Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder (Hannah Swensen #1)(119)

“What did you wear?” Candy asked, thoroughly shocked. She suspected she’d die if she couldn’t wear jeans.

“We wore uniforms during school hours, and dress slacks or skirts after school and on the weekends. And pajamas to bed, of course.”

Candy just shook her head. “Did they think jeans would corrupt you?”

“Maybe. We were supposed to act like ladies all the time. It was one of the rules. There were an awful lot of rules.”

Candy just shook her head as she climbed the ladder and placed the last angel on top of the last tree. “I’m glad I never went to boarding school,” she said, once she was back on the floor again. “I think it would have killed me.”

“When I first got there I thought it was going to kill me, too. But it didn’t and I learned a lot.”

“Like what?”

“Like you really ought to carry that box of ornaments right side up, because I already opened it.”





Chapter Eleven




The party was on, and their decorations looked great. Candy stood at the dessert table, feeling beautiful in her new dress, and watching her Three-Way Fudge disappear. Sally had put it on a round silver platter with a pedestal, and it looked every bit as good as it tasted. The bottom layer was dark chocolate, the middle layer was white chocolate mixed with chopped nuts, and the top layer was milk chocolate. When Norman had seen it, he’d taken a picture and promised to give her a print. And when she’d told Sonny about it, right after they’d finished decorating, Sonny had asked her to save her a piece.

There was a tap on her shoulder, and Candy whirled around to see Sonny standing there. She was wearing a powder blue sweater and skirt, and she was smiling. “Did you save me some?’ she asked.

“I never break a promise.” Candy patted the little gold purse she was carrying. “I grabbed two pieces before they carried it out, and I put them in here.”

“I don’t think two pieces will do it. It’s not a proper taste test. I should probably have one right now, just to be fair of course. Fantastic dress, by the way. You look like a princess.”

“Thanks. You look great, too,” Candy said and she meant it. Light blue was a good color for Sonny, and her hair looked nice with a little curl at the tips.

“Okay. Here we go.”

Candy watched as Sonny took a piece of fudge and tasted it. If the expression on her face was any indication, she liked it a lot. “So it passes the taste test?” she asked.

“What taste test? I’m in love.” Sonny reached for another piece. “I’ve never tasted fudge this good before.”

“It’s really easy to make. I could teach you how to do it.”

“Not me. I’m terrible in the kitchen. The one time I tried to make dinner for my dad, the neighbors called the fire department.”

“I didn’t even know Lake Eden had a fire department!”

“Oh, it wasn’t here. We’re just visiting Lake Eden. How about you? Do you live here?”

“I’m the same as you, just visiting.” Candy remembered the cover story that Andrea had made up for her. “My boyfriend dumped me for my best friend, and I needed a change of scene.”

“You also need a new boyfriend!”

“You’re right about that,” Candy said with a giggle. This party was a lot more fun now that Sonny had gotten here. “Let’s grab a Coke and go sit at the table over by the last Christmas tree we decorated.

“Sounds good. I’ll get the drinks. You stake out the table.”

Candy made a beeline for the table and nabbed it before anyone else could claim it. When Sonny arrived with two Cokes and they’d popped them open, she asked, “How about you? Do you have a boyfriend?”

“Not yet, but I believe in miracles.”

Candy laughed so hard, tears came to her eyes. “Too bad we don’t go to the same school. There’s a guy in my science class who’d be perfect for you.”

“That won’t do me much good unless he goes to Hamilton in Des Moines.”

“That’s my school!” Candy gasped, forgetting all about her cover story. “But I’ve never seen you there.”

“That’s because I’m not there yet. I don’t start until January.”

“Your folks just moved to Des Moines?”

“Not exactly. My dad’s been there all along, but after Mom died, he put me in that boarding school I told you about. He just didn’t know how to take care of me, you know? I mean…I was pretty little when it happened.”

“That’s awful! But now that you’re older and you can take care of yourself, you’re coming back to live with him?”

“Sort of.”

Candy leaned forward. She knew there was more to the story than that. “What does sort of mean?”

“Dad got married again so he sent for me.”

Candy felt a lump form in her throat. Sonny’s story was eerily close to hers. They’d both faced the loss of a parent and their remaining parent had remarried.

“What’s the matter? You look a little strange.”

“It’s just that we’ve got almost the same situation, except it’s reversed. My dad’s the one who died and my mom just got remarried. My situation’s a little different, though, because my mom married a man with a daughter.”