The Sea Star Bakery: A Willa Bay Novel

by Nicole Ellis

  “See you then.” Andy hung up.

  Cassie dialed her next-door neighbor, Kim. Their daughters were best friends and they often traded babysitting.

  “Hey, Kim. It’s Cassie.”

  “Hi, Cassie,” Kim answered. “How are you doing?”

  “I’m doing great.” Cassie saved her spreadsheet and shut the lid on her laptop. “I had something come up at the bakery, and I was wondering if you could watch my kids for about an hour or so.”

  Kim’s voice was warm. “Of course. That’s no problem. Cammie will be thrilled to have Amanda over. Do you want me to get them as soon as they get home?”

  “If you could wait for them outside, that would be great,” Cassie said. “I don’t want them to find the front door locked and be worried.”

  “I’ll head out now. They should be here soon.”

  “Thank you so much.” Cassie sighed. “I owe you.” She had a sinking feeling that this may become an all too common occurrence now that she was a full-time business owner. At least they lived within walking distance of the bakery. If she needed to be there while they weren’t in school, the kids could hang out in a back room and do their homework.

  Kim laughed. “You can pay me back with a treat from the bakery. Donny and I were just talking about going to your grand opening. We’re both so excited for you.”

  “Thank you. I really appreciate all of your help.”

  “You’re very welcome.” The sound of an exterior door shutting carried over the phone line, and Kim said, “I see them coming down the street. I’ll go grab them.”

  “Thanks again.” Cassie hung up the phone, then grabbed her house keys and wallet.

  She walked briskly out the back door of the house and cut the few blocks over to Main Street. By the time she reached the bakery, she was breathing hard from the exertion of speed walking. She’d been thinking about making exercise more of a priority, but with everything she had going on, it had fallen by the wayside. Ironically, instead of focusing on her health, she’d bought a bakery, where she’d constantly be surrounded by the tantalizing aroma of breads and pastries.

  All of the tables in front of the bakery had been pushed against the building. The umbrellas were missing, but Edgar had told her that he’d put them in a small storage shed at the rear of the property. A closed sign hung on the glass pane of the front door, and the flyers that had once papered the front windows had been removed.

  She pushed in the door, her stomach fluttering. The smell of bread hung in the air, although it had been at least five days since anything had baked in there. All of the inside tables had been moved to the back room in preparation for the renovations to the main customer area.

  Behind the counter to the left, two men were working on installing new electrical outlets. Andy stood in front of her to the right, peering into a three-by-three-foot gap in the wall. Thick white dust particles covered the floor below it, and the discarded chunks of Sheetrock lay in a pile a few feet away.

  He backed up and greeted her when he heard the door. “Hi, Cassie. Thanks for coming down to see this.”

  She nodded. “No problem. I have to admit, I’m pretty curious to see what you’ve found.”

  He gestured to her to stand beside him. “You can see part of it, but it looks like it might extend at least a few feet in either direction.” He aimed the beam of a small flashlight into the hole, illuminating a stretch of blue and green paint between the studs framing the wall. “I think they may have built out the wall at some point, but they didn’t want to ruin the painting.” He moved aside to allow her room to see the uncovered portion of the mural.

  She stepped back to assess the visible parts of the image and sucked in her breath. The blues, greens, and browns took the shape of waves breaking upon a rocky arm of land reaching out past a sandy shoreline. Even in this small portion of the painting, Cassie could see the artist had captured the essence of California’s central coastline.

  Memories of Monterey flooded her brain, and she blinked back tears.

  “Are you okay?” Andy asked.

  She rubbed at her eyes, but couldn’t contain her emotions. “Yeah. I think I got some dust in my eye, though. I’m going to head to the bathroom to try to wash it out.”

  He nodded. “Let me know if you need anything.” He tipped his head toward the mural. “Is it okay if I take off some more of this drywall? I’ll do my best not to damage the painting, but I think it should be fine with the way they framed this wall.”

