by J. Darling
“Interesting. How rewarding it must be, having people call looking for one of your products. It demonstrates the reach and affect your family’s had on other people’s lives. I love that, I think that would be rewarding.”
Huh? Something was off here, they were talking about milk and cheese. “Well, yeah, but ah, Jules, I hate to point this out, I’m just a dairy farmer, a glorified milkman you could say, depending on who you talk to. But you, well you’re on the verge of great discoveries in medicine. Your job is the rewarding one.”
She laughed a little. “I disagree. The stuff I’m working on in the office is the culmination of studies done over years, none of it my work, and the stuff I contribute now, the data from the studies I run, won’t be truly significant for years to come. And who knows, with today’s medical advancements, it may all be moot, as they map the human genome and discover the genes and chromosomes that can be problematic, and then find ways to fix them.
“There will always be a place for pharmaceuticals in people’s lives, but only if they can afford them. If people had to choose between food or medicine to survive, food would win, hands down. You’re not just a farmer, you’re more than that. You feed and nourish the hungry, Jake. Your contributions and its results are immediate. That’s way more rewarding than sitting behind a desk in an office studying data.”
It was official, he loved her. “If you were here right now, you’d be getting the royal treatment for sure.”
“Really?” she responded, with a smile in her voice. “I like the royal treatment.”
“Mmmm, me too,” he answered, taking a deep breath and letting it out. “What are you doing for New Years? You could always come here, hint, hint. Please come to Luck.”
“Gosh, ahh, I have a prior engagement, a commitment I have to keep,” she responded, sounding disappointed. “Of course, I’ll be watching the Bears stomp all over the Packers, and then there’s work again. What about you? What’ll you be doing?”
Dejected, he took a deep breath. Pouting, he thought. “Same old, same old. Being a dairy farmer is a twice a day, every day of the year commitment, and of course, I’ll be watching the Packers kick some Bear ass. So that’ll be my highlight, unless of course I get to talk to you, then that’d be my highlight.”
“Charming me are you?”
He nodded enthusiastically, even though she couldn’t see him. “Yeah, is it working?”
“You’re making me blush.”
“Mmmm, I love it when you blush. You’re so beautiful when you do.”
“More blushing, mister. You’re a charmer and a romantic.”
He pumped his fist in the air. Yes! He was nailing it. “I’m missing you. Seven weeks seems like an eternity.”
“I know,” she said softly. “But as Nana would’ve said, absence makes the heart grow fonder.”
“That it does, that it does.” He heard her yawn. “You off tomorrow?”
“No, I worked today, and will again tomorrow. I’m on call for the office this holiday.”
He didn’t want to hang up. “You ready for bed?”
“Mmmhmm. I’m already in bed. I was up early.”
He wished he was there with her. “I’ll let you go so you can get some sleep. Merry Christmas, Precious.”
“You too, Jake. Thank you for calling.” She yawned again, and then said softly, “Buona notte, amo, dormire bene…Good night, love, sleep well.” Then she ended the call.
Closing his eyes, he listened as the last trail of her voice drifted through his head. It was official, he was in love. He readied himself for bed, but before getting in, he went to the box from the liquor store and took out the shirt she’d sent. Putting it to his nose, he inhaled deeply. She was there. Taking the shirt, he crawled into bed and thought of her. He wanted her for his own, and she was destined to be in Chicago tied to her job. She’s going to get that promotion, he thought. What was he ever going to do?
*****
Looking out the window of the plane as it circled the airport, Jules felt her excitement grow. She couldn’t wait to see Jake. It’d been five weeks since she left, but it felt more like forever. Jake “Elvis” Albrecht. She laughed aloud, thinking back on that morning in the kitchen with all of them, then quickly looked around to see if anyone had heard her. Letting out a deep sigh, she went back to looking out the window. Her mind started churning. Oh, not this again, she thought closing her eyes. Alright, she was excited to see Jake and Linnie, but there was something else, something more and it made her feel sick to her stomach. Why? Why do I feel scared, she wondered. Scared, worried, nervous… I need to stop this. She willed herself to stop before she gave herself a headache again.
