Murder in the Mix Books 1-3 (Murder in the Mix Boxed Set)

by Addison Moore

  Noah gives my arms a gentle squeeze. “Who did you see? Was it Mr. Rutherford?”

  My mouth opens as I look to Everett and shake my head. “I guess, it might have been. I don’t really know who it was.”

  Everett pulls me into a partial embrace. “I’m glad you’re safe, Lemon. I owe you.” He takes off, and Noah reels me back in.

  “Lottie.” Noah inches his head back so he can get a better look at me. “I’m sorry we had a disagreement.”

  I shake my head and press a finger to his lips. “I’m sorry. I know that you want to keep me safe.”

  His eyes close for a moment, and it feels as if he takes the light from the room. “I was terrified when I found you with a knife to your neck. I’m glad you’re safe, but if I didn’t get here in time…” His Adam’s apple rises and falls.

  “I’m sorry I put you through that. But I’m safe and Collette’s killer has been caught and is officially off the streets.”

  “You did it.” A sly smile creeps up his cheek.

  “But I’m sure you and Ivy were about to close in.” I can’t help but tease him.

  A dull laugh rattles through his chest. “Actually, we just closed in on the perpetrator who vandalized Everett’s place.” He averts his eyes as if his find embarrassed him on some level.

  “Don’t keep me in suspense. Who was it?” My heart starts to drum once again, but it doesn’t have anything to do with the perpetrator—it’s one hundred percent this gorgeous man who’s holding me in his arms.

  “Steven Jenner.”

  “Her brother!”

  “The funeral left him feeling helpless, and he confessed to his mother. She called this morning and apologized on his behalf. There will be a fine, and it’s up to Everett if he wants to file charges.”

  “I doubt he will. He’s pretty forgiving.”

  “Are you?” He winces.

  “Always. The only thing I won’t forgive is if you don’t kiss me right this second.”

  A lascivious grin blooms on his lips. Noah takes my mouth as if he owned it, hot and reckless, and he does very much own it. He can have his way with my mouth, and in less than a month, he can have his way with the rest of me, too.

  We make our way back to the competition just in time to see Crystal Mandrake holding the keys to her brand new cargo van, and I’m okay with it.

  She can have the van.

  Everett can take his rightful place on the bench, and I can have the first good night’s sleep in a very long time.

  Chapter 52

  T here are so many things that I am thankful for, my family, my friends, the special man who stole my heart. But this time of year has me thankful for even the smallest of pleasures, a smile from a stranger, seeing the joy a cookie can bring a child, a cozy fire, a slice of pie, a mug filled with pumpkin spice everything. I am so very thankful for the town I call home, for the people who reside in it, and the fact that now we can all sleep a little bit sounder at night.

  If I’ve found anything to be true, it’s that love conquers all. Noah and I leaped over this latest hurdle. We are still trying to find our parameters, file down the rough edges of who we are. But we’re okay with that as long as we are on our way to becoming who we’re destined to be—together.

  After a breakneck pie-baking marathon, after all three hundred sixty-five pies were picked up—more or less on time—I closed down the shop last night and spent my first full day off from the bakery cooking up a storm in my new kitchen. Noah and Everett helped with the turkey, stuffing, and gravy. My mother brought the mashed potatoes and candied yams, and Lainey brought the green bean casserole—sans Tanner who didn’t bother to show even after he said he would. It’s probably for the best. The less Lainey sees of him the better. And, of course, I baked a couple of pies—two pumpkin, two pecan.

  Noah moans through a bite. “Best pie I’ve had in my life.”

  Everett lifts his fork as he savors a bite. “I agree.” He looks my way. “You should really consider opening a bakery.”

  The room breaks out into a warm laugh.

  Keelie and Nell stopped by for dessert, and Nell laughs the longest at Everett’s little quip.

  Nell lifts her cup of cider, and the rest of us follow suit.

  “To the formidable Lottie Lemon.” Her face breaks out into a series of comma-like wrinkles as she smiles with all she’s got. “You are a wonder, and you have been ever since the beginning. Truly the one who steals your heart will have a treasure to behold, as we all do.” She gives Noah a hint of a wink.

  “I second that.” Mom lifts her mug even higher. “Lottie, dinner was fantastic, dessert is divine—and no more stumbling upon dead bodies, missy!”