  “That’s fine.” She hurried to the bathroom and locked the door behind her. Edgar had left the bathroom sparkling clean, and she sat down for a minute on the lid of the toilet seat to think.

  Over a decade ago, Cassie and Kyle had spent seven magical days and nights honeymooning in the Monterey Bay area of California. They hadn’t been able to afford anything fancy, but had lucked out with an ocean-view room in an old hotel tucked into a rocky point amongst the dunes. It was being updated by new owners, so the lobby had been in a state of disarray, but Cassie and Kyle couldn’t have cared less. They spent their days exploring the charming towns and beaches dotting the coast between Monterey and Big Sur, and their evenings experiencing the amazing cuisine of the local restaurants. In those days, Cassie couldn’t have ever imagined a life apart from Kyle.

  Someone tapped on the door. “Are you okay in there?” Andy asked.

  She plucked a wad of toilet paper off the roll and dabbed at her eyes. “I’m fine. I’ll be out in a minute.”

  Through the closed door, she heard his footsteps recede as he walked away. She blew her nose and threw the toilet paper into the garbage, then washed her hands at the sink and stared into the mirror.

  Was being divorced ever going to get easier? Was it normal to feel so emotional years after a marriage had ended? Maybe it was just because they had kids and still had a connection. If it had been a clean split, Kyle would be out of her life, and she wouldn’t be thinking about him at all. But even time couldn’t erase her memories of all of the special moments they’d had together.

  In her reflection, her lips quivered, but she pushed them together, forming fine lines on her cheeks. Her skin was pink from crying, so she pulled her hair back from her face and splashed it with water. After drying off with a rough paper towel, she blinked a few times at her image and rolled her shoulders back. This wasn’t the time or place to focus on her failed marriage. She had a business to run.

  When she emerged from the back of the bakery, Andy had his crew removing small sections of the wall at a time, and a few more feet of mural had already been exposed. Cassie glanced at the painting, but didn’t look at it too closely for fear of turning on the waterworks again.

  “How long do you think it’s been there?” she asked Andy.

  He shrugged. “No idea. It looks old, but you never know. I would guess before Edgar turned the space into a bakery, though.”

  “This has been a bakery since we were kids,” Cassie said. “I don’t remember it ever being anything else.”

  “Me neither.” He stared at the image. “So, it must have been one of the previous tenants. You could ask Edgar.”

  “I will, but I don’t want to interrupt him right now. He and his wife left on a house-hunting mission to Arizona the day after he turned the bakery over to me.” She eyed the artwork. “Do you think anyone else in town might know?”

  Andy shoved his hands into his jeans pockets and looked up at the ceiling, his face contorted with thought. His lips slid into a smile and he said, “You know, you might check with Chase at the art gallery. I’ve heard he’s into local art.”

  “Is that the new owner?” Cassie asked.

  Andy raised an eyebrow and laughed. “The new owner?”

  She smirked at him. “You know what I mean. The guy who bought it from Linda Canter.” The art gallery had changed hands about a year ago, but Cassie hadn’t visited the business for ages.

  He laughed again. “Yeah. Chase Flaherty is his name. He’s
a good guy. We did some construction work for him.”

  She checked her watch. “The gallery should be open for a while longer. I’ll take a picture once your guys are done pulling off the drywall and take it over to him.” At the rate the construction workers were moving, they would be done soon.

  He nodded. “You should probably give some thought to what you want to do with the wall. If we can’t easily remove the mural panels, we’ll have to tear them out to put in that eating counter you wanted.”

  She sighed. “Yeah, I was afraid of that.” She looked at the progress so far. The painted expanse was growing, and it was likely that the mural covered the entire length of the wall. “Let’s hold off on making any decisions until I find out more about it.”

  “Sounds like a good plan. I’ll let the guys know.” He walked over to the two workers and conferred with them, then started helping them tear away the drywall.

