A Sprinkle of Sweet Serendipity Quotes

“I have one more toast,” I announce, disentangling myself from Jakob’s arms. I raise my glass. “To life in all its perfect imperfections,” I say, choking up a little with wonder and tears of joy and gratitude. “And to unexpectedly happy endings. And finally, to sweet serendipity.”
― Rachel Linden, A Sprinkle of Sweet Serendipity

“Everywhere I look there are truffles and bonbons, caramels and pralines artfully arranged in gleaming glass-and-wood cases around the store. Under a glass dome on the counter sits a very special collection of ruby chocolate truffles filled with rose and cardamom cream and adorned with gold sprinkles. Those are not for sale. They’re only for guests who come in looking weary or stressed or heartbroken. They’re a gift for anyone who looks like they need a little burst of courage.
I gaze around in satisfaction. The shop looks exactly as I dreamed it would, with dark wood floors, big light-filled windows, and a few whimsical decorations. I got my tree at last— painted silver with twinkly lights and chocolate ornaments, and a bird’s nest of spun chocolate with colorful chocolate eggs perched in the branches. There’s a big, black old-fashioned cash register at the longest counter, and behind it a mural a local artist painted depicting a beautiful meadow of wildflowers sloping down to a whitecapped sea. It’s elegant and a touch quirky and exactly what I had in mind. Well, except for the case of fudge prominently displayed in front of one of the big windows. I thought I was done with fudge, but it turns out that making a couple of batches a week actually feels nostalgic. Seeing the fudge now makes me smile and think of Dad. I believe he would have loved how this is turning out.”
― Rachel Linden, A Sprinkle of Sweet Serendipity

“I think of the mysterious glass jar of gold sprinkles that arrived when I needed it most, of the note that simply said For courage. How far I have come since the day it arrived. How brave I’ve learned to be. And just like that, in a flash of inspiration, I know what to name this place.

Two months later

“Welcome to the grand opening of Sprinkle,” I announce proudly, holding the door wide for my parade of guests.”
― Rachel Linden, A Sprinkle of Sweet Serendipity

“Salmonberries?” It’s early in the year for the berries that grow wild in the Pacific Northwest woods. They look like bright orangey-yellow raspberries. They’re rare, with a mild, delicate flavor.
“Thought maybe you could use them for your chocolates,”Jakob explains, his tone clipped. For some reason he won’t meet my eyes.
“Oh.” I’m touched by the thoughtful gesture. “Thank you.”
I touch the fragile berries gently with a fingertip. What if I replaced the huckleberry gelée with salmonberry in my dark chocolate and huckleberry bonbons? And maybe add ginger? Crystallized ginger for a crunchy little kick? It would be unique, and very Northwestern.”
― Rachel Linden, A Sprinkle of Sweet Serendipity

“Mr. Butters follows along, sitting down and staring into the hole with interest. He is grinning happily, glad to be part of the action. It must be nice to live in his doggy brain. Not a care in the world. Jakob has now disappeared into the hole and is doing something underneath the floor.
Walt nods cordially. “Gwen.” He snorts in derision when he sees Mr. Butters’s hot-pink polka-dotted bow tie, but he scratches the dog under the chin anyway, and Mr. Butters wiggles his stubby tail enthusiastically.”
― Rachel Linden, A Sprinkle of Sweet Serendipity

“Inside are six perfect chocolates. I stayed up late last night making the last couple of flavors, and I’m proud of how they turned out. I point to each one. “Yakima peach ginger bonbon, San Juan Island smoked sea salt and lavender caramel, dark chocolate huckleberry bonbon— finally got that one right— Storyville espresso ganache truffle, Ripple IPA caramel from Echoes Brewing, and Rainier cherry and vanilla buttercream truffle.” I ate two of the Rainier cherry truffles, which are dusted in gold sprinkles, before I came tonight, for courage.”
― Rachel Linden, A Sprinkle of Sweet Serendipity

“I take a sip. It's a hometown honey latte, made extra sweet the way I like it.
"How did you know?" I ask, lifting the cup in a question. "And thanks. I needed this today."
He waves away the gratitude. "I asked Justin what you normally get. Extra pump of honey, huh?"
"Hazard of growing up in a candy store. I was born with a sweet tooth," I tell him dryly.”
― Rachel Linden, A Sprinkle of Sweet Serendipity

“What’s this?” he asks in surprise, looking at the rich pink tone of the ruby chocolate I used to coat the truffle.
“It’s a truffle,” I explain. “I made them.”
He takes one and examines it. “Why is it pink?”
“I used ruby chocolate. It’s naturally pink,” I explain. “Most cocoa beans are fermented, but these are left unfermented and then combined with natural acids to produce the pink color. Also a very pleasant creamy texture. Try it.”
“Emmie, is this rose I taste in the filling”— Henry poked his head into the bathroom where we’re standing— “and… cardamom, perhaps?”
“Exactly!” I beam at him. “You win a prize.” I offer him another truffle. “Those are rose petals from our own garden.”
― Rachel Linden, A Sprinkle of Sweet Serendipity

“Inside the thick paper is a narrow glass container about five inches tall with gold swirls and starbursts etched into the glass. The container is filled with the fanciest gold sprinkles I've ever seen. The sprinkles echo the designs on the jar: tiny shiny gold swirls and starbursts. They're so delicate and pretty. Mystified, I open the card. Inside, in the same elegant script, are two words:


For courage


"That's strange." I show Mom the card, puzzled by who the gift is from and how it came to be sitting in our kitchen. The doors to the shop were locked, Mom was with me at Henry's, and we are the only ones who have keys. Curiouser and curiouser. Gingerly, I unscrew the gold cap on the glass container and shake a few of the golden sprinkles into my hand. They seem to shimmer against my skin, tantalizing. I place one on the tip of my tongue and shiver with pleasure. The taste is subtle, sweet as sprinkles always are, but there's something almost floral, a hint of violets and vanilla. They're delicious, but there's something odd about them too, a faint tingling sensation, a little buzz of energy that zips from the tip of my tongue down to my toes. Like a little jolt of static electricity. I glance at the jar in surprise. It's the same feeling I got when I started to see my vision, when I made the wish and blew out the candle and saw the first gold sparkles burst across my field of sight.”
― Rachel Linden, A Sprinkle of Sweet Serendipity

“We can all only give what we’ve got in our hand.”
― Rachel Linden, A Sprinkle of Sweet Serendipity

“It’s a princesstårta, a gorgeous layered cake covered in a smooth pale pink dome of marzipan and decorated with little rosettes. The Longboat has been offering these cakes made by local baker for years, and Mom has ordered this cake for my birthday every year since I was a child. Freya hands around the plates, then slices the cake, revealing the layers of soft sponge, raspberry jam, and pastry cream mixed with whipped cream beneath the marzipan topping.”
― Rachel Linden, A Sprinkle of Sweet Serendipity

“She's accompanied, as always, by her pudgy French bulldog Mr. Butters, who wags his little stub of a tail when he sees me. He's wearing a bow tie today that is festooned with lilac satin stripes. They contrast nicely with his pale gold and cream coloring.”
― Rachel Linden, A Sprinkle of Sweet Serendipity