“Because I have a boyfriend.” Maddie forced a sweet smile but inside her stomach flipped. “He wouldn’t like that.”
“Yeah, and he’s big and protective,” Mike said. “He’s the only reason I didn’t hit on you. I did sit with the teenagers on the hill this past summer when they watched you run, though. You should really vary your routine. You had an entire fan club up there by the time school rolled around.”
Maddie made an annoyed clucking sound in the back of her throat. “I’m aware of the group.”
“We brought snacks sometimes,” Mike said, oblivious to Maddie’s irritation. “As for my dating habits, well, I’m a popular guy. I can’t help it if the women love me.”
“Who were you dating right before it happened?” Maddie asked. “Was it one specific woman, or did you overlap your … feminine forms?”
Mike’s smile was so wide it threatened to swallow up his entire face. “I like to overlap everything, honey.”
“Well, great,” Maddie muttered. “I don’t suppose you can give me a list so we can start narrowing down suspects, can you?”
“Um, sure, baby,” Mike said, glancing at his watch. “I have to get back to the gym, though, before the lunch hour rush. We can meet up later to talk about that.”
Maddie tilted her head to the side, confused. “Are you telling me that watch keeps time?”
“I’m telling you that death is a state of mind and you can affect your environment,” Mike replied, flashing a charming grin. “I’ll catch you later, hot stuff. Now that I know all of those whispers about you being able to talk to ghosts are true, I’ll be dropping in on a regular basis.”
“You’d better stay out of my bathroom,” Maddie warned.
“I’ll give it some serious thought,” Mike said. “Later.” And with those words, he disappeared, leaving Maddie with more questions than answers.
“Well, this is a total mess,” she muttered under her breath. “I’m not sure how this even happened.”
9
Nine
“I’m ready to help you to the best of my ability,” Maddie announced when Christy slid into her tent shortly before noon. “I suggest I hold him down while you give him a good kick. If you’re uncomfortable with the actual violence, you can hold him down and I’ll give him a kick. I’ve kicked him before so I’m fine doing it again.”
Christy widened her eyes, amusement flickering across her features, and smirked as Maddie planted her hands on her hips. “What are you talking about?”
“John.”
“What about him?”
Maddie wasn’t known for being rowdy, but she was feeling the need to brawl. “He disrespected you last night. I saw what he was doing with Marla. If you want to know the truth, even though I let him off the hook, I’m not all that happy with Nick right now either. I have no intention of kicking him, but I might tickle him until he cries or something.”
“Uh-huh.” Christy glanced over her shoulder to make sure they were alone. “Have you been in here drinking some of the spiked hot chocolate? I warned Edna to make sure you only got the normal mugs because you’re so addicted to that stuff you’ll pass out if you’re not careful. She said she was on it. I think I’m going to need another talk with her to iron this out.”
“I’m not drunk.”
“You’re acting drunk.”
“I’m acting like a good friend,” Maddie clarified. “A good friend helps when someone needs to be taken down a notch or two. I think both John and Marla fall into that category right now.”
“Okay, you’re definitely on something,” Christy said, patting Maddie’s arm. “Take a deep breath and start from the beginning. I have no idea what you’re rambling about.”
“Last night!” Maddie barked. “Marla was flirting with John right in front of you. John didn’t do anything to stop it. In fact, I think he was enjoying himself. That’s … just not right.”
“Oh, that.” A small smile played at the corner of Christy’s mouth as she tried to refrain from laughing in Maddie’s face. “No one can ever say you’re not loyal. I have to give you that.”
“So, who do you want to go after first?” Maddie asked. “I’m thinking it should be John. We’re used to this from Marla, although she definitely needs a lesson. I think we should put Granny and her Pink Ladies on Marla, though. If anyone deserves that form of hell, it’s Marla.”
“Well, I’m always up for giving Marla hell,” Christy said, grinning. “As for the flirting, though, it’s not a big deal. I’m fine with it.”
Maddie stilled, dumbfounded. “You’re fine with it?”
