Hannah glanced down at the plate. “A popover!” she said, and immediately, her mouth began to water. “It looks delicious.”

“That’s not all,” Norman told her. “Take off the top and see what’s inside.”

Hannah removed the top, which had been sliced off and then replaced, almost like one of her cream puffs. “Eggs. And bacon. And…” Hannah stopped and took another sniff. “Parmesan cheese?”

“That’s right. There’s a little freshly chopped parsley in there for color, too. You’ll see when you start to eat it. Do you want to know the calorie count?”

Hannah was almost afraid to ask, but obviously Norman had totaled it up. “Yes, I want to know. How many calories for the whole thing?”

“I’ll break it down for you. Seventy calories for the popover, one-ten for the egg, thirty-seven for one slice of crumbled bacon, and seven for the sprinkling of fresh parmesan. The parsley is negligible. That’s a grand total of under two hundred and twenty-five calories. And it’s good, isn’t it?”

“Mmmmph,” Hannah said, even though she could have swallowed and then answered his question.

Norman laughed. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

Hannah was amazed at how fast she ate the breakfast that Norman had prepared. It really was good, and she was hungry. When her plate was empty, she got up to refill their coffee cups and sat back down again. “That was the best breakfast I’ve had in a long time! You’re wonderful, Norman. You thought of everything to make me comfortable; my own sleep shirt, a fire in the bedroom fireplace, warm towels for my shower, a new toothbrush, and on top of it all, a gourmet breakfast. I could get used to being treated like this.”

“That’s the general idea.”

He was smiling at her in a way that let Hannah know he was about to say something about sharing their dream house again. It was time to change the subject unless she wanted to say yes. And she did…at least part of her did. But the other part still wasn’t sure she wanted to give up her independence. “I still can’t believe you went to all the trouble of figuring out the breakfast calories.”

“It wasn’t any trouble. I just looked up the ingredients online. There are a couple of Web sites with free calorie counters.”

“Well…thanks. I really appreciate it. The breakfast was great, and the shower was heavenly, and the towels were splendid, and your bed is magnificent. I think I got the best night’s sleep I’ve had in years!”

“Under any other circumstances that last comment might not be a compliment.”

Hannah laughed. And then she blushed slightly. It was best to change the subject again. “What are your plans for today?”