“Alice would love what you’ve created,” Kai says, the noise of the highway humming behind him through the phone.
“I’m thinking about her so much today,” I say softly. I haven’t stopped thinking about her since the moment I opened my eyes this morning. She’s been gone almost a year now, but I still miss her fiercely every single day.
“She was an amazing lady.” Kai’s voice is gentle.
I’m so glad he got to know her in the last months of her life. I dash away a few salty tears. Nana Alice would be so proud of what this day represents. I only wish she could have seen it completed.
“How’d the truck do in Boise? How was the presentation?” I stack rounds of freshly baked hembesha, an Eritrean bread subtly flavored with coriander and fenugreek, in a basket on top of the display case, then step back and check the results. All the baked goods look and smell tantalizing. The spices in the hembesha are authentic, sent from Ethiopia by Aunt Frannie as an opening day gift, a blessing of sorts.
“It was great. I’m a big hit with fifth graders. I have to plant more Swiss chard, but otherwise the presentation was spot on.”
With funding from the Humanitas Foundation, Kai has been touring economically disadvantaged areas all over the West with his portable greenhouse truck, giving demonstrations about sustainable urban agriculture and food awareness at schools and youth programs. I miss him when he’s gone, but it’s what he loves, and his joy and enthusiasm are infectious. Besides, I’ve been up to my ears getting Alice’s Place ready to open as well as earning a certificate in pastry from a culinary institute here in Seattle. Now all is ready. It’s time to start this new season.
“Hey.” Kai’s voice is soft in my ear, a caress. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Thanks.” I can feel myself growing pink with pride. “But it’s early yet. We have to see if we can keep it afloat.”
“You will,” Kai says confidently. “And you know why? It’s a great business model. Who in the world doesn’t like baked goods and supporting a good cause?”
“That’s true.” I hasten into the kitchen in the back and scramble in my satchel, trying to locate my lipstick, then give up and opt for some tinted Burt’s Bees lip balm. I’m not really the lipstick type anyway. I smooth back my curls. “Okay, I’ll see you soon. Drive safe.” I hesitate, still savoring the newness of these words, still feeling a little shy saying them. “I love you.”
I still can’t believe my good fortune. Kai is one of the best things to ever happen to me. One day soon, perhaps at the end of the touring season, he will join me in Nana Alice’s cottage, which she left to me in her will. I smile in anticipation. Every day is sweeter with him by my side.
“And I love you, Mia Alice West,” Kai replies. “Now go get ready.”
I hang up and pause for a moment, trying to catch my breath. It has been a whirlwind eighteen months since Nana Alice’s wedding, where I first hatched this idea. And now here we are—about to open our doors for the first time.
This is my dream. A bakery staffed entirely by refugee women. We have a six-month baking apprenticeship program, and when the women graduate they can work in the bakery or move on to other baking jobs. It is the only bakery in Seattle focused on training and equipping these women.
I glance at the big white vintage clock over the doorway. Five minutes till we open the doors. My gaze catches on a postcard pinned to the bulletin board by the door. “Greetings from Gothenburg,” it says in cheery red letters. On the back it simply reads, “We are safe in our new home. Maryam says hello. Your friends in Sweden, Yousef and Maryam.” I press my hand to my heart for a moment. All this effort, the insane hours and sleepless nights, the brainstorming and planning and sheer determination to keep going despite setbacks and disappointments; I am doing it all for women like Maryam.
I brush away a tear, imagining what Nana Alice would think of all this. She was so excited by the idea of it. The bell over the storefront door jingles.
“Mia? Are you in here?” It is one of my two employees. Yara is our first apprentice baker. Originally from Aleppo, she and her widowed mother fled after her husband was killed fighting the Islamic State. She has a two-year-old son named Hassan.
“I’m here,” I say, laughing through my tears.
“There’s a crowd of people outside the front door, pressing their faces to the glass like children,” calls my other employee in a mock chiding tone. “Don’t you think we should let them in?” Tsehay peeks into the kitchen and grins at me.
When I decided to make Alice’s Place a reality, I tracked down Tsehay through the catering company and offered her a partnership in the program. She now runs the baking apprenticeships while I handle the operations of the actual bakery.
“Yes, it’s time.” I smooth my dress, the same sundress I wore to Nana Alice’s wedding, this time with a cream-colored angora cardigan over it for warmth. “Let’s go.”
A small crowd of about twelve people have gathered at the front of the bakery. I see Henry and Christine and the kids. The twins have their noses pressed to the windows and are making silly faces. So much for the sparkling clean glass. I give them a wink and a smile.
Christine waves to me excitedly. She’s provided marketing advice for us free of charge and has been an invaluable resource for talking through the logistics of starting a business. West Wind is thriving under her and Henry’s care, and their family seems to be loving life in Sequim as well. Colleen and Hector from the Butter Emporium are here, dusted with flour, grinning and giving me a thumbs-up.
Rosie is missing, and I feel her absence keenly. She and Lars sent five dozen yellow and white roses, which are lavishly gracing the tables inside the bakery. They have been engaged now for eight months. Renowned violinist Joshua Bell serenaded them with Pucchini’s “O Mio Babbino Caro” under the stars as Rosie said yes.
