Murder in the Mix Box Set

by Addison Moore

  “Look, I’m off to bed. I just came down here because I wanted you to know that Noah and I are truly over. If you want him back, he’s all yours.” She starts to take off and backtracks. “But I’m warning you now. As soon as you toss that hot judge to the curb, that bad boy is all mine.” She takes off as Everett and Noah step up to the scene.

  Carlotta groans, “And that’s my cue to get me some dinner.” She leans in. “Give ’em hell, Lottie.” She takes off and it’s Everett and Noah, and between the two there is far too much testosterone for me to ever be safe.

  Everett comes in with a warm embrace. “Happy birthday, beautiful.” He lands a brazen kiss to my lips, and oddly, it sends a spear of both fear and excitement through me.

  Noah takes a breath as if girding himself for the worse. “Happy birthday, Lottie. I echo his sentiment. You look stunning tonight.” His brows pinch in the middle, and poor Noah looks as if he’s about as dejected as a person can be. “So, the two of you are happening, huh?”

  “I’m a free agent.” I dig my fingers into the back of Everett’s hair and smile up at him. “I think Everett likes it that way.”

  “That I do, Lemon.” A naughty chuckle bounces through him. “I think this is the perfect time for us to really get to know one another. I’m a big believer in taking it slow when it comes to a commitment.” He glares over at Noah. “You never know where taking things too quickly might land you.”

  “I wholeheartedly agree.”

  Keelie jumps in, and her blonde curls bounce like springs. “Oh my God, Carlotta just shared the news. I can’t believe you’re dating both of them!”

  “I’m not dating both of them,” I’m quick to deny the salacious rumor Carlotta has no problem spreading on this night of my birth.

  “You’re dating me.” Everett’s lips flicker with a smile.

  Noah presses out a wry smile. “And I wouldn’t mind grabbing coffee with you, having dinner at Mangia. Heck, I would take a walk down the street if you would give it to me.”

  Keelie coos as if it were the most adorable thing in the world. “This is great, Lottie. You get to really know them both and take things slow. I guess, let the best man win, right?”

  “Right.” Everett glides his arm around my waist, and I lean into him as if it were second nature. “Let the best man win.”

  Noah purses his lips as he bears those evergreen eyes into mine. “The best man will win.”

  Everett’s chest pumps with a laugh. “I will.”

  Keelie grimaces at the can of worms that my love life has apparently become.

  “And on that note”—she threads her arm through mine—“let’s eat!”

  Dinner is amazing, and afterwards, I watch with tears in my eyes as everyone I care about sings “Happy Birthday” to me. I make a wish and blow out the candles.

  I wish for happiness, health, and the safety of every person in the room, in this haunted B&B. Carlotta was wrong. Greer and Winslow aren’t going to magnify anything negative in my life. I’m abiding by the rules of the universe. And I certainly haven’t claimed them as my own. And no offense to the aforementioned spooks, but I’m not in love with them either.

  The room breaks out into a congratulatory cheer as my phone pings next to me, and I pick it up to find a message from someone that I never wanted to get another message from in my life—my ex-fiancé Curt Vanderlin.

  Hey Lot, long time no talk. Just wanted to touch base and let you know I’m headed your way next week. My girlfriend is a publicist, and she’s working with an author coming through town. I’d love to connect with you if at all possible. I hear you run the best bakery in Honey Hollow and you can bet I’ll be there and I’m bringing my appetite, too.

  I openly scoff at the idea. I bet he’d like to connect if at all possible, as in on a mattress. I’m pretty sure the fact he has a girlfriend isn’t much of an obstacle to him or his sexual appetite. It never was before.

  I take a breath and turn off my phone. No, everyone I need to speak with is in this very room.

  We eat cake and share warm laughter. I open my gifts, all of which are far too generous, and thank every soul for taking time out of their lives to spend the evening with me.

  Afterwards, I head home, and both Everett and Noah come over to my place for a cup of warm cocoa by the fire. We discuss the Shumaker case, how our lives have changed over the last few months, and how they’ve been made better by knowing one another even if our bonding took place in the thick of one disaster after another.

