Ross smiled. “It’s okay. I’ve got plenty. I made up a slideshow of them while you were sleeping. And I have a cable that I can hook up to your television set so that everyone can watch them. You can give them a running commentary.”
“Or you can.” Hannah smiled at him fondly. “You’re the photographer, not me. The only photo I took was a selfie with my cell phone.”
“I’m sure they’d like to see that one, too.”
“No, they wouldn’t. I held the phone too low and I cut off the top of my head.”
*
Once they’d landed, retrieved their luggage and were met by the limo, the trip back to Lake Eden was uneventful and they turned in at the condo complex much sooner than Hannah dreamed was possible.
As the limo passed the guest parking area, Hannah noticed that her sister Andrea’s car was there. Doc’s car was parked right next to it and she was sure that her mother would be with him. Hannah turned to Ross. “Looks like you’re right. Their cars are here.”
“Told you,” Ross said. “And there they are.”
Hannah took a deep breath as she saw that her whole family was gathered at the base of the staircase that led to her second-floor condo.
“Michelle and Doc are holding takeout bags. And Andrea has something in a box.”
“I guess they thought we’d be starving,” Ross said as he helped her out of the limo.
“Not really. It’s just that since they didn’t arrange it with us ahead of time and they didn’t want to impose on us, they brought food for everyone. It’s a very Midwestern thing to do, but you probably already know that. After all, you grew up here in Minnesota.”
“Yes, but my father wasn’t from the Midwest so it was different in my family. If we visited someone, we brought vodka.” Ross pressed a tip into the limo driver’s hand, took Hannah’s arm, and walked her over to where her family was waiting. “Hello, everyone! We’re home!”
“Thank goodness for that!” Delores exclaimed rushing forward to take Hannah’s other arm. “There’s a surprise wedding gift waiting for you inside the condo. We’ll follow you, but we want you to go in first.”
“Is Moishe inside?” Hannah asked, eager to see her pet.
“Not yet. Norman called to say he was on his way, and Mike and Lonnie should be here in a bit. They wanted to give you a little time to get settled before they brought the rest of the meal.”
“The rest of the meal?” Hannah asked, looking at the two large takeout bags.
“Yes. Mike and Lonnie are bringing pizza, and Norman’s bringing drinks for everyone. We’ll do everything, dear. You won’t have to lift a finger, I promise.”
“I believe you,” Hannah said, turning to smile as her mother dropped back to follow them up the stairs.
“What do you think our surprise is?” Ross asked in an undertone as they walked up the stairs together.
“I don’t know,” Hannah answered in the same low tone of voice, “and I’m a little afraid to guess.”
When they reached the landing, Hannah handed Ross the key. “Here. You unlock the door.”
“I will. And then I’ll carry you across the threshold.”
Hannah laughed. “You don’t have to go that far. It’s not like I haven’t been inside before.”
“True, but I’d like to if you don’t mind. Is that all right?”
“Of course it’s all right,” Hannah said, secretly delighted at his traditional gesture.
Ross unlocked the door and opened it. Then he lifted Hannah into his arms. “Ready?” he asked her.
“Yes.” Hannah wrapped her arms around his neck and he carried her across the threshold.
“What in the world . . .” Hannah gasped. She was so amazed by what she saw, she almost lost her hold around his neck. For one brief moment, she wondered if Ross had unlocked the door to the wrong condo.
“Wow!” Ross exclaimed, and it was clear that he was just as surprised as she was. “Look at that flat-screen! It’s got to be ninety inches . . . maybe more!”
“They redecorated the whole living room!” Hannah’s voice was shaking with shock as Ross set her down on the floor. “Look at this beautiful new carpet!”
“And look at those couches. There’s three of them, and it looks like the chairs recline. There’s seating for six. We can invite your family over to watch videos.”
Ross took Hannah’s arm to lead her to the couches, but she pulled back. “Wait! I need to look at the kitchen!”
Hannah hurried to the kitchen doorway and flicked on the lights. Everything appeared to be exactly as she’d left it. She breathed a sigh of relief and began to smile. “It’s the same.”
“Did you hope they’d put in new appliances?”
“No! My kitchen is exactly the way I want it. I’m really glad they didn’t decide to change it.”
“You can thank me for that,” a voice said behind her, and Hannah turned to see Michelle. “I told Mother she’d be taking her life in her hands if she did anything to your kitchen.”
“Thanks, Michelle!” Hannah threw her arms around her youngest sister and hugged her. “I can’t believe you all got together and refurbished the living room.”
Delores arrived in the doorway and stood there, smiling at Hannah. “I hope you like your new living room furniture, dear.”
“And your new carpeting,” Andrea added, coming up behind Delores. “I picked out the color. It’s called Autumn Leaves, and it’s shades of browns and reds, like autumn leaves.”
“It’s beautiful.” Hannah glanced at Andrea, who was still carrying the box in her arms. “What’s in there, Andrea?”
“A new Christmas cookie for you. It’s a whippersnapper cookie and Grandma McCann loves them.”
Hannah smiled at her sister. If Andrea’s live-in nanny and housekeeper loved Andrea’s cookies, they must be superb. Grandma McCann was a great baker in her own right and Hannah had gotten several recipes from her.
“What makes them Christmas cookies?” she asked, knowing that Andrea wanted to brag about her new creation.
“They’re green and red. And those are the Christmas colors. I made them with pistachio pudding and I put in a little green food coloring. I’ve got dried cherries inside, but I didn’t think that was enough color, so I put a half maraschino cherry on top of each one.”
“Sounds great,” Hannah told her. “Are we going to try them tonight?”