Fudge Cupcake Murder (Hannah Swensen, #5)(3)

"Not yet," Hannah said, hoping this wasn't going to turn into a lecture about her reluctance to commit to one particular man. Hannah liked Norman Rhodes and dated him whenever the opportunity presented itself, but her mother believed that any female who wasn't married by the time she renewed her TV Guide subscription for the second time was doomed. Now that Delores had gone into the antique business with Norman's mother, Carrie, both of them were nudging for nuptials.

"Carrie says he's all tied up with the convention," Delores went on. "He's heading up a panel on cosmetic dentistry, you know. It's quite a coup for a practitioner of Norman's age."

"I know, Mother. Norman told me all about it before he left for Seattle."

"Maybe not all," Delores looked a bit smug. "Did he tell you that Beverly is on his panel?"

"Beverly who?" Hannah asked, even though asking wasn't really necessary since Delores was all primed to tell her.

"Doctor Beverly Thorndike."

"Oh," Hannah said, deciding a one-word response was wisest since she had no idea who Doctor Thorndike was.

"Carrie told me they were planning to be married, but Beverly decided she was too young to make that sort of commitment. At least she gave back the ring. But you must know all this so I won't go into it again."

Hannah nodded, even though she knew nothing about Norman's failed engagement to Beverly Thorndike, female dentist.

"That's not the reason I came in," Delores said, reaching into her purse to pull out a recipe card. "I'm sorry I'm late, but here's my recipe for Hawaiian Pot Roast."

Hannah did her best not to sigh as she reached out and took the handwritten card. Hawaiian Pot Roast was her mother's favorite recipe and Hannah had eaten enough of it to last her a lifetime.

"I was in a rush when I copied it. You can read it, can't you?"

Hannah glanced down at the recipe and nodded.

"It's not too late to get it in the Lake Eden cookbook, is it, dear?"

Hannah wavered. Saying it was too late would be a handy excuse and it was theoretically true, since the deadline Hannah had given to the other contributors had come and gone. But if she said it was too late to her mother, Delores would never let her hear the end of it. In the interest of family peace, Hannah was obliged to include it.

"It's not too late," Hannah said, earning a smile from her mother.

"Thank you, dear. I know I should have turned it in sooner, but I've been so busy lately with Bill's campaign and the store. And now I'd better run. We're expecting a shipment of Chippewa artifacts and Jon Walker promised he'd stop by to see if he could tell if they're authentic."

Delores gave a little wave and ducked out the back door. Granny's Attic was the next building over and she could dash across the parking lot. Hannah waited until the door had closed behind her mother and then she glanced down at the recipe. "Four cups of sugar?"

Lisa came into the kitchen just in time to hear Hannah's comment. "Is that Rose's coconut cake recipe?"

"No, it's Mother's Hawaiian Pot Roast."

"And it's that sweet?"

"Enough to make your teeth ache. Mother wrote it out for me and she wants it in the cookbook. Do you think that I should…"

"No," Lisa interrupted, shaking her head. "She'll never forgive you if you don't include it."

"You're right. I'll reduce the sugar, but I can't make too many changes. If Mother doesn't recognize her own recipe, I'm going to be on her kill-now-and-bury-later list for the rest of my life."





Chapter Two





The last of the customers had left, the front door of The Cookie Jar was locked, and Hannah and Lisa were in the kitchen, mixing up the cookie dough for the following day. Lisa tore off a strip of plastic wrap to cover a batch of Chocolate-Covered Cherry cookies and glanced up at the clock. "Hannah?"

"Hmm?" Hannah retrieved the chocolate she'd melted for her batch of Black and Whites and added it to her mixing bowl.

"It's getting late and you've got class tonight. Why don't you go home now?"

Hannah glanced over at her petite partner and smiled. "You're still a teenager and you're trying to mother me?"

"I'm not trying to mother you. And I won't be a teenager much longer. I'm turning twenty next month." Lisa drew herself up to her full five feet, two inches, but her stern effect was spoiled by the fact that one bouncing brown curl had escaped from her health department mandated hairnet.

Hannah gave her bowl a final stir and reached for the plastic wrap. "Maybe I will. But if I do, I'll come in early tomorrow and do all the baking before you get here."

"Deal!" Lisa held out her hand and Hannah shook it. "Do you want me to help you with your class tonight? Herb's tied up until nine, but Marge said to call her anytime and she'll come over to sit with Dad."

"That's okay, Lisa. I can handle it." Hannah knew that Lisa liked to stay at home with her father whenever she could. Jack Herman had Alzheimer's and Lisa had turned down a college scholarship to stay home and be with him. Things were a bit easier now that Lisa was engaged to Herb Beeseman, Lake Eden's security and parking enforcement officer. Herb's widowed mother, Marge, had dated Lisa's father in high school and she seemed to enjoy spending time with Jack so that "the children" could go out.