Noah pulls me in close and warms me with his arms. “I distinctly remember us sharing a kiss right underneath Nelson when we were still shiny and new.”
My cheeks heat at the thought. “I remember that, too, Noah. We were just about to have it all.”
He gives a solemn nod, his eyes never leaving mine. I’ll admit, Noah Fox is a sight to behold wrapped in his thick coat, his eyes illuminating the night like a pair of green streetlights.
“I wish I could take it all back,” he whispers. “The secrets, my secrets to be exact. It keeps me up at night thinking that I could have been your husband, free and clear of Everett, but I had to give the devil a foothold.”
My lips twist in a knot. “I’m sorry, too. I’m sorry that it caused so much heartache and that it keeps you up all night. You know I’m going to love you forever, Noah.”
He swallows hard. “Nell says we’re soulmates.”
“I wouldn’t argue with her on that point.”
His dimples flicker. “Lottie, if this baby is mine—and I’m so very sure it is, I’d take this to Vegas if I could—I want another chance with you. I don’t know how or when, but the thought gives me hope.” The icy air curls from him. “Don’t answer that. That was just me speaking out loud. I shouldn’t have said anything. I’m sorry. Please, accept my apology.”
“Noah, you don’t have to apologize to me.” I pull him in for a firm embrace. “I wish things weren’t so complicated.” Tears come to my eyes, and just as the floodgates are about to unleash, a sharp kick prods from my midsection.
“Whoa.” Noah backs up, his eyes fastened to my belly. “Did that just happen?”
“That just happened.” I pull his hands to my belly and it happens again.
Noah and I share a laugh as the baby treats us to an entire aerobics workout routine.
“Well then”—I say as the kicks slow to nothing—“it looks as if we have another memory right here under Nelson.”
Noah smiles as his eyes shine like shards. “The very best one.”
A woman with red hair catches my eye as she cranes her neck our way. She has a broad forehead and high cheeks, and I can smell her sugar sweet perfume from here. Her eyes meet with mine, and they widen as if she’s just been caught before she ducks into the crowd.
“That was odd,” I whisper. “There was a woman looking at us. Well, she was probably looking at you.” I shrug it off. “I can’t blame her for that. I think I recognized her, though—like from the night of the murder.”
Noah glances over his shoulder. “You don’t think she’s the killer, do you?”
“I don’t think so, but I suppose anything is possible.” A high-pitched cackle garners our attention, and we look over to see Elodie and Serena huddled with Suze. “Like that unholy trinity,” I say it out loud without meaning to.
Noah lets out a heavy breath. “I think I’ll head over and say hello. Are you up for a little torment?”
My eyes snag on a man in a red suit arriving to the scene as he’s escorted to a velvet throne under a tent to the right of the town’s prized holiday tree.
“You go ahead. I’ll be right there. But I think I see someone I need to say hello to first.”
Noah and I part ways, and I snap up a few of my gingerbread cookies as I make my way under the tent marked North Pole. A few women dressed as elves glance my way as I make a beeline to the throne.
“Excuse me,” I say as come upon the head elf himself as he tugs and struggles to adjust his beard.
“How’s it looking?” He gives his chin a quick pat, and I take a moment to straighten his beard for him.
“Perfect. You make a great Santa. You played Santa the other night, didn’t you?”
“I sure did.” His expression darkens. “It wasn’t such a joyous occasion. But tonight is all about the kids. I’ve put all that out of my mind for now.”
Not too far out of his mind, I hope.
“Well, before the kids line up, I thought I’d bring you some of my sweet treats.” I hand him the plate of cookies I’m holding. “I own the bakery down the street.”
A spray of miniature red and green stars erupts just above his left shoulder, and sure enough, a chubby little mouse appears with what looks to be a cookie he’s noshing on.
Kringle offers a rather garbled greeting, and I give him a discreet little wave in return.
“Dear Lottie”—Kringle gives his ample belly a squeeze—“I haven’t realized how much I missed the tasty fare of this planet until I met you. Where do I see about putting in for an extension once we capture the killer? I’m afraid there is no eggnog trifle such as your own in paradise.”
