“Jerk,” Christy said, looking through the window again.
“I had a great idea,” I told him and kissed him. “Christy’s going to move in with me until we get married, and then when you move in with me, she’s going to move into your house. You can talk to the landlord about it, can’t you?”
“That’s a good idea,” he said. “That way the landlord doesn’t lose any rent money, and we can vouch for her so she’ll be able to get in.”
“And we’ll get to do each other’s hair every night just like when we were little,” Christy said with a smirk. “Won’t that be fun?”
I looked at her. “Actually, I do think it would be fun. You can practice wedding hairstyles on me.”
“Well, my hair needs to be done pretty, too. You can also work on mine.”
“It’s going to be like having a sleepover every night, isn’t it?” Ethan asked.
I nodded. “I think it will be fun. We haven’t lived together since we were kids.”
“And you can do all the cooking for me,” she said.
I shook my head and turned to Ethan. “So what about that party, Ethan? All those college-age kids. There wasn’t one of them over twenty-five, was there?”
He shook his head. “I really don’t think so. Makes me wonder if Hailey attended many parties at his house.”
“We know she attended at least one,” I said. “Joey told us that.”
He nodded. “It certainly isn’t normal behavior. A man that age inviting all those young kids over for parties. I’ll have another talk with him once he settles down from having his party disrupted.”
I thought that was probably a good idea. Maybe he wanted more than a party with Hailey, and he got angry when she refused. “Do you have to go back to work?”
“I do have to get back to the station.”
“That’s a shame. I think Christy and I are going to get a pizza, and maybe we’ll even pack a few things tonight.”
Ethan kissed me. “Don’t make me sad. I really could use some pizza.”
“Maybe we’ll save you some,” Christy said.
“Deal.”
Ethan kissed me again and left. I didn’t like Frank Gillespie. There was something about him that I didn’t trust.
Chapter Sixteen
I opened up the door to the Little Coffee Shop Horrors and inhaled the scent of freshly ground coffee beans. Brian was behind the counter, and I spotted Amanda sitting at a table in the corner with their baby, Isabella.
“Oh goodness,” I said and hurried over to Amanda’s table. “You brought her!”
Amanda grinned. “I sure did. I told Brian she needed to come down and scope out the lay of the land. Someday this will all be hers, and she needs to get used to the smell of coffee beans early.”
“I want to hold that baby,” Christy said as she went to the counter and gave Brian her order.
“Of course you can hold her,” Amanda said.
“She can hold her when I’m done,” I told her and held my hands out for the baby.
Amanda handed her to me and I held her up against my chest and kissed her on top of the head. She had silky, fuzzy blonde hair and sparkly blue eyes. She smiled at me and wiggled.
“I think she likes her Auntie Mia,” Amanda said.
“Of course she does,” I said, pulling a chair out and sitting down, holding Isabella in my lap. “She’s such a pretty baby. I could just hold her all day.”
Amanda chuckled. “You can come over and hold her all day long if you want to. It’ll give me a rest.”
“I might take you up on that offer,” I said. I turned to look behind me. “Brian, can you make me a pumpkin spice latte, please?”
He nodded. “Sure thing.”
I turned to Amanda. “How are things going, Amanda? I feel like I haven’t talked to you in forever. I haven’t called because I’m afraid I’ll wake up the baby.”
She waved a hand at me, dismissing the idea. “Nonsense. Call me whenever you want to. She’s got to get used to the fact that it’s not going to be silent every time she sleeps.”
“How is she sleeping?”
She sighed. “Well, she’s getting better at it, but she’s still waking up every four hours. That’s up from every two hours, so it’s progress. I can’t wait until she sleeps all the way through the night.”
“I bet,” I said. “That has to be the hardest thing about having a newborn. No sleep.”
“That and changing diapers. Between you and me, it’s not my favorite thing to do.”
