by Sandra Lee
“That would never have occurred to Great-Grandma, I can promise you,” said Lorraine. “Even if they had invented computers back then. You should have seen her. I remember her hazily from when she was very old and I was very young. She still wore a long dress. She was not very progressive. I called her ‘Tant.’ ”
“Is there a picture to scan into the file?”
Grace realized she had never actually seen a picture of her grandmother. “I don’t think so, honey.” It had always seemed that her mother’s departure from Sweden had left them with zero family artifacts—no albums, no family pictures, no history—just the recipe box.
“You know what?” said Lorraine. “I do have something.” She got up, went to her room, and returned with a necklace. A large silver heart dangled from a thick chain. Grace had seen Lorraine wearing this hundreds of times and never thought about its origin. It was just a piece of jewelry. Lorraine fiddled with the heart and it snapped open. Grace had never realized it opened. It was a locket. Inside was a picture of a stern-faced couple. “Here they are, Great-Grandpa and Tant. These are miniatures. They were popular keepsakes at the time.”
Grace took the locket and looked at it before she handed it to Emma. It was a sepia photograph—small, but one thing was clear. Great-Grandpa Carlson had very pale-colored eyes. Emma’s ice-blue eyes? She slowly handed the locket to Emma. This picture has been here all along, Grace thought. If she’d taken more of an interest in her mother, she might have seen it decades ago.
“They look—fierce!” Emma said. “I won’t take the pictures out. I’ll scan them in the locket.”
“Tant didn’t get here, but her recipe box is starting a café,” said Grace. “The recipe box café.”
“The recipe box café,” repeated Emma.
“That’s a nice name,” said Lorraine.
“The Recipe Box Café,” Grace said. “Hmm…”
Ken had gone wild when he heard the name. “Of course! These are not ordinary recipes. They’re recipes with history! It’s a great public relations angle. Put it in the press release!”
So the Recipe Box Café at the Book Nook Barn was born.
By Christmas week, it was like the café had always been part of the Book Nook. Business was taking off, even following a two-foot snowstorm, a “Wisconsin Special,” as Ken called it, that hit the day they launched the café. The storm had one positive side effect, which was the icing of white that had covered the town and the park, hanging icicles from the bare tree limbs. Intermittent flurries had kept the landscape white. Grace, Claire, Lorraine, and Emma, when she could break away from finals, were in overdrive with preparations for the café. Grace’s cards, with a bit of the history of each treat, were a big hit. Her cardamom scones included a note that Scandinavians and northern Europeans consume half the world’s supply of cardamom. She got so many requests for the recipe, she posted it on the Web site.
Grace and Claire had designed a cookie tree, which sat on top of its own barn-wood table. About four feet tall, it was hung top to bottom with Leeza’s favorite gingerbread cookies cut in the shapes of people, trees, stars, and birds, thickly iced, adorned with pink pearlescent edible beads and dusted with translucent edible glitter flakes. The cookies were hung at different lengths on pink satin ribbons that matched the pink bows garlanding the new gazebo across the street. It was almost too pretty to eat, but the plan was to give the cookies as gifts to the kids who came to Emma’s Christmas story circle. She’d written a special Halo story, Halo’s Holidays.
As if all this weren’t enough, Emma’s birthday was Christmas Day, and Grace hadn’t had time to bake a cake. This happened every year, it seemed, but this year she was more prepared than ever. This year, she was determined to start a new tradition—she’d bake a sheet cake! Emma’s sheet cake! Something for all her new friends to share. It was just a matter of when. There was Christmas shopping to finish, gifts to wrap, church, and the food pantry to think about. This afternoon was the gazebo dedication, though, and Grace was determined to blast through her checklist and be front and center when Emma and the show choir performed their holiday medley at the ceremony. She wanted the holiday and Emma’s birthday to be special, because Emma would be spending New Year’s with Brian and Heather. Brian was going to surprise Emma with the promise of a car when she got her learner’s permit, and after that, Grace knew, life would never be the same. Her little girl was growing up.
“Grace, there is a very important job for you,” Claire called out as she strung the ribbons through cookies and put them on trays. Sara was sitting on Jonathan’s lap as he then helped her hang them on the cookie tree to replace the ones that had mysteriously vanished.
“Uh-oh. What did I forget?” She leaned over to kiss the top of Sara’s head. “What a good job you’re doing, Sara!”
CARDAMOM SCONES
Makes 6 to 8 scones
2½ cups flour
¼ cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1½ teaspoons ground cardamom
½ teaspoon salt
1½ sticks cold butter
¾ cup dried currants, optional
½ cup milk, plus more for brushing
1 egg, beaten
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, cardamom, and salt. Cut in butter. Stir in currants, if using. Stir in milk and egg until just combined. Put onto a well-floured board and pat into a 1-inch thick round. Cut into 6 or 8 wedges with a sharp knife. Put them onto the prepared baking sheet. Lightly brush on some milk. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned.
“Your job is to take the afternoon off and get your Christmas shopping done,” said Claire. “I’m taking over.”
“What? What about your holiday shopping?”
“I did it in July.”
Of course she did.
