“Sure they do.” Earl obviously wasn’t willing to give up the fight yet. “They’re light and fluffy. And romances are light and fluffy, too…aren’t they?”

“Well…I like to think my story has more to offer than that, but perhaps you’re right.” Delores turned to Mayor Bascomb. “What do you think, Ricky Ticky?”

Mayor Bascomb looked a bit startled by the use of his childhood nickname, but Delores had been his babysitter one summer, and that gave her certain privileges. “I think cream puffs are completely appropriate, Delores. They’re sweet and that’s what romance is.”

“You’re certainly an expert on that!”

Delores’s comment fell like a stone into a widening pool of silence. Everyone at the counter had heard rumors about the mayor’s peccadilloes, but Delores was the only one who ever mentioned it.

“I think cream puffs are just perfect,” Florence said, jumping in to break the tense moment. “They’re not something you have every day. A cream puff is a special dessert for a special occasion.”

“That’s true, but…I’m just not sure…”

“I think we’ve all missed the most important part,” Hannah interrupted her mother’s objection. “At first glance, cream puffs might look insubstantial, but just like Mother’s book, the inside is surprisingly complex and completely satisfying.”

Mayor Bascomb’s mouth dropped open, and he turned to stare at Hannah. “Wow! That was brilliant, Hannah. Have you ever thought about going into politics?”

Delores joined in the laughter at the counter, and after it was over, she was still smiling. “You talked me into it. We’ll serve mini cream puffs at the launch party.” And then she turned to Hannah. “You can do that, can’t you, dear?”

“Yes, Mother.” Hannah hoped she didn’t look stressed. Her To Do list was growing longer and longer. In addition to doing her own work at The Cookie Jar, she had to re-create the cheeseburger cookies for Calvin Janowski’s birthday party, find a good mini cream puff recipe for her mother’s book launch party, attend class at Heavenly Bodies with Andrea each morning, stick to her diet and lose enough weight to fit into the dress her mother had given her, and talk Sue Plotnik into going to work for Janice at Kiddie Korner. It was more than most people had to do in a month, and she had to accomplish it all in only two weeks. It was a good thing there hadn’t been any murders in Lake Eden lately. She was way too busy to help Mike investigate, even if he performed an about-face and asked her!

Chapter Five

“My mom used to make cream puffs.” Lisa looked sympathetic after Hannah had told her about the book launch party.

“Do you have her recipe?”

“It’s probably in one of her recipe boxes. I’ll look tonight, I promise.”