But, she couldn’t. She knew Jake felt something for her, for sure, but to what magnitude? Is this—gosh, she didn’t even know what to call it—whatever they had going on, something casual to him? It didn’t feel casual to her, but then again, what would she know. Maybe he isn’t interested in anything serious. Maybe he just wants to date some and have a good time. What if I’m making this into a bigger deal than what it really is? What if it isn’t all roses and rainbows, and the depth and breadth of my impressions are simply a figment of my imagination? She took a deep breath, trying to calm her restless heart, then asked herself in all honesty if she could truly trust her judgment in this? She looked down at her hands as the plane made contact with the ground, feeling certain of the answer.
Nana… Nana, I’m lonely. She began to blink rapidly, then closed her eyes when they began to burn. But I’m afraid…afraid I’m counting on them too much. Linnie’s leaving Chicago, coupled with the glimpse of family life over Thanksgiving, and then these weeks away from Jake, has made me realize how very lonely I am, and how much I’ve missed in life. Nana, I miss you so much, and wish you were still here every day. It nearly killed me to lose you, and now here they all are, filling this tremendous void in my life, Linnie’s the sister I always wished for, Kris, Nik, and Nate are the protective brothers any girl would want, and Karl—oh, how her heart ached—the father I never had, and Jake… Well, he’s everything, Nana. He’s everything to me, and yet, what if I’m nothing more than a trifle to him? Her eyes continued to burn. Oh, this could hurt, this could really hurt.
She didn’t want to be a trifle. She didn’t. She wanted to be important. But if whatever this was fizzled out, she’d have to give them all up. She couldn’t imagine her life ever being the same, and she didn’t know if she could go back to the way things were. Her heart cried.
Nana, I know I was young, but I wish we had talked about men and the affairs of the heart. I feel so lost, and I don’t know what to do. Work’s transferring me, Nana. Promotion or no promotion, I have to go to Connecticut or be out of a job. I’m not sure what to do? The only things we ever talked about were my safety, and my ability to provide for myself. So, do I go to Connecticut and leave this all behind? Or do I stay, risk it all, and see what happens? Oh Nana…
Standing, she made her way off the plane.
CHAPTER 6
They were deep into the second period of their ice hockey game against Siren, when Nate smacked Jake with his stick between plays and motioned for him to look to the stands. Holy hell, she was here. She was here! Jake couldn’t help it, he howled a cheer of triumph as he skated into position. He was psyched. She’d come! He looked to the scoreboard, less than two minutes till the end of the period, then he’d have a ten minute break. Yes!
The puck dropped and was across the center line with Siren heading for a goal, before being deflected and taken over by Luck. On the offensive, and working down into Siren’s zone, Jake played right wing. Taking control of the puck after Nate slapped it from the point and missed, he feigned left, then right, then left again, before skating in front of the crease and smacking the puck. SCORE! Taking accolades from his teammates and spectators alike, he lined up for the faceoff. Thirty four seconds to go… Soon the buzzer sounded, ending the period. Finally!
Ripping off his glove
s and helmet as he flew to the boards, he was up and over them in a flash. Heading up the stands, he clomped his way to her, not giving a care to the damage he was doing to his blades. Reaching her, he pulled her up and threw his arms around her, lifting her right off the ground, then kissed her soundly to the whoops, hollers, and whistles of the surrounding crowd.
Holding her tight, he looked at her, and couldn’t help smiling from ear to ear. Man, she beautiful! Speaking softly, he said, “I can’t believe I’m holding you right now. Thank you for coming.”
“Nice deke for a right winger, Albrecht,” she responded in amusement.
Jake nearly fell to his knees. He would die worshiping this woman. She knew hockey! Holy hell, if football was Kris’s language of love, hockey was his, and she was speaking his language. Why should he be surprised? This was indicative of her. “You like hockey, bebis?”
She giggled, and gave him a quick bow of the head. “Mmmhmm, I’ve got this thing for a right winger with brown hair and eyes, a five o’clock shadow, lots of big, strong muscles, and the cutest little behind out there. In fact, I’m saving all my kisses for him.”
