“I’m positive. Your Blue Apple Muffins were some of the best breakfast treats I’ve ever had.”

Michelle had just finished filling two display jars to take back to the coffee shop when the phone rang. “I’ll get it,” she said, setting the cookie jars down on the counter and reaching for the phone on the wall. “The Cookie Jar. Michelle . . . oh, hi Mother. Hannah told us what a wonderful job you did in Minneapolis yesterday.”

Hannah rolled her eyes and Michelle winked to acknowledge it. Both of them knew it paid to keep their mother happy.

“What’s that, Mother?” Michelle asked, and then she turned to give Hannah a shocked glance. “You’re going to change your mind about the bridesmaid dresses?”

Hannah sat down on a stool and put her head in her hands. Delores was at it again despite the promise she’d made to choose something and stick with it.

“The menu, too?” Michelle asked, sounding even more shocked. She listened for a moment and then she started to frown. “But I thought you didn’t want salmon.”

As Hannah watched, Michelle pulled up a stool and sat down. Then she reached for the shorthand notebook that Hannah always kept by the phone. “Just a minute, Mother. I have to find a pen.”

As Hannah watched, Michelle grabbed a pen from the coffee mug with the broken handle that Hannah kept handy by the phone. Then she began to write. She wrote line after line until Hannah couldn’t stand the suspense any longer. Delores was obviously giving Michelle instructions and Hannah had to see what her sister was writing. She got up, walked over to the counter, and glanced at the long, narrow, spiral-bound page.

The first line was blank except for one word with an exclamation mark after it. Buttercups it read in Michelle’s perfect script. And below it, on the next line, were the words, Where the Sam Hill are we supposed to get buttercups this time of year, followed by three question marks. On the third line, Michelle had written two words, burgundy dresses, and she’d underlined the first word, burgundy. And under it was the following inscription, Oh, yeah. Hannah will be sooo happy about this, followed by an exclamation point.

Hannah’s eyes widened as she read the fifth line. Lobster Bisque, Salmon in Phyllo Dough, White Asparagus with Caviar, Heart-Shaped Rolls with Our Initials. This was followed by a sixth line that read, Don’t want much, do you, Mother, followed by another three question marks.

Michelle was still writing and Hannah leaned closer to read the next line. Butterscotch Champagne it read. She grabbed the pen out of Michelle’s hand and wrote She expects us to invent it, followed by three question marks on the following line.