“He’s been saving all year. It’s her thirtieth, you know, and he wanted to get her something special. He asked me to meet him at the Mall of America on Tuesday night to help him shop. I swear we went to every single jewelry store in the entire mall before he found something that he wanted.”

Hannah slipped into her invisible caterer mode, setting her tray down at the far end of their table and busying herself by rearranging the stacked cookies on her tray. Neither woman seemed aware of her, but Hannah could hear every word they spoke.

“What did he buy?” Lucille looked very curious. “You can tell me, Maryann.”

Maryann leaned forward, about to confide the delicious secret. She seemed perfectly oblivious to Hannah. Waiters, maids, and caterers were always treated to all the gossip, whether they wanted to hear it or not. “He got her a perfectly gorgeous ruby ring, but you can’t tell a soul. It’s supposed to be a surprise.”

Lucille raised her eyebrows. “A ruby? That does sound expensive.”

“It was,” Maryann confirmed with a nod of her head. “It cost him over a thousand dollars. And Boyd even paid extra to have it engraved on the inside of the band.”

“Is that why you missed the Dorcas Circle meeting on Tuesday night?”

“Yes, we had to stay over because the ring wasn’t ready until the next morning. Boyd asked me to take it home with me for safekeeping, and you know what that means.”

Lucille looked thoroughly puzzled. “What does it mean?”

“Danielle must snoop through his things.”

“That doesn’t really surprise me. Jill Haversham was Danielle’s third-grade teacher, and she said that all the Perkins girls were nosy.”

“I’ll never understand why Boyd married her.” Maryann sighed deeply. “He could have had anyone, and it wasn’t like he had to, you know. But I guess there’s no accounting for taste.”

“That’s what they say. Did you stay over with your mother?”

“Yes, and she was so glad to see us. Boyd went out to get doughnuts for breakfast the next morning and he came back with a huge box. That’s so she’d have leftovers. We’re not sure she’s eating right, now that she’s all alone.”

Hannah stifled a grin. She didn’t think that doughnuts for breakfast fell into the realm of “eating right,” but she wasn’t one to talk. A lot of her customers ate cookies for breakfast.

“She’s lonely, now that Dad’s gone,” Maryann continued, “and she just rattles around in that house of hers. The neighborhood’s turning industrial, and that’s not good, either.”

“Where is it?” Lucille asked.

“Right off the Anoka exit on the ninety-four. It used to be a nice quiet suburb before they put in the freeway, but it’s going downhill in a handbasket. Boyd and I think she should sell and move into one of those nice apartment buildings for seniors.”

Lucille raised her eyebrows. “Wouldn’t she rather move in with you or Boyd?”

“My place isn’t big enough. You’ve seen my apartment. I barely have room to turn around. Boyd’s got plenty of room, but I don’t think that Danielle wants her. Not that he’s said anything about it. He wouldn’t, you know. Boyd’s as loyal to that woman as the day is long. He treats her like a princess, dressing her up in expensive clothes and buying her everything she could possibly want. He even bought her that house, you know, and let me tell you, that’s got to be a real drain.”