“I have to shop for all the village employee gifts, so I figure I might as well do everything at once, when the sales are on.”
Grace sighed. “You put human women to shame, Claire. But I could really use the time. Emma wants to have a party for her friends on the twenty-sixth, before she goes to her dad’s.”
Claire nodded. “I know, so much to think about.”
Grace was slipping on her parka when Jonathan looked up and called out to her. “Grace! Before you go…” He carefully handed Sara to Claire. “I have one surprise for Emma.” He handed Grace an envelope. “Leeza left instructions to give it to Emma for her birthday, from her godmother.”
“Oh my God, do you know what it is?”
“It’s her high school class ring.”
Leeza’s class ring. She’d only taken it off when she got her engagement ring. It was like a piece of Leeza. “The timing couldn’t be better.” Grace hugged Claire, then picked her way through the snow to her car. There was so much to do.
Grace headed out, looked at the sky, and crossed her fingers that nothing would interfere with the gazebo dedication at five. The Christmas Eve day sky was overcast, with flurries that threatened something more. She was running across the icy sidewalk on Pearl Street when she slipped and slid sideways into a man in a ski hat and sheepskin coat. Looking up, she saw that it was Von.
“Grace! Be careful!”
“I’m fine, I’m fine.” She felt flustered.
“You’re always in a rush.” He smiled. “You always were, as I recall. Can you take a few minutes for an old friend? We could have a coffee. Or a hot chocolate. I seem to recall chocolate was one of your favorites.”
Grace found herself blushing. “I heard you were coming back for the gazebo, at Christmas.”
“Well, yes. But I had some banking business in New York, so I just extended my trip a bit.”
Von escorted Grace into a small coffee shop and ordered two hot chocolates at the counter. He helped her off with her coat, and they settled in at a table.
Grace stirred her drink as she made small talk for a
few minutes, describing the new Book Nook Barn and giving an edited version of Brian’s wedding.
“Well, it is the end of an era, I suppose,” Von said. “That, and Leeza’s passing. The universe has shifted and moved us all on. And where have you moved on to, Grace?”
“Right here, actually. The universe, if you call it that, sent me back from LA to New London. I guess you could say I’ve gone full circle.” A year ago, Grace would have felt pathetic saying that. Now she found herself feeling proud.
“I guess many things did not turn out the way we expected.”
“Except you, Von. You’re doing what you always expected—running your family’s chocolate company. I’m sure your father would be proud.”
He smiled slightly and sipped from his cup. “Well, even that may change. You never know.”
Grace knew. Von Vasser had that chocolate company hardwired into his DNA, as had his father before him.
“Grace, one reason I made this trip was because I owe you an apology. A long-overdue apology. I am not proud of the way I acted after we were together that night. It has been all these years, and every year I thought now was the time to say something to you, but the time was never right. And you never said anything, so I thought, well, maybe I shouldn’t say anything.”
Was he referring to Emma? “Well,” she finally said, “we were so young.”
“Still, I behaved abominably. I was such a confused young man. I was overwhelmed by my father’s illness, taking over the business. I knew Emma could be mine, but I was so afraid of that responsibility on top of the rest, and then you married Brian so I figured I must have been wrong. But I still wondered if it could have been possible.”
Grace started to say something, but Von stopped her.
“Please let me finish. I have to say this finally. You see, I didn’t think children would be possible for me. As a young boy, I had a life-threatening case of measles. I survived, but the doctors said I was most likely left sterile. My mother was devastated, as you can imagine, but when I was young it didn’t much matter to me. Until there was the possibility that our night together had meant I was a father. I was terrified, but I also liked the idea, so I had myself tested. I didn’t want to cause a burden to you, Brian, or Emma unless it was possible.” Von paused. Grace held her breath waiting for him to continue and then she noticed as a sadness crept over Von’s normally stoic face, and she knew what he would say. She knew for sure Emma was Brian’s daughter. She took Von’s hand. “Oh, Von, I am so sorry. We were so, so young.”
Von seemed grateful for Grace’s words. “Yes, we were, but still I should not have abandoned you like that. After all this time, will you accept my apology? It is important to me. Leeza’s death made me realize, life is so short. Our mistakes should not go without apologies. I wanted so much to make sure you were happy, but there was no chance to make it up to you. At least, not then.”
“You don’t have to make up anything, Von.”
“Well, I did try.”
“Thank you for being so supportive of Emma, she—”
“When you were married to Brian, I could never tell you this. But now… you see, one of my companies invested in his software business.”
“What? Brian never told me.”
“He never knew. It was one of my holding companies; he would not have made the connection. I didn’t want his business to fail, and I heard from Leeza about his gambling debts. I didn’t want that for you and Emma. So we put seed capital in his company. “
“Oh my God!”
Von looked at Grace beseechingly. “Actually, it was one of our better investments. With the technology boom, the company has been quite profitable. We have spun off one of the product lines, and we may sell the company at some point at a tremendous profit.”
Now it made sense, Grace thought—Brian’s newfound affluence, which she’d attributed to Heather. Brian himself actually was wealthy. Thanks to Von.
“Brian never needs to know.”