“John isn’t really interested in Marla.”
“I know that. He’s still disrespecting you.”
“How?”
“What do you mean?” Maddie felt some of her righteous indignation slipping, but only marginally. “He shouldn’t be flirting with other women in front of you.”
“I would agree if we made it official,” Christy said. “We’re just flirting and casually dating right now. Talk to me again in two weeks. That’s when we plan on making it official.”
“But … .”
“Maddie, not everyone declares they’re going to spend the rest of their lives together before going on a first date,” Christy noted. “You and Nick were a special case. You’ve been in love since you were teenagers so it only made sense for you guys to be exclusive from the start of things. Most couples don’t date in that manner, though.
“I like John a great deal, but the truth is I don’t know him all that well yet,” she continued. “We’re still feeling each other out. Quite frankly, I’m glad we’ve had all of these dates that aren’t really dates because we’ve gotten quite comfortable with one another. That’s going to make the official start of dating season so much easier.”
Christy’s words made a lot of sense to Maddie. That didn’t mean she was ready to give up her crusade. “But he was flirting with Marla.”
“Only as part of a game,” Christy pointed out. “He’s not interested in Marla, but he is interested in making me jealous. I would be a lot more worried if he didn’t bother making me jealous. That would mean he didn’t care.”
“But … no. That’s not right.”
“That’s not right in your world,” Christy clarified. “It’s perfectly fine in my world.”
“This is so wrong,” Maddie muttered, shaking her head. “I can’t believe you’re not annoyed by Marla.”
“For the record, I’m always annoyed by Marla. I don’t consider her a threat, though. Anyone who has ever spent any time with her realizes that she’s a complete and total ninny. If John actually picked her over me, I would know there was something wrong with him.”
“Oh.” Maddie pursed her lips. “So you’re not angry?”
“Not in the least.”
“I guess I should stop being mean to John then. That doesn’t mean I’m not going to tickle the crap out of Nick as punishment later, though.”
Christy giggled, genuinely amused. “You have to get your jollies somewhere.”
“I WAS starting to think you weren’t coming.”
Nick greeted Maddie with a quick kiss as she settled at the table beneath the holiday cornucopia tent. They’d agreed to meet on the festival grounds for lunch so John and Nick could continue questioning people when they were done. The location was convenient and warm thanks to the heaters posted by the door.
“We were just having a discussion,” Maddie said, her smile shy as she glanced at John and Christy across the table. They seemed happy to see each other, bright smiles on both of their faces, and they immediately started talking as if they’d been dating for months. “Everything is fine.”
Nick cocked a dubious eyebrow. “Are you sure? I’ve decided that I’m willing to punch my brother if you want me to do it. It won’t be a hardship or anything. He’s always got it coming so I can pay him back for a few things all at once.”
“I’m reserving the right to kick him later
if he doesn’t stop being a pain, but it has been explained to me that perhaps I overreacted a little bit.”
“Really?” Nick was intrigued as he leaned forward. “Who told you that?”
“I did,” Christy volunteered. “I explained that John and I aren’t officially dating for a little bit and if he wants to flirt with Marla, that’s totally his prerogative.”
John narrowed his eyes, confused. “You want me to flirt with Marla?”
“I want you to do what you want to do,” Christy replied, patting his hand. “If you choose Marla over me, though, I’ll be happy to know that you’re crazy before things get too heavy. I don’t want to risk getting Chlamydia.”
Nick snorted out a laugh as he shook his head. “Oh, you’re putting the onus of his bad decisions on John. That won’t end well.”
“You’re telling me,” John muttered, although his eyes were full of mirth as he regarded Christy. “I’m pretty sure only a crackhead would pick Marla over you, and I’m not terribly fond of crack.”
“And people say you don’t have a way with words,” Christy teased.
Maddie pursed her lips, turning slowly when she felt Nick’s eyes on her. “What?”
“What did Christy say to you? It must’ve been good for you to toss out that full head of steam you had when I saw you a couple of hours ago.”
