A moment later, Hannah was being introduced to the most theatrical looking man in the room. Dean Lawrence wasn’t that tall, but what he lacked in stature, he more than made up for in rugged good looks. He reminded Hannah of a Bantam rooster, posturing next to the stage. The fact that his hair was tousled and stuck up slightly on the top of his head added to the rooster illusion, and the ascot he wore around his neck had a pattern that looked a bit like neck feathers.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Lawrence,” Hannah said politely, after Lynne had introduced them.

“It’s Dean, Lovey. Only my enemies call me Mr. Lawrence.”

Lovey? Hannah did her best not to bristle. She really didn’t care to be tagged with pet names by someone she’d just met. “I’m baking your cheesecakes, Mr.

er

Dean. And I’d like to know your preferences.”

“Preferences?”

“Yes. Do you prefer your cheesecake light or dense?”

“Light or dense?”

“A light cheesecake is fluffy. A dense cheesecake is heavy.”

“Oh. I see what you mean. I like a dense cheesecake, very heavy. And it should be very smooth, too. When you take a bite, it should almost melt in the mouth.”

“Okay. Do you like it with a sweet crust, or a crust that tastes like toast crumbs?”

“Sweet. I have a sweet tooth, Lovey.”

There it was again, the unwarranted and unwanted term of endearment. Hannah did her best to ignore it and asked the next question. “How about the cherries? Would you prefer your cheesecake to have cherries all the way through, a swirl of cherries mixed in for color and flavor, or just cherries on the top?”

“Cherries on the top, with cherry sauce running over the sides. And I like the kind of cheesecake with sour cream spread over the top under the cherries. I think it’s called New York cheesecake. Do you think you can bake it?”

“I’m sure I can.”

“That’s the attitude, Lovey! Never say you can’t do it until you try, isn’t that right?”

“Right,” Hannah agreed. “I’ll deliver it to your trailer by nine tomorrow morning.”

“That’s just fine, Lovey. I’ll be waiting for you with a fork in my hand.” Dean switched his attention from Hannah rather abruptly and waved at Ross, who was just taking his seat in the front row. “Ready to roll, Duckie?”

“Ready,” Ross said, with no apparent reaction. Since Michelle had mentioned that they’d been in production for almost two months now, Hannah figured that Ross must be used to Dean’s nicknames.

“So

” Hannah said to Lynne, delaying the rest of her thought until they were out of earshot. “Does Dean give everyone nicknames?”

“Oh, yes. He calls all the women Lovey and all the guys Duckie. I don’t know why he does it. He’s not even English!”

“I think I know why.”