She’s been encouraging Lars to moderate the extravagance of his life so that he can focus even more resources on the Humanitas Foundation, a suggestion he is trying to take to heart. They seem blissfully happy together. She has, for now, put her dreams of New York on hold, although she tells me that every week she takes a trip into Miami and volunteers at a jazz enrichment program for kids from tough urban neighborhoods. She’s not giving up on her dream, just shifting the geography south a little.
Lars has not yet left the island, but in my last video call with Rosie, she confided that they were planning a trip to Key West for their honeymoon. Which might seem strange for any other billionaire who already owns his own island, but I understand. Perhaps now, with Rosie by his side, Lars is ready to start venturing into the world again.
I scan the crowd, looking for Kai, but stop when I spot Albert, his familiar dapper figure standing slightly off to one side. He’s wearing a bow tie and his fedora. I meet his eyes, and he gives me a small nod and a fond, sad smile.
Beyond him, the familiar shape of the portable greenhouse truck comes barreling down the road. Kai deftly maneuvers it into a parking spot across the street in front of a Pho restaurant and leaps out, loping over to stand beside Albert and giving me a jaunty salute. I grin and open the door. It’s time.
“Good morning, everyone. Thank you so much for coming to our opening.” I hover behind the white satin ribbon stretched across the entrance. My heart is beating in my ears and I lick my lips nervously, eager to get to the fun part, eating all the things Yara, Tsehay, and I started making at four this morning. “Alice’s Place grew out of a dream—two dreams, in fact: my desire to do something meaningful with my life and my passion for baking. Nana Alice loved baking, and she passed that love on to me, but even more than baking, Nana Alice believed in living life to the fullest.”
I nod at Albert. He tips his hat and returns the nod. He’s looking older, frailer, but he still has a twinkle in his bright blue eyes.
“A wise friend once told me that the place you are to occupy in the universe is the space where your greatest passion meets the world’s great pain.”<
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I pause, thinking of Delphine and of the somewhat disastrous adventures of Team Caritas. Last I heard, Abel and Winnie are living together in Venice Beach, California. Abel opened a beachside Rwandan coffee stand and is studying to be certified as a trauma counselor, and Winnie is working as a surf instructor and has taken up hot yoga. Milo manages a trendy coffee shop in Milwaukee and runs woodworking programs on the weekends at a center for juvenile offenders. For just an instant I think of Ethan too. He relocated to San Jose last year and is engaged to an Apple marketing executive named Ashley.
“That place for me is Alice’s Place,” I continue. “It honors the memory of a remarkable woman and seeks to empower other courageous women who are finding their way in a foreign country and creating new lives. So thank you all for coming. And without further ado—” I clear my throat, grab Nana Alice’s pinking shears from the pocket of my sundress, and snip the ribbon, which falls in two swirls of white to the pavement. “Welcome to Alice’s Place.”
The small crowd cheers and claps enthusiastically.
“Please come in, taste and enjoy!”
I hold the door wide open, enveloped in a waft of that familiar, wonderful scent—sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. In an instant I am a child again in Nana Alice’s bakery, asking for a butterscotch oatmeal cookie. An instant later I am here in the present, a grown woman offering those same cookies to a waiting world, offering hope and a taste of good things to come. I stand aside as the first guests stream through the door, my heart bursting with gratitude, with anticipation, with joy. I have found my place in the universe. It was right here all along.
A Note from the Author
Dear reader friend,
Several aspects of this story are surprisingly autobiographical. First and perhaps most unbelievably, I was actually chased by a bull shark in Florida a few years ago! It makes a great story now but was absolutely terrifying at the time. I was also broken up with my senior year of college just as I was expecting a marriage proposal. And, just like for Mia, this drastic change in my future plans set me on the most marvelous path to discovering a remarkable alternate life.
This new life has taken me to some fifty countries across the globe, from the slums of India to the refugee camps on the border of Hungary doing international humanitarian aid work with the wonderful man I’ve been married to for almost eleven years. It has been the most remarkable adventure!
However even in the midst of the adventure, part of me always longed to write stories. I struggled for years believing that writing novels was not big enough, important enough, or sacrificial enough to be part of my life’s purpose. I believed that I had to do something so much more grand and important to really change the world. I think I was wrong.
The more I see and understand of the world, the more I realize that we can ALL spark change by doing the things we love with passion and compassion. EACH of us has the capacity to make a positive change through giving the gift of our time, talents, and presence right where we are!
I believe the sweet spot in life is the place where our passions meet and kiss the world’s pain. I’ve found my sweet spot—international aid work and writing stories like the one you’re reading right now. My great hope is that you can find your sweet spot too. Then we can truly transform the world for good one bit at a time.
Rachel
Discussion Questions
“Do small things with great love,” was a favorite motto of Mother Teresa. How do the characters demonstrate this motto in the story? How does Mia learn to live it out?
What role do bees and dreams about bees play in the story? What do you think the bees represent for Mia?
Do you think Mia’s motivations to go on the Humanitas Foundation trip are selfish or altruistic? How so?
