had agreed to sign copies of her new cookbook as a fund-raiser for the library. According to Delores, Marge had paid Bertie Straub a small fortune to cover up the gray and give her a new, sophisticated hairstyle.
“When you’re through with Marge, take her down to the banquet room. She wants to go over the menu with Edna.”
“Got it,” Hannah responded, wondering how Edna Ferguson, Jordan High’s head cook, would react if Connie Mac suggested changes in the menu. The food for the banquet had already been ordered, and Edna had done most of the preparation in advance. “Where shall I take her after that?”
“The Ezekiel Jordan House. Your mother promised she’d have it ready by noon. I called her yesterday to see if I could drop in for a quick peek, but she won’t allow anyone in until it’s completely finished. You know how your mother is, Hannah. She’s treating this whole thing like a state secret and there’s no reason she should…” Mayor Bascomb stopped speaking as the back door opened and Delores stuck her head in.
“Speak of the devil,” Hannah murmured, and then she put on a bright smile for her mother’s benefit. “Hi, Mother. Is the house finished?”
“Not yet, dear. I just came over to ask you about a very peculiar rolling pin I found with Mrs. Jordan’s kitchen utensils. Hello, Ricky-Ticky. I didn’t expect to find you here.”
Hannah covered her gasp of startled laughter with a cough. Her mother was the only person in town who dared call the mayor by his childhood nickname. Hannah’s grandparents had lived next door to the Bascombs, and Delores had been his babysitter one summer.
“Morning, Delores.” Mayor Bascomb gave her a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, and Hannah could tell that he didn’t appreciate being reminded of those early childhood years. According to Delores, he’d been a spoiled brat. “I’ve got to run, ladies. My meeting with the steering committee starts in fifteen minutes. The cookies are delicious, Hannah. I’m going to pick up a bag from Lisa on the way out and treat the committee.”
Hannah watched as the mayor clamped his hat on his head and headed toward the swinging door that led into the coffee shop. The moment he was out of earshot, she turned to her mother with a frown. “I think you embarrassed him when you called him Ricky-Ticky.”
“Of course I did. That’s exactly what I intended.” Delores walked over to take the mayor’s stool and reached out for a cookie. “He’s been acting like a big shot lately and it’s time someone reminded him that he had his diapers changed like every other child in Lake Eden. Now, about that rolling pin, Hannah…it’s carved on the outside with little panels of designs.”
Hannah nodded. “It’s probably a Springerle rolling pin. They’re used to make a type of rolled German cookie.”
“Oh, yes. One of your great-grandmother Elsa’s friends used to bake them every Christmas. I always had to eat one to be polite, but I never liked them. They were flavored with licorice.”
“Close enough,” Hannah said, not wanting to get into a discussion about the subtle differences between anise and licorice. “Most women who had Springerle rolling pins liked to show them off by hanging them on the kitchen wall. They were handed down from generation to generation, and sometimes the carvings were personalized.”
“I’ll put it on the wall above the kitchen table,” Delores said, finishing her cookie and rising to her feet. “I’ve got to get back, Hannah. We’re almost ready to hang the parlor curtains.”
“Hold on a second.” Hannah carried the plate over to the counter and transferred the cookies to one of her distinctive carrier bags. It was a miniature shopping bag, white with red handles, and the words, “THE COOKIE JAR,” were stamped in red block letters on the front. “Take these with you. Carrie loves my Peanut Butter Melts.”
“I know she does. So does Norman.” Delores frowned slightly as she took the bag. “You’ve been neglecting him lately, Hannah. Carrie tells me that Ronni Ward has been in twice this month to have her teeth cleaned, and you know what that means!”
“Her teeth are dirty?” Hannah teased, knowing full well what her mother had meant.
“Don’t be flippant, Hannah. Norman’s single and he’s got eyes in his head. Just in case you’ve forgotten, Ronni won the Eden Lake Bikini Contest three years in a row.”
Hannah sobered as her mother went out the door. She found it difficult to picture Norman with a beauty queen, but thinking about it gave her an unpleasant sensation in the pit of her stomach. She told herself that it couldn’t be jealousy. Just because she dated Norman occasionally and their mothers continually tried to push them together didn’t mean that she was serious about him. All the same, it certainly couldn’t hurt to give Norman a call to let him know that she was still alive and kicking.
Hannah felt a real sense of accomplishment as she glanced around her kitchen. Trays of cookies filled the slots on the baker’s racks and covered every inch of the counter. It had been a productive morning. While Lisa had waited on their customers, Hannah had baked more cookies. Even if the Winter Carnival visitors were as ravenous as a pack of starving wolves, they’d have enough cookies to last through tomorrow morning’s events. By then there would be fresh cookies, and Hannah planned to drop them off at the warm-up tents by noon at the latest.
Unable to resist tasting her work, Hannah plucked an Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookie from a nearby rack and nibbled at the edge. The taste of butter and sugar blossomed on her tongue and she smiled in satisfaction. Her cookies were perfectly baked, crisp on the outside and sweet and flaky inside.
There was a knock at the back door, and Hannah ditched the cookie in her apron pocket. She’d gone to her mother’s house on Tuesday for their weekly mother-daughter dinner and saved herself from store-bought pound cake with canned whipped cream, pre-chopped nuts, and jarred caramel syrup by claiming that she was on a diet.
“Hannah? You’re here, aren’t you?”
It was her sister’s voice. Hannah retrieved the cookie from her pocket and opened the door.
Andrea blew in on a gust of wind, balancing a stack of real estate flyers in her arms. “Did Lisa give you my message?”
“Of course. It’ll be great to see Janie again.”
“I know. I’m really excited about it.” Andrea set her flyers down on the only available space, the top of a stool at the work island. “Good heavens! How many cookies did you bake?”
“Enough to last until noon tomorrow. The girls from Mrs. Baxter’s home ec class are setting up food stands in the warm-up tents.”
“If the weather stays this cold, they’re bound to have lots of customers.”
Hannah noticed that Andrea was shivering, and she poured her a mug of coffee. “Here. You look half-frozen.”
“I am. Is that decaffeinated?”
“No. Do you want me to put on a pot?”
“Absolutely not. I need all the caffeine I can get this morning. Al wants me to drop off flyers all over town. I even have to drive some out to the Lake Eden Inn.”
Hannah placed a plate of Chocolate Chip Crunch Cookies in front her sister. They were Andrea’s favorite. “You’d better have some chocolate for energy.”
