“Never mind. I’m drawing the line at that!”
Hannah chuckled and so did Norman. They sat there, silent for a time, sipping their coffee and enjoying the feeling of being awake when everyone else was sleeping. Then Norman reached out to pat her shoulder. “Are you nervous about today, Hannah?”
Hannah knew exactly what he meant. It was Monday and Ross was scheduled to come back to Lake Eden to sign the withdrawal slip so that she could get his money from Doug at the bank. “I’m a little nervous,” she admitted.
“A little? Or more than a little?”
Hannah thought about that for a moment. “Maybe a bit more nervous than I’d like to be. I wish I knew whether Ross was coming or not. And I wish I knew what he’ll do when Doug says he couldn’t get that much money on such short notice.”
“Don’t worry. After you went to bed last night, I called Mike and we talked about that. Mike and I are going to stay with you at The Cookie Jar, and Lonnie and Rick are going to back Doug up at the bank. You don’t have to worry, Hannah. We won’t leave your side until we get the word that Ross has left town.”
“But . . . how about your dental appointments at the clinic?”
“No problem. I talked to Doc Bennett and he’s happy to fill in for me and make a little extra cash. He’s planning to go on another cruise with the widow he met on the last one.”
Hannah gave a huge sigh of relief. She hadn’t known she was that nervous about what Ross might do, but with Norman, Mike, Lonnie, and Rick looking out for her, she felt as if a tremendous weight had slid off her shoulders.
“Feel better?” Norman asked, smiling at her.
“A lot better. I guess I was more worried than I thought I was.”
“What are you making?” Norman asked, gesturing toward the ingredients that were lined up on the counter.
“Sally’s Chocolate Cream Pie. She gave me the recipe the last time I saw her and I wanted to try it this morning.”
“Is there anything I can do to help you?”
Hannah thought about that for a moment and then she began to smile. “You can help me whisk the chocolate pudding when I make it. Sally’s recipe calls for a lot of whisking.”
“Then I’m your man. I can wield a whisk with the best of them,” Norman promised. “Let’s finish our coffee and try that pie.”
It didn’t take long to make the pie with both of them working. Once the pudding had cooled a bit, Hannah poured it into the prepared pie shell, covered the top of the pudding with plastic wrap, and stuck the pie in the refrigerator. “It has to chill before I can put on the whipped cream topping,” she told Norman.
“Something smells like chocolate in here,” Michelle said, coming into the kitchen. “What is it?”
“Sally’s Chocolate Cream Pie,” Norman told her. “Hannah and I just made the pudding part.”
“Well, it smells delicious!” Michelle walked over to the coffee carafe and poured herself a full mug. “I’ll make another pot of coffee. This one’s almost gone. And then we can talk about breakfast.”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” Norman told her. “I’m taking you and Hannah out to the Corner Tavern for breakfast. We’re going to meet Mike and Lonnie there.”
Michelle looked surprised. “Lonnie didn’t say anything about that.”
“He probably doesn’t know yet. Mike and I arranged it. I’m going to be Hannah’s guard detail at The Cookie Jar today, and Lonnie and Rick are going to support Doug at the bank.”
“Then you think that Ross will show up at the bank?” Michelle asked Hannah.
“If he wants the money, he will! He’s desperate to get his hands on that money, and the last time he called me, I told him that I couldn’t withdraw it for him.”
Michelle didn’t look convinced. “Did Ross believe you?”
“I think so.”
“Okay then.” Michelle drained her coffee mug and stood up. “Is it okay if I use the guest bathroom shower first, Norman?”
“I’m sure it’s fine,” Hannah told her. “I’ve already showered, so Norman can use the one in the master bedroom. And then we can all go out for breakfast.” Hannah said no more, but her suspicious mind added a final clause to the last sentence. It was, before Ross comes to town and all hell breaks loose!
SALLY’S CHOCOLATE CREAM PIE
This pie is a pudding pie with whipped cream and does not bake in the oven.
The Crust:
8-inch or 9-inch prepared crushed chocolate wafer or crushed Oreo pie crust.
Hannah’s 1st Note: You can also use a prepared crushed cookie pie crust, a graham cracker pie crust, or a shortbread pie crust. You can even use a regular pie crust as long as you bake and cool it first.
The Chocolate Filling:
6 large egg yolks (save the whites to make your favorite meringue cookies)
? cup white (granulated) sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
3 cups light cream (Half n’ Half)
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, finely chopped (measure AFTER chopping)
? stick (4 Tablespoons, ? cup, pound) salted butter
The Whipped Cream Topping:
1 and ? cups heavy cream ? cup powdered (confectioners’) sugar ? teaspoon vanilla extract
Decorations: (optional)
shaved chocolate chocolate curls maraschino cherry halves butterscotch or caramel ice cream topping to drizzle on top
Place the egg yolks in a medium-size saucepan, off the heat.
Whisk the egg yolks until they are well combined.
Add the white granulated sugar and the cornstarch. Whisk everything together, off the heat, until the ingredients are well incorporated.
Turn the stovetop burner on MEDIUM-HIGH heat and add the 3 cups of light cream (half and half) SLOWLY, whisking continuously while the mixture is heating.
Whisk and bring to a boil until the mixture is slightly thickened. (This will take from 3 to 4 minutes.)
Stirring constantly, boil mixture for 3 minutes.
Hannah’s 2nd Note: This is much easier to do if you have a hand mixer turned to LOW speed, but you’ll have to make sure that all areas of the saucepan are being mixed. If you miss an area, your chocolate filling may scorch and you’ll have to start over!
Whisk in the finely chopped mini chocolate chips and the half-stick of salted butter. Keep your whisk moving the entire time!
Lower the temperature of the burner to LOW and continue to whisk until the mixture is as thick as pudding. This should take about 5 to 6 minutes.
When the chocolate mixture has thickened, remove the saucepan to a cold stovetop burner and let it sit for 5 minutes.
Use a heat-resistant rubber spatula to transfer the contents of your saucepan to the pie crust of your choice and smooth the top with the heat-resistant spatula.
Cover the surface of the chocolate layer with plastic wrap and place your partially completed Chocolate Cream Pie in the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours. (Overnight is even better, too.)
To Make the Whipped Cream Topping:
Hannah’s 3rd Note: If you’re tired or in a hurry and want a shortcut, simply thaw a small tub of Original Cool Whip and stir in butterscotch ice cream topping or caramel ice cream topping. It will hold its shape better than homemade whipped cream and you can put it on your chilled filling an hour or so before your guests arrive, rather than whipping the cream at the last minute!
Using an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form.
Turn the mixer off and sprinkle the powdered sugar on top of the whipped cream.
Mix on HIGH until the powdered sugar is mixed in.
With the mixer running on HIGH, sprinkle in the half-teaspoon of vanilla extract and mix it in.
When everything has been thoroughly incorporated, shut off the mixer and take out the bowl with the whipped cream topping. Give it a final stir with a rubber spatula and set it on the kitchen counter.
Get the pie crust with its chocolate filling out of the refrigerator and set it next to the mixer bowl with the whipped cream topping.