Maddie shrugged. “She merely pointed out that not everyone dates like us.”
“I hope not.”
“I just mean that not everyone says ‘I love you’ before they start dating,” Maddie offered. “I kind of forgot that we’re the exception, not the rule.”
“You’re definitely exceptional,” Nick agreed, pressing a kiss to the tip of her nose. “I’m glad you calmed down.”
“I’m still going to punish you with tickles when we get home.”
“I’m not sure what that means, but I’m totally up for it,” Nick said, sliding an arm around Maddie’s shoulders as one of the waitresses delivered four plates of chicken and fries. “We ordered while we were waiting, by the way. I hope that’s okay. We only have an hour for lunch.”
“That’s fine,” Maddie said, grabbing a fry. “I ran into Mike Robinson’s ghost, by the way. We had a long talk.”
Nick arched an eyebrow, surprised. “He’s here?”
“He is. He’s walking around with a cigar and a beer. I didn’t think it was possible, but he says being dead is a state of mind and he can do whatever he wants. He’s using his newfound freedom to spy on women in the showers at the gym and walk into random bathrooms.”
Christy made a face. “Ugh. He’s more of a pervert in death. I didn’t think that was even possible.”
“I warned him to stay out of my bathroom, but I’m not sure he’s going to follow orders,” Maddie said. “He seems far too happy about his current set of circumstances. He says the only reason he didn’t hit on me before was because he was afraid of Nick.”
“Don’t say I never did anything for you,” Nick teased. “Does he know how he died?”
“No, but I’m not sure that’s going to stick over the long haul,” Maddie replied. “He says he was at Santa’s workshop and leaving by himself – he was trying to decide who he was going to hit on at the bar – and then he heard something on the trail. That’s all he remembers.”
“What about his current dating list?” John asked. “Did he tell you who he was sleeping with?”
“He said that he enjoys all female forms – young and old – and he preferred overlapping those forms whenever possible.”
“Oh, someone had a rough day already,” Nick said, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “You had to deal with two perverts, huh? My poor Maddie. You can tickle me until your fingers fall off later if that makes you feel better.”
“It hasn’t been a great day,” Maddie acknowledged. “Then you bought me chicken and things got better.”
“And that’s why I love you,” Nick said, rubbing his nose against hers.
“Who is the second pervert?” John asked blankly.
“I’m pretty sure they’re talking about you,” Christy answered.
“Oh, well, carry on.”
Christy giggled as Maddie rolled her eyes. The foursome lapsed into comfortable silence as they munched on their food and considered their next move. That only lasted for a few minutes until Alexander Brennan, Laura Brennan’s husband, stormed into the tent and pointed at the man behind the counter.
“I want to know everyone who has been sleeping with my wife,” he bellowed, causing at least twenty heads to snap in his direction. “I want a freaking list!”
“UH-OH.”
Nick and John exchanged dubious looks as they slowly got to their feet. The way Alexander clutched his fists at his sides made them leery of a fight. For his part, Stan Gunderson – the man behind the counter – merely glanced over his shoulder before swallowing hard.
“You can’t possibly think that Laura and I … .”
“I know exactly what you and Laura have been doing, Stan,” Alexander barked, his voice hopping an octave. “You’ve been sleeping with my wife. You and that jackass Mike Robinson have both been sleeping with her.”
“That’s preposterous,” Stan sputtered. Even Maddie had to admit he didn’t put a lot of effort behind the lie. “Mike might’ve been having an affair with Laura, but I respect you too much to do anything of the sort. Who even told you that?”
“I heard Angela Conklin and Daisy Walker talking,” Alexander spat. “They were both sleeping with Mike, too. They wouldn’t stop going on about how they couldn’t believe he was sleeping with Laura because she’s a grandmother.”
“She’s still quite lovely for a grandmother,” Stan intoned.
“I know she’s lovely! She’s my wife!”
