Thirteen swipes his paw at the dangling metal menace. “Watching others feast, while my tummy rumbles for treats, is a fate worse than death.”
Winslow steps in looking like a supernatural Prince Charming. “I echo the sentiment. Do something, Lottie. We’re so close, I can practically taste it. No pun intended.”
Greer chortles as she pulls him in and dots a kiss to his cheek. “Imagine how much fun we’ll have once we can share dessert.” She shimmies her shoulders suggestively to him, a flirtatious move I’ve seen my mother pull a time or two.
“Lottie?” a familiar voice cries from behind and speak of the maternal devil.
“What are you doing hiding out with Carlotta?” Mom trots up with a couple of people trailing behind her.
Carlotta sniffs. “Don’t worry, Mirandy. It’s not just me she’s slumming with. We’re talking to the ghosts that fled your mini-mansion.”
Mom is quick to wave her off. “It’s true. They’ve left me.” She presses her lips together as if staving off a sudden burst of emotion. “Yesterday, I had nothing but complaints from the tour group, and I had no choice but to give them their money back. I’ll be broke in a week. How am I supposed to make ends meet now that I’m a pariah to the spirits on the other side? If only I knew what I did to offend them. Oh, I’d give them whatever they wanted to have them haunt my halls once again.”
Greer swoops in, her aura glowing an eerie shade of green. “Hear that, Lottie? She would do anything.”
Lea stomps forward with her long stringy hair covering her features, the blade of that machete raised high. “You’ll do something, Lottie Lemon. Or the B&B will have to close up and she’ll have to live with you forever!” she belts the curse out so loud the room shakes under my feet from the debilitating octave.
Mom winces. “A thought just came to me. If those ghosts don’t get back to work, I’ll have to close up the B&B and move in with you forever.”
Dad chuckles. “Don’t you worry.” He nods to the insolent incorporeal beings before him. “I think I’ve got a way that might help you eat all the cookies you want.”
Greer gasps and starts in on a spontaneous applause, but little Lea quickly yanks her back.
“We’ll cheer after we’ve enjoyed our first meal,” Lea hisses. “Until then, we’re steering clear of the B&B. Come now”—she takes both Greer and Winslow by the hand and begins leading them away—“perhaps we can make this a party to remember.”
Thirteen trots after them. “I do like the sound of that.”
“Great.” I shoot a wry smile to my mother.
She’s quick to nod. “Are you kidding? This is better than great. Eliza really pulled out all the stops. It’s a killer party.” She grimaces a moment. “Which reminds me.” She reaches back and pulls forth a couple of familiar faces. “Lottie, you remember Lisa and Orland from the pancake breakfast.”
My eyes widen as I take in the petite brunette. She looks so much like her daughter Jennifer, save for the crimson eyes. Hers are more of a muted coffee color. And tonight she stuns in a frilly yellow number. The man by her side is tall, a bit slouched, a somber expression with serious eyes.
“Yes, in fact, I do remember you. Flip introduced you both.” My fingers fly to my lips. “I’m sorry. This must be a very trying time for you.”
Lisa nods. “It is. I loved that man with my whole heart. We might not have been together in the end, but Flip will forever hold a special place in my heart.”
Nell swoops up, along with my father. “Suspects at last,” she beams. “Grill ’em, Lottie.”
I make a face just as Orland holds out a hand my way.
“Congratulations on the nuptials. It’s quite a party.” He shakes his head wistfully. “It must be nice to have money like this. Not a care in the world.”
“I wouldn’t know.” A dull laugh pumps from me. “This all belongs to Everett’s mother.”
Lisa shakes her head wistfully, “Yes, but someday it will all be yours. They won’t live forever, you know.”
My mouth falls open at the tasteless statement.
Mom wrinkles her nose. “Lisa and I go way back. I just knew she needed to get out of all that cloying grief, and what better way than with the party to end all parties.” She points to the poor woman. “And don’t you worry. Not only is my Lottie here an excellent baker, but she’s a wonderful sleuth as well. She’ll get to the bottom of who killed Flip, soon enough.”
