Donuts & Daydreams: An Arcadia Valley Romance (Baxter Family Bakery Book 4)

by Elizabeth Maddrey

  “I have to run. I’ll be back tomorrow. So Friday, the baked goods should be back to normal.”

  “I’ll try to stop by. Be safe. A lot of us miss you.”

  Jonah hit end and tucked the phone back in his pocket. “Sorry about that.”

  “No problem. Girlfriend?”

  Jonah hesitated then shook his head. “Just a friend.”

  “Uh huh.” He drummed his fingers on the bar top. “All right, let’s talk details.”

  12

  Gloria parked in front of A Slice of Heaven and cut the engine of the police cruiser. She pushed open the door and drew in a deep breath. Spring was definitely in the air. She could smell hints of it on the mid-March breeze.

  The bells above the door jingled happily as she stepped through.

  Jonah looked up from his book and stood, his lips curving into a smile. “Hey. Back again?”

  She willed her heart to slow down. It had been a month—to the day—since her divorce, and she and Jonah had returned to their even footing as friends. It could be enough. It would have to be. She’d had her chance with him, now that he knew she’d been married he couldn’t possibly be interested. “You know me. I can’t seem to help myself.”

  He laughed. “I count on it. Especially with Micah out of town this week, I don’t have anyone to try my new creations.”

  “Mal won’t sacrifice for the cause?” Gloria crossed to the coffee pot and filled a mug with the rich blend of coffee Grant Ward made for the Baxters. She stopped by nearly every afternoon for a whole host of reasons, and the coffee was definitely one of them. She splashed in a hint of half-and-half and a packet of raw sugar before settling at one of their small tables. “That seems unsporting of him.”

  “Oh, he tries them, but mostly he just says it’s good. No explanation. When I push, he doesn’t have anything more to add but a shrug.”

  She could see that. “All right. What’s today’s creation?”

  “Hang tight, let me run in the back and grab it. I wasn’t sure enough about this one to do more than a small batch for some taste testing.”

  Gloria sipped her coffee.

  Jonah was back quickly with a plate holding two donuts. He set it down in front of her and took a seat, nodding toward the snack. “Go ahead.”

  It looked like a regular chocolate glazed donut. Except a little lumpy on top. Gloria poked one of the lumps. Springy. She picked up the pastry and bit into it, her eyes widening as she chewed. “S’mores?”

  He nodded. “Do you get the graham cracker at all? I wasn’t sure there was enough.”

  “It could use a little more, but it’s good. The marshmallows are what threw me. There’s no toasted taste, but I’m not sure how you’d manage that.”

  “Yeah, it’s tricky. I’ll have to play with them a little more. Do you want something else?”

  “No, this is fine. Thanks.” Gloria glanced over at the display case and reached for some topic of conversation. They still had these little lulls, where normally there would’ve been some banter, something that tiptoed on the edge of flirting. That was gone. Would it ever come back? “I saw Corban out in the fields this morning. How are they doing?”

  “About as well as can be expected, I guess. Ruth’s still in Boise in their apartment. She spends her days with Andrew. Her blood pressure is back to normal, but she’ll have to keep an eye on it for a while yet. They’re thinking they can all come home right around his due date, so maybe another month? I’m not sure what milestones they’re looking for beyond breathing and weight gain, but I think there are a handful of others.”

  She couldn’t imagine. Of course, having been there close to two months, being within a month of coming home had to feel good to Ruth and Corban. “I’ll try to get out there again to say hi. Maybe...maybe on my next day off we could drive over together?”

  Jonah glanced toward the kitchen door.

  “Or not. That’s fine, too.” Gloria offered a weak smile and shoved the rest of the donut into her mouth. It was time to get going. Trying not to choke while she chewed, she swigged her coffee to wash down the treat. When her mouth was empty enough to speak, she cleared her throat. “I should get going.”

  “I...you don’t have to go.”

  “I really do. Thanks for the donut and coffee. Can I pay you?”

  He frowned. “No. Gloria, you know better than that.”