  The room erupts into another round of joyful laughter.

  “I’ll drink to that.” Noah touches his glass to mine, and we give a cheer as we sip cider next to a cozy fire, the scent of turkey and pumpkin pie still clinging thick in the air.

  Everett clears his throat. “I’ve got something I’d like to say.”

  The room gifts him our full attention, and even Pancake wags his tail from the sofa, that perennially bored expression of his pinned right on Everett.

  “Lottie, we’ve been through a lot this last month alone. You believed in my innocence even when others brought it into question.” He pauses to glower at Noah. “You not only helped me work through some personal matters”—his quiet gaze says thank you all on its own—“but you helped clear my name by catching a killer. I am indebted to you more than you will ever know, and as a small token of my appreciation, I hope you accept the gift I have for you.”

  “A gift.” I touch my hand to my chest. “Everett, no. You didn’t have to do that. I’m fiercely loyal to my friends. Helping you was something that I felt I needed to do. Really, no gift is necessary.”

  “It’s too late.” He rises and steps away from the table. “If you’ll excuse me, I’d like to go and get it.” Everett takes off, letting in a brutally cold breeze in his wake.

  Keelie presses out a nervous laugh. “Wow, Lot—you get the man, you bake a pie to die for, and you get prizes?” Her eyes tear up in an instant. “I couldn’t think of a nicer person to receive all of the above and more. I love you.”

  “I love you, too. In fact, I love the entire lot of you and—”

  The sound of a horn going off out front stops me cold. It toots three times fast once again, and our attention switches to the windows.

  Lainey runs over and peels back the curtain. “Oh my word. Lottie Kenzie Lemon, get over here like yesterday.”

  The horn toots into the night, and I open the door to see something that I will never forget as long as I live. Parked in the street with the motor idling is a beautiful white cargo van. On the side of the pristine door are the words Cutie Pie Bakery and Cakery. Fine confections, coffee, and more!

  “Essex Everett Baxter!” I shout his name like a reprimand as I race down the stairs.

  Everett comes around and stands next to this mammoth display, and an entire jumble of words gets locked in my throat.

  “It’s my fault you didn’t win that contest last week, Lemon. It’s the least I could do to make it up to you.”

  “No!” My hands cover my mouth as a flood of emotions overtake me. I don’t like to cry in front of anyone, but tears seem to be flowing without my permission. “You have to take this back. It’s too much.”

  My mother comes alongside of me and presses a sweet kiss to my cheek. “Just say thank you, Lottie. It’s a beautiful gesture.”

  My lips part as I glance to Noah, and he gives a hint of a nod.

  “Thank you, Everett.” I dive over him with a solid embrace. “As much as you don’t want the world to know it, you are a very sweet man.”

  “Let’s keep that as our little secret. Among other things,” he whispers.

  “You bet.”

  I take Nell and Keelie, my mother and Lainey for a ride around the block. And when we get back, Noah and Everett haven’t kill
ed one another, so that’s another thing to be thankful for.

  One by one I say goodnight to them all with the exception of my two favorite gentlemen.

  Everett looks to Noah and glances to the house. “You mind if I have a quick word with Lemon?”

  “Not at all.” Noah looks pained but willing to go along with it. “I’ll go stoke the fire.”

  Everett waits until the front door shuts before taking a breath. “I wanted to thank you one more time for helping me out with my dad. You know, I never knew what a weight I was carrying around until I absolved it. He was a special man, and now I realize how lucky I was to have him in my life.”

  “That’s beautiful.” A light flickers behind him, and slowly a familiar form begins to take shape.

  “Just wish I had one more chance to tell him myself. In fact, I’d like to tell him a lot of things. Catch him up on life.”

  I look past Everett at his glowing blue lookalike. It’s as if a blue flame were lit up from within him.

  “You can,” I say. “He’s right there.” I point over at him, and the old man nods toward Everett’s home and begins walking that way. “I think he’s headed to your place. I’m not sure how long he’s allowed to stay now that you’re out of the woods, but I’m betting it will be long enough to hear whatever it is you have to say.”

  A quiet laugh bounces from him. “Wait up, Pops!” he calls out. “I guess I’d better go.” He lands a chaste kiss to my cheek before heading down the street. “Thank you, Lemon. You really are the best.”

