Lemon Meringue Pie Murder (Hannah Swensen #4)(7)

"You're looking gorgeous this morning," Hannah said with only a small stab of envy. Andrea always looked fashionable and Hannah often felt like a frump beside her.

"Mother called you about Michelle, didn't she?"

"Yes, I'm meeting her bus. It's going to be great having her home."

"I know. We haven't seen her in ages." Andrea pulled out a chair and sat down. "Why didn't you call me last night? I left a zillion messages on your answer machine."

"I forgot to check it. I didn't know about Norman's new house until he called me this morning."

Andrea looked disgruntled. "Well, don't blame me for not telling you. You really need a cell phone, Hannah."

"I don't want a cell phone."

"Everyone who's anyone has one."

"Then I guess I'm not anyone. I know it's the age of technology, but I don't like the idea of being on an electronic leash."

"It's not like a leash. Anytime you don't want to answer it, you can just turn it off."

28

Joanne Fluke

"That would be all the time." Hannah began to grin. The end of the argument was in sight. "And if I never answer my cell phone, why have one in the first place?"

"Coffee, Andrea?" Lisa called out, holding up an empty mug.

"No, thanks. Doc Knight limited me to one cup a day and Pve already had it."

"How about a glass of orange juice?"

"That sounds good." Andrea smiled at Lisa, then turned back to Hannah. "I had to get up at the crack of dawn. The only time Doc Knight could see me was at seven-thirty."

"Seven-thirty isn't exactly the crack of dawn."

"For me it is. I'm fine, by the way. I turned down the ultrasound. We don't want to know the baby's sex until he's born."

"Until he's born?"

"I'm just saying he as a concession to Mother. She's positive it's a boy this time."

Hannah was amused. "What makes her so sure?"

"She says if you carry the baby in front and your stomach sticks out, it's a boy. If you're big all over, it's a girl."

"That sounds like an old wives' tale to me. Besides, your stomach is still as flat as a board."

"No, it's not. I've been dressing to hide it, but nothing fits me right anymore. I'm going to start wearing maternity clothes the minute Claire's shipment comes in."

"You asked Claire to order maternity clothes for you?" Hannah was surprised. Claire Rodgers owned Beau Monde, the dress shop next door to The Cookie Jar, and her clothes were expensive.

"I know it'll probably cost an arm and a leg, but Bill wants me to have the best. He says it might even be tax deductible. After all, I'm a real estate agent and I have to be well dressed for my job."

"You'd better check with Stan about that." Hannah curbed her impulse to laugh. Stan Kramer was the best tax man in

LEMON MERINGUE PIE MURDER 29

Lake Eden. He was pretty liberal about what was and what wasn't a tax deduction, but Hannah didn't think he'd go quite that far.

Andrea looked up as Lisa brought over a plate of cookies. "Thanks, Lisa. These look wonderful and I didn't have time for breakfast. What are they?"

"We call them Apricot Drops and they're Hannah's invention. They're Oatmeal Raisin Crisps made with chopped dried apricots instead of raisins."

The phone rang and Lisa rushed off to answer it. Hannah watched as Andrea took a bite of her newest cookie and she relaxed as her sister started to smile. "You like them?"

"These cookies are winners, Hannah." Andrea took one more bite, then leaned forward. "So? What do you think about Norman's plans?"

"They're great. I can hardly wait to see our dream house."

"Then you said yes?"

Hannah bit back a grin, knowing full well what her sister was asking. "Yes to what?"

"To marrying Norman, of course!"

"No."

"Then you said no?"

Hannah shook her head. "I didn't say anything. Norman didn't ask me."

"He didn 't? I thought for sure he would." Andrea began to look anxious. "He's not dating anyone else, is he?"

"Not that I know of."

"Well... that's good. Maybe you should give him a little nudge in the right direction. You're not getting any younger, and if you want to have kids ..." Andrea stopped in mid-sentence and sighed. "Sorry, Hannah. I'm beginning to sound like Mother."

"Yes, you are."

"But at least I stopped before I got to your biological clock ticking down."

"No, you didn't. You just said it."

30

Joanne Fluke

Andrea looked nonplussed for a moment, but she recovered quickly. "I said I was sorry. Look, Hannah ... I know it's a touchy subject with you. I apologize for bringing it up."

Hannah's mouth dropped open. Andrea didn't apologize often. She had to squelch the urge to rush down to Lake Eden Neighborhood Drugs to buy a box of gold stars like the ones Miss Gladke had used to mark special days on the classroom calendar. She was about to say she accepted Andrea's apology when Lisa came back to the table.