  Did she? But now wasn’t the time to dig into it. It was very possibly never going to be the right moment for that particular conversation. No matter how much she thought she wanted the answers. She was also half-convinced she absolutely didn’t. Gloria pulled her wallet out of her pocket and fumbled for a ten. “You can’t feed me for free every day. Here. Take it. Put it in tips if that’s what you want to do.”

  Jonah didn’t move as she stuffed the money into his hand.

  “I’ll see you later.” Gloria swallowed the lump in her throat and rushed out the door. Had the last month been a colossal misunderstanding? Were they not back to being friends? She yanked open the cruiser’s door and threw herself behind the wheel. She’d prayed that maybe, now that they both were free, she and Jonah could find their way to one another. A single hot tear slipped down her cheek as she backed out of the parking spot. Clearly she was wrong.

  Gloria headed down Main, aiming for the high school. She was in the mood to write some tickets.

  “I’m sorry. That sounds awkward.” Felipe pulled the lever on the recliner, lifting his sock-clad feet. “Are you sure he knows?”

  “He has to.” Gloria twisted her fingers together in her lap. “Serena’s awful with secrets. And I’m sure she told Micah. Even if she said she wouldn’t. What brother is going to keep that quiet?”

  “One whose wife asked him to?”

  Gloria frowned.

  “It is a possibility. Right?” Felipe dipped into the bowl of nuts that sat on the arm of his chair and jerked his chin at the plate of food next to Gloria on the couch. “You should eat something before Constance gets back in here or she’ll be mad. You don’t want that. Trust me.”

  Shaking her head, Gloria picked up a triangle of quesadilla and took a bite. Was it possible Jonah didn’t know she was divorced? “So, what? If he doesn’t know, what do I do?”

  “Tell him?”

  Gloria snorted.

  “What? Men don’t read minds, Gloria. I’ve never understood women who think we’re supposed to. I wouldn’t have pegged you as one of those types either.”

  “It’s true. They don’t.” Constance bustled in from the kitchen and sat with a sigh. “I keep hoping he’ll develop the skill, but so far no dice. Who’s supposed to read your mind?”

  “Jonah Baxter.”

  “The baker? It’s about time.” Constance gave Gloria a speculative look. “He’s handsome. Not a mind reader, of course, but worth a second look.”

  “Should I be worried?” Felipe grinned at his wife.

  “Oh, please. He’s much too young for me. But just about right for you. I’d say go for it.”

  Gloria chuckled. Constance could always lift her spirits, almost as easily as Felipe. “Just like that?”

  “Why not? It’s the twenty-first century, you don’t have to wait around for a man to notice you anymore. You’re a smart, capable woman. If you’ve prayed about it, and you feel like God’s saying go ahead, then why wait?” Constance shrugged and pointed to the plate of food. “And eat. You’re too skinny.”

  Felipe sent Gloria a look that practically screamed ‘I told you so.’ “He’s already noticed her.”

  Gloria reached for another triangle of tortilla and melted cheese.

  “So what’s the problem?” Constance angled her head at Gloria.

  “He might not know I’m available.” That was easier than going over the whole story again. Felipe could fill his wife in later, if he wanted.

  “So tell him.” Constance shook her head. “Honestly, sometimes young people make it all seem so hard. Have a conversation. Be hone
st.”

  Gloria couldn’t stop her smile. “You’re not exactly old, you know. You two have what, fifteen years on me?”

  Felipe laughed. “Closer to twenty. But still, you notice we gave you the same advice. Pray. Then go talk to the man.”

  Gloria hunched her shoulders. Could she go back and talk to him after the fiasco this afternoon? She’d planned to steer clear of the bakery for a few days, give them both time to find their footing again. Sunday would be here soon enough and maybe by then she wouldn’t want to sink through the floor at the thought of making eye contact. Praying about it some more was definitely the first order of business. “Yeah, okay.”

  “You wanted a different answer.”

  “I don’t know what I wanted.” Gloria chewed on her lip. “Actually, I do. Three months ago, I couldn’t get the guy to stop asking me out. Now he wouldn’t even agree to go visit his sister and nephew in the hospital with me as friends. Knowing what I do now, I never should’ve told Jonah—or anyone—that I was married.”

