Hannah glanced around at the other tables in the bar. She’d managed to take a short nap this afternoon while Norman had gone out on the lake to check out the likely spots to fish, and she felt rested and more than a little hungry to try Dick’s new appetizers.
“Over here, Mike!” Lonnie stood up to wave at Mike as he came through the old-fashioned saloon-style entrance. “I ordered a lemonade for you.”
“Thanks,” Mike responded, taking the vacant chair next to Michelle. “Sorry I’m late, but I had to finish up some paperwork at the station.” He turned to smile at everyone at the table. “Glad to see you here, Andrea. Bill called and he and Rick are getting settled in.”
Andrea nodded. “I already set my TV to record it.”
“So did we,” Delores said.
“And I checked it to make sure she got it right,” Doc added. “How about you, Norman?”
“I set mine when Hannah and I went back to the house to feed the cats. Since Hannah and I are staying out here for the week, Delores and Doc are going to babysit.”
“And I didn’t even touch it,” Hannah said with a smile. “As a matter of fact, I didn’t even step inside the den. Unless I can cause havoc remotely by just walking past the doorway, it’s going to work.”
Everyone laughed. They all knew that Hannah was severely challenged when it came to anything electronic.
“I set the one in Hannah’s condo, too,” Michelle told them. “I had Lonnie check it, and he said I’d done it right.”
“That’s true.” Lonnie gave a little nod. “And since all of us set our equipment to record, we’re bound to get at least one good recording of Bill’s speech.”
“Don’t jinx us, Lonnie,” Mike warned.
“Right.” Lonnie nodded in agreement.
“We can all watch it together,” Delores said.
“Great idea, Delores,” Mike chimed in.
“Thank you, Mike.” Delores smiled. “We’ll work out the details later.”
Just then Sally came up to their table. “Hello, guys! Hannah told me that all of you were coming tonight.” She turned to Doc. “She said that you wanted to try Dick’s Baked Scotch Eggs.”
“Scotch Eggs are my favorite,” Doc said with a smile. “Can we start with those?”
“Yes, but I need a glass of wine first,” Michelle told him. “Today’s my only night off this week, and I plan to enjoy myself.”
“Our drink order first is a good idea,” Doc said quickly. “What kind of wine do you want, Michelle?”
“A chardonnay,” Michelle answered. “I’ll let Dick choose it, Sally. I’ve never been disappointed in a wine that he’s recommended.”
“That’s good to know.” Sally turned to Hannah. “How about you, Hannah?”
“Does Dick have any champagne open?” Hannah asked.
“I’m sure he does. And if he doesn’t, I’ll open a bottle. Anyone else for champagne?”
Delores nodded. “Count me in. How about you, Andrea?”
“I’ll have the same chardonnay Michelle does,” Andrea decided. “Just one glass though. I have to drive home later.”
“You do, tonight,” Hannah told her. “But I’m staying over here at the inn, and I have two beds in my room. Just pack up what you need for the rest of the week and bring it with you in the morning. If it’s okay with Grandma McCann, you can stay over with me.”
“Great!” Andrea looked very excited. “I haven’t been away from home in forever, and since Bill’s not there, I’ll take you up on that.”
“It’ll save you from having to make that early morning drive,” Sally told her. “What would you like to drink, Doc?”
“Jameson’s with a water back,” Doc told her. “How about you, Mike?”
“Cold Spring Export. Since Lonnie and I don’t start our shift until tomorrow morning, we can relax a little tonight. Red wine for you, Lonnie?”
Lonnie nodded. “I’ll have cabernet, whatever Dick recommends. He knows what he’s doing when it comes to choosing wine.”
Sally looked pleased. “I’ll tell him you said that. And Baked Scotch Eggs all around once you finish your first drink?”
Everyone nodded and Sally hurried off to place their order. Since they’d all arrived early, they were the first table filled in the bar. They made conversation for a few minutes, and gradually the other fishing contestants began to arrive.
“There’s Sonny Bowman,” Andrea said, as the handsome fishing star walked in.
Mike nodded. “Yes, I recognize him from the fishing show.” They all watched as Sonny walked over to a table and pulled out a chair. “I think this isn’t his first trip here today,” he commented, as Sonny sat down rather awkwardly.
“Either that or he’s got a bottle in his room,” Lonnie said with a nod. “It’s a good thing he’s got a suite out here. I wouldn’t want to run into him if he was driving on the road.”
“Right you are,” Mike agreed, watching as Sonny reached out for some of the chips Dick had placed in a basket on every table. “I’m glad he’s eating something. Maybe it’ll help. He’s a big guy and I wouldn’t enjoy carrying him up to his room.”
“I’ve got a gurney in my office and Sally has an elevator,” Doc said. “It’s the kind that folds flat so we could just roll him on.”
Mike smiled. “Good to know.”
“Here comes Sally with a tray,” Hannah told them, spotting Sally weaving her way past several tables to get to them. “Let’s make room for her to set it down.”
Michelle picked up the basket of chips, and Lonnie grabbed the stack of bowls. “Got it,” Michelle said.
“Thanks,” Sally said, lowering the tray and setting it on the table. “I brought you a little extra surprise. Dick’s serving these with the appetizers tonight.”
Hannah stared at the miniature martini glasses on the tray. “Martinis?”
“Yes, special martinis. Dick calls them Walleye Martinis.”
“Why does he . . .” Hannah stopped speaking in the middle of the question she had been about to ask. “Never mind. I see and it’s too cute for words!”
“What . . . ?” Andrea started to ask, but she began to laugh. “Never mind. I get it!”
They all watched as Sally added two large green pimento-stuffed olives to the rim of each glass. She placed the olives across from each other and facing out so they looked like two green eyes with red pupils staring out at opposite sides of the room.
“Walleyes,” Doc said with a chuckle. “That’s very clever. What’s in the drink, Sally?”
“It’s a miniature dirty vodka martini. The olive juice looks a little like cloudy lake water.”
“My compliments to the bartender,” Norman told her. “That’s very clever.”
It was Sally’s turn to laugh. “That’s Dick. He’s always trying something new. It took him a while to figure out how to cut the right slices in the side so the waitress could hang them on the rims of the glasses. And once he got that figured out, he gave me a job to do.”
“To serve them?” Delores asked her.