Angry Baker's Arc

Chapter 6 of 13

Saturday evening, Allan cleaned the counters and swept the floor while Melissa pulled on her jacket by the door. She'd done this every night since the week began. Out to the trail behind the house, walking alone while the sun dropped behind the trees. Allan set down the broom. "I'll come with you." Melissa stopped, hand on the doorknob. Her shoulders stiffened. "I need to go alone," she said. But Allan was already reaching for his coat. He needed to know what pulled her away every night. He needed to understand why she walked with purpose while he waited inside. She didn't argue further, just stepped outside and started down the path. Allan followed. The trail opened into spring color, flowers lining both sides in bright rows. Melissa walked faster, putting distance between them. Then she stopped where the path widened. Allan saw it—an arch made of metal framework, standing in a small clearing. Garden tools leaned against a nearby tree. A shovel. A rake. Fresh dirt at the base of the arch. Melissa had been here before. Many times. She turned to face him. "I'm building something for us," she said. "For May. I wanted it to be ready before I showed you." Allan looked at the arch, at the tools, at the work she'd been doing alone. She hadn't been walking away from him. She'd been walking toward their wedding. While he'd been rebuilding his business and counting orders, she'd been here building something he couldn't buy or bake. He reached for her hand. "Show me what you need," he said. Melissa picked up the shovel and handed it to him. They worked together until dark, planting flowers at the base of the arch. Allan's hands moved in the dirt, shaping something that had nothing to do with proof or fear. Just something that would bloom in May.