Devil's Food Cake Murder (Hannah Swensen, #14)(37)

“It’s good to see you smiling,” Norman said, opening the passenger door for her.

“That’s because I’m with you,” Hannah said, and left it at that. It was true. She always felt better when she was with Norman. There was a second factor that accounted for her improved mood, but Hannah decided not to mention that the image of Doctor Bev languishing in her apartment alone made her feel much better.

“Hannah? We’re here.”

A voice roused Hannah from her extremely pleasant nap. It was a nice voice, a caring voice, and for a moment she thought her father was waking her in the morning so that she could get ready for school. But it wasn’t her father’s voice. It was…Norman. And she’d fallen asleep on their first date in a whole month!

“Oh, Norman! I’m so sorry! I didn’t think I was that tired, but…why are you parking here? It’s a loading zone.”

“I called Sally and cleared it. She said there won’t be any deliveries tonight. I didn’t want you to have to walk all the way from the parking lot.”

“Thank you, Norman.” Hannah gave him a big smile, even though the cold night air might have chased away the cobwebs in her mind and the almost overwhelming urge to go back to sleep. But even the short distance from the car to the front door of the inn did the trick. By the time Norman opened the door, Hannah was feeling much more alert.

Once they’d hung up their coats and switched from boots to the shoes they’d brought with them, Hannah and Norman headed straight for the dining room. As they stepped inside, Sally greeted them.

“I was wondering when you’d get here,” she said. “I have a new dessert tonight and there are only a few servings left. Do you want me to save you a couple?”

Norman nodded. “That would be great. What is it?”

“Pear Crunch Pie. It’s Rhanna’s recipe. You remember her, don’t you Hannah? She managed the whole place for me during our first year.”

“I remember. You were fit to be tied when she retired and moved to California.”

“What’s the best thing on the menu tonight, Sally?” Norman asked her. “Hannah needs to relax with a nice glass of wine and some really great comfort food. And actually…I could use the same thing. Not the wine, though. It’s fizzy water for me. And whatever you have in the way of comfort food would be perfect for me, too.”

“You came to the right place,” Sally said, smiling broadly. “I figured a lot of folks would need something hot and hearty tonight. It’s so cold out there. So I made Brisket and Veggies.”

“That’s what I want!” Hannah said quickly.

“Me, too,” Norman echoed her choice.

“Wonderful. Just relax and leave everything to me.” Sally turned to pat Hannah’s shoulder. “I saved one of the private booths for you. That way nobody can come to your table to ask you questions.”

Hannah was grateful. She hadn’t even considered that possibility, but Sally was right. Everyone from Lake Eden would want to hear the story of how she found Reverend Matthew’s body. “Thanks, Sally. That was really thoughtful.”

“I’ll tell Dot to seat you and pull the curtains.”

Sally gestured and Dot Larson, Sally’s head waitress, led them up the steps to the raised part of the dining room and seated them in the end booth.

“How’s the baby, Dot?” Hannah asked, before Dot could pull the curtains.

“Growing like a weed. He’s got one speed and that’s full throttle. If we had a bigger house, Mom would never be able to keep up with him.”

“Your mother babysits while you’re at work here?” Norman asked.

“That’s right. It works out really well. I have the five to ten shift during the week, and Mom comes over at four-thirty. She fixes supper for Jimmy when he gets home at five-thirty, feeds Jamie and puts him to bed, and she’s back home in time to watch her favorite shows. Taking care of Jamie gives her something to do now that Dad’s gone.”

“I’m sorry to hear your father died,” Norman said quickly.

“Oh, he’s not dead!” Dot gave a merry laugh. “He’s just up in Alaska with the dogs for the season. Mom usually goes with him, but there’s not much for her to do up there while he’s off mushing. To tell the truth, I think she’s glad she could use babysitting with Jamie as an excuse not to go this year.”

When Dot bustled off to get their drinks, Hannah amused herself by peeking through the curtains at the other diners. “Howie and Kitty Levine just walked in,” she reported to Norman. “And there’s Pam and George Baxter. And right behind them is…Mother!”

“Yours, or mine?”

“Mine. She’s all alone.”

“Would you like to ask her to join us?”

Hannah debated for a moment. She really wanted to be alone with Norman, but she knew Delores hated to dine by herself.

“Hannah? I’ll do whatever you want.”

Norman was waiting for an answer. Hannah sighed deeply and dipped her head. “No, I don’t really want to invite her to join us, but I suppose we should.”

“Then we will. Would you like me to go over and ask her?”

“That would be good,” Hannah said, crossing her fingers for luck. It was possible that Delores was meeting some friends for dinner and the rest of her party hadn’t arrived yet. She’d certainly taken care with her appearance, but then she always did. Delores was definitely the most attractive woman of her age in Lake Eden, perhaps even in Winnetka County.