She was adorable. “I’ll take one of those kisses now, if you don’t mind.”
“Well, I don’t mind, but Marty might,” she said, with a grin. Her eyes alight with humor.
What? Who the hell was Marty? “Marty?” he snapped, as she looked up at him with devilment in her eyes. She was playing with his head again.
“Yep,” she said pertly. “Martin Havlat, number twenty-four with the Chicago Blackhawks. He’s a hottie.” Then she busted out laughing.
The little trollop. First, she says she likes all of the Bears team, and now that upstart Havlat. Hah! “Listen up, buttercup, Havlat’s out, as are the Bears. I’m claiming this territory. Now, give me one of those fantastic kisses of yours, before I steal one for myself.”
She nibbled on her bottom lip, then answered, “Alright, just one, then you’ll have to earn the rest. I want to see some fancy footwork on the ice, mister.” Running her hands up his chest and behind his neck, she pulled him to her, laying on him one of those mind numbing, head spinning kisses. Wow! More cheers from the crowd.
“Hey Albrecht, save it for later, get your rear in gear. We need you scoring on the ice, not off it. Now, move it,” one of his teammates yelled.
The crowd started laughing.
He didn’t mind. “I love your kisses. Give me thirty minutes, then I’ll be done. Okay?” he said, setting her down.
“Let’s go, Romeo,” he heard another of the guys yell.
More and bigger laughter from the crowd.
She laughed too, then nodded. “Get going. The guys look like they’re having too much fun teasing you. They’re dancing around like fairies, blowing kisses, and acting like lovebirds.”
The crowd started roaring. “I’m going to kick their asses.” He gave her a quick peck on the cheek, before turning and clomping his way back down to the ice. Stopping part way, he turned back to see her standing there watching him. “When do you go back?” he hollered.
The crowd roared with laughter, then began chanting, Albrecht, Albrecht, Albrecht...
“Early Tuesday,” she answered, yelling so he could hear over the din.
Six days, he had six days with her. He was so damn happy he was about to burst his buttons. He nodded, then grabbed his equipment and headed onto the ice to the cheers and whistles of the crowd. It was time to kick some ass.
*****
Standing at the kitchen counter, Jules poured thick, rich cream into the food processor. One of the benefits of being on a dairy farm, she thought. As much fresh whole milk you wanted, or needed, to create wonderful and delicious things. Turning the food processor on high, she stepped to the fridge and pulled out the sausages and eggs. Looking around inside, she found an onion and an apple. Setting it all on the counter, she washed and quickly sliced several potatoes super thin, along with the onion, and the apple.
Stopping the food processor, she pulled out what was now a ball of unsalted butter. Perfect, she thought. Putting some of it into a large sauté pan, she clarified it, then poured it off and washed the pan so she could use it to assembled a beautiful potato galette, complete with some thyme and rosemary for flavor, and a generous drizzling of clarified butter along the sides and over the top for a crispy crunchy crust.
Placing it on the burner, she began humming as she went about cracking eggs. She loved to cook, always had, and if it would’ve offered the type of financial security that being a pharmacist had, it would’ve been her chosen profession. After all, culinary arts could be considered part of the fine arts, which was her most favorite area of study. Not to mention, cooking was just another form of chemistry, and all pharmacists were good in chemistry. So, in other words, cooking was doubly perfect in her book.
She was so happy. There was no other way to describe what she was feeling. Last night had been wonderful. After the hockey game, they stopped at Flying Pie Pizza in Luck, and the Bottle shop on Main, then on to the farm for pizza and beer by a fire as they watched TV and snuggled on the couch. Later, Jake crawled into bed with her, and they cuddled for much of the night, before he left in the early morning hours.
Quickly turning the sausages, she checked the galette, before stirring the egg mixture and adding it to a saucepan she’d now coated with fresh butter. The guys would be in from milking soon, and she hoped they liked what she was making for breakfast. Linnie and Nate had left early to attend meetings at the VA and wouldn’t be returning until later that night, so Jules had happily offered to be the cook for the day. She planned to do it big. Humming, she stirred the eggs, then began to set the table, and as she did, she started having doubts. What if they don’t like what I’ve cooked? Her heart began to pound, and she started to panic. It’s too late to cook something different. What am I going to do?
