Double Fudge Brownie Murder (Hannah Swensen series Book 18) by Joanne Fluke

“Mine was excellent. I wonder if I can get their recipe. It’s not like we’re in competition or anything. They’re in Nevada and The Cookie Jar is hundreds of miles away in Minnesota.”
    “Let me try,” Ross offered. “There’s our waitress.” He gestured toward a table across the room. “I’ll ask her if she’ll introduce me to the person who makes the doughnuts.”
    “Do you think he can get the recipe?” Michelle asked after Ross had left.
    “Probably,” Andrea answered, putting down her coffee cup. “He’s awfully handsome.”
    Michelle nodded. “And he’s charming, too. Ross reminds me of Lonnie. He always knows what to say to make a woman feel good about herself.”
    “That’s Irish charm,” Hannah told them. “And that’s why Ross reminds you of Lonnie. Ross’s mother was Irish. He told me all about his family when we were in college and he showed me a picture of his mother. She was beautiful. And his father was really good looking, too.”
    Ross came across the room just then, carrying an envelope in his hand.
    “Looks like Ross got the recipe,” Michelle commented.
    He arrived at the table just in time to hear her comment. “I got both recipes,” he told them. “One is for the baked chocolate doughnut that Hannah had. And the other one is for baked vanilla doughnuts. The pastry chef told me that the dough is the same for all of the flavors except chocolate. You just add a couple of things to the dough and glaze them differently.”
    “Sounds easy,” Hannah commented. She took the envelope that Ross handed her and read quickly through the recipes. “There’s no reason why we couldn’t make these at The Cookie Jar.”
    “The pastry chef showed me the pans she uses,” Ross told them. “And she said they’re getting so popular that they come in smaller sizes for the home baking market.”
    “There was a kitchen supply store in the shopping center where we got your bathing suit,” Andrea recalled. “Michelle and I can call there to see if they carry doughnut pans.”
    “If they do, we can run over there to get some,” Michelle offered. “We don’t have any plans for this afternoon.”
    Hannah glanced at Ross and found he was looking at her. As she watched, he winked and Hannah dropped her eyes quickly, hoping she wouldn’t give anything away in a telltale blush. The two of them had already made plans for the afternoon, but Andrea and Michelle certainly didn’t need to know about that!
    “How many do you need, Hannah?” Michelle asked her.
    Hannah glanced at the recipes again. “It all depends on how many doughnuts each pan holds. Lisa and I can use large pans like the ones the pastry chef uses, but I’d rather not buy those right off the bat. I need to test the doughnuts in smaller batches to see if they’ll work for us. Besides, most of the chains don’t carry industrial oven-sized pans in their retail stores.”
    Hannah thought for a moment and then she came to a decision. “I’m guessing that the home baking pans will probably hold six to eight doughnuts and be roughly the size of cupcake pans. If I’m right, get six. That’s two pans for each of us and The Cookie Jar will pay you back. Every year, when Stan does my taxes, he tells me that I need to spend more money on baking equipment.”
    “The Cookie Jar is buying me two doughnut pans?” Andrea asked, looking surprised.
    “It’s the least we can do,” Hannah told her. “You’ve given us at least five great Whippersnapper Cookie recipes that our customers love.”
    Their waitress brought the bill and Ross grabbed it before any of them could make a move toward the black folder. “I’ll get this.”
    “But we should pay you back,” Michelle objected. “You paid for our breakfast yesterday.”
    “And I’ll pay for your breakfast tomorrow, too,” he promised. “It’s only fair. I enjoy the company and I hate to eat breakfast alone.”
    “Me, too,” Hannah said, and then she wished she