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Mom pulls me into a hug. “That’s something great about Hanukkah lasting eight nights. There’s always tomorrow. I know change can be hard, and you girls have been through a lot. But this is a new start for us all. That’s why it was so important to me to celebrate each night this year.” Mom pauses and side-eyes me with a slight smile. “Or as much of it as we could. I wanted to share the whole holiday with Kristine so it could be part of our tradition going forward. It’s what your dad would have wanted. This is our family rebuilding. It’s going to be wonderful.”

I feel Hannah’s arms wrap around us too, and we stay like that for a while, as if years of weight are floating off us.

“For what it’s worth,” Mom says, sniffling a little as she breaks away. “Dad always hated this house.”

“No, he didn’t.”

“He would always point at the stairs and say, How are we supposed to grow old here? With your knees and my back? My darling, we need a different plan.”

“I think he’d love your new plan,” I tell her.

“He would,” she says with certainty.

There’s a knock at the door, and Mom goes to answer it.

“What are you doing here?” Mom asks. She pushes the door open wider, and I see Kristine, dressed in a gorgeous emerald suit that looks like it was made for her.

“The first time I saw you was twenty-three years ago,” Kristine starts, and Hannah gives my hand a knowing squeeze. “We had just moved in next door.”

“You came to borrow some eggs,” Mom says, finishing Kristine’s thought.

“I was partway through making pancakes when I realized I was out. It was snowing, Henry was crying, and I thought, I guess now’s as good a time as ever to show our new neighbors exactly how together we are! David answered the door, and brought us into the kitchen, to you.”

Hannah squeezes my hand once more, then quietly slips out of the room. But I’m frozen in place, my heart so full of love for this woman who’s made my mom so happy.

“You had that magenta apron on,” Kristine continues, “covered with flour handprints. Yours, and a tiny set of little Norah’s. You were making what I would come to know as your world-famous latkes. I didn’t fall in love with you that day, but I thought, Thank God for these wonderful neighbors.”

“For the record, I wasn’t crying.” His gruff voice barely mutters the phrase, but it’s like my ears are tuned to his exact frequency.

I take a few steps around the door, and of course Henry is standing on the porch, several paces behind Kristine. In his deep blue suit, now impeccably steamed.

This is happening. Right now. I can’t tell if it’s hit Mom yet—she just looks adorably confused. But Kristine takes Mom’s hand and leads her outside.

“I fell in love with you here, watching you stand on your porch, realizing how strong you could be on your own.” Kristine leads Mom down our driveway. “I fell in love with you here, shoveling snow, seeing the team we could be.” They make their way toward Kristine’s house, and I step out to follow, lingering with Henry by our mailbox. Hannah joins, tapping my hip with a small velvet box, rounded at the edges. “I fell in love with you in my kitchen, drinking hot toddies and laughing our asses off.”

I see the exact moment that my mom finally figures out what’s happening. Her whole face lights up. I can’t believe it took her this long, to be honest, but the two of them just always seem so absorbed by their love for each other.

“Wait right here!” Mom says. She starts making a mad dash for our house.

“Mom!” I stage-whisper, and Hannah presents the ring box.

“Love you kids,” she says, giving each of us a quick kiss on the cheek, then standing on her tiptoes to give Henry a kiss too. Then she confidently walks back to Kristine, who looks a little surprised herself at the shift. Mom takes a deep breath. “I fell in love with my best friend. I couldn’t help it.”

“I love you,” Kristine says, “but you’re kind of hijacking my proposal.”

“To be fair, the kids hijacked mine first, what with Norah running off, and Henry insisting we go after her.”

I look sideways at Henry. His cheeks are definitely flushed, but I can’t tell if he’s blushing or if it’s just the fact that we’re all underdressed to be standing out in the Chicago cold for this long.

“Considering what you’re holding, and what I’m holding, I’m assuming the answer is yes, but will you marry me?” Kristine asks.

“Only if you’ll marry me,” Mom says, throwing her arms around Kristine and planting a huge kiss on her lips.

Hannah squeals in my ear. I smile at her. I even smile at Henry.

“Now, let’s go inside so I can get changed into something more celebratory. I can’t have this story involve you looking like a knockout and me in my pajamas,” Mom says, dragging Kristine into our house.

“Don’t wait up, kids!” Kristine calls behind her as they go inside, the door slamming closed.