Mia goes on the trip to find her “alternate life.” Does she succeed or fail? How does her view of her “alternate life” change by the end of the story?
How do Kai and Ethan differ in their life goals and their relationship with Mia? How do her interactions with each of them influence her choices in life?
What are three pivotal interactions that Mia has in the story that change the course of her life?
Which character in the story do you identify with the most and why?
What does Mia learn through her relationships with the strong women around her (Shreya, Delphine, Aunt Frannie, Nana Alice, etc.)? What strong women have influenced your life and how?
Shreya states that real change happens “person to person, day by day, when we live life together.” Do you agree with this? How does Mia’s experience in Mumbai and the refugee camp highlight this?
How does young Mia’s conversation with Aunt Frannie about baking influence her view of herself and her decisions about her life? How does her adult conversation with Aunt Frannie challenge and change those earlier decisions?
Mia wants to become “St. Mia.” In what ways does she accomplish her goal? In what ways does her goal change by the end of the story?
Mia learns that the sweet spot in life is the place where your greatest passion meets the world’s great pain. Do you believe this is true? Why or why not? What is your sweet spot in life?
Acknowledgments
Writing this book has been a true delight! I owe so much to so many who have helped it along the path to publication, contributing their time and talents to make this story shine. In addition to giving many of them good chocolate, I want to say a great BIG thank you to . . .
My lovely editor, Kimberly Carlton, who somehow manages to combine a keen editorial eye with empathy, approachability, and kindness! Also marketing guru Paul Fisher, digital master Matt Bray, and publicity queen Allison Carter. Kristen Ingebretson crafted a cover so snappy and vivacious I want to wear it as a bathing suit! I am so thankful for the entire Thomas Nelson team who consistently exhibit such professionalism, dedication, and warmth to their authors. I am beyond grateful!
My super agent, Chip MacGregor, whose pragmatism, wry humor, unflappability, and book smarts are truly invaluable. Chip, I’m so glad you’re in my corner.
My wonderfully honest and smart test readers—Sarah Smith, Adelle Tinon, Sarah Wolfe, and Allison Jordan. Their constructive criticism and keen insights helped this story become better, sweeter, and stronger.
Purple Haze Lavender Farm in Sequim (ignore the e, it’s pronounced Skwim) and Macrina Bakery in Seattle, my yummy inspiration for the Butter Emporium.
The Migration Aid volunteers I met and worked with in Hungary who sacrificially and selflessly aided so many thousands of refugees as they came across the border from Serbia. And the refugees in the Roszke border camp who inspired me to write a story highlighting both their plight and their courage.
And most importantly my precious family. My dear husband, Yohanan, who is my strongest supporter, an insightful first reader, and a thoroughly good man. You are my very favorite! And my sweet Ash and Bea. You make the world a happier, brighter place. I’m so glad to be your mama.
About the Author
Photo by Mallory MacDonald
Rachel Linden is a novelist and international aid worker whose adventures living and traveling in fifty countries around the world provide excellent grist for her stories. Currently, Rachel lives in beautiful Seattle, Washington, with her husband and two young children. Rachel enjoys creating stories about hope and courage with a hint of romance and a touch of whimsy.
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Visit her online at rachellinden.com
Instagram: rachellinden_writer
Facebook: authorRachellinden
Acclaim for Rachel Linden
“I combed through the pages with delight. This book is going to cause a real buzz.”
—Debbie Macomber, #1 New York Times bestselling author, on The Enlightenment of Bees
“A delicious romance, breath-catching world travel, family entanglements, and food writing that will have you wanting to leap into its pages for a seat at the table—The Enlightenment of Bees has everyth
ing a girl wants in the perfect book club read.”
—Kimberly Stuart, author of Heart Land and Sugar: A Novel
“Linden is a gifted author and international aid worker whose travels around the world provide detailed settings for the unique locations in her novels.”
—CBA Market on Becoming the Talbot Sisters
“This is more than a fluff ‘sister chick’ story. There is a depth to the story as each sister faces fears and digs deep to uncover the courage needed to find their path in life. There are numerous heartwarming scenes which demonstrate the bravery and selflessness that Waverley and Charlie exhibit along the way. Unexpected twists and a surprising mystery angle add to the enjoyment.”
—RT Book Reviews, 4 stars, on Becoming the Talbot Sisters
“Linden’s debut novel is a bittersweet tale of enduring friendship, family ties, and the complexities of love that will engage readers of thoughtful women’s fiction.”
—Library Journal, STARRED review, Debut of the Month, on Ascension of Larks
“Rachel Linden’s Ascension of Larks is a lyrical novel about love and loss. This beautifully told story takes readers on a meaningful journey, marked by an artistic sense of place, a fragile mystery, and an emerging grace. I couldn’t put the book down! Bravo, Rachel!”
—Leslie Gould, #1 bestselling and Christy Award–winning author
“This is a heartfelt, tender story with a strong, intelligent, and independent heroine at its center.”
—RT Book Reviews, 4 stars, on Ascension of Larks
“Winsome kids and family friends add depth and warmth to the well-developed cast of characters. Readers will eagerly await future offerings from this promising new author.”
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