“Hi, Kurt!” Hannah called out, greeting him before he’d even started to descend the stairs. “I’m glad you made it.”

Kurt hurried down the steps. “I would have been here sooner, but it started snowing when I hit Elk River, and that slowed me down. Something sure smells good in here!”

“That would be food,” Hannah said, taking his arm. “Everybody knows you’re coming, so let me introduce you to Edna and the ladies in the kitchen before they gang up on us out here. And then I’ll get you a good place to sit and we can wait for Norman. He should be here any minute and you can cue him in on what shots you want him to try for tonight.”

Once Kurt had met the kitchen staff, Hannah settled him at a table and served him a relish dish that was typical of Minnesota cuisine. It was a small bowl with crushed ice in the bottom and it was filled with celery sticks, carrot sticks, radishes, and dill pickle spears. A second small dish, special fare for tonight’s party, contained pickled green beans, mushrooms, beets, and baby onions.

Hannah had just explained that the contents of the second dish of appetizers were all homegrown and pickled in farm kitchens, when Norman came down the stairs with his camera bag slung over his shoulder. He was carrying a box wrapped in Christmas paper, and Hannah thought he looked very dashing in a tan suede jacket, black turtleneck sweater, and black pants, with his fur-lined parka draped over his arm.

Norman came straight over to Hannah and hugged her a few seconds longer than some older and more conservative Lake Eden residents might say was appropriate. Then he handed her the box. “This is for you. It’s an early Christmas present, and Claire thought you might want to wear it tonight.”

“Thank you, Norman,” Hannah said, and wasted no time opening the box. Inside was an appliquéd Christmas sweater that perfectly matched her dress. “I love it! It’s gorgeous!” Hannah slipped it on immediately and turned around so that Norman could see.’

“It looks even better than Claire said it would.” Norman gave her another hug and then he turned to Kurt. “Hi, Kurt. Good to see you again.”

“Same here,” Kurt said, patting the chair next o him. “Sit down and have some of these appetizers with me.”

“I will in a second. I just have to go hang up my parka.”

“I’ll take it,” Hannah said, taking Norman’s parka before he could step away from the table. “I want to dash into the ladies’ room and look at my new sweater in the mirror. And you need to talk to Kurt about what sort of photos he needs.”

After Hannah had hung Norman’s parka in the long, narrow cloakroom and admired her new sweater in front of the ladies’ room mirror, she went back to her post at the foot of the stairs. Her next few minutes were spent greeting several dozen Lake Eden residents and telling them where to deliver casseroles, bowls, and platters. She was about to dash back to the kitchen to grab a mug of coffee when Mike arrived with Shawna Lee.