Christmas Caramel Murder by Joanne Fluke Page B

strawberry jam, peach jam, apricot jam, pineapple jam, blueberry jam, and orange marmalade.

Chapter Seven
    â€œN orman!” Hannah greeted him with a cup of coffee, a plate of cookies, and a smile. “How are you? I haven’t seen you in a while.”
    Norman stood up as she placed the coffee and cookies in front of him and pulled her into his arms to give her a hug. “I know I haven’t dropped in for a while. I’ve been busy at the house, directing workmen. And I’ve gone out to the mall every night for Christmas shopping. How about you?”
    â€œHere,” Hannah replied with a sigh. “Christmas and Valentine’s Day are our busy times. And this year we’re doing all the cookies and candy for the children’s Christmas gift bags.”
    â€œChristmas is always a busy time. I hired Doc Bennett to take over for me until after the first of the year. He needs the work, and I need time off.”
    â€œAre you going away for the holidays?” Hannah asked him.
    â€œNot a chance. I’m doing some construction at the house.”
    â€œWhat construction? I thought you loved the house the way we designed it.”
    â€œOh, I do. But things have changed and I wanted to update. Do you know that you can buy a humungous LED big screen now?”
    â€œI hadn’t noticed. I’m perfectly happy with the television I have now.”
    â€œI’m not. You know those old movies you love, Hannah?”
    Hannah began to smile. “You mean the old romantic comedies and the chick flicks?”
    â€œYes. And the old detective films. They’re all remastered now. And I needed to enlarge the den so that I could get a hundred-and-twenty-inch screen on the wall without being crowded.”
    Hannah’s mouth dropped open. “But . . . that’s practically theater-sized!”
    â€œThat’s right. And won’t it be fun to watch our favorite classic films in a home theater with perfect surround sound and incredibly comfortable seating?”
    â€œMaybe,” Hannah said, but she couldn’t hide her delighted expression. She loved to watch classic movies with Norman.
    â€œThen you’ll come out to watch films with me when my home theater is finished?”
    Hannah’s timing was perfect. She waited a beat before she answered. But when Norman started to look a little nervous, she relented. “Yes. You can bet I’ll be there!”
    â€œWonderful!”
    Norman looked very happy, and Hannah felt a little guilty about what she had planned to say next. But that didn’t stop her. “You bet I’ll come! But only if you’ve got a popcorn machine.”
    Norman’s smile grew larger by the nanosecond. “I knew you’d say that!”
    â€œI’m that predictable?”
    â€œNo, it’s just that I know you so well. And because I know you that well, I’ve got one.”
    â€œYou have a popcorn machine?”
    â€œYes. I bought one just so I could say I had it. Of course I don’t know how to work it yet, but . . .”
    â€œI’ll figure it out,” Hannah cut in. “When I was in high school, I made popcorn for every movie they ran in the auditorium. And when I got to college, I made popcorn in the big theater, the small theater, the concession stand for football, basketball, and baseball games, and any other special events where they thought they could make a profit selling it. There’s not a popcorn machine on the face of this earth that I can’t learn to operate.”
    â€œThis one’s digital.”
    â€œOoooh! Fun! I’ve never seen a digital popcorn machine before. And that reminds me . . . is it portable?”
    Norman looked slightly confused. “Actually . . . yes. It doesn’t weigh that much. And it makes a ton of popcorn.”
    â€œYou saved my life,” Hannah told him.
    â€œOkay.” Norman’s eyes narrowed. “How did I do that? Or will