She opened her mouth to tell him that was ridiculous, but he was already up and walking to the counter.
When the bakery door opened, Callie, the new Pilates and yoga studio owner, walked in. The woman’s gaze immediately slid to Elle, and she smiled before heading her way.
“Hey, Elle.”
“Hey. It’s good to see you, Callie.” The woman was wearing her usual leggings and sports crop, probably having come straight from a class. “How’s the studio going?”
“Great, actually. We’ve been really busy, which surprised me. I thought it would take a while to build up clientele, but I guess Misty Peak was ready for a fitness studio.” She cocked her head. “You’re always welcome to come back for another class, you know.”
Elle internally cringed. “Thank you. I think I need some time to summon the courage first. Your class was amazing, but it absolutely destroyed me.”
“We have beginner’s classes.”
“What? The class Sadie and I took wasn’t a beginner’s class? She said it was!”
Callie grinned. “No. It was intermediate. But come by and I can give you a schedule of all the classes so you can see which ones you might like to try. If you want to, that is. No pressure.”
She was going to kill Sadie. “Thanks. I’d appreciate it.”
Jace returned to the table. “Hey, Callie, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Jace.”
“I know. How are you?”
“I’m good.”
“Happy to be back?”
“I am.” He glanced at Elle.
Callie smiled. “Your family’s almost all home.”
One side of his mouth lifted. “Yeah, don’t know if we’llallever be home though. Nylah will likely stay in Cradle Mountain, and I think Lock might be out there for life.”
Her smile slipped a fraction. It was subtle, but enough for Elle to notice. Did she know Lock?
“Is he good?” Callie asked, voice sounding strained.
“I mean, from the little he updates us, it seems so.”
She swallowed and nodded before stepping back. “Good. That’s great. Well, I’ll see you both around.”
Elle frowned as the other woman walked away. What was her history with Lock? Because therewasa history. Before she could ask Jace, Mrs. Sandler stopped at their table with two plates, each holding a cupcake, as well as a takeout box.
The store owner smiled at them. “Here you go. Enjoy.”
When she walked away, Elle raised a brow at Jace. “How many did you order?”
“I told you, one of each.”
“Jace…that’s ridiculous and will make us sick.”
“The only thing that makes me sick is thinking I’m not feeding you enough.”
She sighed. “I’m already gaining inches on my hips from that damn candy you gave me.”
