Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder (Hannah Swensen #1)(120)

“So suddenly you’ve got a stepsister?”

“Right.”

“So what do you think of her? Is she awful?”

Candy swallowed hard again. She really wanted someone to confide in and Sonny was awfully nice. “Larry, he’s my stepdad, says she’s perfect. She’s beautiful, and she sings like a professional, and she’s on the honor rolls, and…”

“But what do you think of her?” Sonny interrupted.

“I…” Candy stopped speaking and blinked away tears. “I don’t know. I ran away the day before she came.”

“Without even meeting her?”

Candy had the urge to break down and sob, but she stared at the angel on top of the tree instead. “Yes. We’re too different. She would have hated me.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. She’s not like you and me.”

Sonny leaned forward. “If I could wave a magic wand and turn into your new stepsister, would that be okay?”

“That would be great. But you don’t have a magic wand and this isn’t a fairytale.”

“I know that, but I’m your new stepsister anyway.”

Candy’s mouth dropped open. “But you can’t be! Her name is Allison!”

“That’s right. And Allison’s nickname is Sonny.”

For a moment, Candy was too shocked to do anything but sit there like a stone. And then she dropped her head in her hands and cried. “I really goofed, didn’t I?”

“You could say that. I wouldn’t say that because I’m a very nice person, but you could.”

Candy’s tears turned to laughter and she wiped her face with a napkin. “Is Mom here? I’ve missed her so much!”

“She’s here, and so is my dad. They’re waiting in the lobby. Do you want to see them now?”

Candy nodded. “You’re coming, aren’t you?”

“Sure, if you want me to.”

“I want you to.” Candy took a deep breath and regained some of her equilibrium. And then she said, “We might as well present a united front right away. That way it’ll be easier for us to get away with murder.”



“Looks like everything turned out all right,” Norman said, watching Allison and Candy link arms and walk across the room.

“Sure did,” Hannah said, giving a big sigh of relief.

“Where are they going?”

“To the lobby where Candy’s mother and Allison’s father are waiting for them.”

Norman reached out to take her hand. “It’s a good thing you took her under your wing, Hannah.”

“It was my pleasure. She’s a sweet girl, and her candy is incredible. Did you taste that fudge?”

Norman nodded. “It gives new meaning to the word rich. I have the feeling you’re going to miss her a lot.”

“I am, but not as much as Moishe. He’s been sleeping in the guest room with her, and the comforter in there is down-filled silk. Now he’s going to have to move back in with me and sleep on his lumpy foam pillow again.”





THREE-WAY FUDGE




Hannah’s 1st Note: You don’t need a candy thermometer to make this fudge. If you’ve got a microwave, you don’t even need a stove to make this fudge.



1 cup (6 ounce pkg.) semisweet chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli’s)

1 cup (6 ounce pkg.) white chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli’s)

1 cup (6 ounce pkg.) milk chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli’s.)

14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk

6 Tablespoons butter



Line an 8-inch square pan with waxed paper, OR line it with foil and spray the foil with a nonstick cooking spray.



You can make this fudge on the stovetop or in the microwave. Either way will work just fine.



If you choose the stovetop method, use a heavy saucepan and stir constantly while you’re melting the chocolate and other ingredients.



For the microwave, I combined my ingredients in a 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup and processed them for 70 seconds on HIGH. Remember that chocolate chips maintain their shape even after they’re melted so don’t go by appearance. You’ll have to stir them to be sure.



Hannah’s 2nd Note: A 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk contains approximately one and a third cups. You’re going to be dividing the can in thirds, so make each third a bit less than a half-cup and you’ll come out all right.



Melt the following together:

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips scant half-cup sweetened condensed milk

2 Tablespoons butter



Stir to make sure everything’s melted and then spread it out in the bottom of the 8-inch square pan you’ve prepared. Let it sit on the counter until it’s cool and slightly hard to the touch and then…



Melt the following together:

1 cup white chocolate chips scant half-cup sweetened condensed milk

2 Tablespoons butter



Stir to make sure everything’s melted and then spread the second layer on top of the first. Let it sit on the counter until it’s cool to the touch and slightly hardened and then…