Fried Chicken & Fangs (A Southern Charms Cozy Mystery Book 2)

by Bella Falls

  The Mosely boys returned and looked like they were about to try again when they caught sight of Horatio barreling in the direction of the table. The two teenagers scattered, and I greeted the troll with the warmest of hugs. “I’m so happy to see you, Horatio.”

  “Greetings and salutations, my friend. Are you now offering your services for a fee? I think that would be a most capital idea.” He clapped me on the back, and all the air in my lungs whooshed out.

  It took me a second to regain my composure. “No, no money. Just helping.”

  “If ever you are in need of someone to help you, I humbly offer you my services in helping you research the best way to go about setting up a business.” He bowed his head, his scraggly hair falling over his protruding brow. When he straightened, he handed me a piece of paper he’d been holding. “Here.”

  At the top of it, it read, “Vote for Juniper, and let every voice—even the smallest one—be heard!” Underneath the slogan that had been carefully handwritten in neat calligraphy letters, somebody had listed out reasons to elect the fairy.

  I read the entire list, impressed with each clear and concise point. “Horatio, I would think that since you’re one of the candidates that you would be supporting…well…you. Not Juniper.”

  “Alas, my beloved does not possess quite the flare for addressing others. I volunteered to assist her because I would like her to have every possible chance in the world,” the troll gushed.

  “Thanks, Horatio,” a high-pitched voice squeaked. Juniper flew to his side and planted a kiss on his giant cheek. “I’m a bit nervous, but Horatio is right. If I want my issues to be taken seriously, then I need to speak up.”

  I nodded in full agreement, ignoring the doubt that anyone would be able to hear her. “I wish you both a whole lot of luck. I’ll be rootin’ for you tonight at the speeches.”

  At that word, Juniper shivered, and blue-green fairy dust scattered to the ground. “If I can calm my nerves and get past tonight, then I might just make it.”

  “Stop your worrying. You will do magnificently. Remember, there is no failure when you succeed at trying.” He lifted a large finger and tipped her bitty nose with it with such gentleness that it melted my heart.

  “Is that another quote from Shakespeare?” I asked.

  “No,” the troll winked. “That is all pure Horatio.”

  The mismatched but perfect couple left me to go practice. The shy fairy had flourished under the attention of her troll, and with support like that, she’d found her bravery. If I had someone like that who could make me blossom, what I might be able to accomplish?

  When the Mosely boys returned one last time, I ripped the sign off the table. I didn’t need anyone’s support to know that today’s volunteering of my talents had come to an abrupt end since I’d found the resolve to tell those two troublemakers that they better get lost or risk getting hexed on their adolescent behinds. Bless their hearts.

  Chapter Two

  The cool breeze cut through the lingering humidity of the day, creating a bearable atmosphere for tonight's event. Musical notes from the efforts of our school band danced in the air and grew louder and more in tune as my feet brought me closer to the park. Never one to be early, I found the area in front of the gazebo packed. All of the chairs were already filled, and unless my friends had reserved me a seat, I would be listening to the speeches from the standing area in the back.

  I scanned the crowd for my gang, and my heart warmed when I spotted my girls. None of them had arrived in time to grab a place to sit down, and they beckoned for me to join them standing a few feet behind the last row. After hugging, we girls got down to the important issues at hand.

  “Have you seen that hot looking specimen who’s new to town?” asked Lavender.

  “He’s visited the cafe a few times. I don't normally say things like this, but frosted fairy wings, he could make a tick on the back of a dog’s neck burst into flames from his looks,” Blythe admitted.

  “Eww, that's so gross,” Alison Kate said, scrunching her nose. “But I have to admit, he is pretty cute.”

  “Hey, what am I? A big steamin’ pile of unicorn dung?” Lee looked less than happy at his new girlfriend’s gushing.

  Alison Kate cuddled him close and peppered kisses on his cheek. “It's just girl talk, honey bunny. You know you're my shnooky wookums.” She rubbed her head into his neck, repeating more sugary names.