Dad lifts a glowing finger. “A wonderful endorsement by your mother. You wouldn’t want to let her down, now would you?”
I frown over at him. “I’ve hung up my sleuthing cape for now,” I say, offering a sorrowful nod to both Lisa and Orland.
Nell clears her throat. “You do realize that once you stunt your powers, you will no longer have the privilege of either one of us coming back to visit you.”
My mouth falls open as I look to my sweet father. “You could come back?”
Mom leans in. “I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you.” She cups her hand to her ear as the music picks up in volume.
I clear my throat. “I was wondering if you could bring some cookies back.”
“Ooh, you bet.” She stalks off in her five-inch heels. Miranda Lemon has never strayed from a good pair of shoes no matter how hard her toes might protest.
Dad steps in so close I could swear I smell his woodsy cologne. “Lottie, don’t solve this case for me. Do it for my friend. I loved Flip like a brother. I know if the roles were reversed, he’d ask the very same thing from his daughter.”
I bite down on my lip as I look to Lisa and Orland.
I nod to Orland. “I’m sorry, how did you know Flip again?”
“Acquaintances.” He wraps an arm around Lisa’s shoulder, and she flinches as if she didn’t really want him there. “We met a time or two at family functions. Lisa and I have been on and off for years.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize that. Well, I’m so sorry for the loss. I’m sure the Ashford Homicide Division will do everything to wrap this up quickly for you.”
They offer somber nods before dissolving into the crowd.
Carlotta steps up once again. “So it’s true? The more killers Lottie brings to justice, the stronger she’ll become?”
Nell nods. “It’s true. And it’s the only reason I gained access to the event tonight. The more killers you bring to justice, the more your powers will continue to increase.”
Carlotta smacks me on the side of the arm. “Hear that? You’ll be the hit of that transmundane convention we’re about to hit up! There won’t be a more powerful supersensual in the room, Lottie Dottie. I plan on parading you about like a prized show dog. After you spill your secrets, everyone in that room will be clamoring to find a body or two.”
“Carlotta, that’s morbid. Trust me, nobody wants to be like me. Not even me.”
Dad wraps me in his loving arms.
“Lottie”—he strums my name like the warmth from a fire—“I will completely understand if this is not the life you choose for yourself. Above all, your happiness is paramount. But selfishly, I would love to be a somewhat active member of this family again, even if it does mean I’m doing it from the other side. I know your mother has moved on. I realize there will be other men in her life, but the gift of simply being near her, near my girls—it has been a gift, indeed.”
I blow out a hard breath. “Oh, Daddy, I would move heaven and earth to have you back. I’ll do it. But just know that as soon as justice is served, you’ll be whisked away and there’s no telling when you’ll be able to come back.”
Nell floats forward, chin down, eyes narrowed with what looks like anger.
“I wouldn’t fib to you, Lottie Lemon.” Nell’s voice drops an octave. “When I say your powers are growing all the more with each crime you solve, I mean it. Now get out there and give poor Flip’s soul some rest.”
A pair of warm arms embraces me from behind and I turn to find Everett’s lips twitching with naughty intent.
“Pardon me, Carlotta. I feel the need to steal my bride.”
Something stirs in me as he says it, and soon enough we’re in the thick of a sea of swaying bodies.
Everett tucks his lips to my ear. “Can you ever forgive me for this?”
A laugh bubbles from me as the band picks up its tempo a notch.
“There is nothing to forgive. You’re as innocent as I am.”
Everett shoots a look just past my shoulder. “He doesn’t seem to think so.”
I turn to find Noah still wrapped in Cormack’s possessive claws.
“I suppose that’s the new normal. Cormack with Noah.” My stomach churns as I say it.
“Lemon, I know you have strong feelings for the guy. I meant what I said the night we married. That is for paper only. A means to an end. You and Noah have never regained your footing since Britney strolled into town last year. I still stand by what I said then, too. You need to see that relationship out. You either need a proper goodbye or a permanent hello. Your soul won’t rest until you’ve hit either one of those. And neither will his.”
