Red Velvet Cupcake Murder (Hannah Swensen, #16)(26)

Hannah took a deep breath and did her best not to react to the grin that always made her a bit weak in the knees. She was Norman’s date for the evening, not his. But even though her mind was clear on her priorities, she still felt a rush of tingly sensation that ran all the way down to her toes. She busied herself dishing up the salad in the hope that it would distract her, but she still felt tingly as she ladled out the hotdish, passed the freshly grated parmesan cheese, and made sure both men had a piece of garlic bread.

“It’s a feast,” Mike said, grinning at her again. Hannah felt a second rush of sensation, but that ended quite abruptly when Mike reached for the bottle of hot sauce and shook it on without even tasting his hotdish first. Too bad you didn’t use jalapenos instead of green chilies, her mind commented and this time Hannah didn’t argue back. No internal dialogue was needed. She agreed perfectly.

Midway through the meal, the timer sounded and Hannah got up to take the Easy Fruit Pie out of the oven. She was just about to return to the living room when she heard Norman respond to something Mike had said.

“No way, Mike.” Norman sounded very emphatic. “Remember the time we were discussing a case at the table and how angry Hannah got at us?”

There was a moment of silence. Mike was obviously attempting to remember. “Oh, yeah. I remember now. It was something about how many pounds of pressure it would take to break a tooth. Hannah got pretty hot about that one.”

“Which is why we should wait for that kind of discussion until after dinner.”

“Right. If we talk about it now, she might not give us dessert. I could use something sweet after this meal. Boy, that hotdish was spicy!”

That’s because you used half a bottle of hot sauce on it, Hannah’s mind answered him. Maybe it’ll teach you to taste it first to see if it needs more spice.

Hannah was smiling as she carried in the dessert. Some people added salt without tasting and then complained because it was too salty. Mike did the same thing with hot sauce. Nothing would change him. He’d once told her that his father had done the same thing, and Hannah figured it must be a combination of both environment and genetics.

“Do you want some hot sauce, Mike?” Hannah asked him, smiling wickedly.

“On dessert? Are you kidding?!”

Mike looked shocked and Hannah laughed. “Of course I am. Unless, of course, we’re talking about those Jalapeno Brownies I made for you.”

“Oh, man! Those were so good!” Mike smacked his lips. “Do you suppose maybe this dessert would . . . ?”

“No!” Hannah cut off the question she knew was coming.

“There’s no chocolate in here so it wouldn’t be the same thing.” She paused for a second, glanced down the hallway, and warned, “Feet up!”

Both men were old hands at this game. They plucked their dessert dishes and coffee cups off the table almost simultaneously, and tucked their feet up just as the cats appeared. Hannah was a second late, but she managed to secure the coffee carafe and her own dessert dish in the nick of time.

Two rings around the table and the cats disappeared down the hallway again. Hannah heard a thud followed by a yowl and she knew that Moishe hadn’t managed to avoid the laundry hamper in her bedroom. There was a thump and a squeak of springs, and then another thump and a louder squeak of springs, as Cuddles and then Moishe landed on her mattress.

“You need a new innerspring,” Norman said.

“I know. I just haven’t gotten around to buying one yet. Actually, I need a whole new bed.”

“Get one of those airbeds,” Mike suggested. “They’re supposed to be really comfortable.”

Hannah looked at him in disbelief. “An air bed? With a cat?”

“Oh. I didn’t think about that.” Mike set his coffee cup back on the table and lowered his feet. “They’re on the bed now. We ought to be safe.”

Norman shook his head. “Better give it a minute or two. Cuddles was really wound up. Her eyes had that crazed kitty look.”

“But Moishe looked a little tired,” Mike said. “He might not want to chase her again.”

“That won’t stop Cuddles,” Hannah explained. “She’s an expert at getting him to chase her. I figure we’ve got about another ten, maybe fifteen seconds before . . . Feet up!”

Mike made a heroic effort and just barely managed to grab his coffee mug and dessert dish. His left foot almost got into a head-on crash with Cuddles, but she missed it, quite literally, by a whisker.

“Whew! That was close!” Mike glanced at the two cats, who were now splayed out on the rug, breathing hard. “I bow to your expertise,” he said to Hannah and Norman. “Is that it for this run?”

Norman snapped his fingers and Cuddles looked at him. “That’s it,” he said. “Her eyes are normal again. Kitty Crazies are over for now.”

Hannah glanced at their dessert bowls. Despite the two interruptions, both men had managed to finish their desserts. She dished up another helping for each of them and topped it with scoops from the carton of vanilla ice cream she’d rescued from the table.

For several minutes there was only the sound of spoons clinking against glass dessert bowls and an occasional sigh of contentment. When they were finished and the men had helped Hannah clear the table, they carried a fresh pot of coffee into the living room and Hannah declared that dinner was over.