly parted his lips.
* * *
Rosie hurriedly swung open the bakery door and dashed inside.
David and an unfamiliar young man were seated together on the sofa.
Rosie breezed past them, poking her head out the window toward the kitchen. No one was there.
“Miss Rosie, what’s going on?”
Rosie responded to David’s inquiry.
“Where’s Irene?”
“She said she went to a client’s place. And she said she would head straight home after.”
“Oh… I see.”
“Why? What’s going on?”
Rosie plopped down on the sofa with a sullen expression. The three-person sofa was now full.
Bike glanced at Rosie’s face as she sat down beside David.
“Who’s this…”
“And who might you be?”
“Oh, I’m Bike, milady. I’m responsible for inventing a series of contraptions around here. Surely, it’s most proper to introduce myself first. I apologize for my rudeness.”
Bike suddenly transformed into a well-mannered young man.
David, sandwiched between them, chuckled as if in disbelief.
Bike turned towards him.
“But who’s that stunning girl?”
“What?”
“She’s on par with Miss Irene.”
David playfully ruffled Bike’s hair, then smoothed it out and grinned at Rosie.
“So, what’s going on?”
“Milady, are you feeling parched? Shall I fetch you a drink?”
Rosie nodded absentmindedly, not paying much attention to Bike.
She glanced at David once more and spoke up.
“Is Joseph with you?”
“Joseph’s right over there.”
David gestured towards the hallway. Joseph was still sprawled out on the floor.
“What’s wrong with him?”
“Turns out he’s a lightweight. But why’d you run off so far? Have you not seen Irene?”
“No, well, I saw her when she came to my house, but I never saw her leave. I’m out for a meeting with my mentor, to get some advice.”
“Oh, so Irene went over to whip up something at yours today, right?”
“Yes. Aunt Susan requested it.”
“Oh…”
“Yes. You know that she made Irene an offer, right?”
“I heard.”
“Irene gave her answer to that offer today.”
David shot up at Rosie’s words, his expression anxious as he looked at her.
“…Did you hear what she said?”
“Yes…”
Rosie furrowed her brow.
David grew even more jittery at her expression.
All along, David knew in the back of his head that even if Irene were to leave town, he wouldn’t be able to go with her.
But now, the mere thought of it sent his mind reeling. A bakery without Irene? David felt dizzy.
“What did she say?”
“What did Miss Irene say?”
Bike stood up beside David, equally tense.
Finally, Rosie wiped the grimace off her face, smiling brightly and speaking in a triumphant tone:
“She’s not leaving!”
“Really?”
“Yes! She’s staying put! With us!”
The trio settled back onto the sofa, smiling with relief, yet each harboring their own concerns.
“It’s all because of me!”
“I suppose it’s because of our friendship!”
“All thanks to my brilliant invention!”
They exchanged knowing glances.
“Um…”
David was the first to speak up. He continued with a proud grin.
“You know I’ve been supporting Irene all along, right? It’s only fitting that she thinks of David, someone who’s essentially…her uncle, to decide to stick around.”
“If I’m not mistaken, it’s Irene who’s been supporting you…”
“You may not know, but Irene and I are quite close. We’re practically siblings.”
“Isn’t it more of a father-daughter dynamic?”
David jabbed Bike’s ribs playfully.
Bike grinned.
“Though, truthfully, it must be all thanks to my invention.”
“Your invention?”
Rosie inquired, eyeing Bike.
Bike shrugged in response.
“Oh, milady, you haven’t seen anything yet. I am, as I may have mentioned in your presence earlier, a genius engineer.”
Bike pulled out a notebook from his pocket, a wide grin spreading across his face.
He flipped it open and proceeded to explain his invention to Rosie.
“I’ve even managed to condense my typical one-and-a-half-hour workflow into just one hour of working, to streamline the process, so I can continue working all day.”
Bike puffed up with pride.
“Wow… that’s incredible. But why do you refer to Irene as ‘Miss’?”
“Oh, well, we’ve developed a mentor-student relationship. I have much to learn from her.”
“I see. And is this machine what Irene asked of you?”
“Indeed. You can’t acquire or create this anywhere else. But I can! And I can do it all in a single day! Irene didn’t leave because of me. With me by her side, she’s destined for success.”
“Didn’t you two just meet yesterday?”
“What?”
Rosie’s lips curled up slightly.
“Of course, your invention helps Irene, and David is a source of moral support. But it was me who convinced her to stay until the end…”
Rosie jumped up, gazing at the two of them.
“You both know that Irene and I crossed paths by fate, right?”
“What do you mean by fate?”
“Yes. I saw Irene everso gracefully serving meringue cookies at the fair, and that’s when and where our unbreakable bond began.”
“…Is that so?”
“Irene didn’t leave because of me, because…”
Rosie beamed.
“I promised to make petal tea! To support her business!”
David and Bike grimaced at her words.
“Irene told me to find my passion! And I listened and I truly searched within myself! So, of course she wouldn’t be able to leave me behind like this. We shared our deepest selves!”
David begrudgingly nodded at her impassioned speech.
“Anyway, it’s not him.”
“Joseph?”
“Yeah, definitely not.”
There was one thing the three of them agreed upon. It wasn’t that Joseph wasn’t the reason why she didn’t leave.
*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･:.｡..｡.:･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*
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