Halloween ended far too soon, leaving dying lawns covered in nothing but fallen leaves and stray candy wrappers. Gone were the decorations, at least for the time being. Once everyone had recovered from their post-candy-binge crash, then Christmas would come in all of its holly jolly glory. For now, Harriet gladly retreated to The Magic Touch with Frank for a much-needed escape from the endless brown.

"Welcome to The Magic Touch," said the receptionist. "How can I soothe your soul today?"

Harriet cringed inwardly. If there was one thing she missed the least about being a massage therapist, it was the fake cheerfulness. That and the muscle-bound man who'd come in every week for the full-body experience, leaving her feeling filthier than his sweat-soaked gym shorts by the time he left. And yet her mother had always wondered why she'd almost never dated anyone she'd met on the job.

"We have a reservation," Frank said. "One standard lavender rub, one hot stone massage, and two of the special."

"The special?" Harriet looked at him in surprise. "What's that all about?"

"You'll see," Frank said in a singsong voice. "I know you've been having a rough time lately, so I thought it would be nice for you to get a little extra pampering today."

Harriet eyed him warily, but there wasn't a hint of guilt on his face. "Thank you, honey. Halloween was nice and all, but I could definitely use a little us time."

The receptionist led them to one of the private couple's massage rooms in the back. Everything from the turquoise walls to the vase of orchids blooming beside their beds was designed to ease their stress away. Harriet settled onto her luxuriously soft mattress with a sigh. "I could almost fall asleep here and call it a day."

Frank chuckled. "Me too, babe. You look like such a dream I wouldn't even know if I ever woke up."

Yet she felt like a nightmare. Her eyes burned from crying the night before or from not sleeping a wink. She wasn't sure which, and her back ached with too much muscle tension for her to care about much else. She'd kill to bake right now, even if it was something as simple as readymade dough.

"Good morning, lovelies," said a dark-haired woman with a slight Spanish accent as she and her coworker, a twig of a girl who looked like she'd only recently graduated college, rolled a cart full of supplies into the room. "My name is Maya, and this is Veronica. We'll be your guides today as we take you and your sore, aching muscles on a two-hour journey full of relaxation and healing."

Dear God, Harriet thought as Frank hastily turned a laugh into a cough. Had she ever sounded this horribly schmaltzy?

The sound of birds serenading a babbling brook filled the room as Veronica finished fumbling with the radio. The older woman flashed her coworker a thumbs up before sauntering over to Harriet. "You would like the hot stone massage, yes?"

"Yes, please. And do you have any almond oil? That always helps me relax."

The stones' warmth seeped through the towel covering Harriet's back, loosening her tense muscles as the massage therapist worked her magic. Yet, even as those firm hands worked the tightness out of her muscles, Harriet found her own hands longing to knead her emotions into a loaf of cranberry almond bread as fragrant as the oil being rubbed along her spine.

Frank let out a soft moan as Veronica massaged him with lavender oil. "This is the life, isn't it babe?" His hand found hers, caressing it in the space between the beds.

His touch soothed her in ways even Maya's nimble fingers could not. "You always know exactly what I need." Shame he wasn't usually around to give it to her these days.

"How's your old man doing? He holding up alright?" A gentle squeeze, his fingers warm against hers.

She returned the handheld hug with a smile. "Stubborn as always, but it was nice to do a little baking with him. Sam got a kick out of the cupcakes we made."

"Glad to hear it! He's always been a natural at that, just like someone else I know."

"Yeah, Carol really is something special," Harriet said teasingly. "But seriously, I've been trying to get back into baking more often."

"That's awesome! It's been way too long since we've made anything together." He sighed. "I just wish Ryan would quit loading me up with so much work."

"But you've been working on putting your foot down, right? He's not the only one who has a family, you know."

"Tryin' to, anyway. You know how it is with the holiday season. Everyone and their mother wants this or that changed last minute, and before you know it you've done ten reshoots."

Trying wasn't good enough anymore.

What had happened to them? Frank was a shell of who he used to be, tiredness shrinking his smiles and filling the little time they spent together with empty promises that things would be better soon. He'd said things would get better once Ryan and Carol patched up their marriage, then he'd said Ryan needed a hand while they finalized their divorce. Months had gone by, and nothing had changed.