  I head back inside, and Noah and I warm one another by the fire while Pancake watches with a disapproving scowl from a pillow on the sofa.

  I steal a bite out of Noah’s lower lip and linger, running my fingers over the five o’clock shadow on his cheeks. “Guess what’s coming right up?”

  “Black Friday. I already know. I’m about to pounce hard on the electronics section of the internet. I’ve already gotten my eye on four different flat screens.”

  “Just four?” I laugh as I wrap my arms around the back of his neck. “I was thinking of something a little more exciting than a television. Like say, something very, very exciting about to take place at the beginning of December?”

  “Ah, yes—the Parks and Recs Tri-City Community Christmas Party. Lainey mentioned that Tanner put in a good word for you and you got the gig.”

  I growl at the sound of his name. “I’d like to think I would have gotten it despite his efforts. But regardless, yes, that is just a hop and a skip away. But I was thinking of what might be happening later that night, after all of my cookies and pies have been delivered.” My fingers walk up his neck, and I trace the outline of his lips. Noah Corbin Fox has full, beautiful, soft lips—exciting, dangerous lips, and I can’t wait to see what he can do with them once they’re taken off their leash.

  “You ready for this, Lottie?” His lids hood low, and there’s a naughty connotation in his voice.

  “Ready and willing,” I say.

  “It looks like we have a lot to look forward to.”

  “We do.”

  Noah crashes his lips to mine, and we sit by the fire, showing just how thankful we are to have one another in our lives.

  Yes, it is a season of thanks—but with Noah by my side, it will be a lifetime of thanksgiving.

  Now if only I can stop the ghosts, the dead bodies, from cropping up in my life, I really will have it all. The last thing I want is a few secrets of the dearly departed variety threatening to stop us before we ever really get the chance to begin. But this kiss right here suggests that Noah and I can never be torn apart.

  The fire growls out with an earsplitting crackle as if it heard, and Noah and I pull apart for a moment. My stomach cinches with the seemingly insignificant action. It’s unnerving, debilitating to think it might have been supernatural.

  I bring his lips back over mine where they belong, and we let the fire in our hearts warm us for the brilliant future that lies ahead.

  Another explosive crackle emits, this time ten times louder than the last, and we pull away again, nervous laughter filling our mouths.

  A part of me believes that Noah and I will have a brilliant future.

  But another part of me says we won’t.

  ***Need more Honey Hollow? Read Gingerbread & Deadly Dread (Murder in the Mix 4) NOW!

  Books by Addison Moore

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  Mystery

  Little Girl Lost

  A Sublime Casualty

  The First Wife’s Secret

  Cozy Mystery

  Cutie Pies and Deadly Lies (Murder in the Mix 1)

  Bobbing for Bodies (Murder in the Mix 2)

  Pumpkin Spice Sacrifice (Murder in the Mix 3)

  Gingerbread & Deadly Dread (Murder in the Mix 4)

  Seven-Layer Slayer (Murder in the Mix 5)

  Red Velvet Vengeance (Murder in the Mix 6)

  Bloodbaths and Banana Cake (Murder in the Mix 7)

  New York Cheesecake Chaos (Murder in the Mix 8)

  Lethal Lemon Bars (Murder in the Mix 9)

  Macaron Massacre (Murder in the Mix 10)

  Wedding Cake Carnage (Murder in the Mix 11)

  Donut Disaster (Murder in the Mix 12)

  Toxic Apple Turnovers (Murder in the Mix 13)

  Killer Cupcakes (Murder in the Mix 14)

  Pumpkin Pie Parting (Murder in the Mix 15)

  Yule Log Eulogy (Murder in the Mix 16)

  Pancake Panic (Murder in the Mix 17)

  Romance

  Just Add Mistletoe

  3:AM Kisses (3:AM Kisses 1)

  Winter Kisses (3:AM Kisses 2)

  Sugar Kisses (3:AM Kisses 3)

  Whiskey Kisses (3:AM Kisses 4)

  Rock Candy Kisses (3:AM Kisses 5)

  Velvet Kisses (3:AM Kisses 6)

  Wild Kisses (3:AM Kisses 7)

  Country Kisses (3:AM Kisses 8)