  My stomach turned over. “I think I'm going into sugar shock. Holy unicorn horn, you two need to tamper down the public display of affection.”

  Lavender pouted. “Aww, but they are so super cute, and we've been waiting so long for them to get together. Their auras look so bubbly and pink, I can't contain myself.” She vibrated in pure joy, earning a stern look from her cousin.

  “We may have been wanting them to get together, Lav, but Charli's right. Keep your sugary sweets at the bakery, Ali Kat.” Lily crossed her arms over her chest.

  Lavender clicked her tongue. “Don't try to play as if you and Ben don't share a similar color surrounding you, Lilypad.” Lavender wiggled her finger to indicate the airspace around Ben and her cousin. “You two may not show it to others, but your relationship is as plain as day to me.”

  The two cousins verbally squabbled with each other while the rest of us looked on in amazement. Blythe bumped me with her shoulder and pointed. “Remind me never to get that entangled with a man. They’re nice to look at, but it will be a hot day in Honeysuckle before I turn into a fool.”

  “I thought you said that there was a new guy to drool at in town?” I accused.

  “A girl can look all she wants. And he is seriously drool-worthy.” She puckered her lips and whistled.

  The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and a warm tingle rushed down my skin. A strong presence joined me at my right side, and a warm hand brushed my arm. “You ladies are gonna make me blush, talking like that about me,” rumbled a deep voice that had become a familiar fixture in my life.

  “Good evening, Mr. Channing. I thought you weren’t coming to the speeches tonight. Change your mind?” I teased.

  Dash grunted. “I just think that elections don't make any sense. It gives the illusion of freedom, but I guarantee that there’s always something lurking behind the scenes. Someone influencing things to get the outcome that they want.”

  “I guess that's not how pack politics work, does it?” I asked. The wolf shifter hardly ever talked about his past, and I ventured to swim into shark-infested waters asking him anything about it.

  His eyes flashed amber for a second. “No. That's not how a pack works.” Without saying another word, he ended my line of inquiry.

  A brief awkward silence followed, and I needed to extract myself to regain my composure and give my cheeks time to stop flaming. “I’m going to go find Flint to wish him good luck.” I wove my way through the crowd with quick feet. Walking around the edges, I made it to the back of the gazebo where the candidates gathered.

  Following a string of sneezes, I found Flint fumbling with some index cards that looked huge in the gnome’s trembling hands. His wife, Gossamer, flitted above him, her fairy wings dusting him in pink.

  Flint sneezed again. “Trembling toadstools, Goss, you have to stop hovering over me. I've got this.” He squinted at his cards.

  “I know, Flinty, dear. I'm just so nervous.” More pink dust floated down and covered her husband’s beard until the gnome sneezed it off.

  “Anything I can do to help?” I called out, hoping to distract my fairy friend.

  Goss turned her attention to me and left her husband's side. “Oh, Charli. Do you think things will go okay? My Flinty’s been practicing for over a week now, and there’s still so much to say.” She bit her lip, and her wings flapped in distress.

  Flint caught my eye and nodded in thanks for helping his wife. I reassured my friend. “Everything will work out as it should, Goss. You need to stop working yourself into a tizzy. And tonight's about introduc
tions, not to stuff every little thing into one speech. You know your husband is well liked in the community. I don't think it's possible for him to fail no matter what the outcome is,” In my opinion, the gnome was the one to beat in the election.

  Horatio and Juniper waved at me, and I responded in kind. Gossamer turned and also wished them good luck from afar. “You supporting everybody, Charli?” she asked through her grin.

  Oh, frosted fairy wings. The awkwardness. “Frankly, I'm for anyone to take the new position as long as they have the town's best interests at heart,” I dodged. Perhaps I should run for office with my artful deflection skills.

  “You mean everybody but Raif, right?” she clarified.