No wonder Sam was afraid they'd end up like Carol and Ryan.

Maya removed the stones from Harriet's back. "Okay, that's all for part one of your massage experience. Now we start the acupressure."

Oh sweet Jesus. Why on earth did Frank think that kind of massage would be a good idea, especially after the heat of the stone massage made her much more sensitive to every ounce of pressure on her body? He looked more than a little relieved at the distraction from the topic at hand, so he probably didn't even care if this part of the massage was actually any good.

Maya pressed her thumb into the sole of Harriet's foot. "This may hurt a bit," she said as Harriet winced, "but this will help you with any back pain you've been having."

She needed this kind of help like a hole in the head. Her forehead throbbed harder with each muscle Maya dug her fingers into.

Her only consolation was Frank sharing the pain she felt from the massage as Veronica jabbed at him with all the caution of a kid poking and prodding at a turtle cowering in its shell. His back popped as she pressed her elbow against his spine.

By the time the second half of their massage session was over, Harriet and Frank winced with every movement. "Sorry about that, babe," Frank said with a grimace. "This was supposed to be relaxing."

"It happens," Harriet said through gritted teeth. She bit back a swear as a misstep sent waves of pain radiating through her foot. "That type of massage takes an especially careful set of hands."

"If it'll cheer you up, feel free to 'awaken my life energy' as much as you want tonight."

She stifled a laugh as the receptionist shot them a look on their way out. "Somehow, I don't think you mean that phrase the same way they did."

"You know I didn't," he whispered, his voice husky as goosebumps rose on her arms. Damn it, how was she supposed to stay mad if he got her all flustered?

Might as well take what she could get while the getting was good.

"You'll have to be gentle with me," she murmured. His breathing quickened as she trailed kisses down his neck. At this rate, they'd barely be able to make it to the car before they really started getting excited. "I'm more than a little sore."

"I take it you two got the acupressure treatment?"

They sprang apart at the sound of Vicky's velvety voice. She sauntered up to them with a smooth confidence that told of a much more soothing experience. "Big mistake. None of them are experienced with it yet."

"I noticed," Harriet hissed. Although, to the massage therapist's credit, most of her muscles did feel looser, minus her aching forehead. Losing her moment with Frank hadn't exactly helped her headache.

"The cucumber facial is to die for!" said Vicky. "I get one every week, and it always leaves me feeling as fresh as a daisy."

And smelling like a salad. A stunningly beautiful salad rocking a pair of three-inch heels as if she'd been born to strut down a runway, but still a salad. Harriet took Frank's hand in hers. No salad there, just the delicate scent of lavender wafting from his silk-soft hands. At least that part of the massage had worked out okay.

"I bet it does," Frank said drily, "but all I have to do for that is look at my beautiful wife." He pulled Harriet close and gave her a quick peck on the cheek, hugging her firmly to his side as he observed Vicky with narrowed eyes.

"Oh, you." Harriet waved off the compliment, but secretly relished in his praise. Despite the stress his business trips and late nights at the office caused her, he still knew exactly how to show her how much he loved her.

"That and spending a little time away from the kid, am I right?" Vicky gave them a conspiratorial wink. "I get Ollie Saturdays, and Eleanor's stuck with him on Sundays. I love that little goofball to death, don't get me wrong, but sometimes I need a break from the constant shouting. And don't get me started on his bug collection! How he can find any sort of appeal in a praying mantis, I will never know."

"I know what you mean," Harriet said. "Sam's probably showing Patricia his dinosaurs for the twelfth time today as we speak."

"Speaking of kids," Frank said, "why don't you two head out to the mall sometime? I heard they're opening up a new toy store right next to Sur La Table."

"You don't want to come help drag the kids away from this year's most ridiculously overpriced toys while Santa fills his sleigh?" Harriet teased.

"Well it's no fun if I shop for your gifts with you, is it? You don't even try to act surprised, Ms. Monogrammed Bathrobe!"

"I told you it was a lovely present. Very cozy." Harriet gave him a reassuring peck on the cheek before turning her attention back to Vicky. "Does this Saturday work okay?"

"As long as you can still stand by then. You'd better give those sore muscles a rest because I am dying to do some window shopping!"

With a convenient excuse to hop into Sur La Table to buy some much-needed baking equipment, so was Harriet.