Free On Thin Ice by Bernadette Marie

gotten my first delivery of rolls.”
    “She’s at the bakery?”
    “Yeah, they decided she should start right away and learn the ropes before Esther packed up and headed out of town. Wil came along at the right time.”
    He took a sip of his coffee and let the warmth of it replace the anxiousness stirring in his gut. His heart picked up its pace when he realized he wanted to hurry out of the restaurant and find Wil and wrap his arms around her, before she changed her mind about them.
    If he said he was sorry for running out on her all those years ago, would she accept it?   If he said he still loved her as a thirty-four-year-old man, would she believe him?
    It was definitely worth trying. He couldn’t imagine wanting anything more than he wanted Wil back in his life, and more than a lover, he wanted her as a partner in his life. After all this time would she still be willing to accept all the promises he’d once made her? Would she still consider being his wife after all they’d been through?
    “Maybe I’ll stop by there and see how she’s doing.”
    “She’d appreciate that. Now eat.”
     
    Malory moved loaves of bread from the oven and slid them on the cooling rack before sliding in a pan of rolls. She’d been at the bakery since four that morning and she couldn’t remember when she’d felt so alive.
    She’d owned the bakery in Santa Barbara, but it wasn’t the same feeling as being at the one in Aspen Creek. There were people she’d grown up with and loved that were depending on her now to make the bakery something special. And she had two partners who counted on her to make the bakery an even bigger success.
    She and Esther had gone over recipes and baked hundreds of rolls and loaves of bread. They took orders for the following day and made deliveries.
    Esther sat on her stool at the prep table and took a break from the morning’s routine. “You do know your way around a bakery
    “Yes I do. I didn’t realize how much I’d missed getting up early and diving into dough.”
    “Well, I’m glad you’re excited. Because I’m just as excited to get out of here. All of our kids have moved away, and it’s time for us enjoy just being husband and wife for a while.”
    The thought hit Malory harder than she ever could have imagined. Husband and wife. She’d had that once. Or she thought she’d had it.
    She and Alan had been married for ten years. They had the same interests and same taste in everything. It should have been a marriage made in heaven. But somewhere, being perfect for each other just became boring.
    Malory listened as Esther made a checklist of all the places she and her husband wanted to travel. Jealousy rippled through her. She and Alan never had made plans like that. They didn’t plan vacations or nights out. They didn’t dream of future houses or even children. Grief replaced the jealousy. She’d dreamed of those things before she’d met Alan. Why had she let herself slip away?
    Esther reached for the order board that sat on the table. “We have to get going on that Alistair kid’s birthday cake. His mom works in town and wants to pick it up before she heads out of town for the weekend.”
    “What kind of cake is it?”
    Esther flipped to the order and showed her the picture of a dinosaur. “These are not my favorites.”
    “Would you mind if I did it?” Malory turned the clipboard to face her and studied the picture. She’d made more dinosaurs than she could remember and she was dying to make one more.
    “I certainly wouldn’t mind.”
    Their attention diverted from the order board when the door to the bakery opened.
    Christopher stood in the doorway, shadowed by the sun at his back, a bouquet of flowers in his hand. Malory’s heart did a little flip.
    Esther stood from her stool and walked toward him. “I wondered how long it would take you to stop by.” She kissed him on the cheek. “You’re mama was right about this one. She’s a hard worker and will be ready