“Okay, guys, you need to chill out a bit here,” Nick said, holding up his hands as he slipped between the two men. John wisely shuffled behind Alexander so he could stop him from behind if it became necessary. “No one needs to have a fight in the middle of the winter festival. The town council isn’t going to like that at all.”
Alexander scorched Nick with a murderous look. “This isn’t your problem, Winters,” he seethed. “This is between Stan and me.”
“Yes, but you’re having the argument in front of the entire town,” Nick pointed out. “That means it is my business … especially if you plan on hurting Stan.”
“That sounds good to me,” Stan said. “I’m not in the mood to get my face bashed in. Listen to Nick. He’s always been a smart kid.”
“Then you shouldn’t have slept with my wife,” Alexander howled.
“I couldn’t help it,” Stan said, wringing his hands. “She’s the head elf this year. Those skirts always make my head go loopy. It’s not my fault. It was temporary insanity.”
“I told you those skirts were magical,” John said to Nick.
“Forget about the skirts,” Nick ordered. “Don’t let Alexander kill Stan. We’ll be filling out paperwork until New Year’s Eve if that happens.”
“I definitely need to get one of those skirts,” Christy said, gnawing on her chicken leg as she watched the spectacle. “Did you know those skirts turned on the guys so much?”
Maddie shook her head, her eyes trained on Alexander Brennan. His face was so red he looked as if he was about to pass out. Things only got worse when Mike popped into view, his grin wide as he surveyed the scene. Of course, Maddie was the only one who could see him.
“What did I miss?” Mike asked, sidling up to Maddie.
“Apparently Stan is sleeping with Laura Brennan.” Maddie answered even though the room was packed with people. No one even bothered to look in her direction, though, so she figured she was fairly safe. “Alexander is very unhappy. He said you were sleeping with her, too.”
“Only twice.”
“Oh, well, that makes it better.”
“She was wearing that elf skirt and I couldn’t seem to stop myself. She was keen to unwrap
my present.”
“Shh.” Christy pressed a finger to her lips. “I can’t hear the other side of your conversation and I want to focus on Alexander. I think he might really kill Stan.”
“Nick and John will never allow that to happen.”
“They might not be strong enough to stop him,” Christy pointed out. “He looks pretty ticked.”
He definitely looked ticked. Maddie opened her mouth to warn Nick about Alexander’s shaking fists, but it was already too late because the man launched himself in Stan’s direction, flying over the counter and slamming the smaller man to the ground. All Maddie could hear was a terrified squeak, and then Alexander started throwing punches.
That’s when the rest of the gathered crowd started talking at once, absolute pandemonium breaking out as everyone grouped closer to see the fight – and hear the unending recrimination as Alexander unloaded his misery on the man who had sex with his wife.
“Now this is a memorable lunch date,” Christy said, her eyes sparkling as Maddie hopped to her feet. “We should do this more often.”
10
Ten
“What’s this?”
Nick followed his nose to the kitchen after his shift ended and widened his eyes when he caught a glimpse of the feast Maddie prepared for dinner. There was enough food to feed a small army.
“It’s dinner,” Maddie replied simply, running her finger over Nick’s bruised cheek. “Are you okay? Maybe you should go to the hospital. You took a hard punch.”
Nick narrowed his eyes, annoyed. “I took an elbow to the jaw because John fights like a woman,” he clarified. “I’m fine. Alexander is behind bars, by the way. Stan is pressing charges.”
“That doesn’t really surprise me, but it somehow seems unfair,” Maddie said. “Stan had sex with Alexander’s wife. I think that deserves a good poke. Oh, wait, I heard it as soon as I said it. That sounded dirtier than I initially envisioned.”
Nick chuckled as he wrapped his arms around Maddie’s waist from behind, burying his face in her flaxen hair as he rocked her back and forth. The kitchen smelled like heaven – his version, anyway – and there was something comforting about coming home from a long day at work to find Maddie toiling in the kitchen.
Grave Holiday (A Maddie Graves Mystery Book 9) Page 8
