But Isaac and Bass really were standing at the end of the counter. Snowflakes dotted their dark curls and his beard, which was neatly trimmed. His warm eyes soaked her in as she stood and stared. All the other adults gathered around to greet the returned pair, and the kids whisked Bass off to play. Sanna still just stood there, happily drowning in the sight of him as he smiled and laughed, bending down to let Mrs. Dibble bestow a kiss on his whiskered cheek. Einars took his coat, and Anders poured him a glass of mulled cider. As the crowd dispersed, Isaac stepped closer, his eyebrows raised in question because Sanna still hadn’t said a word.
Finally she spoke. “Can you stay for Thanksgiving dinner?” But that wasn’t what she meant. She took a deep breath and tried again. “How long will you be visiting?”
Isaac took another step toward her until he was only a foot away.
“Yes, and I’m not just visiting.” Another few inches closer. “Einars offered me a job. I accepted.” Another few inches.
“You’re here to stay?”
“I’m here to stay.”
The hole in Sanna’s chest didn’t fill up, it healed as if it had never been there to begin with. She closed the last few inches between them and wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing his face to hers. She heard her family snicker, but she didn’t care. Isaac’s arms found her back, his broad hands pulling her closer to him, and then she didn’t hear anything. She only felt his warmth and love, and his beard tickling her cheeks between kisses. He pulled away.
“We had to go all the way home to realize we had just left it. That’s not home anymore, this is. You are. I love you. We love you. Are we too late?”
She touched the curls on his head, his scruffy beard, his broad shoulders. She could barely believe he was real, that he was really here to stay.
“No. No, you’re not too late. I love you, too. You bring everything around you to life. You brought me to life.”
She kissed him one more time as he nodded, recklessly, knowing this time, it didn’t need to last her a lifetime. She now had an endless supply of kisses and plenty of time to give them.
Eventually, Sanna and Isaac joined everyone at the table, not even noticing that the stick she’d laid on the counter, still poking out of its plastic bag, had burst into full bloom sometime in the last ten minutes.
Only Einars noticed the white petals with the soft pink blush and delicate yellow center that popped open when it had no right to. He turned to look at the large, happy family circling the turkey, laughing and smiling, bigger than they’d been in twenty years.
Happiness had returned to Idun’s.
CARAMEL APPLE BREAD PUDDING
I’ve made almost every kind of apple dessert, and this one is among my favorites—made even better with cinnamony apples and a homemade caramel sauce. Homemade caramel sauce isn’t difficult, but there is a technique to avoid a grainy texture. Feel free to use a high-quality store-bought caramel instead.
Sautéed Cinnamon Apples
You can make these up to a day ahead.
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 large Granny Smith (or tart baking apple), peeled, cored, and chopped into 1-inch pieces 2 tbsp white granulated sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup cider, preferably dry or semi-dry (good apple juice can be used instead for a non-alcoholic version) 1. Melt the butter in a small skillet or saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add the apple and sugar, stirring to coat. Cook until the apple softens and caramelizes, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
3. Add the cinnamon and cider, cooking until the sauce is syrupy, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Bread Pudding
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
6 tbsp plus 1 tsp white granulated sugar
8–10 ounces challah, or similar egg bread or firm, high-quality sandwich bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 5 cups) 5 egg yolks
3 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp table salt 1 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream 1 1/4 cup 2% or whole milk Caramel sauce (recipe following, or use high-quality store-bought) 1. Combine the brown sugar, 1 tsp white sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Arrange bread cubes on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 15 minutes, gently tossing once halfway through until the cubes are toasted and dry. Let cool.
3. Whisk yolks, 6 tbsp sugar, vanilla, salt, cream, and milk together in a bowl. Put the dried bread cubes in a 2-quart baking dish and pour custard mixture over the bread. Press bread cubes into the custard and set aside for 30 minutes.
4. Sprinkle the top with the sautéed apple and cinnamon sugar mix. Bake in 325-degree oven for 45–50 minutes, until the custard has set (no liquid should be visible when you press in the center of the pudding). Cool for 45 minutes. Serve warm with warmed caramel sauce drizzled on top.
Caramel Sauce
1 1/2 cups white granulated sugar 1/4 cup water
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into eight pieces at room temperature 3/4 cups heavy whipping cream, room temperature 1/2 tsp vanilla
1. Combine sugar and water in a stainless steel saucepan. Turn heat to medium. Do not stir anymore to avoid crystalizing the sugar, which will cause a grainy caramel sauce.
2. If sugar crystals start to form while the mixture boils, dip a brush into water and brush the sides of the pot so the forming crystals dissolve into the boiling sugar. The brush should not touch the boiling mixture. Boil for 13–15 minutes, or until the sugar turns a caramel color. Be careful not to let it get too dark.
3. Turn the heat to low and whisk in the butter, careful not to splash as the sugar mixture is very hot. Add the cream and continue to whisk until combined. Remove from the heat.
4. Whisk in the vanilla. Cool the caramel before storing in a sealed container. Leftovers are great on ice cream, in frosting, and on desserts.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
While much of my time is spent alone in my room, these books would never make it beyond the figment stage if it weren’t for the following essential people in my life.
Rachel Ekstrom, my truly magnificent agent, you are always a voice of reason and my staunchest advocate. I know that no matter what happens, you’ll always have my back.
Kate Dresser, Cider never would have happened if it weren’t for your gentle encouragement and (almost) always accurate comments. You’ve found the magical balance between criticism and cheerleading, and somehow always know when I’m just about to lose it. I’d be lost without you!
Kristin Dwyer and Theresa Dooley, I just love you. It’s a bonus that you help spread the word about my books.
A huge thank-you to all the glorious folks at Gallery: Louise Burke, Jennifer Bergstrom, Molly Gregory, Gina Borgia, Chelsea Cohen, Liz Psaltis, Melanie Mitzman, Diana Velasquez, Mackenzie Hickey, and Akasha Archer. I’m so proud to be a part of this amazing team.
Gracias to Baror International for their excellent foreign rights work.
This book required a bit of research, so thank you to Jay Williams for teaching me about orchards, Rick Stenson for talking me through an ambulance visit, and Paul Asper of Restoration Cider for sharing the craft of cider making with me, with bonus expertise on emergency medicine. Any mistakes I made in the book are my own.