Wedding Cake Murder (2 page)

Hannah looked down at the dessert plate resting next to her cup and saucer. Grandma Knudson’s pie did look delicious. “Is that crème fraiche on the top?”

“Yes. It’s your crème fraiche, the one you use on your strawberry shortcake. And if you don’t want to go to the bother of making that, you can use vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream. Taste it, Hannah. I want your opinion.”

Hannah picked up her fork and took a bite. And then she took another bite. “It’s delicious,” she said. “It has exactly the right amount of tartness to balance the sweetness.”

“I’m glad you like it, but let’s get back to Mike and Norman. You’re not getting off the hot seat so easily. Your mother’s very upset, you know. People have been stopping her on the street and asking when your wedding invitations will arrive.”

“Did she tell them that it was a small, private wedding?”

Grandma Knudson shook her head. “No. She was too embarrassed. You know as well as I do what people think when you get married so fast in a small, private ceremony.”

“They think I’m . . . ?” There was no way Hannah could finish her question. She was too shocked.

“Of course they think that. It’s usually the case, especially with a first marriage like yours. There’s even a betting pool that Hal McDermott set up down at the café for the date the baby will be born.”

Hannah’s mouth dropped open and she shut it quickly. And then she gave a rueful laugh. “What happens to the betting pool if there’s no baby? Because there isn’t!”

“Good question. My guess is that Hal gets to keep the proceeds, and that’s not right. I think I’ll have Bob and Claire go down there and convince him to give all that money to the local charities. That would serve people right for betting on something like that!”

“Do you think Hal will agree to give the money to charity?”

“He’ll have to. Betting pools are illegal in Winnetka County, and Hal knows it. So is playing poker for money behind that curtain of his in the back room of the café. He’ll knuckle under. You don’t have to worry about that. And if he doesn’t, Bob will give a rousing sermon about gambling the next time Rose drags Hal to church.”

Hannah couldn’t help it. She laughed. Grandma Knudson always got what she wanted, and this would be no exception.

“That’s better,” Grandma Knudson commented. “It’s good to hear you laugh. Now what are you going to do about Mike and Norman?”

“What do
you
think I should do? Invite them to be Ross’s groomsmen at a huge church wedding?”

“I think that’s
exactly
what you should do! Give Mike and Norman a chance to step up to the plate. As it stands right now, everyone’s buzzing about the fact that their hearts are broken. If both of them are in the wedding party, it’ll put all those wagging tongues to rest. Believe you me, they’ll jump at the chance to do that!”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m positive.” Grandma Knudson locked eyes with Hannah. “Neither one of those men enjoys being the butt of gossip, and both of them like Ross. Of course they’re disappointed that you didn’t choose one of them, but they’ll do the right thing if you ask them.”

Hannah thought about that for a moment. Norman and Mike
did
like Ross. The three men were friends. And she knew that Ross liked Mike and Norman. If she’d said she wanted a big wedding and asked Ross to choose two men to be groomsmen, he would probably have chosen Mike and Norman.

“Well?”

Grandma Knudson was waiting for an answer, and Hannah hedged a little. “You may be right, but I’ll have to ask Ross what he thinks of the idea.”

“I did that this morning. I called Ross at work and he said it was fine with him if that was what you wanted. And Mike and Norman are definitely on board. I double-checked with them right afterwards. And both of them told me that they’ll accept if you ask them.”

“You called Mike and Norman, too?”

“Of course I did. I wanted to make sure this would work.”

Hannah gave a little groan. Railroaded. She’d been railroaded, but Grandma Knudson had a point she couldn’t ignore. If everyone in town was gossiping about her and Hal had even set up a betting pool, she had to do something to turn things around. And then she remembered what Grandma Knudson had said. “You said you double-checked with Mike and Norman this morning?”

“Yes.”

“If you
double
-checked, that means you or someone else had checked with them
before
this morning. Was that someone you?”

Grandma Knudson looked slightly flustered. “Actually . . . no.”

With a burst of lightning clarity, Hannah saw the whole picture. Her eyes narrowed and she faced the matriarch of the church squarely. “
Mother
checked with them before you did. Is that right?”

Grandma Knudson sighed. “Yes, but she didn’t want you to know that it was her idea.”

“That figures,” Hannah said with a sigh.

“Your mother is an expert when it comes to gossip,” Grandma Knudson attempted to explain, “but she was afraid you’d reject her plan out of hand if she was the one to suggest it. That’s why she asked me to talk to you about it. And I did. Your mother, Andrea, and Michelle are already working out the details of your wedding.”

“They’re planning my wedding without me?”

