it’s altogether different now.
“Promise me you won’t change, Noah.”
“I won’t change, Lot.” He lands a kiss to my cheek. “Get some rest.” He pulls back, and his dimples dip in and out. “For what it’s worth, he’s pretty miserable, too.”
Noah waits until I’m inside before taking off, and I close the door shut as Pancake and Waffles run over to greet me. But before I can pick them up, an odd sight snags my attention.
Carlotta and Greer Giles look to be locked in a wrestling match of some sort with their hands gripping each other’s shoulders rather aggressively.
I glance down the hall, and a seam of light shines from beneath Evie’s door.
“You hussy!” Carlotta belts it out.
Greer growls as she gives Carlotta a throttle, “You beast!”
“All right, enough,” I say. “What’s going on?”
“Turn off the lights, Lot,” Carlotta instructs, and I do as I’m told, leaving a couple of her kinky candles, Berry Christmas and Gingerbread Dream, glowing. I’m pretty proficient in Carlotta’s inventory by now. Of course, Greer is glowing, too, an ethereal shade of blue with a smattering of tiny silver stars shimmering all around her.
Carlotta steps before the painting of that wickedly handsome man in the riding outfit and tears open her blouse, reveling two glowing sacks of flesh that leave both Greer and me turning our heads in haste.
“Come on, hot stuff!” Carlotta shouts up at the unsuspecting painting. “It’s time to rock and roll all night. There are a couple of moves in that kinky mama pamphlet we’ve yet to hit up.”
Greer huffs, “Two can play at that game.” She yanks open that white ruched dress she’s been stuck in ever since the day she was shot dead, and sure enough, there are far too many bare chests within a four-foot vicinity.
“Enough with the rocky mountains,” I say, tossing a throw pillow to Carlotta. “Cover—” A thought comes to me and sends me reeling to get ahold of my phone. “I forgot all about Plum Creek!”
Once I snatch up my phone, I find there’s a text from Everett waiting for me, sent around the time I saw him leave with that mystery lady tonight.
I’m ready for dinner. Can’t wait. Wicked Wok?
My heart breaks just seeing it. But I decide to push that to the side for a moment as I quickly look up Plum Creek, Colorado. The screen populates, and I add Gloria Abner’s name to the mix. A sharp gasp emits from me.
“What do you see?” Greer zips over, as does Carlotta, both of them jiggling far too much flesh for me to look their way, but it doesn’t matter. I can’t take my eyes off the screen.
“Nothing for Gloria Abner, but something for Gloria Markus.” I hold the phone out for the three of us to see as Gloria Abner’s face appears on the screen. “Oh my word. Gloria did this.” I look up at the painting on the wall, right into those dark eyes that look as if they’re penetrating mine. “Gloria killed you, didn’t she?”
The room fills with lightning as the man flies right out of that painting and swoops down toward the three of us with an ear-splitting roar. And just like that, he disappears.
Gloria had a secret—a body—and now I know exactly who that body belonged to.
Chapter 16
Lemon.
I spent all day staring at that text Everett sent this morning. Everything in me aches to respond, but there are no words, not enough letters in the alphabet to convey how broken I am. How hopelessly in love I am with Essex Everett Baxter despite the fact. This is a mortal wound to everything I thought we were. And in the light of day, everything I thought we were is the sharpest kind of lie.
Lily and I spent the afternoon making deliveries to the Evergreen Manor. We went home and changed for the Jingle Hop Ball, and I took extra time doing my hair and face, and putting on a gorgeous black lace and crimson dress I picked up from the Scarlet Sage Boutique. I have no doubt Everett will be here tonight, and I intend on making him sorry he ever thought to step out on me.
My chest bucks at the thought, and I do my best to sniff back tears.
How dare he.
How could he?
Could he?
I shake my head in disbelief as I look around the room, already teeming with bodies. The buffet is set out, and the dessert tables are laden down with every sweet holiday treat I had