I chuckled. “I don’t think it’s something anyone enjoys. So how have you been? I mean you, not the baby.” I looked at her, one eyebrow arched. There were dark circles beneath her eyes.
She smiled. “I’m doing all right. I was a little worried about the hormonal stuff after having the baby, but it hasn’t been too terrible. If this is as bad as it gets, I’ll be fine.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” Isabella made a gurgling sound, and I looked down at her. “How about you, Princess? How are you doing?”
Amanda sighed. “I think she’s doing all right. She’s a fairly happy baby, and I can’t tell you how relieved I am about that.”
I leaned back in the chair and turned so I could see Christy and Brian. “You’re not going to get to hold the baby today, Christy. I’m the only one who gets to hold her.”
“You want to bet?” Christy asked as she paid for the coffees.
I chuckled and ran my chin over the baby's head. Her hair was soft, and she smelled good.
“I can’t wait for you and Ethan to get married and have one of your own,” Amanda said and took a sip of her iced coffee.
“I think you’re going to have to wait a while. I really don’t think I want to try to have a baby until we’ve been married at least a year or two. I want to just enjoy married life for a while.”
She nodded. “I think that’s a good idea. We didn’t intend to have a baby so soon after we got married, but I wouldn’t have it any other way now.”
“Of course you wouldn’t, this little girl is the cutest thing ever.”
When Brian finished making the coffees, Christy brought them over and set the pumpkin spice latte in front of me, and then set hers down in front of the chair next to mine. “Okay, now share that baby.”
Reluctantly, I handed the baby to her. “You’re so greedy.”
She sat down with the baby and inhaled the scent of her hair. “I don’t care. Call me whatever you want to, as long as I get to hold this little girl. She’s so sweet.”
“What about you, Christy? How are you and Devon doing? Are we going to be hearing wedding bells for the two of you soon?” Amanda asked.
Christy’s eyes went wide, and she shook her head. “No. Not any time soon. But that doesn’t mean that we aren’t doing well, because we are as happy as can be.”
“Good, I’m glad to hear that.” Amanda turned to me. “I heard about Hailey Strong. What a shame. Does Ethan have any ideas who did it yet?”
“If he does, he’s not sharing it with me. I hope he finds the killer soon.”
We turned as the front door opened and Amanda’s mother, Connie Krigbaum walked in. “Oh, there’s my granddaughter,” she said and went over to the front counter to order a coffee. “I’ve got to hold her.”
“Your granddaughter? What about your daughter?” Amanda said.
Connie chuckled. “And there’s my daughter. How are you girls doing today? All of you?”
“We’re doing great,” Christy said. “I’ve got a cute baby to hold, so life couldn’t be sweeter.”
“I hear you,” Connie said. When Brian made her coffee, she came and joined us at the table, setting her coffee down. “Christy, I hate to do this to you, but can I hold my granddaughter? I don’t get to see her enough.”
“I guess so,” Christy said reluctantly, and handed the baby over to her. “But I want her back.”
Amanda picked up her coffee. “What do you mean you don’t get to see
her enough? You’re at my house practically every night.” She took a sip.
“And the time when I’m not there holding this cutie just drags on and on. Honestly, I can’t wait until she’s old enough to have sleepovers at my house.” She kissed Isabella on top of the head.
“If you had a crib or a pack and play at your house, she could come over very soon.”
Connie’s eyebrows went up. “Really? Are you certain you’re ready to have her stay away from you overnight?”
Amanda thought about it. “Okay, maybe I’m not. I don’t know what I was thinking. I doubt I could get through the night without her.”
Connie nodded. “I told your father we needed to buy a crib to keep at the house. Maybe we can start with her coming over for a few hours on the weekend, and work up to having sleepovers when she’s a little older.”
“That’s a great idea,” Amanda said and took another sip of her coffee.
Connie turned to look at me. “All right, you know I’m going to ask, don’t you?”
