<19>
“You’re a really good dancer,” Michelle said, as Norman led her back to the table.
“I took lessons. I didn’t want Hannah to turn me down when I asked her to dance.”
Hannah laughed, her good mood at the beginning of the evening fully restored. It was wonderful to know that Lake Eden hadn’t been the scene of another murder. Now she could relax and have fun for the rest of the evening. “I’m no Pavlova, Norman. There was a good reason why Mother didn’t name me Grace.”
“I’ll check on that right after I dance with your other younger sister.” Norman held his hand out to Andrea. “Are you up to it?”
Andrea smiled. “I love to dance, but … I don’t think so tonight. I’m feeling extremely awkward and extremely full. I must have eaten twenty desserts.”
“Close,” Hannah mumbled under her breath adding up the desserts she’d seen Andrea consume. It was at least a half-dozen, and that was probably the tip of the iceberg. “You’re feeling all right, aren’t you?”
“I’m fine. It’s just that I’m a little tired, and my feet are swelling .I’ll sit here and watch you, and put my feet up on your chair.”
“I’ll get my down jacket and you can put your feet up on that,” Michelle said. “you’ll be more comfortable that way.”
Norman held out his hand and Hannah took it, but she turned back for one more question before she went off to the dance floor. “You don’t think anything‘s going to happen while we’re gone, do you?”
“Oh, I think so,” Andrea said. And then she laughed at the shocked expression on Hannah’s face. “It’s not what you’re thinking. You’re going to enjoy dancing with Norman, that’s all I meant.”
When they got to the dance floor, Kirby and the jazz ensemble were playing “Moon River,” and Hannah snuggled up to Norman as they danced. For once, she didn’t have the urge to lead, a residual effect of having taught Andrea to dance. Andrea hadn’t wanted to get mixed up, and Hannah always had to be the “boy.”
Norman was warm and steady, a perfect partner for dancing cheek to cheek. Of course cheek to cheek was also chin to shoulder, which didn’t sound even remotely as romantic, and it was also chest to …
“Excuse me.” A deep, achingly familiar voice interrupted the thoughts she probably shouldn’t have been thinking away. Norman turned her around and pulled back slightly, and Hannah found herself face to face with Mike, except that it was her face to his chin, because he was taller.
“You want to cut in?” Norman asked, and Hannah thought he looked just a tiny bit jealous.
“No,” Mike said, and then he smiled at Hannah. “Not that I wouldn’t like to, but I’m still on the job. I just came over to tell Hannah that Bill and I are taking Babs Dubinski to the station.”
“You’re not going to charge her, are you?”