  After about an hour, the demolition project was complete. They all stood about ten feet back from the mural to take it in. Cassie suppressed any emotions that arose and attempted to look at it objectively. It was a gorgeous representation of the best facets of the Monterey Peninsula. One panel in particular tugged at Cassie’s heartstrings – a man and a woman sitting together on a bench, gazing out at the ocean.

  She swallowed hard and made herself snap a few photos of the mural with her camera phone while the others continued viewing the masterpiece.

  “I’ve never seen anything like it,” one of the men said.

  “Me neither,” said another. “I’ve been in the business for thirty years, and I’ve never come across something like this.”

  Andy smiled at Cassie. “Looks like you’ve got a centerpiece wall.”

  She laughed. “Yeah, but it’s not the bar I wanted.” She zoomed in to focus on the couple on the bench – to show Chase, of course.

  “I’m sure we can figure out a different layout if you want to keep this in the bakery.” Andy walked over to the wall and lightly ran his hand over the paint. “I have to admit I’m extremely curious to find out who did this and why it was walled over.”

  She held up her phone, one of the photos she’d just taken showing on the screen. “Well, I’m going to see if I can find out. I’ll let you know if I discover anything.”

  “Thanks.” He grinned at her. “We’ll probably be gone when you’re done at the gallery, but give me a call and let me know how you want to proceed.”

  “Will do. Have a nice evening.” She shoved her phone into her pocket.

  “You too.” Andy grabbed a broom from the corner and began sweeping up the construction mess as she exited the bakery.

  The art gallery was only a few blocks down Main Street, but it took Cassie about ten minutes to navigate through the crowds. The sidewalks were packed with tourists on their way to an early dinner or ducking into shops to buy souvenirs. By the time she reached the gallery, it was a few minutes after five o’clock, but the sign on the door still read Open.

  She turned the doorknob and pushed on the door, stepping onto a gleaming hardwood floor. The gallery had changed quite a bit from when she was last there. Under the former owner, the space had been cozy. Now, stark white walls allowed the art to provide all of the color in the room, and glass display cases sprouted up like stalagmites rising from the floor of a cavern.

  A few people were examining paintings on the wall. One customer stood in front of a tall counter in the corner while a man who could easily have been a fashion model carefully wrapped a small object in tissue and set it in a white paper box. When the customer left with his purchase, Cassie approached the counter.

  “Hi,” she said. “I’m hoping to speak with the owner about a painting I found recently.”

  The man looked up at her, his eyes sparkling in a face too handsome for comfort. “Well, I’d love to hear about this painting.” He came around to the front of the desk and held out his hand. “I’m Chase Flaherty, and this is my gallery.”

  She shook his hand. Heat radiated from his fingers as they wrapped around hers for a few moments longer than necessary. “Cassie Thorsen. Nice to meet you.”

  “So, tell me about this painting,” he said.

  “Well, actually, it’s a huge mural.” She turned to gesture in the direction she’d come from. “I recently took over Edgar’s Bakery, and during renovations the workers uncovered a mural behind some drywall.”

  He looked in the direction she was pointing. “Edgar’s is in that old Spanish Mediterranean Revival building down on Fifth Street, right?”

  “That’s the one.” She peered at him. “Why? Are you familiar with the building?” Excitement built in her chest. Did he know anything about the artist?

  He laughed. “I know where it’s at, but that’s about it. Do you want me to go over there later today to see the mural?”

  “Actually, I took a few photos of it.” Cassie looked around the gallery, which was now almost empty. “Do you have time now to look at them?” She met his gaze, hoping that he would. She held her phone out to him.

  “Sure. That’s fine.” He leaned against the counter and took the phone from her, scrolling through the photos she’d taken. He went past the last image of the mural and paused on a picture of Jace and Amanda that she’d taken at the beach. “Cute kids.”