I nodded. “Yes, and no, as far as I know, Ethan hasn’t found Hailey Strong’s killer yet.”
She nodded and lightly bounced the baby in her lap. “You know, several months ago I stopped in at Betty’s Closet and the owner, Betty Mays, was there. She was talking to one of the other girls, and they were talking about Hailey, saying unkind things about her and complaining about what kind of employee she was.”
“What did she say?” I asked, sitting up.
She shrugged and thought about it for a minute. “They said she was lazy. Betty said she was sorry that she ever hired her, and that when she got a chance she was going to rectify that situation.”
“But she was still working there when she died,” Christy pointed out.
Connie nodded. “But when they saw me, they started whispering to each other. I didn’t hear a lot, but I did hear Betty say that one day Hailey would get what she deserved.”
“Really?” I said slowly. “But you couldn’t hear what she said as far as what that comment was about?”
Connie shook her head. “No. But it was incredibly unprofessional, and I was shocked that she said it where she could be overheard. That Betty Mays, I’ve never liked her. She thinks she’s better than everyone else, and she gossips all the time. I wouldn’t trust her as far as I could throw her.”
I wasn’t a fan of Betty’s either, but even if she was mean and unprofessional, did that mean that she might kill Hailey? If it was true that Hailey had caught her cheating on her husband, that might be reason enough for her to kill. Especially if Hailey was holding it over her head and threatening to let her husband know about it. But I wasn’t sure if she was capable of murder.
Chapter Seventeen
I looked up as the bell over the candy store door rang and Shayna Gates walked through the door. I smiled. “Good morning, Shayna, how are you?”
She was grinning and wearing a Rainbow Brite costume. She was wearing a blond wig with her costume, and came up to the counter. “I’m doing fantastic, Mia. Can you believe it? I’m so excited.”
I looked at her, shaking my head slowly. “Can I believe what?”
“I get to work here. At the Pumpkin Hollow Candy Store. It’s like a dream come true,” she said and laughed. “When I was a little girl, I used to think how cool it would be to work here every single day and be able to eat all the candy I wanted.”
I looked at her, my eyes going wide. “Work here?”
She nodded and her wig slipped. She pushed it back into place with one hand. “Yes, but I promise not to eat all the candy I want. There wouldn’t be anything left to sell to the customers.” She giggled.
I staring at her, taking this in. “Wait, you’re working here?”
The smile slipped from her face. “Yes. Your mother hired me. She didn’t tell you?”
I shook my head slowly and Mom stepped out from the kitchen.
“Oh, there you are, Shayna,” Mom said, walking up to us. She turned to look at me. “Mia, I hired Shayna to work part-time here at the candy store. With all the orders we’ve been getting these last few weeks, I thought we needed another part-time employee. And look at her, isn’t she adorable in her Rainbow Brite costume?”
I looked at Shayna and nodded slowly. “Yes, she certainly is adorable.”
Christy came out from the backroom and looked at the three of us. “What’s going on around here? Are you all having fun and I wasn’t invited?”
I looked at her. “Mom hired Shayna to work part-time. Isn’t that awesome?”
Christy’s brow furrowed, and she looked at Shayna. “That’s great. We can always use more help around here.” She looked at me.
I nodded. “Well, what should we get started with, Mom?”
“Why don’t you show her around the candy store? And then maybe she can help you start filling the shelves. Later we’ll have her pack up some orders for us.” She turned to Shayna. “I just know you’re going to enjoy working here, and we are delighted to have you.”
Shayna beamed. “Thank you, Ann. I’m just so excited to be here.”
“If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got fudge to make.” Mom turned and headed back to the kitchen.
I looked at Shayna and then at Christy, and then back to Shayna again. “Well, Shayna, this is the candy store,” I said and chuckled.
Shayna laughed and nodded, and her wig slipped down again over her forehead. “Oh, this thing. I should have put some bobby pins in it to hold it on straight. That’s what I get for buying a cheap wig.”