The front door opened and the guys started filing in, heading straight to the wash room to clean up. She quickly dished up the food and was setting a platter covered with warmed lussekatter buns on the table when Jake walked in. Smiling wide when he saw her, he walked over and gave her a quick hug, as they all came in and sat at the table.
No one moved, they just sat there staring at the food she’d prepared, and she wanted to die. Why hadn’t she just made plain old American cuisine? What had she been thinking? Had she lost her mind? She hoped this wasn’t a trend. She’d acted irrationally the last time she was here too.
Trying to swallow the lump in her throat, she said weakly, “The, ah, little dish by Kris has sweet cream butter in it, if you, ah, prefer it to the salted stick butter.”
Their heads lifted, and they all leaned as they peered across the table at the dish.
“You made…butter?” Kris said incredulously, while blinking at the dish in front of him.
She nodded. “Yes, I, ah, needed clarified butter for the potato galette.”
Nik snapped his head towards her, dropping his eyebrows down low. “You made sweet butter, and clarified butter…for breakfast?”
Oh Lord, what had she done? It was just butter for heaven’s sake. “Umm, yes,” she answered in a whisper, as she looked down at her hands. She wanted to crawl under the table and hide. They began to dish up, and she wanted to tell them to stop. “You, ah, don’t need to eat anything you don’t like. It won’t hurt my feelings,” she offered.
If they’d heard her, she didn’t know. Jake dished her up, as bowls and plates went around the table. Taking her fork, she quickly tested everything. It tasted fine to her, thank God. Why were they acting so weird? She better change her plans for the dinner menu. After taking a few bites, throats were being cleared, and she heard a strangled scream from Nik.
“STOP! Don’t eat it,” she said, with alarm. “I should’ve cooked it the way you’re used to it being cooked.”
“Are you nuts?” Nik responded, looking at her like she’d lost her mind. “This tastes so damn good, I plan to lick my plate when I�
��m done!” Then he grabbed the eggs and put more on his plate, and they all began passing the dishes around again in a bid to get more.
She fell back in her chair with a stuttering breath, her heart pounding like a jackhammer. She felt like she’d just run a marathon. Her hand trembled as she reached for her fork. Jake slid his hand over and gave her knee a squeeze. There was that overwhelming urge to hide in the bend of his neck again, and darned if she didn’t almost do it.
“Jules, I agree with Nik, this tastes fantastic,” Karl said, between bites. “Tell us a little about what we’re eating.”
Setting her fork down because it felt like it weighed fifty pounds, she explained, “The, ah, potato galette is French inspired. You need clarified butter in order to cook it at higher temperatures, in an effort to get a crispy outside and tender middle without burning it. I added a touch of thyme and rosemary for flavor and appeal commensurate with the apple and onion. The scrambled eggs are also French inspired, made with fresh cream and unsalted butter, then flavored with fresh herbs at the end. The lussekatter are a Swedish pastry, and a tradition at Christmas time. I stopped by the bakery yesterday before leaving Chicago, and picked some up. I make them with Kesella. The sausages are breakfast sausage Linnie bought and I cooked.
After licking his fork, Nik asked, “How’d you learn to cook like this?”
“The all girl’s school I attended taught culinary arts, and Nana taught me in the Swedish tradition. As I enjoy cooking, I’ve taken more cooking classes as time has allowed. I just haven’t had much need to cook, so I’m a little unsure.”
Reaching for another lussekatter, Jake’s dad asked, “What’s Kesella?”
“It’s kind of like a cross between cream cheese, cottage cheese, and yogurt. You can’t get it in the States because it’s a raw milk product, but I’ve played around with the pasteurized stuff, and have come up with a near similar substitute. In Swedish, Kesella stands for curd cream, but it’s more popularly known as Quark throughout Europe.” Okay, they were all staring openly at her like she’d sprouted horns and a tail. She needed to shut up, they were the dairy experts, not her.