  Her face flushed. “Thanks.” She swiped her finger across the phone screen to bring it back to the mural. “Do you recognize the artwork?”

  He used his thumb and forefinger to zoom in on some of the details. “It looks familiar, but I couldn’t say for sure. Let me make some calls tonight, and I’ll get back to you. Would you be willing to text me the photos?”

  “Oh, yeah, sure.” Cassie reached for the phone, almost fumbling it when his hand touched hers. She attached the images to a text message, then asked, “What’s your phone number?”

  He rattled off the digits, and she entered them, then hit send. From behind the counter came a loud ding.

  “I guess you got them.” She winced, wishing she hadn’t said such an inane thing. He must think she was an idiot.

  He walked over to his phone and tapped on the screen. “Yep. Thanks.”

  “If you want to see it in person, just let me know. The bakery isn’t open yet, but I can let you in to view it.”

  The door closed behind the last potential customer in the gallery. Chase watched the door swing shut. “I could see it now. I usually close up about five on the weekdays, depending on how busy we are.” When she checked her watch, he said, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. You have kids and a husband to get home to.”

  By now, her cheeks were probably as pink as the button-down blouse she was wearing. “Actually, I’m divorced, but I should get back to my kids. They’re with my neighbor right now. Would tomorrow afternoon at two thirty work?”

  He smiled. “My assistant will be here tomorrow, so I can play hooky for a while. I’ll meet you there, and I’ll ask around about the mural tonight.”

  “Thanks. I really appreciate it.” Cassie looked around the gallery. “You’ve done a great job with this place. I don’t remember it seeming quite so spacious before.”

  He beamed. “That’s because I moved some walls around when I bought the building. It used to be a bunch of cramped little rooms, but I wanted the space opened up to better the flow.”

  “Well, it’s a great change.” Cassie smiled at him. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “It was nice meeting you, Cassie.” He reached out and touched her arm.

  “Nice meeting you too.”

  She walked directly home from the art gallery, her thoughts a confusing mixture of awe over the beautiful mural they’d uncovered, memories of her honeymoon with Kyle in Monterey, and meeting Chase. She was somewhat surprised she’d never met him before, but she was usually locked up at the Lodge during the day and home with her kids in the evening. That left little time for socializing around town. Like Andy had said, Chase seemed like a great guy, although she wa
sn’t sure how she felt about his flirty behavior. He probably was like that with everyone, but it had been a while since anyone had flirted with her, and she found it disconcerting.

  12

  Libby

  Libby dropped Kaya off at her mom’s house and got back into the car. For a minute, she sat there, just staring at her hands on the steering wheel. Her mom had offered to take Kaya during the day and would be picking up the rest of the kids after school. Libby had a whole day to herself, something that hadn’t happened in a long time. Now the only question was, what was she going to do?

  Her brain filled with images of the overflowing piles of laundry that were an everyday occurrence with four kids in the house, the sticky kitchen floor, and the dog hair that had accumulated on the couch. She turned the key in the ignition and started driving home, then caught herself. Did she really want to waste this free day on chores?

  She pulled over to the side of the road and took a good look at her reflection in the rearview mirror. A woman in her mid-thirties with dark circles under her eyes and long, stringy brown hair stared back at her. When she’d been younger, she’d always taken pride in her appearance, but that had changed as the kids occupied more and more of her time. A sharp pain stabbed at her chest, and her breath hitched. Was that why Gabe had lost interest in her? Was he no longer attracted to her?

  Libby ran her fingers through her hair, examining the split ends made visible by the sunlight. It hadn’t been cut in over a year. Come to think of it, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d taken any time out for herself. Before she could change her mind, she called her hairdresser and made an appointment, leaving just enough time beforehand for a trip to Wedding Belles for an indulgent dark chocolate mocha.

  By the time she walked out of the hair salon just off Main Street, she was feeling more human. She strolled down the main drag in Willa Bay, taking the time to window-shop and savor the warmth of the summer day.