The Simplicity of Cider

“What would you recommend we do?” Isaac asked softly.

Sanna rubbed her thumb and forefinger on the wood of her necklace, trying to come up with why he wanted recommendations, but the past few moments had scrambled her thoughts completely. Heat spread from her cheeks to her ears to her neck. Could she make a bigger ass of herself? She’d come here with a clear purpose and now she couldn’t even follow their conversation.

“Bass and I . . . You said we had the day off.” He was biting his lower lip to keep from laughing. She looked up at the sky to pull herself together and aimed for a coherent response.

“The weather looks nice today. There’s good hiking and a tower you can climb at Peninsula State Park, on the bay side, that gives a great view of Green Bay. And then I’d take him to Al Johnson’s in Sister Bay. Goats live on the roof, and kids seem to like that. You could also head down 57 to the quiet side, to Baileys Harbor. There’s a lot less traffic and amazing views of Lake Michigan.”

“Those all sound like perfect suggestions.”

His smile was so genuine and kind. She wanted to stay there and not face her broken father at the hospital or Anders’s irritation when he realized she left without him. She was mostly sure her wanting to stay had nothing to do with his missing shirt.

“See you tomorrow,” she said.

She left Isaac standing in his pajama bottoms, giving in to one last glance as she walked away.

? ? ? ? ?

Sanna sat in the reclining chair next to her dad’s empty hospital bed. He was hobbling up and down the hallway per the physical therapist’s instructions, though she suspected he only listened to the PT’s suggestions because her warm smile turned into a laugh at all his ridiculous jokes. Dad probably thought she was flirting with him. Sanna rolled her eyes to herself and stared out the window. She could almost see the bay and then looked northeast, wondering if Isaac and Bass had made it to the top of the state park’s tower, or were they already watching the goats? She wished she’d thought to tell them about the swimming spot she and her brother had discovered when they were little. It was the perfect place to jump into the water on a warm day.

Speaking of her brother, he had finally made it to the hospital.

“What took you so long?”

A lock of hair had fallen from his precise style. Sanna liked it better that way, it reminded her of the boy she used to know. Not the brother who wanted to negotiate with that woman.

“Thanks for leaving me to finish the meeting yesterday—like grown-ups do. You can’t walk out like a toddler having a tantrum. And then leaving so early this morning that I had to bring a separate car. Super mature, Sanna.”

“She didn’t have anything to say that I wanted to hear. There was no reason to stay.”

“It’s not just about you. Think about Dad. About how this treatment is getting paid for. About how he has no savings.”

“He doesn’t want to sell either.”

“He’d change his mind if you did.”

“I’m not letting anyone cut down our trees. And you shouldn’t either.”

Sanna burned from head to toe. He would always treat her like the dumb little sister. She didn’t want to fight with him, but she didn’t want him to succeed in convincing their dad to sell, either. The sooner he went back to Green Bay, the better.

“What is all the tussle about in here, you two?” Einars hobbled into the room with crutches, his left leg encased in a thigh-high bright blue cast while his right arm wore one to match. After a few days in the hospital, he already moved better. A younger woman with a high ponytail followed him into the hospital room and watched as he lowered himself onto the bed and hoisted his leg onto the mattress. She tucked a pillow under his heel and turned to face Anders.

“I have a list of things he can and can’t do and exercises he’ll need to do at home. We already have some appointments scheduled for PT.”

When she paused, Sanna stepped in.

“I’ll be taking care of him.”

“Oh, okay. Then you and I will need to go over everything. I’ll get it all together and come back.”

The therapist asked Einars a few more questions, then left with another promise to be back with instructions for Sanna.

“When are you heading back home?” Sanna asked Anders. He had slumped against the wall, taking up space like a lopsided coatrack, all lean limbs going in different directions.

“I’m not heading back.”

“Surely the girls don’t want to stay.”

“Julie took the girls shopping, but they’ll be driving back later.”

“But you’re staying?”

Sanna’s shoulders tightened at this news.

“Yep. I picked up some cherry pastries for all of us. The girls were sick of apples and oatmeal.” He spoke casually, studying the information on the whiteboard.

Sanna threw her arms in the air. Everything he said and did proved her point that he didn’t understand her or their dad—that he was wrong about selling the orchard.

“How can they get tired of apples? It’s in their blood, and they know nothing about it.”

Anders covered his face with his hands. “When are you going to get it? There’s nothing magic about that place. It’s not a crime to want more out of life. Try it, you might even find you like it.” He looked at Einars. “Dad, can you help me out here?”

Anders looked between the two other Lunds and raised his eyebrows, asking his dad for support. Einars sighed.

“Sanna, you can’t complain he’s never here, then insist he leave when he offers to stay. Who knows? Maybe a longer visit is what he needs to be reminded about how much he loves it here.”

Anders snorted, but kept silent as Sanna glowered at the floor, biting her tongue. She’d lost that battle, but she would win this war. They’d sell the orchard the day Sanna no longer had breath to protest.





CHAPTER SEVENTEEN


Isaac watched Bass as he surfed his hand on the breeze out his open car window. They needed a day for just the two of them, but he couldn’t drop the feeling that Sanna would make a good addition to their outing, and not just because she knew all the best places in Door County. He didn’t know how to read her, not really. Sometimes it felt like she couldn’t wait to get away from him, and other times, like this morning, he was pretty sure she was checking him out. It might have been a while since he’d caught a woman admiring him, but even rusty, he could still recognize it.

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