The Sea Star Bakery by Nicole Ellis

Life is a series of decisions to make, but choosing the right one isn’t always cut and dry.

Up until a few years ago, Cassie was living her dream life – happily married to her high school sweetheart Kyle and raising their two kids together in a house with a white picket fence. When she and Kyle grew apart and eventually divorced, she was devastated. Now, she’s picking herself up and building a new life.

Her dream of owning a bakery seems out of reach, until a For Lease sign goes up in the window of the best bakery in town. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity, but with a mortgage, young children and an almost-empty bank account, it feels impossible. Kyle offers to help her, but she wants to do it on her own. Besides, there are too many pesky feelings for him that she can’t seem to shake.

With a beautiful co-worker asking him for a date and a possible promotion at work, Kyle should be on top of the world. If only he could stop thinking about his ex-wife and the life they used to share.

Cassie’s friend Zoe has found her calling in life – turning the old Inn at Willa Bay into the premier wedding venue in the Pacific Northwest. However, she didn’t count on the challenge of working closely with her new boyfriend Shawn and her good friend Meg. All of the responsibility for the renovation has fallen on her shoulders and she doesn’t know how everything is going to get done before the Inn’s grand opening.

Meg knows that Zoe needs more from her, but between working at the Inn part-time and her job as a sous chef at a local lodge, she’s burning the candle at both ends. Eventually, they’ll turn the old barn at the Inn into a restaurant for her to manage, but that’s at least six months away. In the meantime the Inn’s tight renovation budget can’t afford another full-time salary. For the time being, Meg’s life is at a standstill, looking on with envy at the lives of her friends and family.

Her sister Libby leads the perfect life – except for the fact that she’s been hiding marital problems for a few months and is now at her breaking point. She’s watching her friends pursue their passions, but feeling stuck in her own life. If her husband doesn’t come clean about his secretive behavior and indifference to her, she’s going to need to make some serious changes.

Although each of the friends is at a different point in their lives, they all must make decisions that will change the shape of their futures and the small town tapestry of Willa Bay.