“Vanilla, as long as there’s lots of vanilla.”

“There is.” Hannah set a mini puff filled with Emmy’s Vanilla Custard on the plate. Then she added her final choice, a puff filled with her great-grandmother’s homemade chocolate pudding.

“They’re pretty,” Mike said when she delivered them with a steaming mug of coffee. “It’s almost a shame to eat them.”

“But you’ll make the sacrifice?”

“You said it!” Mike popped a puff into his mouth, and an expression of bliss crossed his face. He chewed, swallowed almost reluctantly, and followed that with a gulp of coffee.

“Good?” Hannah asked him.

“Better than good. I really like the blueberry. And there’s something else I like, too.”

“What’s that?”

“You filled them up full, and I can see what kind they are. The blueberry was peeking out at me. It’s not the box of assorted chocolates thing, you know?”

Hannah knew exactly what Mike meant. Unless you remembered the candy maker’s code for swirls that meant one type of filling and lines and squiggles that designated others, you could be disappointed in the chocolate candy you chose.

“Here goes the vanilla.” Mike picked up the mini puff and turned to look at Hannah. “You made the filling, right?”

“Right. It’s Lisa’s mother’s recipe for vanilla custard.”

“Oh, boy!” Mike popped the confection into his mouth and made a little sound of satisfaction. When he’d finished it, he took another swallow of coffee and sighed. “That was really good. And this is chocolate?”

“It’s not just any chocolate. It’s the richest chocolate pudding I’ve ever made.”

“I think I love you,” Mike said as he picked up the last mini cream puff and popped it into his mouth. He was smiling as he finished it, licked his fingers, and drank more of his coffee. “Correction,” he said. “I know I love you.”

“Actually, you love my great-grandma Swensen. It’s her recipe for chocolate pudding.”

“But she’s not here, and you are. How much would you charge for a tray of those?”

Hannah shrugged. “I’m not sure. I wasn’t really planning on offering them for sale.”

“Well, what are you going to do with those?” Mike pointed to the array of mini cream puffs arranged on the counter.

“I’ll freeze some so I can see how they thaw. That’s important to know for Mother’s book launch party. And the rest I guess I’ll…”

“Eat,” Mike interrupted her.

“Not on your life! The only thing I’ve tasted is the dough from the first batch, and that was only a crumb.”

Mike looked pleased. “Good for you! So they’re not even tempting you?”

“Oh, they’re tempting me, all right!”