"And I'd kill for eyes like yours. Your lashes are so long." Candy stopped and gave a little laugh. "Is this the gra.s.s is greener on the other side of the fence?"

Sonny stood up with a grin. "I think so. It's either that or something about walking a mile in somebody else's shoes. Let's go take a look at those boxes and see if we can find the lights."

"So how are they getting along?" Hannah asked, stretching out the phone cord so she could take another tray of Oatmeal Raisin Crisps from the oven.

"Like two peas in a pod. Every time I stick my head in, they're laughing about something or other."

"That's great. But are they getting any work done?"

"Tons of it. They've only got one tree left to go and then they're going to start on the tables. If they finish early, that'll give them even more time to talk."

"You're getting your outfit all dirty," Candy said, noticing the smudges on Sonny's slacks when she placed another box on the table. "You should have worn jeans."

"I'm not allowed."

"What?"

"Well I guess I am now, but I don't have any. I wasn't allowed to wear them at boarding school."

"What did you wear?" Candy asked, thoroughly shocked. She suspected she'd die if she couldn't wear jeans.

"We wore uniforms during school hours, and dress slacks or skirts after school and on the weekends. And pajamas to bed, of course."

Candy just shook her head. "Did they think jeans would corrupt you?"

"Maybe. We were supposed to act like ladies all the time. It was one of the rules. There were an awful lot of rules."

Candy just shook her head as she climbed the ladder and placed the last angel on top of the last tree. "I'm glad I never went to boarding school," she said, once she was back on the floor again. "I think it would have killed me."

"When I first got there I thought it was going to kill me, too. But it didn't and I learned a lot."

"Like what?"

"Like you really ought to carry that box of ornaments right side up, because I already opened it."

Chapter Eleven.

The party was on, and their decorations looked great. Candy stood at the dessert table, feeling beautiful in her new dress, and watching her Three-Way Fudge disappear. Sally had put it on a round silver platter with a pedestal, and it looked every bit as good as it tasted. The bottom layer was dark chocolate, the middle layer was white chocolate mixed with chopped nuts, and the top layer was milk chocolate. When Norman had seen it, he'd taken a picture and promised to give her a print. And when she'd told Sonny about it, right after they'd finished decorating, Sonny had asked her to save her a piece.

There was a tap on her shoulder, and Candy whirled around to see Sonny standing there. She was wearing a powder blue sweater and skirt, and she was smiling. "Did you save me some?' she asked.

"I never break a promise." Candy patted the little gold purse she was carrying. "I grabbed two pieces before they carried it out, and I put them in here."

"I don't think two pieces will do it. It's not a proper taste test. I should probably have one right now, just to be fair of course. Fantastic dress, by the way. You look like a princess."

"Thanks. You look great, too," Candy said and she meant it. Light blue was a good color for Sonny, and her hair looked nice with a little curl at the tips.

"Okay. Here we go."

Candy watched as Sonny took a piece of fudge and tasted it. If the expression on her face was any indication, she liked it a lot. "So it pa.s.ses the taste test?" she asked.

"What taste test? I'm in love." Sonny reached for another piece. "I've never tasted fudge this good before."

"It's really easy to make. I could teach you how to do it."

"Not me. I'm terrible in the kitchen. The one time I tried to make dinner for my dad, the neighbors called the fire department."

"I didn't even know Lake Eden had had a fire department!" a fire department!"

"Oh, it wasn't here. We're just visiting Lake Eden. How about you? Do you live here?"

"I'm the same as you, just visiting." Candy remembered the cover story that Andrea had made up for her. "My boyfriend dumped me for my best friend, and I needed a change of scene."

"You also need a new boyfriend!"

"You're right about that," Candy said with a giggle. This party was a lot more fun now that Sonny had gotten here. "Let's grab a c.o.ke and go sit at the table over by the last Christmas tree we decorated.

"Sounds good. I'll get the drinks. You stake out the table."

Candy made a beeline for the table and nabbed it before anyone else could claim it. When Sonny arrived with two c.o.kes and they'd popped them open, she asked, "How about you? Do you have a boyfriend?"

"Not yet, but I believe in miracles."

Candy laughed so hard, tears came to her eyes. "Too bad we don't go to the same school. There's a guy in my science cla.s.s who'd be perfect for you."

"That won't do me much good unless he goes to Hamilton in Des Moines."

"That's my school!" Candy gasped, forgetting all about her cover story. "But I've never seen you you there." there."

"That's because I'm not there yet. I don't start until January."

"Your folks just moved to Des Moines?"

"Not exactly. My dad's been there all along, but after Mom died, he put me in that boarding school I told you about. He just didn't know how to take care of me, you know? I mean...I was pretty little when it happened."

"That's awful! But now that you're older and you can take care of yourself, you're coming back to live with him?"

"Sort of."

Candy leaned forward. She knew there was more to the story than that. "What does sort of sort of mean?" mean?"

"Dad got married again so he sent for me."

Candy felt a lump form in her throat. Sonny's story was eerily close to hers. They'd both faced the loss of a parent and their remaining parent had remarried.

"What's the matter? You look a little strange."