A tiny chuckle bounces through me as I shake my head, letting him know the extension is pretty much dead in the water.
“Eh?” Kringle shrugs, a dusting of green stars falling off his shoulders. “Perhaps I’ll arrange for a very unfortunate accident to befall you. If I can’t take the baked goods to paradise, I suppose I can try to take the baker.”
I gasp at the thought.
Ebenezer squints my way. “Your bakery? That must mean you made that trifle Gloria was raving about the night she was killed.” He sheds a full smile, and his teeth glint in the light like knives. “I guess I should thank you for giving her one last ray of happiness before she went off to the big sleigh in the sky. “It’s odd, though—about her being happy. Gloria wasn’t exactly the jolliest soul.” He clutches at his belly.
“It sounds like you knew her well. Wait a minute.” I pretend to have an epiphany. “I think she mentioned you were her fiancé?”
“Oh heavens no. Boyfriend would be the correct term, but it seems silly to me. That term seems better suited for someone in their teens. We were seeing one another for a time. She was thinking marriage. Things were a bit unsettled there in the end, but such is life. Truth be told, I’ve never been able to hang onto a woman.”
“I’m sorry to hear it.”
He belts out a hearty ho ho ho of a laugh. “Well, it’s been both a blessing and a curse. As much as I like having a woman around, I like having a couple of women around, if you know what I mean. It doesn’t make the woman I’m with all that happy. But such is life. Some women take it harder than others. And some take vindictive behavior to another level.” He glares out into the darkness a moment, and I get the feeling Gloria fell into that vindictive category.
“Ebenezer, what do you think happened that night with Gloria?”
“Many things happened that night with Gloria.” He ticks his head wistfully. “First, I heard her threaten an old friend of hers—Elodie Frost. Something about you’ll never hold that over me again. I’m not sure what that was about, but Gloria was always very secretive about her past.”
That visual of Gloria outright slapping Elodie comes to the forefront of my mind. Whatever Elodie knows about Gloria, it must be huge.
He gives that giant belt buckle of his a quick tug. “And then there was that incident with Chris—he’s the accountant with Christmas Angels. Boy, she let into that kid.”
Chris was the man in the pale gray suit with the honey-colored hair. He’s the one who said he spotted Suze heading out into the parking lot that night. In fact, he’s the one that could put Suze away for a very long time if she is the killer.
“Why would Gloria let into him?” I don’t hesitate to ask.
His lips curl as he takes a deep breath. “Accounting errors. I don’t know. The kid is reputable. He works with many charities. He’s a big wig at some accounting firm somewhere, I think. But Gloria thought he was helping himself to the pot. Don’t ask me where she got that nonsense from. Gloria was already worked up that night. She could have accused any Angel of lying, and I mean that in the heavenly sense, too. She had the wrath of the wicked one in her.”
“I guess Elodie really worked her up.”
Or Ebenezer himself. If I found out Everett was being unfaithful, it would sour my mood right along with breaking my heart. I’m pretty sure I’d take
it out on everyone, too. Not that Everett is even remotely capable of doing something like that.
He shrugs. “Elodie had a hand in it, sure. I guess you could say it was a perfect storm.” He rocks back in his enormous boots. “I must say, though, the one thing that sticks out in my mind about that night was her reaction when she saw that painting.”
“I think I noticed that, too,” I say out loud without really intending to.
Kringle’s little mouth falls open as he looks my way. “The man in the painting? The one who’s been roaming the halls of your home at night moaning and groaning?”
Now it’s my mouth falling open.
Kringle flicks his wrist my way. “He scares the cats half to death. I’d burn the thing if I were you. And he’s not in the least interested in eating your trifle. I suppose that’s the good thing about him. I don’t have to share.”
I shoot the ghostly mouse an intense look because we are going to have one serious conversation about this mystery phantom roaming my halls at night.
“Odd”—Ebenezer holds his finger to his nose and looks every bit like the man in red he’s set to emulate tonight—“I’ve never seen that painting before. I don’t think Gloria has either. But it was such a strong reaction, you’d think she knew the man.”