  Forbidden Kisses (3:AM Kisses 9)

  Dirty Kisses (3:AM Kisses 10)

  Stolen Kisses (3:AM Kisses 11)

  Lucky Kisses (3:AM Kisses 12)

  Tender Kisses (3:AM Kisses 13)

  Revenge Kisses (3:AM Kisses 14)

  Red Hot Kisses (3:AM Kisses 15)

  Reckless Kisses (3:AM Kisses 16)

  Hot Honey Kisses (3:AM Kisses 17)

  Shameless Kisses (3:AM Kisses 18)

  Value 3:AM Kisses Boxed Sets

  3:AM Kisses Boxed Set 1-3

  3:AM Kisses Boxed Set 4-6

  3:AM Kisses Boxed Set 7-9

  3:AM Kisses Boxed Set 10-12

  3:AM Kisses Boxed Set 13-15

  3:AM Kisses Boxed Set 16-18

  The Social Experiment (The Social Experiment 1)

  Bitter Exes (The Social Experiment 2)

  Chemical Attraction (The Social Experiment 3)

  Low Down & Dirty (3:AM Kisses, Hollow Brook1)

  Dirty Disaster (3:AM Kisses, Hollow Brook 2)

  Dirty Deeds (3:AM Kisses, Hollow Brook 3)

  Naughty By Nature

  Heartless (Breakers Canyon Billionaires 1)

  Wicked Heart (Breakers Canyon Billionaires 2)

  Stone Cold Heart (Breakers Canyon Billionaires 3)

  Beautiful Oblivion (Lake Loveless 1)

  Beautiful Illusions (Lake Loveless 2)

  Beautiful Elixir (Lake Loveless 3)

  Beautiful Deception (Lake Loveless 4)

  The Solitude of Passion

  Someone to Love (Someone to Love 1)

  Someone Like You (Someone to Love 2)

&nbs
p; Someone For Me (Someone to Love 3)

  BOXED SETS

  Breakers Canyon Boxed Set (Books 1-3)

  Lake Loveless Boxed Set (Books 1-3)

  A Totally ‘80s Romance (Books 1-3)

  3:AM Kisses, Hollow Brook (Books 1-3)

  3:AM KISSES (Books 1-3)

  Young Adult Romance

  Melt With You (A Totally ’80s Romance 1)

  Tainted Love (A Totally ’80s Romance 2)

  Hold Me Now (A Totally ’80s Romance 3)

  Paranormal Romance

  (Celestra Book World in Order)

  Ethereal (Celestra Series Book 1)

  Tremble (Celestra Series Book 2)

  Burn (Celestra Series Book 3)

  Wicked (Celestra Series Book 4)

  Vex (Celestra Series Book 5)

  Expel (Celestra Series Book 6)

  Toxic Part One (Celestra Series Book 7)

  Toxic Part Two (Celestra Series Book 8)

  Elysian (Celestra Series Book 9)

  Perfect Love (A Celestra Novella)

  Ephemeral (The Countenance Trilogy 1)

  Evanescent (The Countenance Trilogy 2)

  Entropy (The Countenance Trilogy 3)

  Ethereal Knights (Celestra Knights)

  Season of the Witch (A Celestra Companion)

  Celestra Forever After (Celestra Forever After 1)

  The Dragon and the Rose (Celestra Forever After 2)

  The Serpentine Butterfly (Celestra Forever After 3)

  Crown of Ashes (Celestra Forever After 4)

  Throne of Fire (Celestra Forever After 5)

  All Hail the King (Celestra Forever After 6)

  Acknowledgments

  HUGE and hearty thank you for diving into the MURDER IN THE MIX world once again! I hope Lottie and the fine folks of Honey Hollow met and exceeded your expectations and idea of a great time!

  Running hugs to the fabulous Jodie Tarleton for your amazing eyes. You are so very generous and kind. I’m so wonderfully blessed to know you!

  Gigantic thanks to the ah-mazing Kaila Eileen Turingan-Ramos. Please never leave me. I love you.

  To the kind and wonderful Shay Rivera, beta of the year! I’m so grateful you still find time to read my work even though you have full and busy days of your own! Bless your beautiful eyes!

  To my sweet sis, Lisa Markson the Great. You are simply the best.