Cream Puff Murder (Hannah Swensen, #11)(23)

“I don’t know. So far, he hasn’t gone near it. The instructions said to leave out his old food and water bowls for the first few hours to give him time to get used to it. Then you’re supposed to pick up the old bowls and he’ll switch to the new.”

“In theory.”

“Right. In theory.”

“I can see how it works, but what if Moishe doesn’t like it? Can you take it back?”

Hannah gave a little laugh. “Not really. They say that it’s fully returnable as long as the plastic wrapping on the tubes is intact. And you have to remove it to put in the food and the water.”

“So once you try it out on your cat, you can’t return it.”

“Exactly. It’s a win-win situation for the manufacturer.”

Just then Moishe padded into the kitchen and stopped by his Kitty Valet feeding system. He sniffed at the food, sniffed at the water, and then he walked on past.

“Mike may have wasted his money.” Hannah watched as her cat lapped at the water in his old bowl.

“Maybe he’ll try the new bowls once the old ones are empty,” Norman said, following Hannah as she carried two mugs of fresh coffee to the kitchen table. “Now that we’ve eaten, I’ve got a question. You were kidding about using cookies to make cheeseburgers, weren’t you?”

“Not really. I’m making a dessert that looks exactly like a mini cheeseburger, but it’s assembled from store-bought cookies, shredded coconut, and frosting.”

“Really?”

“That’s right. I got the recipe from my college roommate’s sister. Do you want to help me make a batch? Then we can sample them for dessert.” Hannah thought about the eight-ounce fillet she’d eaten and the small dinner salad that hadn’t been very small at all. “Correction. Then you can sample them for dessert.”

“It’s a deal,” Norman agreed, “but don’t expect too much from me. I’m not a baker like you are.”

“There’s no baking involved. All we have to do is stack the cookies and glue them together with the right color of frosting.”

In an effort to keep from getting in each other’s way, Hannah and Norman formed an assembly line. She started by covering the slightly rounded top of a vanilla wafer with red frosting. Then she handed the cookie to Norman. He stuck on the chocolate-covered cookie and covered the top of it with yellow buttercream frosting, letting a bit drip down over the sides. Hannah took the cookie back, sprinkled on green coconut to resemble shredded lettuce, and clamped another vanilla wafer on top, rounded side up.

“They’re cute,” Norman said when they’d run out of hamburgers, or in their case, cookies. “I never thought that yellow frosting would look like cheese, but it does.”

“And the coconut looks like shredded lettuce.”

“Exactly. And the red frosting you made is the exact color of ketchup. They’re all done now, aren’t they?”

“Not quite. We still have to brush the tops with egg white and sprinkle sesame seeds on the tops of the buns.”

Once the cookies were finished, Hannah and Norman watched the older version of Sabrina while the egg whites dried. Then Norman tasted a cookie, and pronounced it perfect for a children’s party.

“I don’t think I can stay awake for the second Sabrina,” Hannah said with a yawn. “It’s been a long day. Why don’t you call home and see if your answering machine picks up?”

Norman looked perplexed for about half a second. “That’s clever, Hannah. If the machine picks up, my power’s back on. If it doesn’t, it’s not.”

“Right. And if your power’s still out, you can stay here for the night.” Norman’s face brightened and she hurried to explain. “The bed in the guest room’s all made up.”

Norman gave a little sigh as he picked up the phone, and Hannah knew he’d hoped for a different outcome. He punched in his number, listened for a moment, and then he hung up the phone. “Power’s back on,” he said, getting to his feet. “I’d better go. I’ve got an early appointment tomorrow. Do you want to keep the Sabrina we didn’t watch?”

“I don’t know when I’d watch it. Maybe you can rent it again when both of us have more time.” Hannah stood up too, and gave him a little hug. “Thanks for dinner and the movie.”

“Thank you for the cookies. They’re going to be a big hit at the birthday party.”

“I hope so.” Hannah pulled him down for a good night kiss. And when it ended, she opened the outside door for him. “See you tomorrow, Norman. Lisa’s looking for her mother’s recipe for cream puffs. If she finds it and you drop in around two, you can sample the mini cream puffs we’re making for Mother’s book launch party.”

“I’ll do that. Thanks, Hannah.”

Norman gave a little wave and went down the stairs. Hannah watched him step over the planter that separated the buildings and walk off to the visitors’ parking lot. When she stepped back inside and closed the door behind her, she gave a little sigh and went over to the couch to pet Moishe. If she’d offered to share her bedroom, Norman would have stayed regardless of the status of his electricity. Of course she hadn’t. There was no way anyone was going to place her in the Ronni Ward category. But Norman had left, and now she felt lonely.