Andrea looked thoughtful. “I think you should offer the judges nutmeg on top of the whipped cream. Chef Christian always says that freshly grated nutmeg is a gift from the gods.”
“Good idea!” Hannah turned to smile at her. It seemed that Andrea had learned something from watching Christian Parker’s show. Then she glanced up at the clock on the wall and came close to groaning out loud. It was a quarter to three and she’d asked Norman to meet her at three for coffee. She had to ask him if he’d be a groomsman at the wedding and she wasn’t looking forward to the encounter. She liked Norman. Perhaps she even loved him. That wasn’t it, at all. Even though they were friends, it was bound to be a very uncomfortable encounter.
Hannah shut her notebook with a snap. “Thanks so much for helping me. I couldn’t do it without you. I think that’s enough planning for today. Can we all meet here again tomorrow at two o’clock? Michelle and I will bake tonight and we should have some samples by then for you to critique.”
Michelle waited until Delores and Andrea had left, and Lisa and Aunt Nancy had gone back out to the coffee shop. When they were alone, she turned to Hannah. “What’s going on? I saw you glancing at the clock. Is Ross coming here?”
“No, he’s going to come back to the condo for dinner at six, but then he has to go to Jordan High to cover the basketball game. The Gulls are playing the Browerville Tigers tonight.”
“KCOW is going to televise high school basketball?”
“They are now. It was Ross’s suggestion, and they decided to give it a try. Ross told them he was sure it would increase their viewers.”
“I think he’s right. Everyone in town supports the Gulls.”
“I know. And even if people go to the game, they’ll still record the coverage on KCOW and watch it again later.”
“You said that Ross isn’t getting to the condo until six?”
“That’s right. All we have to do is make some corn muffins to go with the Green Tomatillo Stew we started in the crockpot this morning. He can stop by after the game to have coffee and dessert with us. That’ll give us a chance to bake something.”
“That sounds good to me. I’ll make the corn muffins. I’ve got something I want to try anyway. But I still don’t understand why you kept glancing at the clock if Ross wasn’t coming here.”
Hannah sighed. Michelle was like a dog with a bone once she honed in on something. “I kept my eye on the time because I asked Norman to meet me here at three. And I didn’t want him to arrive when everyone was still here.”
“You asked Norman to come here?”
“Yes. I need to talk to him.”
“Oh, boy!” Michelle looked worried. “That might be very awkward for you. You haven’t talked to Norman since you decided to marry Ross, have you?”
“No. I didn’t know what to say.”
“And now you do?”
“I know what I have to say. I have to invite Norman to be part of the wedding party.”
“Oh, boy!” Michelle repeated. “You did ask Ross first, didn’t you?”
“Actually . . . no, I didn’t. Mother called Ross to ask him if he minded Norman and Mike being in the wedding party. And Ross said it was fine with him. He likes both of them.”
“Mother called Ross?”
“That’s right. And that’s not all. Then Mother called both Norman and Mike to sound them out about doing it. Grandma Knudson told me about it this morning.”
“This is really convoluted. Are you telling me that you knew nothing about it before this morning?”
“That’s right.”
“And you agreed to everything?”
“Yes. Grandma Knudson convinced me that it was the right thing to do.”
“Wait a minute. If Mother already talked to Norman and he said he’d do it, why are you asking him?”
“Because it’s the right thing to do,” Hannah repeated. “I’m the bride. I ought to talk to Norman and Mike about it.”
“Then they’re both coming here at three?”
“No, just Norman. Mike said he’d be here at four.”
“Mistake,” Michelle said. “You should have invited them to come together. They would have kept each other in check. Separating them means that each of them can tell you exactly how they feel about the fact that you’re marrying Ross. They wouldn’t do that in front of each other.”
“I know that, but I decided that this way would be fairer. Both of them are my friends . . . or at least they were my friends. I’ve been avoiding both of them, and that’s wrong. I should give them a chance to say whatever they want to say to me.”
“You’re probably right, but that doesn’t change the fact that you’re a glutton for punishment. Do you want me to stay here with you to help?”
“Now you’re being a glutton for punishment!” Hannah did her best to smile. “Thanks for the offer, but I have to see them alone. If they want privacy to give me a hard time, I’m going to give them the chance to do it. That way all of their feelings will be out in the open and we can put this whole thing behind us.”
“You hope.”