The Encore of Us novel · Chapter 15 of 24

Chapter 15: Pancakes

Tove came home from the hospital on a Thursday, and by the next Sunday she had a pancake in her sights.

"A whole one," she said, standing on a kitchen stool at the lake house, with a dish towel tied around her waist like an apron.

"Half," Rhea said from the table. "Then we see."

"The doctor said I could have regular food."

"The doctor said regular food in regular amounts."

"A whole pancake is a regular amount if it's a small pancake."

Anders stood at the stove in a soft gray sweater, holding the pan with one hand and pointing the spatula at her with the other.

"She's right," he said. "That is an excellent argument."

"Don't encourage her," I said.

"I'm not allowed to lift anything heavier than a jug of milk for a month. Encouraging her is all I can do."

"Then pour the batter."

"It's heavier than a jug of milk."

"It is two cups of batter."

"I'm very fragile."

He turned toward me with a wounded face, and Tove laughed so hard she nearly fell off the stool.

I took the pan from his hand and kissed him on the cheek, and Rhea made a retching sound into her coffee.

That was when the doorbell rang.

Anders stopped moving.

I saw him think of the logbook in the trunk upstairs.

Tove hopped down and ran to the door before any of us could stop her.

"I'll get it! It might be the mailman!"

She hauled it open.

Ingrid stood on the porch in her camel coat with a wrapped box in both gloved hands.

"Oh," Tove said. "It's the teeth lady."

"I am your grandmother," Ingrid said.

"Okay. Grandmother Teeth."

I thought Ingrid might turn around and leave.

Something crossed her face that was almost a smile, and it frightened me more than the sneer ever had.

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