Nils’s smile faded. “I’m so pleased I could help. I do hope that she’ll soon start making friends.”
“Thank you.” Tuula turned to leave.
“By the way, I heard you were curious about the ovens. There was talk of a recipe you wanted to try out?”
Tuula stopped, turned back. “I do apologize,herrEklund. It’s just something I mentioned to Aino and Lydia. I ... you ...” She didn’t know what to say. She hadn’t thought anyone was listening to their conversation the other day.
“Sorry if I was too direct,” Nils said. “But one of the bakers told me about your sourdough. He said you had a starter at home, and a special recipe?”
It was probably best to be honest. “Yes, I was asking about the ovens. I thought it would be exciting to see how the bread would turn out, given how hot they can get,” she admitted.
“Would you like to try?”
Even though she had been brought upnot to be any trouble, it was too tempting an offer to refuse.
“Yes, please! Back home I used to bake in the kitchen at the hotel, but I’ve never tried such fine ovens as these. Ever since you showed them to me, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.”
“I’m glad you’re interested.” The silence grew between them, and their eyes met. Tuula looked away, embarrassed. His expression ... once again she felt weak at the knees.
“I’ll bring the dough tomorrow,” she said eventually.
When she left the office, she stood for a moment with her back against the door. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to slow down her racing heart.
After dinner that evening, Tuula prepared the dough so that it could proof overnight. She hoped it wouldn’t sink too much during her walk to the bakery.
In the morning she carefully transferred it to a bowl and covered it with a dishcloth. When she arrived at work she shaped the dough intoa loaf, placed it on a tray the bakers weren’t using, then set it aside to proof again.
After the bakers had left and she, Aino, and Lydia had finished packing the last of the loaves, the other two women went home, leaving only Tuula and Nils. Nils emerged from his office just as she entered the bakery.
“Thank you so much for letting me use an oven.”
“I’ll show you how it works.” He smiled at her, and she tried to ignore the strange feeling in her heart.
He switched on the oven.
“You don’t need to do that—I can use the residual heat from the day’s baking,” she protested.
“But then you won’t get to see how hot these ovens can get—and that was the idea, wasn’t it?”
“Thank you.” Tuula gave him a grateful smile and uncovered the loaf she had made.
He nodded appreciatively. “So this is the famous recipe. What kind of bread is it?”
“This is rye bread, made with the sourdough starter my mother gave me.”
“You brought a sourdough starter from Finland?”
“I did.”
“How exciting.”
When the oven was hot enough, Nils opened the door, and Tuula slid in the tray.
“It won’t take long—that’s the advantage of this oven,” Nils said as he closed the door. “Are the children with Aino, or are they okay on their own?”
“They’re with Aino. We were neighbors back in Rovaniemi, and she was a huge help with Ritva back then.”
Nils nodded. “I like her a great deal. She’s kind, sensible, and the most loyal employee you could imagine.”