  The crowd standing around the lanky vampire was impressive. Unlike the others, Raif looked every bit like a real candidate with advisors at his side. The fact that two of them, Aunt Nora and Hollis Hawthorne, had existing seats on the town council didn't sit well with me. Nana had worked hard at trying to keep herself as neutral as possible since she sat in the high seat of power. But those two shamelessly whispered advice in the vampire’s ear. No telling what might happen if Raif earned the new council seat in the election.

  “No, I definitely don't support all of the candidates.” The music from the school’s band stopped, and someone announced for everyone to take their seats. “I’d better go join the gang.” Waving at all my friends, I excused myself.

  A cold hand grabbed my arm and hindered my attempt to leave. “Charlotte. I'm surprised to see you back here. Are you intending to throw your hat in the ring?” My aunt’s puckered face mirrored my internal annoyance.

  I forced a smile on my lips. “No, Aunt Nora. Just showing my support to those who deserve it.”

  She released me with a wry grin. “All your good wishes will be wasted after they lose.”

  After Uncle Tipper's death, my aunt had stayed away from me for a while, and I counted her absence as a blessing. My mother's sister still held no fondness for me, an emotion we both shared. I needed to evacuate before I found a proverbial knife sticking out of my back. Turning on my heel with speed, I ran into a solid mass in front of me.

  “My deepest apologies, miss.” The impeccable British accent caught me off guard.

  “Sorry, Raif,” I spit out without looking. When my eyes met the curious gaze looking down on me, I startled. “Oh.” My brain scrambled to find other words but failed in their quest.

  “And who is this fetching young creature?” the stranger asked. “A fellow campaign manager?”

  Raif turned his attention to me and wrinkled his nose. “She is no one of note.” The snotty vampire sniffed, dismissing my presence. “She is an interloper who needs to find her place.” He pointed to the front of the gazebo, indicating for me to join the rest of the town, but I didn’t miss his underlying meaning.

  “That's a shame,” the stranger said. He grinned, his fangs poking over his lips. “I would enjoy a tête-à-tête with you. In a professional capacity, of course.”

  I studied the attractive countenance in front of me far longer than I should. Something nagged at the back of my head, and I attempted to grab onto a faded memory.

  Hollis Hawthorne cleared his throat. “Time for you to go, Miss Goodwin.” The struggling thought disappeared like smoke, and I shook it off and nodded, too distracted to come up with a witty response.

  Making my way back to my friends, I stood at the back of the crowd while my grandmother received whoops and hollers along with loud applause as she approached center stage.

  “Good evening, y'all,” she cried out. “Thank you for coming to tonight's event. This is a landmark occasion for Honeysuckle Hollow. And I know that it comes with great sacrifice on y'all's part to accept that we as a community are changing.” She launched into a small speech that I'd heard her rehearse at her house several times.

  Dash leaned over to whisper in my ear, his beard tickling my neck. “What's wrong with you?”

  “Nothing,” I said, unwilling to share my confusion and distraction.

  “Sure,” he whispered back. “I’ll let you have your fib for now.”

  I shot him a sideways glance, quirking my eyebrow at him. How did he always know?

  Shifter, he mouthed, poking his chest with his forefinger.

  Whenever I questioned how he knew anything, he always answered the same. Whether or not the animal in him could sense my lie was irrelevant. He liked to remind me that he was more than a man. I never knew if he did it in teasing, flirting, or in warning.

  He elbowed me and pointed at this stage. My grandmother introduced Juniper, and the small fairy reluctantly hovered beside Horatio. Her wide eyes gave away her fear, and I wondered if she’d make it through tonight as she hoped.

  Horatio stood up, his head bending down to whisper something in the fairy’s ear. I smiled, glad to see their connection. Their match had become fodder for town gossip not long after they’d met at Skeeter’s singles event. But neither cared, having found someone else to cling to.

  After an awkward pause, Juniper drifted to the middle of the stage. Loud squeaks and squeals erupted from a small group of floating beings behind us. Juniper’s employees from her business, Fairy Dust & Clean, screeched their support for their boss. The dour-faced fairy that floated next to them, Moss, barely cracked a smile, staying quiet and contemplative rather than joining her fellow workers in their excitement.

