Cream Puff Murder (Hannah Swensen, #11)(15)

“I really don’t have much time, dear,” Delores declared, “but since it’s not a private matter, I’ll just catch you between customers. If that’s all right with you, that is.”

“It’s fine with me.” Hannah reached out with the coffee carafe and refilled Earl Flensburg’s coffee cup. The county tow truck and snowplow driver was sitting on her mother’s right. She went quickly down the counter, refilling cups for Mayor Bascomb, Doug Greerson, and Florence Evans, who owned the Red Owl grocery store. “What’s this about, Mother?”

“It’s about my book launch party.”

Hannah stifled a groan. Delores was a founding member of the Lake Eden Gossip Hotline, and nothing escaped her. Naturally her mother had learned about Andrea’s membership at Heavenly Bodies and how Hannah was going along as a guest so she could lose enough weight to fit into her dress for the launch party. “It’s not about my dress for the party, is it, Mother?” Hannah simply had to ask.

“Of course not. I’m very happy to hear you’re doing…” Delores paused and Hannah knew she was attempting to be discreet, “…what you’re doing, but that’s another matter, dear. What we need to discuss now are the refreshments.”

Hannah gave a little sigh. She hadn’t even thought about the refreshments yet. “Well…I haven’t actually started planning…”

“Oh, good!” Delores interrupted her. “I want to give you my input, dear. I know I told you I wanted to serve Regency desserts.”

“That’s right.” Hannah felt like holding her breath. Coming up with desserts that were authentic to the time period of her mother’s novel was not easy.

“Well, I know how much work that is, and I’m rethinking the whole concept.”

“Rethinking,” Hannah repeated, hoping her mother wasn’t going to come up with something even more difficult.

“Perhaps we don’t have to serve Regency desserts. What do you think?”

“Serve cream puffs,” Earl Flensburg jumped in, not even pretending that he hadn’t been listening to their conversation.

“Why should Delores serve cream puffs?” Florence wanted to know.

“Because they’re my favorite dessert. And I know Delores likes them, too. Isn’t that right, Delores?”

Delores began to smile. “Actually…it is. I love cream puffs. But how did you know that, Earl?”

“I still remember the birthday party you had in second grade. Your mother brought about a dozen boxes of little tiny cream puffs, and they were all filled with something different.”

“I remember that!” Delores looked as pleased as punch.

“Grandma Zimmerman baked miniature cream puffs?” Hannah was amazed. As far as she knew, her maternal grandmother hadn’t set foot in the kitchen.

“Of course she didn’t bake them.” Delores gave a little laugh. “You know she never cooked. Aunt Bertha took care of all of our meals. She made the best cream puffs I’ve ever tasted.”

“Me, too,” Earl echoed.

“Do you have her recipe?” Hannah asked.

“No, dear. I’m not even sure she used one. But the puff part wasn’t what made them so good.”

“It was the filling!” Earl jumped in. “I still remember the ones I had. One was apple, one was blueberry, one was strawberry, and the fourth was chocolate.”

“You had four?” Delores asked, and Hannah noticed that Earl looked slightly embarrassed.

“Yeah. I know we were only supposed to have two, but Alvin Burkholtz went home sick that morning, and I figured I’d eat his.”

“You weren’t the only one to eat Alvin’s cream puffs,” Delores said with a little laugh. “Mother always brought plenty of extras, and I’m almost positive there weren’t any left. But all this talk about cream puffs is irrelevant. I want to serve a dessert that has something to do with my book. And cream puffs don’t have anything to do with Regency romances.”

“Sure they do.” Earl obviously wasn’t willing to give up the fight yet. “They’re light and fluffy. And romances are light and fluffy, too…aren’t they?”

“Well…I like to think my story has more to offer than that, but perhaps you’re right.” Delores turned to Mayor Bascomb. “What do you think, Ricky Ticky?”

Mayor Bascomb looked a bit startled by the use of his childhood nickname, but Delores had been his babysitter one summer, and that gave her certain privileges. “I think cream puffs are completely appropriate, Delores. They’re sweet and that’s what romance is.”

“You’re certainly an expert on that!”

Delores’s comment fell like a stone into a widening pool of silence. Everyone at the counter had heard rumors about the mayor’s peccadilloes, but Delores was the only one who ever mentioned it.

“I think cream puffs are just perfect,” Florence said, jumping in to break the tense moment. “They’re not something you have every day. A cream puff is a special dessert for a special occasion.”

“That’s true, but…I’m just not sure…”

“I think we’ve all missed the most important part,” Hannah interrupted her mother’s objection. “At first glance, cream puffs might look insubstantial, but just like Mother’s book, the inside is surprisingly complex and completely satisfying.”