Sanna scooped up the cloths, holding her breath to keep from inhaling the dust, and dumped them in the basket waiting in the common area. There were four such areas in this part of the house—a center room surrounded by three bedrooms and a bathroom, then a hallway that led to the neighboring common area. A set of stairs led to a similar floor plan on the second story. This arrangement allowed for each family to have some privacy and unity, while being able to join together in the great rooms. When she was little, her grandparents lived down the hall and she lived here, with Anders, her dad, and the Donor. This was where she had lived until Anders moved to Green Bay.
Growing up, she’d always envisioned her and Anders each getting married and taking over their own pods, filling up the house with laughing children. She’d hoped to have four little ones, at least. Maybe she and her husband would take over the second story because they had so many children. All those plans, already damaged by the Donor’s departure, cracked completely when Anders didn’t return after graduation. The cracks spread, then broke into nothingness by the time she came home from college, no longer the whimsical wood sprite her father had once called her as a child.
Sanna picked up a second pile of bedding and went into the next room, the room that had once been hers. A faded poster of the four Hogwarts houses still hung on the wall next to a framed picture of her and Anders hanging upside down from one of the Looms by their legs. She used to love that picture and hadn’t seen it in years. Julie had started to carefully pull off the sheets and drop them into the basket outside the door.
“I’m sorry about your dad. I know how close you are with him.”
Sanna refrained from sighing—I guess they were going to make small talk. Her favorite.
“Thanks.” She tucked the fitted sheet around the mattress on her side, while Julie finished her side. “The girls are getting big.”
“Like weeds. I’m already getting flickers of what they’ll be like as teenagers. It’s scary. They’ve always been okay with sharing, but now they insist on having their own everything. Good thing the new house has extra bedrooms.”
Why did Julie think Sanna wanted to know this?
“The girls will need to share. I’m not making up more rooms,” Sanna said.
Julie nodded.
“That’s fine. They’d prefer that in a strange house.”
Sanna’s nostrils flared.
“It wouldn’t be strange if you ever visited.”
Julie’s face darkened.
“Not everyone wants to be trapped here.” Julie exited the room, leaving those loaded words echoing. Sanna finished making the bed by herself, focusing on the repetitive motions so she could ignore the memories of the last time someone had said that to her.
She heard Anders’s heavy footsteps before she saw him.
“What did you do? Julie looked really upset.”
Julie hadn’t told him the details of their conversation. Yet. She straightened the duvet, smoothing out the wrinkles that were no longer there.
“You can yell at me all you like. Do not upset my wife and daughters. Ever.”
Sanna nodded. She couldn’t fault him for defending his family, no matter what she thought of him and his choices. At least he had that right. She took the photo of them off the wall. Pressure built behind her eyes and swallowing became harder.
“Remember when we were little and we used to stay in the trees past dark?” Her voice cracked from holding back her sadness, so Anders finished her thought.
“Pa would bring us dinner so we wouldn’t need to come in until the last possible minute.” He smiled at the memory.
“Why didn’t you want your girls to have that, too?”
Anders took the picture from her, glanced at it, and set it on the dresser. His eyes looked sad.
“Your whole life is built on changes. Seasons changing, apples changing from juice to cider, trees changing. Why has this change always been so hard for you?”
“It doesn’t count when I know the change is coming. The changes I don’t plan for are the ones that I hate. Like today.” Her lip trembled so she bit it.
Anders pulled her into a hug, and Sanna rested her chin on his shoulder. It was nice to be close to him. He used to be her best friend in everything and now she barely knew him.
“You don’t have to go through anything alone. I’m here.”
“Until you go back to Green Bay.” A few minutes ago, those words would have had a sharp edge, but now they were merely sad.
“You and Pa could come visit when he’s better. You might just like it.”
She rolled her eyes at him.
“I should get back to the hospital, see how Pa’s doing. If we leave him there alone too long, Mrs. Dibble will start pestering him.”
“Pa’s not getting any younger, Sanna, whether you like it or not. Just meet with Eva. She has a lot to offer. It’s only coffee.”
Sanna wanted to say no. She wanted to refuse. She wanted to, but she didn’t.
“I don’t drink coffee.”
Anders chuckled. He knew he had won.
“You can have tea.” He pulled away and looked at her. “Just hear what she has to say.”
She took a deep breath, proud of herself for not letting any tears fall. Too much had happened in one day. When she woke up that morning, the thought of selling Idun’s had never crossed her mind, and now . . .
“Fine, set it up. Let me know where and when.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Eva intentionally stood and waited for the Lunds to arrive, enjoying the way her high heels pinched her toes. The slight pain reminded her she was stronger and tougher than all those around her. The door opened and in walked two gloriously tall, obviously related people, a man and woman with similar short pale hair and striking blue eyes. Strong cheekbones and jawlines carved from stone. They moved with grace—what she wouldn’t do with that height. The woman wore unflattering jeans and work boots. She hadn’t even bothered with lip gloss. The man, at least, had on khaki pants and a neat dress shirt with a button-down collar. Even in her heels, she didn’t reach their shoulders. They must be the Lunds, Anders and Sanna. She’d heard from her source that they were tall.
They would need to sit.
The two were already talking about something and didn’t realize she was their appointment. She stepped a little closer to hear them better.
“Please keep your mind open,” Anders said, his face even stonier. “You aren’t the only one in this family.”
He stood close to the woman so they didn’t have to speak loudly, but it was clear from their stiff bodies they were fighting.
“Dad doesn’t want to leave the orchard. We spoke last night when I went back to the hospital.”
Anders huffed out of his nose.
“Dad is on a lot of pain meds. When he comes home, he’ll realize he can’t jump back into work.”
“That doesn’t mean he’ll want to leave Idun’s.” Sanna played with her necklace, rubbing her fingers on the medallion. “Why are you so against the orchard? Julie commented last night that ‘not everyone wants to be trapped here.’ Did you feel trapped?”
Anders’s mouth froze into a grim line.
“She’s not talking about me.”
“Then what was she talking about?”
“I’m not getting into it right now.” He looked around the coffee shop and his eyes settled on Eva. Sanna hadn’t noticed her yet.
“How am I supposed to believe anything you say when you won’t tell me the truth?”