“So I have absolutely nothing to do. And I just thought that since tonight’s the Christmas party, you might have a last-minute recipe you don’t have time to test. I need to stay busy.”

“Thanks Andrea, but I think we’ve got it covered.” Hannah gave Lisa a warning glance that was meant to remind her that Andrea was among the ranks of the cuisine-challenged.

Lisa just smiled, ignoring Hannah completely. “Hannah’s right. We’ve got everything under control here, but I ran into Edna this morning and there’s something she really needs for the party.”

“Really?” Andrea took a sip of coffee and swallowed with obvious pleasure. “Why is your coffee so much better than mine?”

Hannah just shrugged, biting back the obvious answer. Freshly brewed coffee from freshly ground beans was bound to be better than instant coffee made in a microwave.

“So what does Edna need?” Andrea turned to Lisa again. “Whatever it is, I can make it. I’m not a very good cook, but I’ve got all day to get it right.”

Hannah cam close to groaning out loud. Any dish that Andrea prepared was bound to fail through no fault of its own.

“It’s not food,” Lisa explained. “Edna said people always forget to bring serving spoons and I promised to find someone who could round them up for her.”

“I can do that. It’s absolutely perfect for me. I’ll canvass house to house and while I’m at it, I’ll pass out calendars for Al. He’s got a really good one this year. It features twelve of the best houses sold through Lake Eden Realty, one for every month. And I sold ten of them!”

“I’m surprised it wasn’t all twelve,” Hannah said, grinning at her sister. Andrea was so good at talking people into things, she could probably get desert nomads to buy kitty litter. “So how about Lisa’s wedding? Will you take care of the arrangement?”

“Was there ever any doubt?” Andrea turned to Lisa with a laugh. “All you have to do is give me the guest list, and tell me your favorite color and your favorite flower. You can leave everything else up to me.”

“Thanks, Andrea. This really means a lot to me.” Lisa finished her coffee and stood up. “I’m going to start decorating those sugar cookies we baked for the party. Call me when it’s time, and I’ll open.”

Once Lisa had gone through the swinging door to the kitchen, Andrea leaned across the table. “If you give me two more cookies and a refill on the coffee, I’ll tell you what I just heard.”

Hannah wasted no time getting what her sister wanted. Andrea always exact payment for the latest Lake Eden gossip. “If it’s about Martin Dubinski’s new wife, Lisa already told me.”

“That’s old news. If you were a real estate professional like me, you would have heard about it yesterday.”

“Yes, but do you know about the twenty-thousand-dollar fur coat?”

“Twenty-two thousand,” Andrea corrected her. “At least that’s the way I heard it. But what I’ve got to tell you is new news, not old news. And it’s going to knock your socks off.”