  But I don’t dare bring up Curt, my own natural disaster from New York City. But try as I might to immerse him beneath my thoughts, I can’t seem to do it. He keeps corking right back to the top, gasping for attention, and all the while I think of Greer and Winslow, too. It begs the question, have I brought this new run of misfortune back into my life? Or does the universe really have it out for me?

  Hours go by and I walk both men to the door. Noah gives me a warm embrace.

  He pulls back and examines me a moment. “Maybe sometime soon we can talk about that stuff Britney says she saw.”

  “You mean whether or not I’m a witch?”

  He ticks his head to the side as if even hearing the words made him uncomfortable.

  “Goodnight, Lottie.” He pulls me in one more time. “I still love you more than anything.” He brushes a barely-there kiss over my ear before heading across the street.

  Everett clears his throat. “You ready for your gift, Lemon?”

  I laugh as I linger in the door with this blue-eyed stud. The wind has finally died down, and March really has come in like a lion and out like a lamb.

  “You already gave me a gift. And that aquamarine pendant and gorgeous chain to go with it were far too generous.”

  “It’s your birthstone, and it’s stunning like you.”

  Noah bought me a gift card to Mangia’s for a ridiculously high dollar amount and volunteered to go with me if needed. I thought that was clever since anything else would have been too much, and this way he has a chance at scoring that bona fide date he’s after.

  Everett’s chest growls with a dark laugh. “I’m talking about your real gift.” He pulls me back inside and kicks the door shut with the back of his foot. “You up for a goodnight kiss?”

  I bite down on a naughty grin that I can’t seem to help when I’m around him. “Lay it on me, Essex.”

  Everett makes sure this is a birthday kiss to remember—and it feels hopelessly right and leaves me hopelessly confused. I really do care for both Everett and Noah. Making a decision between the two of them will not be easy.

  One thing I know for sure, Curt Vanderlin is one man that I want nothing to do with, but soon enough he’ll be in my face.

  Everett holds me tight, and just like that, the entire universe fades away and it’s only this moment in existence and I’m so very thankful to him for it.

  Maybe this segue into Everett’s arms was meant to be? Maybe it’s just a darn good way to end a beautiful day.

  Either way.

  Happy birthday to me.

  Acknowledgments

  Thank you (yes, you the reader!) so very much for diving into another MURDER IN THE MIX Mystery! Lottie and her Honey Hollow peeps mean so very much to me, and it’s a pleasure to get to share them with you. If you’d like to be in the know on upcoming releases, please be sure to follow me at Bookbub and Amazon. Simply click the links on the next page. I can’t wait to share the next leg of Lottie’s journey with you. It is a doozy! You mean everything to me!

  Thank you to my fabulous betas, Shay Rivera, Lisa Markson, Ashley Marie Daniels, and Anastasia Lantilou Steele. You girls are amazing and outrageously generous with your time. I can’t thank you enough. I appreciate each one of you so much!

  A hearty thanks to my lovely girls, Kaila Eileen Turingan-Ramos and Jodie Tarleton, for scouring each page with your supernatural X-ray vision. You are gifted beyond measure, and I appreciate you making this book sparkle and shine!


  And how can I not bow to the queen of all things literary? The fantastic Paige Maroney Smith without whom I would simply cease to exist. You are a magician, and I look forward to creating more magic with you. I am wrapping myself around your knees, and I will never let go.

  And last, but never least, thank you to Him who sits on the throne. Worthy is the Lamb! Glory and honor and power are yours. I owe you everything.

  New York Cheesecake Chaos

  Murder in the Mix Mystery #8

  Addison Moore

  Copyright © 2018 by Addison Moore

  This novel is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to peoples either living or deceased is purely coincidental. Names, places, and characters are figments of the author’s imagination. The author holds all rights to this work. It is illegal to reproduce this novel without written expressed consent from the author herself.

  All Rights Reserved.

