door to greet his favorite friend.
A moment later, Norman walked into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee. “Michelle took them out to the garden,” Norman told her. “How are you, Hannah?”
Since she’d already almost finished her coffee, Hannah felt calm enough to answer his question. “I’m okay, Norman . . . or as okay as I can be under the circumstances.”
Michelle came back into the kitchen, smiling broadly. “I seeded the plants with the ladybugs that I picked up from CostMart’s garden center last night. The cats are having a great time trying to catch them.”
Norman looked slightly worried. “Do they ever succeed?”
“No,” Hannah reassured him. “They just paw at the plants and the ladybugs fly to another plant. Don’t worry, Norman. I think it’s a game with the cats and also with the ladybugs. Neither Moishe nor Cuddles has ever caught one.”
“Good.” Norman gave her a smile. “So how did you sleep, Hannah?”
“Deeply and soundly. Doc gave me something to help me sleep and I didn’t even know that I was taking it. It knocked me out for a solid eight hours and that’s the most sleep I’ve had in weeks.”
“Hello, Norman.” Doc came into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee. “How are you doing, Hannah?”
“Better,” Hannah settled for a short reply. “Thanks for whatever pill you gave me last night, Doc. I slept all night and didn’t wake up once.”
“She was a little groggy this morning, but now that she’s had a cup of coffee, she’s fine,” Michelle reported.
“Good. I thought it would work that way. What’s that great aroma? It’s making me hungry and it smells like I actually have a wife.”
Delores came in the kitchen door just in time to hear her husband’s comment. “You do have a wife. But your wife doesn’t bake like Hannah and Michelle do. What do we have this morning, girls?”
“Oops! You weren’t supposed to hear that,” Doc told Delores, going over to give her a hug. “I love you just the way you are, Lori.”
“You’d better.” Delores sat down at Doc’s place at the table and commandeered his coffee cup. “Just for that, I get your coffee. Go pour another cup for yourself.”
Doc laughed and went off to the coffeepot, and Delores reached over to give Hannah a hug. “Are you okay, Hannah?”
“I will be,” Hannah answered. “I decided that the best way to deal with all this was to pretend that it was a normal workday.”
“You’re going to work?” Norman asked, sounding shocked.
“Yes. Work calms me down. If I stay here all day, I’m just going to think about . . .” Hannah stopped speaking and took a deep breath. “You know what I mean.”
Norman nodded. “I do. Work is the best cure for a lot of things. If you’re going through your normal, everyday routine, you don’t have time to feel angry, or depressed, or sorry for yourself. Work is one of those all-consuming things that don’t allow for any other emotions.”
Hannah turned to look at Norman in surprise. She’d never thought of work in quite that way before, but he was right.
“That’s exactly the way I feel,” Hannah told him. “I do my best thinking when I’m baking. There’s something about gathering ingredients and mixing them together that’s very satisfying. And when you’re doing something like rolling cookie dough balls, or dipping them in sugar, or anything else that you have to do by rote, you don’t have to think.”
At that point, Cuddles raced into the kitchen and jumped up on Norman’s lap. Moishe was right behind her and he jumped up on Hannah’s lap. The two cats looked at each other and began to purr.
“I think they approve,” Norman commented.
“And I think you’re right,” Michelle said, tipping her Pineapple and Walnut Muffins out of the muffin pans, setting them on a serving platter, and carrying them to the booth. “Let’s all have one and then I’ll start the bacon and cheese scramble.”
“If these smell as good as they look, we could serve them at The Cookie Jar,” Hannah commented. “But we wouldn’t want to serve anything that didn’t have a seal of approval. I think we should all have two muffins, and then we’ll decide.”
“Great idea!” Doc said, taking two muffins and putting them on his plate.
Delores laughed. “Agreed,” she said, snatching his muffins and making him reach for two more.
For the next several moments there was no conversation, only smiles, sips of coffee, and big bites of Michelle’s delicious