“Wigs are always a problem for me. Why don’t we take a look around the store,” I said and came out from behind the front counter. “We’ll start back in the breakroom so you know where to go when you want to take a break.”
I led her back and showed her where to stow her belongings in a small locker along one wall. Then I showed her the bathroom, and we headed back to the sales floor.
“Do you ever get tired of eating candy?” she asked as she followed me down the hallway.
I shook my head and looked over my shoulder. “Never. You would think we would get sick of it, but Mom is always making different recipes for different types of candies, and they’re always wonderful, so we’ve got to try them out.”
“I don’t know how I’m going to keep myself from eating too much candy,” she said.
When we headed back onto the sales floor, Christy was sitting on a stool behind the counter. “Don’t forget to show her the kitchen and the area where we pack the candy to ship.”
“We’re headed there now,” I said, and led the way into the kitchen. “And this is the kitchen where all the wonderful deliciousness takes place. And over in that corner is our packing and shipping department. After we pack up the candy, we put the packages on the shelves until the mailman comes and picks them up every morning.”
She looked around the kitchen and the packing area and then turned to Mom. “Do I ever get to make candy?”
Mom shrugged, looking up from the pot she was stirring on the stove. “If you want to make candy, after you’ve been here for a little while, I might be able to train you on that.”
She grinned. “I would love to know how to make the candy. It’s always so good here.”
Mom smiled and nodded. “We’ll see about it after you’ve gotten a few weeks working here under your belt. It’s going to be so busy around here we’ll have to wait until there’s a break in the business. Usually, between Pumpkin Hollow Days and the Halloween season we get a couple of weeks were things are a little slower.”
I turned to Shayna. “Well, why don’t we go back out front and we’ll start dusting shelves and making sure all the candy displays are filled.”
“I’m right behind you,” she said as we headed back out front.
Christy was still sitting behind the counter. She held up a duster when she saw Shayna. “Here’s a duster, you can start on the shelves. There’s really never any dust because we like to dust every day so everything is
kept neat and clean.”
She nodded as Christy handed her the duster and her wig slipped forward again. “I don’t think this wig is going to work out,” she said and pulled it off her head. “Can I put it back behind the counter?” She smoothed her brown hair down with one hand.
I nodded and then caught sight of two little yellow barrettes in her hair. My heart started pounding. They looked similar to the white ones Ethan and I had found at the park. One near Hailey’s body, and the other beneath the tree when we had lunch. Except that instead of a white poodle, these had a yellow duck on them.
“Those are cute barrettes you have in your hair,” I said. Christy swung around to look at her as she tucked the wig beneath the counter.
Shayna’s hand went up to one of the barrettes and she patted her hair again. “Thanks. They are entirely too young for me, but for some reason, they appealed to me, so I wore them today.”
“Those are interesting,” Christy said slowly. “I’ve never seen anything like that in the stores.”
She looked at her and shook her head. “No, I think they’re vintage. Aren’t they the cutest? Now, should I just start on any of the shelves?” she asked, indicating the shelf that held glass canisters of gumballs, taffy, licorice, and other assorted pre-wrapped candies.
I stared at the barrettes in her hair. They looked like they belonged to a set. And it wouldn’t surprise me if that set also included a pair of white plastic barrettes with a poodle on them.
When I didn’t say anything, Christy spoke up. “Yeah, that would be great. You can start with those.”
She went over to the shelves and I looked at Christy. Christy stared at me wide-eyed.
I turned back to Shayna. “You know what’s interesting, Shayna?”
She turned and looked at me over her shoulder. “No, what’s interesting?”
“What’s interesting is that when Hailey’s body was found, there was a small white plastic poodle barrette that looks like it probably goes to the same set that those duck barrettes you’re wearing go to. Do you have white poodles in the set that you bought?”
Pumpkin Spice Lies: A Pumpkin Hollow Mystery, book 16 Page 9