  “So you planned to hide that marriage for the rest of your life?” Felipe shook his head. “Secrets never work out the way you want them to.”

  “Not forever. But maybe I could’ve just mentioned it, casually, after we’d been dating for a while and everything was secure.”

  Constance reached over and patted Gloria’s leg. “You have to know that would still have caused problems.”

  “Yeah. I guess.”

  “Love can be hard.” Constance smiled. “Sometimes I think that’s what makes it worthwhile. I made brownies this afternoon. You want one?”

  Felipe raised his hand. “I do.”

  “No. I should get going. Thanks, Felipe. Constance. I appreciate the two of you. Even when you don’t tell me what I want to hear.” Gloria stood and grabbed the plate off the couch.

  Constance tugged it gently from her hands. “I’ve got this. Keep us posted. We’ll be praying for you.”

  Gloria nodded. If she were a hugger, she’d give her friend and his wife a long, hard squeeze. She’d had the briefest flicker of an impulse to do just that, but she tucked her hands in her pockets instead. “Good night.”

  The drive to Boise had given Gloria plenty of time to think and pray. She’d tried to call Serena on Thursday night after she got home from Felipe’s, but the call had gone to voicemail. She hadn’t wanted to leave a message effectively accusing her best friend of breaking her confidence, so she’d hung up after just saying hello and asking how the meetings were going. More than likely, Serena would know something was up. It wasn’t like Gloria to call while Serena was out of town. But it was the best she’d been able to do.

  She parked in the hospital’s garage and wound her way through the corridors to the NICU and pressed the intercom button outside the locked doors.

  “Can I help you?”

  “I’m here to visit Ruth DeWitt? I’m her friend, Gloria.”

  “I’ll go let her know. You can have a seat in the waiting room there on the left.”

  Gloria glanced over and noticed the little room for the first time. No one sat in any of the faux-leather chairs that lined the walls. Magazines were scattered around on the seats. She sat and pulled out her phone. If Ruth were busy with the baby, it might be more than a couple of minutes. The last thing she wanted to do was pull her friend away from Andrew if he needed her.

  Her phone chimed. Gloria tapped the text icon and grinned as a photo of her mother dressed in a baptismal robe standing with a man in a pool of water filled the screen. The next photo showed her mom emerging from the pool grinning.

  She tapped out a reply. “Wish I could’ve been there. Congratulations! I’m so happy for you.”

  “I thought about waiting until you could be, but Harry was so excited when I accepted Jesus, that I wanted to do this right away. We’ll probably get married next week.”

  Next week? There was no possible way Gloria’d be able to swing vacation that fast. Of course, her mom didn’t really need her there. Harry was a good guy. Maybe now, since they were both following Jesus, things would work out better. Not that Christians didn’t get divorced. She was living proof of that. As were plenty of couples where both members professed Christ. Still, shared faith and a determination to live for Him had to help.

  “Sorry I’ll miss it. Congrats to you and Harry. Come visit when you can.”

  Gloria looked at the photos of her mom’s baptism again and smiled, offering a quick prayer of thanksgiving. She’d been praying for her mom for so many years, it was good to see that some prayers were answered in the affirmative. Maybe, just maybe, her prayers for Jonah would be as well.

  “Hey.” Ruth shuffled into the little waiting area. “I wasn’t expecting you today.”

  Gloria stood and let Ruth wrap her arms around her. She patted Ruth awkwardly on the back before stepping away. “I did text. Is it okay? I wanted to see how you were doing.”

  “You texted?” Ruth frowned and pulled out her phone. “So you did. Sorry, I don’t know how I missed that. Sometimes my notifications get weird. Of course it’s okay. I appreciate you making the drive. You want to go down to the cafeteria? I don’t like to be gone long, but a lunch break is never a bad idea.”

  “Sure.”

  “Then, if you want, you can come in and see Andrew. Corban isn’t going to be back until later this afternoon, so we’ll be under the two-person limit.”

  Gloria smiled. “I’d like that.”

  Ruth asked about the happenings around town as they strolled through the halls and rode the elevator down to the cafeteria. It was clear she made the trip regularly, since she barely had to pause at any of the intersections. Gloria was pleased to have the majority of the answers, although she hadn’t checked in with Ursula and didn’t have the most up-to-date scoop on the B&B.

