Cream Puff Murder (Hannah Swensen, #11)(55)

“I pointed that out to her, but she says it doesn’t count, that it was just a happy coincidence.”

“Happy?! That’s not exactly the way she felt at the time!” Hannah stopped and thought over what Norman had told her. “Okay. I think I understand what the mothers are trying to say. They’re tired of doing phone work, and they’d like to do something more exciting. Does that sound about right to you?”

“I’m almost sure that’s what they mean.”

“What sort of exciting homicide case assignment can we give to two post–middle-aged women who love antiques and can’t run very fast?”

“I’m not sure. All I know is I wouldn’t want to get them into any trouble.”

“Maybe we could ask them to read the books Mike gave you?”

Norman laughed. “Nice try, but somehow I don’t think that’s the type of thing they had in mind.”

“I suppose not.” Hannah sat there for a moment trying to come up with something, and then she shook her head. “I can’t think of a thing. Maybe I’m just too tired.”

“You need brain food.”

“That would be fish, right?”

“That’s what they say. I saw Sally when I came in, and she told me about her new appetizer. It’s tuna sashimi.”

“Isn’t sashimi like sushi without the rice?”

“That’s one difference between them. When Sally serves her tuna sashimi appetizer, she arranges very thin strips of tuna over a bed of mixed greens. She sauces everything lightly with soy and ginger, and decorates the plate with rosettes of pickled ginger.”

“That sounds wonderful. I know I’d like it if I could just get past the raw fish part. Maybe it’s because I’m from Minnesota and my father fished.”

“Could be. How are you coming along at the gym?”

“I’ve added a bunch of new suspects to my list.” Hannah gave a little laugh. “Ronni insulted quite a few women in her classes. Of course when it came to the men, she was exactly the opposite.”

“That figures.”

“I was just wondering…you joined Heavenly Bodies, didn’t you?”

“Yes, but not because of Ronni. I thought you knew me better than that. I’m a one-woman guy, and I’ve found her. And just because she hasn’t said yes yet doesn’t mean I’m going out looking.”

“That’s not really what I…well, maybe it was, but I…”

“I’m flattered you were jealous.” Norman seemed to sense that she was uncomfortable, and he jumped in before she could stutter out any more half-explanations. He reached out for her hand, squeezed it once, and started to say more when footsteps approached and the curtains parted.

“Well hello, you two!” Delores arrived with Carrie, and Andrea and Michelle were right behind her. “Our waitress will be right here with tonight’s specials. Let’s have a nice meal, and then we can get down to business over dessert and coffee.”

Dessert. The word rang in Hannah’s mind like a tolling bell. No dessert for her, even though Sally’s dessert cart was laden with some of the most scrumptious concoctions she’d ever tasted. Her flourless chocolate cake was fantastic, her mousse of the night was always mouthwatering, and her lemon torte was nothing short of legendary.

“What’s the matter, Hannah?” Norman asked.

“Dessert,” Hannah said in a mournful tone. “I can’t even have fresh fruit.”

“Why not?”

“There is no fresh fruit in November. This is Minnesota. The only things that grow in Minnesota in the winter are icicles.”

Norman laughed, and when Hannah joined in, he slipped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a little hug. “I promise you’ll have dessert, Hannah. When the mothers decided to meet out here for dinner, I talked to Sally and we dreamed up a special dessert just for you.”

Hannah opened her mouth to say she couldn’t possibly eat it, not if it contained over fifty calories. And what dessert didn’t contain over fifty calories? But then she thought about how hurt Norman would be if she refused to eat his carefully planned dessert.

Life was a balancing act, and this time the scales were really skewed. The dessert was on one side, and Norman was on the other. It was all a matter of priorities. She had to decide which was more important in the giant scheme of things. The fact that she’d have to spend an extra hour at Heavenly Bodies tomorrow, working off the extra calories her special dessert contained, didn’t count for much when you weighed it against Norman’s disappointment if she didn’t eat it.

The scales tipped in Norman’s favor. And come to think of it, that was a really bad metaphor under her dietary circumstances. All the same, her decision was clear, and Hannah turned to smile at Norman. “That was really thoughtful of you. I can hardly wait to taste it.”



There wasn’t a whole lot you could do with a boneless, skinless chicken breast if you couldn’t use apricot jam for a glaze. Honey with mustard was also out, and not even barbecue sauce was acceptable. Sally had proven herself a master with salt, pepper, garlic, and tarragon. And although Hannah’s entrée was succulent and roasted to perfection, it was still naked chicken. Hannah had eaten enough naked chicken in the past week to populate at least half of Winnie Henderson’s prize-winning coop.