“You’re right,” Hannah agreed. “I wouldn’t want to take any chances with Moishe, either. He means the world to me.”
“I thought I meant the world to you!” Ross jumped into the conversation. “Don’t tell me that I come in second to a cat!”
Hannah turned quickly to look at him. He’d sounded slightly upset, but there was the hint of a grin on his face and she assumed that he was kidding. “Moishe’s not just a cat. He’s a fur person. And you mean the world to me, too. But don’t ask me to choose between you and Moishe. That’s something that I would never do.”
Slightly too late, Hannah caught the pained expression on Norman’s face. She knew that he was remembering how she had given Cuddles a home when his fiancée, Doctor Bev, had pretended to be allergic to cats. She reached out to squeeze his hand to show him how sorry she was that she’d spoken without thinking, and he gave her a smile to say that all was forgiven.
“I’m going down to the car to get your wedding present out of the trunk,” Norman announced, standing up and heading for the door.
“Wait and I’ll come with you,” Mike said quickly. “It’s pretty heavy.”
“Did you bring us a popcorn machine?” Hannah asked, remembering the one Norman had bought for his own media room.
Norman shook his head. “No, but it’s something just as good. I think you’re really going to like it.”
Ross and Lonnie cleared the table while Hannah put on the coffee and Michelle cut her Brownie Candy for dessert. By the time Mike and Norman came back in, everything was ready for the final course.
“Wow!” Ross exclaimed as the two men carried in a large box. “It’s huge!”
“It’s not as big as it looks,” Mike told him as they set the box in the middle of the living room.
“Mike’s right,” Norman agreed. “A lot of it’s packing. It had to be shipped here from a warehouse in California. Why don’t you open it now, Hannah? Then Mike and I can tell you more about it over dessert.”
Hannah turned to Ross. “Come on. Since it’s our wedding present, we should open it together.”
She cut the tape and Ross pulled up the flaps on the large cardboard box. Together, they lifted out mounds of packing material until they reached the smaller box inside. Ross lifted it out and set it on the rug, and Hannah bent down to read the legend on the side. “RoboVac,” she read aloud. And then she turned to Mike and Norman with a puzzled expression. “Now I know what it’s called, but I still don’t know what it is.”
“I do,” Ross said, smiling at her as they returned to the table. “It’s a robotic vacuum cleaner.” He turned to Mike and Norman. “I’m right, aren’t I?”
“You are,” Norman told him. “I know how Hannah hates to vacuum, so Mike and I got you this. Now she’ll never have to vacuum the rug again.”
“I didn’t know you hated to vacuum,” Ross said to Hannah.
“I’ve always hated to vacuum. I don’t mind other housekeeping chores, but vacuuming is so boring.”
“That’s exactly how I feel about it,” Norman said, smiling at her. “And that’s one of the reasons that I bought a RoboVac for myself.” He got up to get the owner’s manual out of the bottom of the box and handed it to Ross. “You can program it for any time of day and any combination of days. The only problem I have with it is that my house is two stories and I have to carry it upstairs.”
“Why don’t you get another one that you keep upstairs?” Ross suggested.
Norman considered that for a moment. “Actually . . . that’s a very good idea. I could run them both simultaneously and be done with the vacuuming in half the time. Thanks for thinking of that, Ross. I’ll order a second one tomorrow.”
“How about you, Mike?” Ross turned to him. “Do you have a RoboVac?”
“Not me. I hired Marjorie Hanks to clean my place and she brings her own vacuum.”
“How about you, Lonnie?” Ross asked.
Lonnie shook his head. “I don’t need to clean my place. I still live with my parents.” He turned to look at Michelle. “I’m thinking about getting my own apartment, though.”
Hannah glanced at her sister. Michelle was beginning to blush. Since her youngest sister wasn’t the type to show her embarrassment, Hannah decided she’d better have a heart-to-heart with Michelle later to find out exactly what was going on.
Of course everyone loved the Brownie Candy and all of them complimented Michelle for making such a delicious dessert. Hannah put on a second pot of coffee and when that was almost empty, Norman turned to Ross. “I’ll help you with the vacuum settings if you want me to.”
“Me, too,” Mike offered.
“Sounds good to me.” Ross pushed back from the table and stood up.
“You’re only having two pieces of Brownie Candy?” Hannah asked Ross.
“Yes, for now. Don’t take them off the table, Cookie. Just as soon as we take care of the RoboVac settings, I’ll have another with a second cup of coffee.” Ross stopped at Michelle’s chair and gave her a little hug. “They’re really good, Michelle. You and your sister are incredible bakers!”
Hannah smiled at Ross, even though his back was to her and she knew he couldn’t see it. Ross really did like Michelle and he said that he didn’t mind at all if she stayed with them. Since Hannah loved having her youngest sister stay with her, the fact that Ross approved of the arrangement made her very happy.
“I’d better cut some more of that Brownie Candy,” Michele said.
“And I’ll help you,” Lonnie replied, “I’ll bet you that Ross eats more than one more piece and I figure Mike is good for two.”
“How about you?” Michelle asked him.
“I’ll have another one for sure. Ross is right. You and Hannah are incredible bakers.”
“Just sit and relax, Hannah,” Lonnie told her as Hannah made a move to get up from the table. “Michelle and I have got this covered. Besides, those three,” he gestured toward the three men huddled over the RoboVac, “might need a referee if they start arguing about how to set the vacuum.”