Lemon Meringue Pie Murder (Hannah Swensen #4)(77)

"That's a good idea." Hannah pulled out a bag, filled it with a dozen cookies, and handed it to Jed. "Take these to Freddy and tell him they're from both of us."

"Thanks, Hannah. You're really a great person, you know?"

Once the door had closed behind Jed, Hannah gave another long sigh. She hoped that Freddy had learned his lesson and that Jed would keep a better eye on him.

The next few minutes were slow, so Hannah took advantage of her downtime by refilling the sugar dispensers and stocking the tables with packets of artificial sweetener. She'd never figured out why people who'd scarf down cookies would put artificial sweetener in their coffee, but they did. She'd just finished when Michelle walked in through the swinging door from the kitchen.

"Hi, Hannah." Michelle hugged herself and shivered slightly. "Lisa's cupcakes look fantastic, but I'm not supposed to say

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any more than that. It's really cold in your kitchen with that air conditioner running full blast."

Hannah stared at her sister's outfit. Michelle was wearing a pair of white shorts that were so tight she probably had to stretch out on the bed to zip them up. Her pink spandex top barely covered what it had to legally cover and while the outfit looked good on her, it wasn't the sort of thing the Lake Eden girls wore to town. Hannah knew she shouldn't say anything, Michelle was old enough to choose her own clothing, but she couldn't resist. "Maybe if you had more clothes on, you wouldn't think my kitchen was so cold."

"Not you too!" Michelle gave an exasperated sigh. "You're getting more like Mother every day!"

"That's not necessarily a bad thing," Hannah countered. "Mother has her good points."

"Name one!"

"Well... she's always ... um ..." Hannah paused and then she began to laugh. "All right. I can't think of any right off the top of my head, but I'm sure there are plenty. How did your lunch with the girls go?"

"Fantastic. I made your spinach quiche and the girls really raved about it. They all wanted the recipe, but I said I'd have to ask you first. It's not a secret or anything, is it?"

Hannah laughed. "No, you can give it to them."

"Good. I just came from Granny's Attic and we're all getting together out at the cottage tonight. You'll drive out, won't you?"

"Well..."

"Come on, Hannah. I don't come home that often and it's fun if we all get together. We're having Chinese. Since you're on a diet, Mother called in a whole order of vegetables for you. Lonnie's picking up the food on his way out to the lake."

"You're seeing Lonnie two nights in a row?"

"Yes," Michelle said, and her cheeks turned pink. "Our date got cut short last night with Freddy and all, and we've still got a lot of catching up to do."

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Hannah decided not to say anything. As Delores might describe it when she was in her Regency-speak mode, Michelle had a telling blush.

"It's not serious, so don't start worrying. It's just that Raj and I are so different."

"Oh?"

"He grew up in New York City and he doesn't know anything about small-town life. When I called him last night, I told him about the potluck picnic and barbecue, and how everyone brings their best dish."

"And?" Hannah waited for the punch line.

"He said he'd never been to a potluck picnic, but it sounded like a lot of work to him. And then he asked me why they didn't just call someone in to cater the whole thing."

"Different cultures?"

"And different incomes," Michelle said with a sigh. "He told me his mother's never set foot in their kitchen. They have a full-time cook."

"Imagine that," Hannah commented, biding her time.

"Raj thinks everything I tell him about Lake Eden is amusing. It's almost like he thinks we're all country bumpkins."

Hannah had the feeling that Raj wouldn't be in the picture for much longer. "I guess we might seem that way to someone who was raised in a cosmopolitan city."

"I know, but his attitude burns me sometimes. He thinks he knows everything and I don't know anything." Michelle glanced down at her watch. "I'd better hit the road. I'm running out to CostMart. Do you need anything?"

Hannah was about to say no when she remembered the down pillow. "Will you see if their goose-down pillows came in? Andrea tried to buy one for me, but they were sold out. She brought me a rain check for the sale price."

"Sure." Michelle waited until Hannah had produced her rain check and handed it over. "I'm going to buy a new bathing suit. And before you ask, I'm getting a one-piece."

"A one-piece that doesn't have strategic holes? And isn't

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cut up to here?" Hannah pointed to a spot on the outside of her thigh that was almost as high as her waist.

"Don't worry. It'll be modest enough to please even Mother. What time do you think you'll be out at the cabin?"

Hannah thought about her time schedule. There was no cookie dough to mix for tomorrow. They were closed for the Fourth and she was taking Saturday off to give them a three-day weekend. "Right after we close, I'll run home to feed Moishe and then I'll drive out. I should be there by six-thirty or seven."