“Everett.” I shake my head up at this gorgeous man. “That all may be true, but you’re still very much in the picture, and I can’t tell you how sorry I am to have dragged you into all of this turbulence.”
His chest bumps with a dry laugh. “Like it or not, Lemon, I’m willingly along for the ride. But I care about you too much to see you hurting.” He whisks me around in a quick maneuver and navigates us a couple of steps to the left. “Consider this a wedding gift from me to you.” He taps his hand on Noah’s back, and without asking permission, Everett steals Cormack away.
Noah and I stand there a moment with a shared deer in the headlights look between us.
Finally, his dimples press in deep and Noah holds out a hand.
“Would you do me the honor?”
“The honor would be all mine.”
Noah pulls me in and my body drinks down the warmth emitting from him.
“Lottie.” He gives a pained smile. “I meant what I said. You look sublime.”
“Noah, I hate that you came with me yesterday, picked out this dress, and paid for it when you knew all along what it was for. That was a terrible thing to put you through.”
“You didn’t put me through it. My mother did.”
“You knew it was Suze?” I can hardly contain the shock.
“Yup. She thought it’d be good for me.”
“Well, it wasn’t,” I say.
“Any time I spend with you is good for me.” His brows pinch in the middle. “Was. I guess you’re officially all Everett’s now.”
“I’m not a possession, Noah. Everett doesn’t own me.” I bite down hard on my lower lip because the truth is, both Everett and Noah very much own my heart. I take a deep breath and decide to change the subject before I break down and ugly cry right on Noah’s nice suit. “What’s going on with the case? Have you made any progress?”
Noah inches back. “I thought you weren’t interested in the case.”
“I’ve changed my mind. What did forensics have to say? How about the coroner?”
His lips expand as if my inquiry somehow pleased him.
“It was determined Flip was shot at close range. They most likely used a silencer.”
“Close range? Silencer?” I shake my head. “Noah, that sounds like a professional hit. Did you ever find the casing?”
“Nope.” His hand warms my back as it rides up and down it. “And I agree with you. Whoever did this knew to pick up their trash.”
“So it’s either the person who wanted him dead who did it or it was a hired hand,” I say, trying to frame this new evidence.
“Who are your suspects?” Noah’s chest expands over mine.
“I guess everyone is a suspect. I mean, the killer might have been at the pancake breakfast or they could have come in from the back of the facility. The kitchen door was open the entire morning, and it was still open when I found him. Who are your suspects?”
His brows twitch playfully. “I’m afraid that’s classified information.”
My hands swivel over his back. “I have my way of getting classified information from you.” My fingers latch onto his tie and I give a firm tug. “How about I stop by later and—”
Before I can make the perverted proposition, Cormack dives between us and I stumble back into Everett’s arms as she latches onto Noah as if his life were in danger.
“Be gone, witch,” Cormack snips. “Noah and I may have created a new life, and I don’t need you casting any spells that could divide our growing family.”
My mouth falls open as I glance down to where her hand lays protectively over her trim waist. Baby or not, the implication of what happened between the two of them is pretty darn clear.
But a baby…
The music quiets down and Eliza calls Everett and me over to cut the cake.
I glance back to Noah and our eyes lock for far too painfully long.
He’s done it, hasn’t he? He’s taken that next intimate step with Cormack.
“Come on, Everett. I hear the cake will be to die for.” I glare at Cormack as we pass them.
“Did you just threaten me, Leena?” Cormack’s voice is quickly drowned out by the chipper conversations blooming around us.
Everett pulls me in close as soon we get near the seemingly innocent stack of sugar and flour.
“I’m sorry, Lemon,” he says, dotting his finger to the tip of my nose. “What do you say?” He tips his head toward the three-tiered sugar wonder.
“I say let them eat cake.”
Chapter 9
There are some proclamations I never want to hear, and there are some things I would rather never read in black and white—and yet here it is, on the front page of the Honey Hollow Hive.
