Lynne agreed, taking a sip of wine.
“I remember a question that Michelle asked me once,” Hannah said as an old memory surfaced. “It was right after I came home from college and decided not to go back. Michelle and I were talking and she said, If you could do anything you wanted to do, what would it be? And I told her that I’d like to open a bakery and coffee shop and call it The Cookie Jar.”
Lynne looked interested. “How old was Michelle when she asked you that?”
“I think she was sixteen. I know that she was a junior in high school.”
“That’s a great question.”
“I know. If you could do anything you wanted to do, what would it be, Lynne?”
“I’m not completely sure, but I think I might like to teach acting. I finished my degree in theater arts and I do have a teaching certificate, but I’d rather give private lessons to both adults and students. I wonder if there’s a market for something like that in Lake Eden.”
Hannah began to smile. “There is!” she said quickly. “Mayor Bascomb’s sister was giving private acting lessons in her condo.”
“Was?” Lynne picked up on the tense that Hannah had used. “Did she get another position?”
“Not exactly.” Hannah gave a little sigh. “She was murdered.”
“Good heavens!” Lynne gave a little shudder. “I hope they caught whoever did it.”
“Yes,” Hannah answered, not mentioning that she had been the one to catch Tori Bascomb’s killer.
Just then Dot pushed aside the privacy curtain and delivered their entrées. “I see you liked the stuffed mushrooms,” she said, handing the empty plate to her busboy.
“They were delicious,” Lynne said as Dot delivered her entrée. Hannah’s entrée was next and once she had refilled their wineglasses, Dot told them to enjoy their dinner and left.
Hannah was amazed to discover that she was ravenous and Sally’s Cornish game hen was every bit as good as it always was. She especially liked the apricot glaze, but she vowed that the next time she ordered it, she’d try the raspberry glaze.
Lynne seemed to enjoy her entrée too, and Hannah was pleased to see that their discussion about Tom and about Lynne’s future plans hadn’t affected her friend’s appetite. Hannah hoped for the best with Lynne’s marriage, but if push came to shove, she hoped that Lynne would move to Lake Eden, where everyone liked her and she could have a fresh start.
Once they’d finished their entrées, Dot cleared their table and delivered after-dinner coffee for them. The two friends sat there talking for a moment and then they heard a summons from outside the booth.
“Knock, knock,” a female voice called out, and Sally pushed back the privacy curtain. “Am I interrupting?”
“Not at all,” Lynne assured her. “Hannah and I were just talking about Lake Eden. Come in and join us, Sally.”
“Me too?” another, deeper voice inquired.
“You too, Norman.” Hannah motioned for him to come in and patted the booth beside her.
“Dot’s bringing more fresh coffee and our dessert,” Sally told them, and then she turned to Lynne. “If Tom is coming back tonight I’ll cut a slice of cake for him and you can take it back to the room.”
Lynne shook her head. “Thanks, Sally, but I don’t expect him. He hasn’t called and that usually means he’s tied up with business. I think he’ll probably decide to stay in Minneapolis overnight.”
“Then I’ll put a slice in the cooler for him and he can have it tomorrow,” Sally decided. “I wonder where Dot’s busboy is with . . .” She stopped and began to smile as the curtain was pulled aside and the busboy came in with a large carafe of coffee, cups, cream and sugar, silverware, and dessert plates.
“Oh, my!” Hannah gasped as Dot arrived with a beautiful cake on a silver platter. “Is that chocolate?”
“Yes,” Sally answered. “It’s chocolate and butterscotch. This is my Ultimate Chocolate Butterscotch Bundt Cake. I got the idea from you, Hannah. I combined my two favorite ultimate cake flavors, the Ultimate Fudgy Chocolate Bundt Cake and the Ultimate Butterscotch Bundt Cake and made them all in one.” Sally stopped and looked slightly worried. “I hope you don’t mind, Hannah.”
“I don’t mind at all!” Hannah reassured her. “It looks lovely, Sally. I love how you frosted it with butterscotch icing and drizzled chocolate down from the top.”
“That’s so my waiters will know exactly what kind of cake it is by simply looking at the frosting. If I’d just used the butterscotch frosting, they might