Page 69 of New Day at the Beach House

“Now I’m really interested to see what you have in there.”

They walked into the kitchen together where Danny was at the counter, adding sliced cucumbers to a big salad bowl. Miguel was sitting at the kitchen table, a soft drink in front of him. The table was set, so they were obviously eating inside, which was fine with her.

The kitchen smelled of whatever savory dish was cooking on the stove. There was one big pot, one medium one, and a large frying pan, now empty.

“Smells so good in here,” Claire said.

“Pollo guisado,” Danny answered. “Nothing fancy, just chicken stew with rice and plantains.” He smiled as he saw Claire. “Don’t you look nice. That’s a great color. What did you bring us this time?”

“Thanks. Something that I hope I got right,” Claire said. She put the foil pan on the counter. “Mantecaditos. If I’m even saying that right. The recipe is from the collection you gave me. I made two small changes, so I’m not sure what you’re going to think of them.”

Danny’s mouth fell open as he sucked in a breath. “Mantecaditos! I haven’t had those in so long. Not the homemade ones anyway.” He rinsed his hands, then dried them off on a towel. “Normally, I’d say no dessert before dinner, but for this, we’re making an exception.”

“Bring me one,” Miguel called out.

“I will, Abuelo,” Ivelisse answered him.

Claire took off the foil cover, revealing the colorful little cookies. On top of the guava paste, which had been added as a cube but had then melted during baking, she’d added a sprinkle of multicolor nonpareils, the way she’d seen the cookies decorated online.

“They look perfect,” Ivelisse said.

Danny nodded, then he closed his eyes and inhaled. “They smell right, too.”

Ivelisse took two, carrying one to her grandfather. Danny helped himself as well.

Claire waited while they all tasted them, wondering just how close she’d gotten. Maybe she shouldn’t have changed anything the first time. Maybe she should have followed the recipe exactly.

“These are…” Danny shook his head.

“Like a taste of my childhood,” Miguel finished. “These could be from my mother’s kitchen.”

Claire exhaled in relief and smiled. “Really?”

“So good,” Danny said. He nodded. “They’re the best version of these I’ve had in years.”

“I agree.” Ivelisse let out a happy sound of deliciousness. “You are some kind of kitchen wizard, Claire. I’ve made that recipe. They never tasted like this. What did you do?”

“Not much,” Claire said. “I used lard instead of vegetable shortening and added a teaspoon of vanilla along with the almond essence.”

Ivelisse popped the last bite into her mouth. “Of course. Lard makes so much sense. It’s what my abuela would have used. And the vanilla is subtle, but it pulls the whole thing together.” She looked at her father. “We have to sell these in the bakery. We have to.”

He nodded. “No argument from me.” He leaned over and kissed Claire on the cheek. “If I wasn’t impressed with you already, I would be now. Well done.”

“Thank you.” She was smiling a lot, but she couldn’t help it. She’d been worried about the changes she’d made, but she should have trusted her instincts.

“Take a seat,” Danny said. “I’m about to serve everything up. I hope you’re hungry.”

“I am,” Claire said. And she meant it, too, now that the nervousness about the cookies was out of her system. “But I can help, if there’s anything that needs to be done.”

He shook his head. “You’re our guest. Go relax.”

She took a seat across from Miguel. Ivelisse brought her a big glass of ice water and a bowl of sliced bread for the table, then went back for the plantains.

Danny set the big pot on a trivet in the center of the table. “Watch out, this is hot.” He returned and added the second pot. “This is the rice.”

He took his seat at the end of the table and smiled at them all. “This is really nice.” He reached over and took Claire’s hand. “I’m so glad you’re here with us. And that you’re going to be a part of this new business.”

Claire could only smile back. “So am I.”

---