Once Tracey was occupied with the next instruction, Andrea answered Hannah’s question. “He said he didn’t think I’d be interested in coming and I really didn’t want him to take the job. And when they asked him why, he explained that our families were here and we didn’t really want to move.”
“Mom?” Tracey called out. “Do you want me to add this leftover butter to the butter dish?”
“Yes, please.” Andrea said, and Hannah noticed that she looked impressed with her daughter’s ability to follow directions.
“But I thought you said you were afraid he was beginning to waver.”
“I did. And I think he is. I found a piece of scrap paper in the wastebasket. He was figuring out how much more take-home pay he’d make every week if he took the job at Tachyon.”
“But that doesn’t mean he’s planning to take it. Maybe he’s just curious.”
“Maybe, but…” Andrea stopped speaking as Tracey approached. “Is everything in the cup, honey?”
“Yes. What do I do with it now?”
“Heat the glass measuring cup in the microwave for one minute,” Hannah answered her. “Take it out with an oven mitt, stir it all up together and if the butter has melted, pour it over the top of the cereal and almonds.”
“How about the cranberries?” Tracey asked, pointing to the bag of sweetened dried cranberries Hannah had brought with her. “Aren’t we going to put those in?”
“Good question, but the cranberries go in after it bakes. Just stir everything up with a big mixing spoon, and then put the roaster in the oven. Close the door and set the timer for fifteen minutes.”
Hannah waited until Tracey was busy, and then she turned back to her sister. “I really don’t think you have to worry. Bill doesn’t want to move to Florida, either. His parents, his relatives, and all of his friends are here in Lake Eden. He’s Minnesota born and bred, and I really don’t think he wants to leave. Tachyon might offer him the sun and the moon, but I’m almost positive he’ll turn them down.”
“I don’t know…” Andrea looked worried. “It’s a really good job, Hannah. And he’d be one of their top executives.”
Tracey carried the roaster to the oven and placed it on a shelf. Then she closed the oven door and reached up to set the timer.
“You’re forgetting one thing,” Hannah said, giving her sister a smile.
“What’s that?”
“Bill loves you.”
Tracey turned around and came back to give her mother a big hug. “Aunt Hannah’s right. Daddy knows you don’t want to move to Florida, so he won’t take that job.”
Hannah and Andrea exchanged glances. They hadn’t realized that Tracey was listening.
“Besides,” Tracey continued, “he can’t move to Florida.”
“Why not?” Hannah and Andrea asked almost simultaneously.
“Because he likes the Vikings a whole lot more than he likes the Dolphins.”
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
9 cups dry cereal
1 cup slivered almonds
? cup orange juice concentrate
? cup brown sugar
? cup salted butter
? cup sweetened dried cranberries
Hannah’s Note: The nice thing about this recipe is that you can use your choice of any dry cereal, any nuts, any frozen juice concentrate, and any dried fruit.
Place the cereal and slivered almonds in a large ovenproof bowl or a disposable roaster or steam table pan. Make sure to support the bottom with a cookie sheet if you use disposable vessels.
With your impeccably clean hands, mix the cereal and the almonds together until they’re evenly distributed.
In either a 2-cup measuring cup or a microwave-safe bowl, combine the orange juice concentrate, brown sugar, and butter.
Heat the mixture in the microwave for one minute, or until the butter has melted. Stir thoroughly.
Pour the mixture over the cereal and almonds in the roaster. Mix it all together until the cereal is evenly coated.
Bake the mixture, uncovered, at 300 degrees F. for 15 minutes.
Take the roaster out of the oven and mix in the sweetened dried cranberries with a spoon.
Set the roaster on a cold burner or a wire rack until it has cooled to room temperature. Stir it again to make sure it’s not stuck together in big pieces. Store Imperial Cereal in a tightly covered container at room temperature.
Sally sends little packages of Imperial Cereal along with guests when they go for boat rides, hike through the woods, or take walks around the lake. She also confesses that she’s even eaten it for breakfast when she’s in a hurry.
Sally calls this snack
Yield: Approximately 10 cups of sweet, crunchy goodness that will be enjoyed by kids and adults alike.
Chapter Eight
She had just turned over in bed and found a comfortable position midway between two lightly snoring felines when there was a soft knock on her door.
“Hannah?” a voice asked, and then there was a palpable change in the air, as if someone had entered her bedroom and was now sharing the prevailing oxygen with her.
The dream wasn’t that interesting and Hannah wished she could change the channel. Unfortunately, dreams seldom responded to remotes. This one would go on, dull, flat, uninteresting, until…
“Hannah!”
The voice was louder, and despite her best intentions, Hannah opened her eyes. And there was Michelle standing close to her bed. “Huh?” she asked, surprised she could frame even that intelligent a question in the middle of the night.
But it wasn’t the middle of the night! Hannah came to that realization with a jolt. The dawn was already breaking outside her window and that meant it was almost five in the morning!
“Wha…time?” Hannah asked, pleased that she’d regained at least some of her ability to verbalize.
“Ten minutes to five. I heard your alarm go off, but then it stopped. And you didn’t get up. Don’t you have to go to work?”
“Work. Yes.” Hannah sat up and blinked several times. “Thanks, Michelle.”
“There’s coffee. Take a quick shower while I pour your coffee and dish up some pancakes for you. I made Sausage and Cheese Pancakes this time.”
Michelle’s pancakes were legendary. She’d run the gamut of additions to her excellent pancake batter, quite
