“It’s perfect for the wedding,” Michelle agreed, “especially since you love lilacs and we found a place with out-of-season lilacs for the wedding.”
Andrea nodded. “You’re right. It’s perfect.”
Hannah remembered Claire’s advice just in time. “Thank you so much for choosing it, Mother. I absolutely love it!”
“You’re welcome, dear,” Delores said, never missing a beat. “I just knew it would be perfect for your wedding dress.” She turned to smile at Claire. “You always have the best, Claire.”
“Thank you,” Claire responded graciously, studiously avoiding Hannah’s eyes.
Delores turned to Andrea. “I just wish that you hadn’t spilled red wine on my mother’s wedding dress. I’m sure Hannah would have wanted to wear it.”
Andrea put on her most contrite look. “I’m sorry, Mother. You know that I didn’t do it. I don’t drink red wine. It was Bill, and I couldn’t get too angry at the man I was about to marry.”
“I know, dear.” Delores reached out to pat Andrea’s hand. “It wasn’t your fault. And you did take it straight to the cleaners. Actually . . . I’m glad they went out of business. They should have known how to remove a stain from red wine.”
Hannah judiciously avoided Andrea’s eyes. The red wine stain had been no accident. Andrea had admitted everything to her. Hannah was grateful to her sister, and she was sure that Michelle was, too. Perhaps she ought to team up with Michelle and make Andrea a special treat for saving them from family wedding gowns.
“We won’t worry about that now,” Delores said with a smile for Andrea. “It’s water under the bridge, dear, and it probably wouldn’t have fit Hannah anyway. My mother was petite, like you and Michelle. Hannah takes after your father’s side and Grandmother Swensen . . .” She stopped and gave a little sigh. “They didn’t have any money, you know. She probably made her wedding dress herself out of flour sacks and it fell apart years ago.”
Hannah bristled slightly. She knew that, unlike her mother’s family, her father’s parents had lived on a tight budget. That hadn’t mattered to her, or to Andrea, or to Michelle. All three of them had always loved their Swensen grandparents best.
Delores turned to Claire. “And now, our esteemed clothing adviser, we have to shop for Hannah’s trousseau.”
Claire smiled. “Actually, you don’t. Just hold that thought and wait here. Hannah has several more outfits to show you.”
Hannah waited until they got to the dressing room and the door was closed behind them. And then she turned to Claire with a frown. “What trousseau? I thought you said we’d be through if Mother liked this dress for the wedding.”
“We are through.” Claire reached down and flipped up the hem on the skirt that Hannah was wearing. Then she unzipped the bottom panel, helped Hannah out of her jacket, turned it inside out, and motioned for her to put it on again.”
“It’s reversible?” Hannah asked, even though she could clearly see that it was.
“That’s the whole point of this ensemble. Take a look.”
Hannah looked at her reflection in the mirror and she smiled. “Perfect,” she said, realizing that now the jacket was the same green as the shell and the lilac leaves in the shortened skirt.
“We also have these.” Claire held up a pair of green pants. “That’s in case you’d rather wear a pantsuit. And then we have a lavender shell that goes with the patterned jacket and cream-colored pants. There are pants in pink and a pink tunic top, and another lavender jacket. If you count the variables, you have a whole wardrobe here, Hannah. And that’s why the designer calls it his wardrobe.”
LUNCHBOX CRANBERRY OATMEAL COOKIES
(Big, soft, chewy cookies)
Do NOT preheat oven yet—this cookie dough needs to chill.
Hannah’s 1st Note: Lisa and I use our stand mixer down at The Cookie Jar to mix up these cookies.
Lisa’s Note: The reason we called these cookies Lunchbox Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies is that Herb just loves to take a couple of these to work in his lunchbox and eat them when he’s driving around town in his cruiser, looking for parking violators.
1 and ? cups Craisins (I used regular unflavored Craisins, but any dried sweetened cranberries will work)
1 cup cranberry juice
1 and ? cups white (granulated) sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 and ? teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
? teaspoon nutmeg (freshly grated is best)
1 teaspoon orange zest (that’s just the colored part of the orange rind)
1 cup white Karo syrup
2 beaten eggs (just whip them up in a glass with a fork)
1 cup (2 sticks, 8 ounces, ? pound) salted butter, melted
2 Tablespoons ( cup) reserved cranberry juice from the cup of cranberry juice above
4 cups quick-cooking oatmeal (dry, right out of the package—I used Quaker’s Quick-1 Minute)