Aloha With Love
Page 17
A mischievous thought tickled against Jenna’s tongue and she sneaked a peek at Ben before catching Sarah’s attention. “By the way, I drove by Grandma’s Coffee House today, and the For Sale sign has been taken down.”
Sarah’s face fell. “Really? Oh well. I hope somebody makes good use of the property.”
“Me, too.” Jenna signaled to Ben. He reached behind a large potted ivy—the same one Grace had sent to May’s funeral—and pulled something hidden behind it into view. The For Sale sign.
“Wait—what?” Sarah’s crestfallen face had taken on a slightly deer-in-headlights sort of appearance: eyes wide, mouth agape.
Jenna stood, took the sign from Ben, and handed it to her sister. “You better get busy, sis. You’re the new owner.”
The deer on Jenna’s new back porch blinked. “How?”
“I sold my LA condo, and you won’t believe how much I got for nine-hundred square feet,” Jenna explained honestly. Truthfully, it was a little embarrassing how much money she’d squandered on an apartment the size of a shoebox. She’d completed the transaction on her own, too. Apparently she’d learned just enough about real estate during her time with Darren to be dangerous—and capable. Imagine that.
“Enough to buy a bakery?”
“O ‘oe ke hele.” Jenna smiled at her sister. She had her dream, and now, Sarah had hers.
Once she’d blinked herself back to reality, Sarah threw her arms around Jenna’s neck. She squeezed. Danced in place. Squeezed harder. “Oh, Jenna ... Mahalo, Mahalo!” Still bounding with excitement, Sarah released Jenna and then constricted herself around Ben before gathering her family in her arms.
Jim appeared on the porch, armed with a celebratory round of piña coladas and mai-tais. He set the beverage tray beside the pastry trays on the table, quickly swallowed down a crabcake, and opened his arms to his oldest daughter. “Sarah’s Bakery is going to be fantastic!”
Sarah punched a playful fist into her father’s meaty bicep. “Wait, you knew?”
“Papa knows everything,” he teased.
“Not everything!” A sharp female voice rang out from inside the house, followed by short-cropped blonde hair. Patti Murray poked her head through the doors of the patio. Like Jenna, she’d traded in her slick city business wardrobe for island casual, and she looked great. “Figured if Jenna’s going to be heading up our new Hawaiian branch of Avery Architects, I’d better take an official business trip down to the islands to see it for myself.”
Jenna gaped. She’d known Patti had planned a trip to the islands, but had never expected her to show up unannounced—until she saw the woman plant a kiss on her father’s cheek.
“Your orange slices, my love,” Patti said, then slipped a sliver of the fruit onto the rim of one of the mai-tais.
Jim put his arm around her and pulled her in, kissing her quickly on the lips. “What would I do without you?”
Jenna and Sarah exchanged a look of utter bewilderment. When had this happened?
Patti dismissed the look of shock on Jenna’s face and took a seat at the table beside her. “I’m so glad you convinced me that a second branch was such a good idea,” she said. Her face broke into a kind of grin Jenna had never seen the woman wear. It changed her completely, transforming the buttoned-up businesswoman into an island free spirit. “Well, you and your father.”
A dozen questions queued in Jenna’s mind, but she took one look at the smile on her dad’s and Patti’s faces, and let them go. Who cared about the details when such happiness was evident?
“Now you just have to make it permanent like I did,” she said.
“I never thought I’d even consider leaving the city,” Patti admitted. Then she looked at Jim. “But I just may. Who knew an RV-living, mullet-headed surfer would check all my boxes?”
Jenna snuggled herself inside Ben’s arms. “Island boys tend to do that.”
The rest of Jenna’s family gathered around the table and quiet fell over the group as they all lost themselves in the beauty of a Hawaiian sunset. In the distance, right where the strawberry bushes had begun to bloom at the edge of the property line against the dense tropical jungle, Jenna could almost see the figure of an old woman in a white muumuu with a bright red lei around her neck.
The woman smiled and raised a hand. Aloha, May called, her voice as rich and vibrant in Jenna’s memory as it had been in life.
Aloha, Aunt May. Jenna blinked back a tear and laid her head against Ben’s shoulder.
He brushed a light kiss on her check. “Welcome home, Jenna.”
Jenna smiled, but her heart was too full of love and gratitude to reply as she looked out across her grass, her ocean ... her Aloha.
HAUPIA CAKE
Ingredients
For the Cake:
1 box white cake mix
1 cup coconut milk, separated
2/3 cup water
2 egg whites
1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin
2 cups heavy cream
6 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1-2 cups shredded coconut (to sprinkle over cake)
For the Haupia Filling:
1 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup water
4 cups coconut milk, not separated
2 teaspoons vanilla
Method
Preheat oven according to directions on cake mix box.
Prepare two 8 or 9-inch round cake pans.
Prepare cake mix according to package directions, using 2/3 cup of the coconut milk, water, and egg whites.
Bake cake according to package directions. When cooled, cut each cake horizontally into two layers, making sure they are flat. Set aside.