“Oh my God, Lottie!” Lily snaps the paper in her hands until my image comes in clear once again. “A killer among us? Baker Lottie Lemon of the Cutie Pie Bakery and Cakery admits to framing people,” she reads as Keelie and I look on in horror as we stand in the kitchen of the bakery.
“I was kidding,” I cry out. “That was taken the morning of the pancake breakfast. That man had no right to take what I said out of context and print a picture of me—not to mention naming my bakery.”
We’ve been busy all morning, serving up platefuls of pancakes to the morbidly hungry masses. Even though my mother’s B&B tours have gone down the drain, the buses are still coming in for The Last Thing They Ate Tour. But I suspect press like this will stop them in their thrill-seeking tracks.
Keelie moans as she holds her stomach, “We’ll sue ’em. You’re married to a judge now, Lottie. Face it, you have clout where the law is concerned. I say you nail the entire Honey Hollow Hive to the wall. And to think, you catered their Christmas party less than three weeks ago.”
“Teaches me for throwing in a free gingerbread house.”
Lily shakes her head. “First, Noah’s betrayal, and now this? Alex did confirm Noah and Cormack have been spending lots of time together. I say you sue them, too.”
I glance away at the thought. “For what?”
“For breaking your heart.” Lily doesn’t miss a beat.
Someone clears their throat from the counter up front and the three of us head that way, only to find Naomi, Keelie’s twin in every way with the exception of her freshly dyed raven-hued locks, and Jennifer Norman, Flip’s old stepdaughter.
“Naomi, Jennifer. It’s nice to see you both,” I say. “What can I get you?”
Naomi snickers. “First, you tell me who broke whose heart.” Her denim-colored eyes expand as she looks to Lily in hopes the broken heart belonged to her. Naomi must miss Alex something awful now that it’s Lily’s turn to take a ride on the Fox Express—much like it seems to be Cormack’s.
Keelie tosses a couple of chocolate filled croissants into a paper bag—Naomi’s favorite.
“Lottie’s heart is busted like a bad piñata,” she say
s, handing her sister the goodies. “What can I get for you?” She poses the question to Jennifer.
“I’ll take the same.” Jennifer casts her eerie crimson eyes my way.
Naomi balks, “Noah’s with Cormack now. So what? Everyone’s known that for weeks.”
My mouth falls open and Naomi is quick to wave me off.
“Save the surprise, Lottie. You’ve been treating him like dirt for a year. It’s no wonder he didn’t ditch you sooner.”
“Naomi!” Keelie barks, but I shake my head at her.
“Naomi is right. I’m getting what I deserve. I dished it out to Noah when I slept with Everett. And I have to take it now that he’s really with Cormack.” I close my eyes a moment and feel the sting of tears.
“Now look what you did.” Keelie heads to the other side of the counter and pulls her sister to the side to give her a proper admonishment I’m assuming. Another crowd walks in and Lily mans the register.
I nod to Jennifer. “How about a cup of coffee to go with those croissants?”
“Yes, please. The stronger, the better.” She takes a seat down at the end of the counter and I follow her over with a mug and a carafe.
“I saw your mom last night.” I offer a weak smile as I pour the coffee. “She was with Orland and they seemed to be having a decent time, all things considering.”
She grunts as she takes a small bite out of her croissant. “Are you kidding? My mother is having more than a decent time. She won’t be dancing on Flip’s grave, but she won’t be mourning him either.”
“Oh?” I can feel my thirst for justice percolating. “Why is that? Can I ask?”
“Sure. It’s kind of common knowledge among their friends anyway. When Flip was with my mom, he was a bit controlling with their finances. They had a bunch of investments and she never had a say in any of it. Flip always had a hunch something was going to do better than it would. Suffice it to say, he had terrible hunches.”
“That he did,” a deep voice booms from behind, and I jump, only to find my father standing there.
“That’s”—I nod his way before turning back to Jennifer—“unfortunate to hear. But they’ve been divorced for a while now, right?”
Pancake Panic Page 7
