“Thanks, Hannah,” Kurt said, as Hannah handed him his muffin. He put it on his plate and turned to Mike, who’d just sat down next to him. “Did I hear you say it was coming down hard out there?”

“Yeah. Visibility isn’t good at all.”

“Do you think the roads are still passable? I have to get back to the Cities tonight.”

Mike thought about it for a moment. “I think you’ll be all right if you leave right now. The storm’s blowing in from the north and you should be able to keep ahead of the worst of it. What type of car do you have?”

“A mid-size SUV.”

“Four-wheel drive?”

“All-wheel drive with anti-lock brakes.”

“High profile?”

“Not that high, but it has good clearance.”

“You should be fine, then. I’ll go out to the parking lot with you and help you shovel out. When I drove past, I noticed there’s a big snowdrift at the exit.”

“Thanks, but I’m not in the lot. I came in early and there was still parking on the street.”

After Kurt had tendered his apologies for cutting the evening short, Mike walked him out to make sure he got on his way safely. Hannah noticed that on Mike’s way back in, he stopped at her mother’s table to say hello, and it was clear Delores introduced Winthrop, because the two men shook hands. Hannah had already marshaled the questions she wanted to ask Mike about his impression of her mother’s date when Mike came back to take Kurt’s vacant chair.

“That’s the guy you and Andrea are so worried about?” Mike got in the first question, despite Hannah’s resolve to quiz him.

“What did you think of him?”

“He seemed all right to me. Have you met him yet?”

“Yes, tonight. He was perfectly polite to me, but he’s just so …” Hannah paused to struggle for the word that most correctly described her feelings, an unusual predicament for someone who’d come within a thesis of getting her doctorate in English Literature.

“Slick?”

“That’s it exactly! There’s nothing glaringly wrong with him, and I can see why Mother’s so attracted to him. But I don’t feel comfortable around him, and I still have my suspicions.”

Mike gave her shoulder a supporting squeeze. “No problem. Did you know that Bill ran him this morning?”

“I had no idea. Did Andrea ask him to?”

“I don’t think so. Anyway, absolutely nothing turned up. The guy’s so squeaky clean, he’s never even had a speeding ticket. You girls can stop worrying. Your mother’s not going out with an axe murderer.”

“I know that! But I can’t seem to get rid of my reservations. I mean, he’s younger than she is, for Pete’s sakes! And he picked up on her at dance class when they were learning the tango, or the mambo, or whatever it was.”

Mike was silent for a moment and then he leaned closer. “So maybe you have reservations because you don’t want to see your mother with anyone other than your dad?”