The bell on the door jingled, and all three of them turned to see who’d come in. Hannah gave a little wave as she recognized the man under the hooded parka with fur that hid most of his face.

“Hi, Phil.”

“Hi, Hannah. It’s snowing again, in case you hadn’t noticed.” Phil hung his parka on the coatrack by the door, but before he could take an empty seat at the counter, she hurried over to take his arm.

“Follow me, Phil. I’ve got something special boxed up for you in the kitchen.”

Once she’d settled Phil at the stainless steel workstation and presented him with a cup of coffee and two Minty Melts, she poured coffee for herself and joined him. It would take a bit of finessing, but it was the perfect opportunity to bring up the subject of Janice’s job opportunity at Kiddie Korner.

“These are really good cookies, Hannah.” Phil wiped his mouth with the napkin. Then he picked up his second cookie and took a large bite. “They remind me of peppermint schnapps.”

“Really?” Hannah was puzzled. “But peppermint schnapps tastes like peppermint. It doesn’t taste like chocolate…” Hannah hesitated as she realized she’d never actually tasted peppermint schnapps. “It doesn’t taste like chocolate, does it?”

“No, but it should. It would be a lot better that way.”

Hannah waited until Phil had taken the last bite. Then she whisked away the napkin and slid one of her distinctive bakery boxes in front of him.

“Is that it?” he asked her.

“Yes. Take a peek and tell me what you think.”

Phil opened the box and stared down at the giant-sized cookie inside. When he looked up he was grinning from ear to ear. “That’s perfect, Hannah!”

“Lisa and I thought so. The roses around the edge were her idea, and she wrote on the words. She said that any wife who got a cookie that said I Love You in chocolate frosting from her husband couldn’t possibly be down in the dumps.”

“I really hope Lisa’s right.” Phil gave a little sigh. “I just hate to see her this way. She used to smile and laugh all the time.”

“She’ll smile and laugh again,” Hannah said, crossing her fingers for luck. “But that cookie’s not all I have up my sleeve. I think Sue needs a break from your condo and from Kevin, so I found her a job.”

“A job?!” Phil began to frown. “But she’d never agree to go back to work. Neither one of us wants Kevin to grow up with a babysitter!”

“Oh, there’s no need for a babysitter,” Hannah said, reaching out to pat Phil’s hand. “Kevin gets to go right along when Sue goes to work.”

“You’re talking about an employee nursery like some of the big companies run?”