Soften gelatin in remaining 1/3 cup of coconut milk. Dissolve over hot water, and cool completely.
For the frosting: In a large mixing bowl, whip the heavy cream. Fold in the gelatin mixture, sugar, and lemon extract. Chill frosting until it is spreadable.
For the filling: In a small bowl, mix together sugar, salt, cornstarch, and water. Set aside.
In a saucepan, heat the coconut milk. When hot, add sugar mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened.
Remove vanilla and cool. Chill until spreadable.
To assemble: Spread the Haupia filling between each cake layer, about ½’’ thick. Stack and refrigerate until set. Frost the entire cake with whipped cream mixture. Sprinkle coconut over the cake’s top and sides. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Enjoy!
HAWAIIAN STRAWBERRY PIE
Ingredients
1 premade graham cracker pie crust
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries*
3 ounces strawberry gelatin
3.5 ounces vanilla pudding (not instant)
8 ounces crushed pineapple (drain and reserve juice)
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1 cup whipped cream
2 tablespoons flaked coconut, sweetened
1 cup water
*2 cups frozen, unsweetened, drained strawberries may be substituted
Method
Place strawberries in frozen pie crust.
In a medium saucepan, combine the dry gelatin and pudding mix.
Add enough water to make the pineapple juice reach 1 ½ cups liquid. Add to pudding mixture.
Cook pudding mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and comes to a gentle boil.
Remove pudding mixture from head and pour over strawberries. Refrigerate 2 hours.
In a small bowl, combine the drained pineapple, coconut extract, and whipped cream. Mix gently to combine. Keep cool.
To assemble: When pie is completely cool, spread the pineapple mixture over the set strawberry filling and sprinkle coconut flakes over the top, as desired.
Refrigerate until set, about 10 minutes—and enjoy!
TOASTED COCONUT CREAM PUDDING
Ing
redients
14 ounces shredded coconut, sweetened
2 packages (3.4 ounces) coconut pudding
2 cups milk
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk*
1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 box vanilla wafers
*for extra coconut flavor, you may also substitute with cream of coconut
Method
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Spread coconut in an even layer on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
Bake coconut for 6 minutes, turning between.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together powdered pudding mix and condensed milk. Let sit for 3 minutes.
In a separate large bowl (or stand mixer on low speed), beat whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until peaks form.
Fold whipped cream into pudding mix until smooth.
To assemble: In a large bowl (or smaller individual jars), layer 1/3 of vanilla wafers across bottom, then 1/3 toasted coconut, then 1/3 pudding. Repeat with two more layers, ending with toasted coconut as garnish—and enjoy!
Acknowledgements
To Italia Gandolfo and Liana Gardner, for collectively being my Patti Murray—except with fewer tissues and lots more laughs and cat gifs. I appreciate and love you both dearly.
To Holly Atkinson and Najla Qamber, for your careful editing and expert vision. It takes a village to bring a story to life, and I am grateful to have such incredible women in my tribe.
To Ildiko McCabe, for single-handedly helping me build my writing playlist as I wrote this book—and for always bringing much needed sunshine to the cold days of Alaska.
To Lindsey Neumann, for being my favorite neighbor—and my open invite to visit the islands!
To Wake, my favorite travel companion. I’m so lucky to be your mom. Even on red-eye flights.
And, of course, to Finn, for hours spent curled beneath my feet, listening to me type.
About The Authors
Lindy Miller is an award-wining author of feel-good love stories full of sweet moments and happy endings. She believes the best time to fall in love is during the holidays, preferably over a cup of warm tea or a delicious vegan pastry - two things she can't get enough of.
A free spirit, Lindy loves to travel and believes there’s nothing that can’t be cured with salt, seawater, and sunshine. She is married to her childhood sweetheart and bakes as often as she can for her husband, son, and pets - especially her golden retriever, Finn, who has a tendency to show up in her stories (and her social media!).
Lindy is represented by Gandolfo Helin & Fountain Literary Management and supported by Smith Publicity.
Member Romantic Novelist Association (RNA) and Romance Writers of America (RWA).
www.LindyMillerRomance
Terence Brody is an active captain on the FDNY, assigned to Ladder 10 in lower Manhattan.
Two of his feature scripts, RESCUING MADISON (Ethan Peck, C. Thomas Howell, Alona Tal) and A LESSON IN ROMANCE (Kristy Swanson, Scott Grimes, directed by Ron Oliver) aired on the Hallmark Channel.
His script, RENOVATE MY HEART, produced by Brian Bird of When Calls The Heart and Branscombe Richmond, is in pre-production, and the novel co-written with author Lindy Miller releases Summer 2021. Brody also wrote the screenplay for Miller's novel Sleigh Bells on Bread Loaf Mountain (2021) and The Christmas Spirit by Alexandrea Weis (Nov 2020).
Brody resides in Long Island, NY with his wife and two children.
www.imdb.com/name/nm3255750/