  “Don’t worry about it. I’ll give her a call tonight. I can still log in to the reservation system from here. Corban rigged up my laptop so I wouldn’t go crazy wondering. I know we have two couples staying for a week, but I miss getting a chance to meet them and find out the little tidbits people let drop when chatting with a nosy innkeeper.”

  “Friendly.” Gloria grabbed a tray from the stack and handed it to Ruth before taking one for herself. “I don’t think you’re nosy. Although...”

  Ruth laughed and set down her tray before sliding some to make room for Gloria. “That’s quite a lead in.”

  Heat spread over Gloria’s cheeks. She probably could’ve been a bit more subtle. But since it was one of the reasons she’d made the trip today, she hadn’t wanted to forget to ask. “Sorry. I—do you remember the day I came over and Frank had already checked out?”

  “Of course. You looked so upset when you left, but you didn’t want to talk about it.” Ruth reached for a salad.

  Gloria slid past the salads and pointed to the hamburgers. The cafeteria worker slapped a burger onto a bun. He pointed to fries and she nodded. She still didn’t really want to talk about it, but she needed to know. “Do you remember the envelope he left for me?”

  “Sure.”

  “Did you look in it before I got there?”

  Ruth turned and crossed her arms. “Seriously? So you do think I’m nosy.”

  “No. I—” Gloria sighed. “I’m sorry. Don’t be mad, please.”

  Ruth grabbed a bowl of gelatin from the last case and headed toward the cashier.

  Gloria reached for cake and hurried after her friend. “Let me get it.”

  “If that’s what you want.”

  She’d really made a mess out of this. Maybe—hopefully—Ruth would give her a chance to explain. Gloria followed Ruth to a small table by a window that looked out over the parking lot. “Nice view.”

  Ruth’s lips twitched. “It’s better than the other side of the cafeteria. That looks out over the dumpsters.”

  “Parking lot it is.” Gloria pulled out her chair and sat. She offered a brief prayer over her food and glanced at her friend. “Can I explain?�
��

  Ruth nodded and dumped dressing all over her salad.

  Gloria blew out a breath. “So, the envelope? It had divorce papers in it.”

  Ruth’s eyebrows shot up. “Whoa.”

  “Yeah. I’m guessing that’s why he was in town in the first place, to make sure I got them. Why he didn’t just drop them and run, I don’t know. But it’s good, I guess, that he didn’t. It helped me see, for certain, that he was never going to accept me as long as I love Jesus. I mean, I knew it. I’ve known it for years. But there really was nothing I was ever going to do that would change his mind.”

  “Of course not.” Ruth frowned.

  “I know you probably think I’m an idiot for not divorcing him myself a long time ago. You’re not alone. I had good reasons—or I thought they were good. Anyway, I signed them. I got the final decree two days before Valentine’s Day.”

  “Oh. That was the day...”

  Gloria nodded.

  “So did you tell anyone?”

  “Not until later. I mentioned it to Serena, but asked her not to tell anyone. It looked like things with Jonah and Kenia were going so well, I didn’t want to muddy the waters.”

  Ruth snorted. “She dumped him. The day before Valentine’s Day. She realized he was in love with you, even if he’s never been willing to admit it to anyone out loud.”

  Gloria blinked. Ruth was so matter of fact. Sure, her heart thrilled to hear it. Even if Ruth’s information was out of date, there had been a time when he’d loved her. Was it possible they could work their way back to it? “Are you sure about that?”

  “Oh, yeah. I know my brothers. He hasn’t asked you out? Now that you’re free?”

  “I—he doesn’t know. I guess. If you didn’t know, and Serena didn’t say anything to Micah. I haven’t told him.” Gloria pushed her untouched food away from her. There was no point in trying to force food into her system. Her stomach was clenched so tight, she wasn’t sure swallowing would do more than get something stuck in her throat.

  “What? Why not? Or do you not like him after all?”

  “I do. I...I’m in love with him. I have been for probably a year, even though it made me hate myself.”