  This eBook is for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this eBook with another person, please purchase any additional copies for each reader. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Copyright © 2018 by Addison Moore

  Created with Vellum

  Chapter 19

  I see dead people. Mostly I see dead pets, but on the rare occasion I do see a dearly departed of the human variety—but right now I’m too far gone in unadulterated bliss to see a darn thing.

  “Oh my God, Everett,” I moan so loud I’m thankful we’re tucked way in the back of the Cutie Pie Bakery and Cakery where nary a soul can see or hear us. The back door is wide open, letting in the first warm April breeze since spring hit, and right about now I welcome it.

  The bakery is mine; the man is not. Essex Everett Baxter, Judge Baxter, is just a handful of years older than me, and we’ve become fast friends in the past few months we’ve known one another. In the looks department, he’s hotter than a kitchen fire. He rarely shows emotion, and has a propensity of referring to me exclusively by my surname.

  Another hearty moan escapes me. “Oh, Everett, this is incredible.” The words draw from me, slow and sultry, as I close my eyes a moment and see stars exploding behind my lids in a hypnotic display.

  “Lemon,” he groans as if I’ve managed to injure him in a sinfully delicious way. “There’s no way I can control myself. You need to give me all you got. And if you don’t, I’ll take it myself.”

  My mouth indulges one more time and I can’t contain myself anymore. “Yes, yes, yes!” I shout. “Everett, this is it!”

  “Just keep giving it to me, Lemon.”

  No sooner does Everett get the words out than a body jumps through the back door, and I spin on my heels to see Noah standing there with his hand reaching for his weapon.

  “Everybody freeze!” he shouts, panting as if he just ran across all of Vermont to get here. Noah does a quick assessment of the two of us. “Wait—what are you doing?” He takes a step in and squints. “You’re eating cheesecake?” His verdant green eyes are wild, his hand still firmly on that gun sitting in its holster over his back.

  Noah Corbin Fox is a detective with the Ashford County Sheriff’s Department, and he happens to be my latest ex-boyfriend. Believe you me, I have no plans on accumulating any more. I’ve had my heart broken exactly three times now, and as they say, the third time’s the charm. Suffice it to say, I’ve been turned off to relationships for the interim. I’m in no mood to hoist what’s left of my shattered ticker up on the proverbial chopping block again. No thank you. I gave at the sheriff’s office.

  Noah is strong and handsome, abs of granite, buns of steel—and, believe me, I know that firsthand—a face that makes every person with ovaries sit up and pay attention, dark hair that turns red as fire in the sun, and have I mentioned the dimples that make me melt on cue each time he’s around? Neither Noah nor his disturbingly good looks play fair. I made the mistake of falling too hard, too fast, giving him my all, and by all, I mean every last carnal part of me.

  I really did think we’d be engaged by now, but his wife strolled back into town about a month ago and quickly put the kibosh on what was left of our so-called relationship. I hate that he seemed to omit that one all-important detail about being legally bound to another woman. And even though he’s since explained that they are in the process of a messy and arduous divorce, I’m still more than slightly peeved about my lack of matrimonial knowledge when it came to the man I loved. Love, but that’s something I can’t seem to help.

  “Yes, cheesecake.” My fist digs into my hips in annoyance. “What did you think we were doing?”

  Noah glances from Everett to me, his anger quickly morphing to what looks to be embarrassment. “I was in the alley. I was going to see if I could help with the delivery and I heard—”

  A dark chuckle bounces through Everett, but it doesn’t last long. “You thought Lemon and I were going at it right here in the bakery.”

  I suck in a sharp breath. “Noah!” Without thinking, I chuck a dishrag at him. “How dare you!” The naughty idea settles in a moment. “And by the way, it’s none of your business what Everett and I choose to do in private. You and I are no longer a thing. We’re nothing more than friends, Noah, so please don’t come barging in on me with your weapon at the ready just because you think I’m getting lucky with something other than cheesecake.” I realize how harsh it sounded as the words left my mouth, but I couldn’t help it. My adrenaline went wild the moment he shouted at us to freeze like we were common street thugs.

