A Measure of Happiness (32 page)

Barely audible behind the roar of Times Square revelers, “Auld Lang Syne” played, the sound track of New Year's Eve.

Contrary to all the Y2K doomsayers, the world did not end. And if every single computer in the country crashed, Katherine would still be overflowing with happiness.

On a decades-ago New Year's Eve, when Katherine was still young enough to think staying up late was a treat, she and Lexi had been allowed to watch the ball drop. “Auld Lang Syne” played, and Katherine's father had been the parent who'd known the song's meaning. For once, his words had been a gift, instead of a curse, that remained with Katherine to this day.

Zach slipped the champagne from the ice bucket, wiped the wet bottle with his shirt, and popped the cork. Sweet, white grape effervescence scented the air. Zach filled their champagne flutes and passed them around.

Barry raised a glass and took up the toast. “To family,” Barry said, and they tapped glasses. Katherine's bottom lip trembled. She was dangerously close to losing it again. Dangerously, wonderfully
verklempt.

Katherine thought of the way Zach and Celeste planned on staying connected when apart by gazing into the night sky's constellation of stars. She wondered whether her mother and Lexi were both watching the New Year's Eve broadcast and thinking of her.

Katherine hoped her mother and Lexi were with people they loved, safe and sound.

Right beside Katherine, Zach and Celeste snuggled, crazy in love and safe and sound. Katherine gave Barry's hand a squeeze.

Everything she'd loved and lost she'd now recovered.

Katherine raised her glass of champagne to the TV screen. “To auld lang syne,” she said. And then she thanked her father for giving her one true thing and spoke the translation out loud. “To times gone by.”

For my niece Rebecca Thomson. You are beautiful, inside and out. Thank you for providing the research piece for Celeste's eating disorder and helping us all come closer to understanding anorexia. Your message to be happy and accepting of what you have shines through the story.

I'm eternally grateful to my family. My husband, Bill, continues to hike simply for the where's-Bill photo ops. (That's the only reason, right?) And that photo where you're reading and wearing the Lord of the Pies apron over your swim trunks? Genius. Thanks, honey! To my children: Ben, Josh, and Leah. I've only one bird left in the nest, but the three of you are always in my heart.

Thank you to my oldest friend, Ellen Kushner, for providing adoptee expertise and helping me slip beneath Zach's skin.

Thank you to Jimmy, Kevin, and Jody Nason at Nason's Stone House Farm in West Boxford, Massachusetts, for opening up your kitchen and sharing your considerable bakery expertise. (Especially Jimmy.) Research is delicious!

Thank you to sharpshooters Jim and Nancy DeMarco for taking me out to the shooting range at the Horse Pond Fish & Game Club of Nashua and keeping me safe. I fondly recall the CC75B compact that Jim said I couldn't “shoot for shit.” Thanks for the great line! (In my defense, I did a lot better with the .22.) I'd also like to thank Mike Rhodes, a stranger who showed up and lent his guns and expertise. It's amazing what you can get away with when you say you're a writer.

Sylvie Kurtz provided the recipes for Celeste's Wild Blues and Katherine's Zesty Lemon Bars. Anything else you'd like me to taste test? I'm willing, able, and grateful.

As always, I depend upon feedback from my talented critique partners, Sylvie Kurtz and Ellen Gullo. Every chapter feels like a victory. A billion hugs and tons of dark chocolate!

To my agent, Jessica Alvarez, and the team at BookEnds. Thank you for everything I know you do, and everything I'm probably not even aware of. I'm glad we're in this together.

To my editor at Kensington Books, Peter Senftleben. You are amazing! Thank you for believing in me and my stories and making us both look good. (He gets me, he really gets me!) I'm fortunate to have you in my corner.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Jessica and Peter's accidental collaboration. They're responsible for the wonderful title
A Measure of Happiness.

To Kensington cover designer Kristine Noble. When I saw the cover for the first time, I laughed with delight. You did it again! The image expresses the story's essence, reaches out to grab you, and pulls you in. I love it.

To everyone at Kensington Books—Karen Auerbach, Vida Engstrand, and countless others—for spreading the word about my books and making sure they're available to readers.

Thank you to my readers. One of my greatest joys is connecting with you.

 

 

The following discussion questions are included
to enhance your group's reading of
A Measure of Happiness.

2 cups flour
cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup plain yogurt (not Greek-style)
Juice of 1 lemon
¼ cup butter, melted and cooled
1 egg
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups wild Maine blueberries

 

Glaze
½ cup sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel (optional)

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease 12 regular-sized muffin cups or 36 minis.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until blended.

In another bowl, stir together yogurt, butter, egg, lemon juice, lemon peel, and vanilla until blended.

Make a well in the dry ingredients. Add yogurt mixture. Stir until just combined. Fold in blueberries. (If you must use frozen blueberries, thaw and drain before folding in.)

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake regular-sized muffins 20 to 25 minutes and minis 12 to 17 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

Remove muffin tin(s) to a wire rack. Let cool for 5 minutes.

While muffins cool, stir sugar and lemon juice together for the glaze. If you want extra lemon flavor, grate a teaspoon of lemon peel into the mixture.

Remove muffins from cups. Spoon or brush glaze over hot muffins. Let cool before serving for a crunchy sugarcoated topping.

For the Crust
1½ cups flour
½ cup powdered sugar
¾ cup (1½ sticks) butter, softened

 

For the Filling
4 large eggs
1½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons flour
2 to 3 teaspoons lemon zest

 

For Sprinkling
Additional powdered sugar

 

Crust.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 13x9x2-inch baking pan with parchment paper.

With an electric mixer, blend crust ingredients on low speed until crumbly. Press crust into pan. Bake 20 minutes or until light brown.

Filling.
Beat ingredients till blended and pour over warm crust.

Bake lemon bars—crust and filling combo—15 to 20 minutes, till filling is set and bars are brown around the edges. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Lift parchment, place bars on a cutting board, and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut into rectangles or squares.

36–40 servings

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

 

KENSINGTON BOOKS are published by

 

Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018

 

Copyright © 2015 by Lorrie Thomson

 

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

 

 

Kensington and the K logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.

ISBN: 978-0-7582-9332-9

First Kensington Electronic Edition: September 2015

ISBN-13: 978-0-7582-9332-9
ISBN-10: 0-7582-9332-1