"It's just that we've got almost the same situation, except it's reversed. My dad's the one who died and my mom just got remarried. My situation's a little different, though, because my mom married a man with a daughter."

"So suddenly you've got a stepsister?"

"Right."

"So what do you think of her? Is she awful?"

Candy swallowed hard again. She really wanted someone to confide in and Sonny was awfully nice. "Larry, he's my stepdad, says she's perfect. She's beautiful, and she sings like a professional, and she's on the honor rolls, and..."

"But what do you think of her?" Sonny interrupted.

"I..." Candy stopped speaking and blinked away tears. "I don't know. I ran away the day before she came."

"Without even meeting her?"

Candy had the urge to break down and sob, but she stared at the angel on top of the tree instead. "Yes. We're too different. She would have hated me."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. She's not like you and me."

Sonny leaned forward. "If I could wave a magic wand and turn into your new stepsister, would that be okay?"

"That would be great. But you don't have a magic wand and this isn't a fairytale."

"I know that, but I'm your new stepsister anyway."

Candy's mouth dropped open. "But you can't be! Her name is Allison!"

"That's right. And Allison's nickname is Sonny."

For a moment, Candy was too shocked to do anything but sit there like a stone. And then she dropped her head in her hands and cried. "I really goofed, didn't I?"

"You could say that. I wouldn't say that because I'm a very nice person, but you could."

Candy's tears turned to laughter and she wiped her face with a napkin. "Is Mom here? I've missed her so much!"

"She's here, and so is my dad. They're waiting in the lobby. Do you want to see them now?"

Candy nodded. "You're coming, aren't you?"

"Sure, if you want me to."

"I want you to." Candy took a deep breath and regained some of her equilibrium. And then she said, "We might as well present a united front right away. That way it'll be easier for us to get away with murder."

"Looks like everything turned out all right," Norman said, watching Allison and Candy link arms and walk across the room.

"Sure did," Hannah said, giving a big sigh of relief.

"Where are they going?"

"To the lobby where Candy's mother and Allison's father are waiting for them."

Norman reached out to take her hand. "It's a good thing you took her under your wing, Hannah."

"It was my pleasure. She's a sweet girl, and her candy is incredible. Did you taste that fudge?"

Norman nodded. "It gives new meaning to the word rich rich. I have the feeling you're going to miss her a lot."

"I am, but not as much as Moishe. He's been sleeping in the guest room with her, and the comforter in there is down-filled silk. Now he's going to have to move back in with me and sleep on his lumpy foam pillow again."

THREE-WAY FUDGE.

Hannah's 1st Note: You don't need a candy thermometer to make this fudge. If you've got a microwave, you don't even need a stove stove to make this fudge. to make this fudge.1 cup (6 ounce pkg.) (6 ounce pkg.) semisweet chocolate chips semisweet chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli's) (I used Ghirardelli's)1 cup (6 ounce pkg.) (6 ounce pkg.) white chocolate chips white chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli's) (I used Ghirardelli's)1 cup (6 ounce pkg.) (6 ounce pkg.) milk chocolate chips milk chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli's.) (I used Ghirardelli's.)14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk6 Tablespoons b.u.t.terLine an 8-inch square pan with waxed paper, OR line it with foil and spray the foil with a nonstick cooking spray.You can make this fudge on the stovetop or in the microwave. Either way will work just fine.If you choose the stovetop method, use a heavy saucepan and stir constantly while you're melting the chocolate and other ingredients.For the microwave, I combined my ingredients in a 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup and processed them for 70 seconds on HIGH. Remember that chocolate chips maintain their shape even after they're melted so don't go by appearance. You'll have to stir them to be sure.Hannah's 2nd Note: A 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk contains approximately one and a third cups. You're going to be dividing the can in thirds, so make each third a bit less than a half-cup and you'll come out all right.Melt the following together:1 cup semisweet chocolate chips scant half-cup sweetened condensed milk2 Tablespoons b.u.t.terStir to make sure everything's melted and then spread it out in the bottom of the 8-inch square pan you've prepared. Let it sit on the counter until it's cool and slightly hard to the touch and then...Melt the following together:1 cup white chocolate chips scant half-cup sweetened condensed milk2 Tablespoons b.u.t.ter Stir to make sure everything's melted and then spread the second layer on top of the first. Let it sit on the counter until it's cool to the touch and slightly hardened and then...

Melt the following together:1 cup milk chocolate chips the remainder of the sweetened condensed milk2 Tablespoons b.u.t.terSpread this third layer on top of the other two, smooth it out with a rubber spatula, and let it harden in the refrigerator for at least two hours. (Overnight is even better.) (Overnight is even better.) Then turn it out on a cutting board and cut it into bite size squares. Then turn it out on a cutting board and cut it into bite size squares.Hannah's 3rd Note: Mike really likes this fudge when I add chopped macadamia nuts to the middle layer. Norman thinks it's best with chopped pecans in the bottom layer. I suppose that should tell me something about their personalities, but I have no idea what it is!

Books by Joanne Fluke

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE MURDER.

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE MURDER.

BLUEBERRY m.u.f.fIN MURDER.

LEMON MERINGUE PIE MURDER.