  Everett takes another bite of the cheesecake on his plate that I slathered with blueberry sauce. “You really should try this stuff, Noah. It’s to die for.”

  Noah takes a moment to glower at his former stepbrother. It’s true. Way back in high school, Noah’s father both married and financially took advantage of Everett’s mother for a brief time, but, in reality, that was just the beginning of the bad blood between them.

  And, of course, last month Everett and I shared a few steamy kisses. Noah learned about it, and now there seems to be more bad blood than ever. Noah is most definitely jealous of my friendship with Everett. He always has been, but after those heated lip-locks Everett and I shared, all Noah sees is red.

  I can’t blame him. Just look at the good judge. He’s got on a dark wool coat, and his pale blue tie glows as bright as his eyes. Everett has an unfair amount of animal attraction that makes every woman within fighting distance want to take a bite out of him. He’s the strong, silent type, rarely smiles, and has both a magical and menacing appeal about him. And in the short amount of time we’ve known one another, he’s been through just about everything with me.

  Three women dash in through the back door. I recognize Felicity Gilbert, Rhonda Gilbert’s daughter. Rhonda not only owns The Enchanted Flower Shop across the street, but she’s housing a quasi-fugitive at her home—my biological mother, Carlotta Sawyer.

  Wilhelmina—Willow Lancaster walks in as well—Rhonda’s longtime assistant. She’s a short, burly woman with a feisty attitude and yet a sweet smile to just about anyone she sees. Willow is a few years younger than Rhonda, and I’ve always admired her glossy dark hair. We’ve only had a handful of conversations, and yet she’s been in Honey Hollow longer than I’ve been alive, but since she’s been putting up with my biological mother this past month, I feel like I need to take her a big box of cookies as a thank you, or in the least buy her a cup of coffee.

  “Hey, Willow. Here comes the best babysitter in town.” I shake my head wistfully at our inside joke.

  Willow belts out a hearty laugh. “I know all about mothers and, believe me, compared to mine, Carlotta is a treat.”

  Felicity bounces over with a wave. She’s about twenty-seven like me, petite and cute in every classic way, button nose, bright eyes, freckles, and a hea
d full of auburn curls like her mother. “Our moms are outside in the van. We’re on our way to the library, and she said you might need help with the transport of all those cheesecakes you made.”

  The dark-haired girl next to her looks about our age as well. Tall, model good looks, strong cheekbones as if the sculptor were trying too hard, and narrow squinted eyes that look black as night.

  Before I can answer, the girl holds a hand out. “I’m Jana March. Felicity and I were college roommates. I’m house-hunting here in Honey Hollow, and Felicity was nice enough to let me stay with her.”

  “Nice to meet you.” I’m quick to shake her hand. “You can certainly help with the cheesecake. How about you each take a box? My sister, Lainey, is the head librarian, and she’ll direct you where to put them. In fact, I’ll be right behind you.” I load the three of them up, and no sooner do they step out the door than Carlotta steps in, but before I have a chance to greet or scowl at her properly—we don’t have the best relationship just yet—a horrifically large bird, the size of a toddler, a brilliant shade of blue with a red underbelly and a yellow plume on top of its head, starts flying over the kitchen, and I scream bloody murder.

  “Get it out!” The words rip violently from my lungs as I dart for the broom and start batting at it as best I can.

  “Lottie!” Noah shouts. Only he’s not going for the bird. He’s hopping around with a confused look on his face, and his wild eyes are plastered over me as I try my best to shoo that flying menace—gorgeous as it might be, right back out the door.

  “Out!” I scream as I trap it near the pantry. “No birds allowed in my bakery!”

  Carlotta laughs up a storm—but does she offer to help? Nope. That about sums up my bio mom in a sloth-shaped nutshell.

  “Lemon!” Everett barks as he pins me carefully against the wall, his chest panting wild the way it does sometimes after we kiss, and he shakes his head at me just enough. “It’s not there,” he whispers, and I panic.