Could Gloria have known the man? Was that a modern painting? Hey? Maybe the man from the painting, aka the man who sat for the portrait, killed Gloria? No, wait, Kringle just said he was a ghost. And if he is roaming my halls, he’s a ghost that owes me some answers.
Ebenezer shrugs and his overstuffed belly jiggles just the way it’s meant to.
“I don’t know.” He sighs. “Maybe it was the idea that the painting was haunted that sent her reeling. The funny thing is, I would have sworn on my life that woman wasn’t afraid of anything.”
A small group of elves begins to stir in this direction, and along with them is Candy Brighton bundled in a sleek red coat that cinches at the waist and makes me wish I still had a waist to cinch myself.
“Lottie? Hi!” Her face lights up as she hugs the clipboard in her hand. Her caramel-colored hair is pulled back into a twist of some sort, and she has glitzy diamond earrings catching the light like stars. Her lipstick matches the same cheery hue as her coat, and she feels like a breath of fresh air in this somewhat cloying conversation Ebenezer and I have been having. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but Mayor Nash is just about to start the countdown.” She looks to the man before us. “As soon as the tree is lit, we’ll move the kids in for a picture with Santa. Remember what we talked about, one candy cane per child. The Christmas Angels aren’t made of money.”
Ebenezer nods. “I’d better get some coffee in me while I have the chance. Excuse me, ladies,” he says, taking off.
“Great event,” I tell her. “I can’t wait to see the tree.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re here to see it.” She winces. “That was a scary incident last night. Are you okay? Is your baby okay?”
“We’re both fine.” My hands warm my belly. “Candy, you know Chris Holiday. Ebenezer mentioned that Gloria had a problem with him. Would you know what that was about?”
Her lips fidget as if she were about to smile then thought better of it.
“I do know.” She gives a quick glance around. “Look, Chris is a good guy. And now that all of Gloria’s responsibilities have fallen on my shoulder—at this, the busiest time of the year, I have to deal with that now, too. Gloria was convinced Chris was dipping into funds.” She rolls her eyes as if the idea was absurd. “Chris works tirelessly for this organization as he does for others. It’s almost as if Gloria was out to ruin the poor guy.” She blinks back. “You know, come to think of it, there are no checks and balances outside of Chris. I mean, Gloria could have been right. He could have been robbing the organization blind and we’d never know it. I supposed that’s something I’ll have to look into. And if it’s true, I’ll have to report it right away. If something like that got out, it could ruin the trust we’ve built with the community.”
“That would be terrible,” I say, secretly hoping I’ll have a chance to run into the very next suspect on my list—one who looks incredibly guilty all of a sudden, Chris Holiday. “So how will you be spending your holidays this year, Candy? A big family gathering?”
Her entire body sags a moment. “I’m afraid not. My mom is on the West Coast, and I hate holiday travel. We’ll get together after the new year. And my dad passed away when I was thirteen. Cormack and Cressida invited me to have dinner with them.”
I grimace for a moment at the thought. “I’m sure you’ll have a good time.”
“I’ll have the best time.” She gives a sly wink. “And before I forget, the Evergreen Manor is graciously allowing the Christmas Angels to host one more event the night before Christmas Eve. You must join us.”
“Wonderful. I’ll be there.” And I bet all of my favorite suspects will be, too. “I’ll contact Naomi about donating some of my desserts. It’s the least I can do.”
“Much appreciated!” she shouts as we split ways.
We head out toward the bourgeoning crowd as Mayor Nash gives a warm speech about Christmas in Honey Hollow, and just as the crowd begins counting down from ten, I spot Everett and our eyes latch.
A blooming grin grows on his face—such a rarity that I can hardly believe it.
I make a beeline his way and fall right into his arms.
“Lemon.” He lands a kiss to my lips just as the crowd reaches one, and the tree lights up all of Honey Hollow as if it were noon. Every bough of that magical evergreen is wrapped in soft white twinkle lights and shiny red bows. The ornaments wink in and out as the wind blows through the town square ever so gently. “I’ve got a surprise.” He holds up his left hand and pulls back his sleeve to show his muscular arm underneath without its protective shell.