Grace nodded quietly. “We are secure, Von. With each other. But did you do this because of Emma?”
“No. I did it because of you. I felt I had let you down. That maybe you suddenly married Brian—because of what happened. Because I left.”
“That’s not why I married Brian, Von. I didn’t marry him on the rebound. I loved Brian before I knew you, and I loved him after. Did you really invest in Brian’s business just to make your conscience feel better?”
“Not at all. I could see he had a promising business model. It was just bad timing, trying to start a business in a recession. When I heard he was going to declare bankruptcy, we arranged for the investment, but the fact is, he did all the work, he created the products, he made the sales, and he’s the reason the company has taken off. I’m just the silent beneficiary of a good investment.” Von shrugged. Then he knotted his scarf under his neck. “Well, we’d better be going. I have to practice my speech for the gazebo opening.”
“And I have to finish my shopping and make sure Emma meets up with the show choir on time.”
“Emma will be singing, then?”
“Yes. You’ll hear her. She has a little solo.”
“You’re very lucky, you know. I’m envious.”
Envious? This handsome, wealthy man with yachts, planes, women, and the Mediterranean at his feet? For just a second, they stared at each other. For each of them, the other had been, Grace suddenly realized, the road not taken. Far from forgetting her after their night together, Von had never forgotten. He’d had to contend with his own life management, at first denying—and then wishing for—a daughter like Emma.
“Emma will be happy to see you,” she said. “Well, I’d better run. Stop by the new café after the ceremony and warm up. Our hot chocolate is guaranteed much better than this! And Emma will be reading a story to the kids.” She paused. “Will you ever tell Brian?” she asked.
“No. There’s no need to say anything.”
“I won’t say anything, either.”
But, of course, they weren’t really talking about Brian. They exchanged a European-style kiss, on both cheeks, and a chapter was closed.
The gazebo dedication was so full of Leeza’s presence that Grace almost felt Leeza standing beside her. “She probably is,” Grace thought. She had to smile. Leeza was never one to miss a good party, especially one in her honor.
“… And so, Leeza, we who love you, in the town that you love, dedicate this gazebo to you,” Von announced. His voice, miked, carried across the crisp, cold air of the park, his breath frosting as he spoke. He stood in front of the gazebo with Jonathan, Sara, Claire, and David. Inside the gazebo, waiting to perform, were members of the show choir, including Emma. Grace stood in the crowd, rubbing her hands in front of her. The night was cold, but hearts were warm. The gazebo looked like a winter wonderland, all flickering candles casting dancing shadows on the snow. “As her family, it is our hope that all in New London will enjoy Leeza’s Gazebo.” Von ceremonially cut the ribbon across the front archway. Applause burst out, and the choristers burst into song—Leeza’s favorite carol, “Joy to the World.”
With the notes of the last chord ringing out in the snowy night sky, Grace turned and dashed toward the Book Nook Barn, where the front porch, dressed up in a myriad of tiny white lights, matched the festivity of the gazebo. Right now was the calm before the storm. A soft, yellow glow illuminated the room with a winter warmth. Hot cider and cocoa were at the ready, the cookie tree shimmered, and the new pastry case was sumptuous with cupcakes, scones, cookies, and sugared almonds. Lorraine was behind the counter, holding the fort for early arrivals from the ceremony. The vintage cake stands lined up along the bluestone tabletop were heaped with cupcakes under the opulent guardianship of Miss Havisham. Tim had set out a selection of Christmas books, new sure-to-be-bestsellers, and traditional holiday classics. Tonight, however, was past Halo’s bedtime, and Emma never disrupted his routine. One animal would, however, be making a special guest appearance—t
he new Dalmatian puppy that Tim was giving Ken as a Christmas surprise. At the firehouse, Spotty’s mother had had another litter. Grace knew that this was not just any puppy, but a very significant gift—another step in the commitment he was making to Tim and their life together.
Grace was dashing up the porch steps when she saw Mike with something moving under his plaid jacket. A tiny spotted head peered out, yawning. “Shh,” said Mike. “We’re being very quiet so our new owner will be surprised.”
Grace cuddled close to the tiny dog. He felt like a squirmy piece of warm velvet. “Ken is going to go crazy, and something tells me you and Spotty are going to have a houseguest. You know, Ken’s giving Tim a surprise trip to LA for New Year’s. They’re staying in the Malibu house. He’s getting ready to rent it to Jaxon, for his parents. So you know what that means—puppy-sitting. But who would mind?”
Mike motioned toward the top of the doorway. “I made an addition.” A bunch of mistletoe now hung, tied with a pink bow. He pulled Grace close. “You’re standing under it. So now, you owe me kiss. It’s tradition.” He leaned in, the puppy squirming between them.
Suddenly, Mike sank onto one knee in front of her. In the hand that wasn’t holding the puppy he was holding up a pearl ring. “Grace, I thought of so many ways to say this, but it all comes down to: I love you and I love Emma. Will you marry me? When you went back to LA, I was so mad at myself for letting you get away. I thought maybe you didn’t realize how I felt about you, so I’m making it crystal clear before any more time passes.”