  The entire crowd held its breath as the small fairy attempted to speak. Someone shouted, “Speak up,” and the diminutive figure shivered, her blue-green dust scattering about her.

  “M-m-my name is J-J-J-Juniper. I own the F-F-F-Fairy Dust & C-C-C-clean Services, and I'm running for the n-n-n-new t-t-t-town c-c-c-council s-s-s-seat.” Her stuttering increased, and my discomfort for her grew. The fairy rung her hands in front of her, and I feared that she might explode in a ball of anxiety and blue-green dust.

  Blythe leaned in on my left side. “Why in the world is she putting herself through this?”

  “I have no idea,” I said. “I think Horatio encouraged her.” All I wanted to do was run up on stage and give the poor thing a hug.

  Nana stood up from her seat and approached the flailing being. My grandmother's presence filled me with relief. Putting a kind arm around the fairy’s waste, she spoke low to Juniper. After she finished, the fairy nodded and cleared her throat.

  She stopped trembling and floated with more posterity. “M-my name is Juniper, and I am running for the open council seat. I intend to represent everyone in town if I win.” A mild level of clapping followed her statement, and the fairy sighed and smiled, gaining a bit of confidence. “But I especially want to give v-voice to those who tend to be ignored or f-forgotten. Everyone must remember that we all live here for whatever reason, and we all have the right to an equal s-say.”

  She paused again, and her employees screamed as loud as they could, the pixies reaching a pitch that made Dash wince. Unfortunately, only a handful of us nearby could hear them. Juniper turned to glance at Horatio, who nodded his support at her. She cleared her throat and finished with a statement she must have rehearsed. “Also, though I may be small, everyone should know that I am strong.” She bent her tiny arm and pointed at her nonexistent muscle.

  I giggled along with my friends at the fairy’s joke. The rest of the crowd chuckled as well, and Juniper left the center in relief, zipping back to her place with the other candidates, clearly glad her moment in the spotlight was over.

  The stage creaked and groaned as the gigantic troll went next. He towered over all of his opponents and the rest of the audience with his massive presence. Pushing his messy locks of hair out of his face, he bellowed, thundering loud enough to be heard probably four towns away at least.

  “My fellow residents of Honeysuckle, I bid you good evening, and wish you hearty congratulations on this next step in the evolution of our community. As my dear friend Will used to say, ‘The web of our life is of a mingled yarn, good and ill togethe
r.’ We must bond together to make our town strong.” Horatio launched into an eloquent speech peppered with language that several of the town's residents would have to look up.

  It amused me to no end that many of my friends shattered expectations. His intelligence and ability to reason would be an asset to the authority of the town. However, he had a long battle to fight for acceptance. No matter what pretty words flowed out of his mouth, not many people would ever trust a troll.

  Horatio continued. “I know that change comes at a cost, one that we are not always willing to pay. However, were I to be so fortunate as to win your hearts and be elected to the seat, I will do my best for every citizen, big or small.” He turned his head and smiled at Juniper, who promptly blushed a rosy color closer to Goss’s signature hue. “And as we are rational beings, I will also push to broaden our library and its resources. For knowledge remains our best gift. May we use it to make the best choices for our continued future.” The troll placed a hand over his heart in sincerity.

  The light applause that followed indicated he had lost the crowd. No matter how intelligent he might be, his speech did not win over many people. Still, I beamed at him with pride, happy that he and Juniper had stood up for what they believed in on stage. They were both far braver than me, who had lived here almost my entire life.

  Dash stiffened at my side. His nostrils flared. “What's that awful stench?”

  “What are you talking about?” I hissed under my breath. A few moments later, a sickeningly sweet floral scent filled my nostril, and I grimaced.

  “Told you,” Dash admonished.

  “Don't let your head shift too big or it'll fill up the entire park,” I countered.

  “That smells like gardenias, right, Lily?” Lavender asked her cousin.

  “Gardenias that are on their last legs,” Lily agreed, covering her nose.

  Ben moaned. “I know of one person who wore that scent every day.”