Free When Wishes Collide by Barbara Freethy

know?"
    "Just curious."
    "Well, he was fun. He was friendly. He always had a big grin on his face, and he was the life of any party he attended. Girls loved him, guys loved him … He was a good time." She paused for a moment. "We met at another restaurant called The Gardens. It was all vegetarian food, and while I love vegetables, I was eager to work on a broader menu. Will worked the bar there, and he decided to follow me to Vincenzo's. What if he'd never done that? What if we'd never met? He'd be alive now."
    He heard the recrimination in her voice and knew that no amount of persuasion would change her mind. He'd gone down that same guilty path – hell, he was still there most days.
    "Anyway," Adrianna continued. "We were friends for a long time, and then one day we were more. It was just right."
    There was suddenly doubt in her voice, and he wondered why. "Was it?" he questioned.
    She bristled at his question. "Of course it was. What could be better than falling in love with your best friend?"
    He shrugged. "I guess nothing."
    "Was it love at first sight with your ex-wife?"
    "I don't remember. I was twenty-one years old. We met in college. Life was one big series of parties, finals and hookups. Reality was way in the distance. Love was a romantic fairytale, and somehow I got caught up in it. We got married after graduation. Ten years later, here I am – in my own private hell."
    "You were very young to get married."
    "Obviously too young."
    "Maybe if your wife hadn't gotten addicted to drugs, things would have been different."
    "I don't do maybe anymore," he said firmly. "I've spent too many months thinking maybe if I'd done something differently, I wouldn't be in this position . But there aren't any do-overs. It is what it is. And frankly, I don't want to talk about Jennifer right now."
    "I don't want to talk about Will either."
    For the next twenty minutes they didn't talk. They watched opposite sides of the square as groups of children walking home from school passed by them. Unfortunately, none of those kids were the ones they were looking for.
    "Are we just going to stand here all afternoon?" Adrianna asked.
    He let out a sigh. Stake-outs had never been his favorite thing to do -- too much waiting, not enough action. "I have another idea. Why don't you show me the alley where you first saw the kids?"
    She immediately shook her head, a dismayed expression appearing on her face. "I never agreed to that. I don't want to go near Vincenzo's."
    "You went in yesterday."
    "I know, but the alley …"
    "Is where you saw the kids," he finished. "Nothing bad happened there. It might help for me to see what else is around there, and it might help you, too. It's one step closer to getting you back into the kitchen."
    "You could go on your own."
    "I could, but if the kids are around there, they'd be more likely to show themselves to you."
    A debate went on in her eyes. Finally, she gave him a short, quick nod.
    "All right. Come on, before I change my mind."

 
    * * *

 
    As Adrianna led Wyatt into the alley behind Vincenzo's, she felt a familiar surge of panic. Wyatt was wrong when he'd told her nothing bad had happened in the alley. That's where she'd been standing when her whole life had been shattered. But as her steps faltered, Wyatt's hand centered on the small of her back, and his reassuring, solid strength behind her kept her walking. She paused when the back door of the restaurant came into sight. It was closed, and she felt immense relief that she would not catch a glimpse of the busy kitchen.
    "This is it. Nothing really to see," she added, sweeping her hand around. Several other restaurants and stores backed up to the alley. There was a van parked down the street, but no one in sight. With several smelly dumpsters, it wasn’t a popular place to hang out.
    Wyatt's gaze moved down the alley. "What direction did the kids come from?"
    She had to think for a moment. "From there," she said, pointing her finger toward the