“That’s because of the ambient city lights. Just think about how many streetlights and neon signs are in a city that large. They reflect off the cloud cover.” Hannah glanced over at her youngest sister and smiled. “Thanks for coming with me, Michelle. This would be a lonely drive all by myself.”
“When we get into Sally’s kitchen, are we going to practice everything from scratch so that we can check out the time?”
“Yes. Tomorrow’s competition could get a little frantic since we only have an hour to mix up and bake our entry.”
“I think I’m prepared for my part of it, but it couldn’t hurt to set the timer and do a final run-through. Do you have the key Sally gave you?”
“I’ve got it.” Hannah glanced down at her key ring. The key was there, right next to the one for her condo door. Sally had given every contestant a key to her kitchen. “I’d hate to let the audience down tomorrow night, especially in the cookie challenge.”
“And I know you’d hate to let Ross down. I heard you ask him if he’d be disappointed if you didn’t win.”
Hannah couldn’t keep from smiling, just remembering what Ross had said when she’d asked him. He’d called her his grand prize. She could hardly wait to marry Ross.
“Do you know that you smile every time anyone says Ross’s name?”
Hannah thought about that for a moment. “No, but I guess it makes sense.”
“I think it’s sweet. I wonder if Ross smiles every time he hears your name.”
“I don’t know.”
“Maybe we should put it to the test.”
“No. Please don’t,” Hannah said quickly.
“Because you’ll be disappointed if he doesn’t smile?”
Hannah sighed. Michelle had a remarkable and sometimes distressing talent for doing what their father had called hitting the nail on the head. Instead of answering, Hannah changed the subject. “You’re not nervous about tomorrow night, are you?”
“Not at all. Of course, I’ll have stage fright at the beginning. I always do. But that only makes me try harder to do everything perfectly. How about you?”
“I may be just a little nervous,” Hannah admitted, making light of the fact that the horde of butterflies in her stomach always began to do a jig the moment the judges took their places and cameras began to roll. “I just hope that Aunt Nancy’s right and the butterscotch in our cookies reminds Judge Duquesne of his childhood dessert.”
There was a parking spot in front of the Lake Eden Inn and Hannah pulled in. “Ready?” she asked, turning to Michelle.
“I’m ready. Let’s bake.”
The lobby of the inn was deserted. The college student who usually worked from midnight until eight at the front desk was probably on break. Hannah gave a little wave at the security camera as they went by and mouthed the words, Hi, Dick. Dick would see her wave when he reviewed the footage.
There was a fire in the massive stone fireplace and Hannah stopped in front of it to warm her hands. Michelle did the same and they stood there for a moment, turning this way and that to warm up.
“I’ll get my parka out tonight,” Hannah said, leaving the fireplace reluctantly and leading the way down the hall.
“I didn’t bring my parka with me on this trip,” Michelle said. “I never dreamed it would get this cold.”
“Don’t tell Mother you don’t have it. She’ll call to remind you to bring it every time you say you’re coming home.”
It was a bit strange to walk down the empty hallways which were usually bustling with people during the day. Hannah cut through the dining room with its tables already draped with fresh white tablecloths and set for Sally’s breakfast buffet. When Hannah arrived at the kitchen door, she pulled out her key and slid it into the lock. Then she turned the doorknob and opened the door. She flicked on the huge banks of fluorescent lights and the two sisters stepped inside the huge kitchen.
“It looks a lot bigger without anyone in here,” Michelle said, looking around the huge empty space.
“I’ll bet Sally feels this way every morning when she unlocks the door. I’ll start the timer. You turn on the oven at our workstation. After that, we’ll gather the ingredients.”
With both of them working, it didn’t take long for Hannah to carry the eggs, butter, sugars, baking soda, and salt to their workstation. Michelle was right behind her with the flour, and the chips. When all the ingredients were arranged in order, Hannah turned to her sister. “We’ll do it exactly the way we did at The Cookie Jar. You run the mixer and I’ll dump.”
Michelle stationed herself at the industrial mixer and waited for Hannah to dump in the butter and the sugars. Once she’d mixed those until they were light and fluffy, she nodded to Hannah, who then added the eggs. Michelle turned the mixer up a notch and let it run while Hannah added more ingredients. Michelle scraped down the sides of the bowl, shut off the mixer, and looked back at Hannah. “Ready for dividing.”