“Yes, but you know how long wedding plans take. Delores and the girls have everything organized, but nothing’s been firmed up yet. All they need is for you to give them the go-ahead.”

Hannah was silent. She wasn’t quite ready to cave in yet.

“Your mother said to tell you that she knows you’re busy at The Cookie Jar and you have to be in New York for the dessert competition very soon. She’s absolutely certain that everything will be ready so that you can get married, have a reception at the Lake Eden Inn, and leave for New York the next morning.”

“Mother can pull off a big wedding in less than three weeks?”

“Yes. And you don’t have to do any wedding planning. Your sisters and Delores are completely prepared to arrange everything.”

Again, Hannah was silent. She didn’t like the idea of turning everything over to her mother and sisters, but it seemed like the only reasonable option since she’d made such a mess of it on her own.

“Delores said to tell you that there are only two things you have to do,” Grandma Knudson spoke again. “The first thing is to choose your wedding dress. Your mother has already consulted with Claire at Beau Monde, and Claire has ordered more than a half-dozen gowns for your approval. When they come in, Claire will let you know so that you can run next door to try them on. All you have to do is choose the one you want to wear and Claire will do any alterations you might need.”

Hannah gave a slight smile. At least they were letting her choose her own wedding gown! And it was true that she didn’t have time to organize a big wedding. The nightmare of trying to arrange Delores’s wedding was still fresh in her mind. There was no way she wanted to get involved in a morass like that again, but she was the bride and it was a bit disconcerting not to be involved in any of the planning. “What’s the second thing they want me to do?” she asked.

“Show up at the church on time.”

Hannah’s sarcastic nature kicked in, and the question popped out of her mouth before she could exercise restraint. “Do they want me to show up with or without Ross?”

Grandma Knudson burst into laughter. “With Ross. Not even your mother could accomplish a wedding without a groom.” The older woman reached out to take Hannah’s hand. “Are you all right with this plan, Hannah? If you’re not, we can try to come up with something else that’ll work.”

Grandma Knudson was waiting for an answer and Hannah took a deep breath. “Yes, I’m all right with it as long as Ross and I can get married before the Food Channel competition. Do you think that’s possible?”

“Your mother assured me that it was.”

Hannah gave a reluctant nod. “All right then. I’ll do it, if you’ll do something for me.”

“What’s that?”

“I’d like a second piece of your lemon pie, and I’d also like to have the recipe. It’s the best non-meringue lemon pie I’ve ever tasted!”

EASY LEMON PIE

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

Note from Grandma Knudson:
I got this recipe from my friend, Lois Brown, who lives in Phoenix, AZ. She has a lemon tree in her backyard so she always has lemons to make this pie.

Hannah’s 1
^st
Note: You can make this recipe in a food processor or a blender. We use a food processor down at The Cookie Jar.

1 frozen 9-inch piecrust
(or one you’ve made yourself)

1 whole medium-size lemon

½ cup butter
(1 stick, 4 ounces,
¼
pound)

1 cup white
(granulated)
sugar

4 large eggs

——————

Sweetened whipped cream to put on top of your pie before serving

If you used a frozen pie crust, take it out of the package and set it on a cookie sheet with sides while you make the filling for the pie.

If you made your own piecrust, roll it out, put it in a 9-inch pie pan, cut it to fit the pie pan, and crimp the edges so it looks nice. Then set it on a cookie sheet with sides to wait for its filling.

Cut the tough ends off your lemon. Cut it in half and then cut each half into 4 slices.
(The slices should be round, like wagon wheels.)

Cut the other half-lemon into 4 similar slices to make 8 slices in all.

Examine the slices and pick out any seeds. Throw the seeds away.

Place all 8 seedless slices in a blender
(or a food processor)
.

Turn on the blender or food processor and process the lemon slices until they are mush.
(This is not a regular cooking term, but I bet you know what I mean!)

Melt the half-cup of butter in the microwave or on the stovetop.
(If you’d rather do it in the microwave, this should take about 50 seconds on HIGH.)

Pour the melted butter over the lemon mush in the blender.

Add the cup of white sugar.

Crack open the 4 eggs and add them one by one.

Turn on the blender or food processor and blend everything until it is a homogenous mush.
(Another nonregulation cooking term.)

Pour the lemon mixture into the crust.

Bake your Easy Lemon Pie at 350 degrees F. for 40 minutes or until the mixture turns solid and the top is brown.

Take your pie out of the oven and cool it on a cold stove burner or a wire rack. Once it is cool, cover it with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate it until you’re ready to serve.

Hannah’s 2
^nd
Note: I like to use my Crème Fraiche on this pie. Here’s the recipe just in case you don’t have it handy: