"I'm no art critic. I don't think I'd even be able to tell if they did suck. They'll be great just so long as you're enjoying taking them." It was kinda lame advice, but it was the best she could offer. Plus she did believe it. It wasn't like she was suggesting he change his career or anything. Hobbies were all about doing something that you enjoyed. That was the main goal.
Yeah, Kayla would tire of new people and interesting things soon enough, but she was fine and happy for the moment. Not to mention that it seemed to have soothed AJ a bit. He seemed less frazzled than he had earlier. She knew her daughter well enough to be able to tell when she was done with adventure. Once that happened, she swoop it and set it to rights. By her figuring, though, they at least had a few more minutes.
"Not fair at all," Cate agreed with Janice. "Must be all the physical labor around here, I guess. Just keeps the metabolism humming away. No need for three boxes, though. All that sugar. Eventually we'd all just crash into a sugar coma and sleep the rest of the day away. Thank you again, though. You guys are way too nice."
That got a laugh out of her. "Oh, I've seen those on Cake Boss. They call them smash cakes. Whole point is for the baby to get as messy as possible." Clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth, she shook her head. "Colin gets to help clean her up after that." The sheet cake quieted her for a moment when she realized what her brother was probably up to and then she nodded. "That's a family thing. It'll be adorable."
Cate, of course, hadn't even considered the way the invitation to AJ could be taken. Especially not with Janice right there. And she didn't catch the look, either. "I'm surprised they haven't come looking for you already asking for help. You're coming to the party, too, right?" she asked as she returned the hug.
The look on AJ's face told her that maybe she had gone ahead and crossed a line without knowing it. "I'm sorry. You don't have to. If it makes you feel uncomfortable or anything." Sensing the slight tension, Kayla began to squirm, reaching her arms out and Cate stepped around the desk to fetch her daughter before the tantrum started.
"You really don't have to. I just thought it might be a good way for you to meet some more people. It's not like there's gonna be that many people since it's Miss Kayla's birthday, but there will be a few. Y'know. And, yeah, just met, but don't you ever get a feeling about people that they're alright? And Kayla likes you. If you never take a chance on anyone, you run the risk of not meeting anyone." Colin was probably going to fuss about it, but she could manage him. "You should try one of those donuts before my brother sniffs them out."