“You got your cast off!” I give a little hop and he pulls me in close once again, and his spiced cologne ignites my senses along with something foreign and sweet layered underneath.
“That’s right. I’m one hundred percent healed.”
“And I’m one hundred percent sure I’m going to kiss every inch of that arm once we get back home.” I pull back a notch. “That is, if I have permission to have a private exchange with the judge.” I give a few innocent blinks.
“You have carte blanche access to this judge, Lemon. And I would consider it a crime if you kept those lips away from mine.”
“Good, because I have far more than my lips to offer up. Have I mentioned that I’m in the middle of a hormonal tsunami?”
“In that case, I’ll do my best to ride the wave.”
“You are a daredevil.” I walk my fingers up his chest and he catches them and brings them to his lips. “Be prepared to work our way through that naughty pamphlet, Judge Baxter.”
His chest bucks with a silent laugh. “Be prepared to add a couple of addendums to it.”
“Sounds like you’ve got a few tricks up your sexy sleeve.”
His brows twitch. “Sounds like you know me well.” He leans back. “Before I forget, I just spoke to Evie. She said the Ski Club wants to have a few rooms at the lodge for their upcoming break, so I told her they could have at it.”
“The Ski Club?” I flatline. “Is that what she’s calling it? She asked me a few days ago and said it was Dash, those boys she’s seeing in tandem, and sixteen—or more like one hundred—of her closest friends.”
Everett’s jaw redefines itself as he glances to the lively crowd as the carolers croon at top volume.
“I think I was just had,” he grunts. “Don’t worry, Lemon. Nobody from Honey Hollow High will be using the lodge on my watch this holiday season. Least of all not Evie. I can’t believe she wants to steal away with a bunch of friends like that, and she’s spending far too much time with those two knuckleheads if you ask me.”
“Go easy on her. We probably would have done the same thing at her age.”
His eyes sque
eze tightly a moment. “I did.” His hand drifts to my belly. “How are you feeling?”
I bite down on my lip to keep from telling him about the soccer session the baby just had with Noah.
“I’m feeling like I can go for a cruller drizzled with buffalo sauce. Please tell me that’s not the worst culinary combination you’ve heard of because a part of me is entertaining the idea of selling buffalo crullers next.”
His eyes widen a notch. “I’d hold off on adding new menu items until after the baby is born.”
I pull him close and take in that spiced cologne of his and that strange sweet afterbite hits me once again.
“Did you change colognes?”
He ticks his head back a notch. “Nope. I’m a one-hit wonder in that department. Why? Is it making you sick? I can stop.”
“No, it’s not that. It’s just—” A snowball whizzes past us, narrowly missing Everett’s head, and before we know it, an entire arsenal of the white rock-solid balls go flying.
We step out past the evergreen blazing with thousands of twinkle lights just as Everett is pegged with a snowball to the back of the head.
“Someone is going to die,” he grouses as we turn to find Noah standing there with an ear-to-ear grin. “Take cover, Lemon,” Everett says as he begins to gather his ammunition.
I spot Carlotta and my mother huddled under Nelson, laughing at the chaos breaking out around us. And I dash over as the three of us watch Everett beam Noah right in the chest with what looks to be a two hundred mile per hour fastball.
Carlotta belts out a laugh. “That was a heart-stopper, all right. I bet we see frozen nuclear missiles strong enough to blow someone’s skull apart.”
“Oh.” Mom waves Carlotta off. “Those boys are just having a little fun. It’s snow play is all it is.” Mom gasps as she looks to her left. “There’s that Elodie Frost again trying to get friendly with my man. Some women just can’t take a hint.” She speeds that way, pausing momentarily to gather up some snow and tossing it at the two of them. Soon, Elodie, Wiley, and an entire gaggle of people I don’t recognize have the snow flying—albeit in a far more friendlier fashion than Noah and Everett.
Eggnog Trifle Trouble Page 12
