Eggnog Trifle Trouble (Murder in the Mix #28) - Addison Moore Page 0,90
with me. I’m not going anywhere.”
Mom speeds this way. “Oh, Lottie, before I forget, your mail has been piling up again.” Mom pulls out a stocking from the Santa bag in her hand and gives it to me.
Once my house burned down, I forwarded all of my mail to the B&B, and Everett had his sent to his office.
Mom gives the bells hanging from her necklace a little jingle. “I thought the stocking would be a cute way to make a postal delivery to you, seeing it’s the big day.”
“Very cute indeed,” I say, pulling out a stack of envelopes, mostly bills, and a few Christmas cards intermixed. But one thin oversized rectangle catches my attention with the words official jury summons emblazoned across the front. “Oh, please God, anything but this,” I moan as I pull it in close. “I think I just got jury duty.”
Carlotta quickly runs her finger over the name printed on the front of the envelope.
“Oh, thank God it’s you and not me.” She gives a hard sigh of relief. “Harry, where are you? It’s time to celebrate!” She takes off, and I frown over at Noah and Everett.
“I refuse to do this.”
Noah chuckles. “Sorry, Lot. It’s your civic duty. But don’t feel bad. Even though I’m a member of the Ashford County Sheriff’s Department, I’m not exempt from it either.”
Everett’s lips flicker. “I’m not exempt either. Only active members of the armed forces are exempt without excuse.”
I make a face. “Is it too late to sign up for the Army?”
Noah chuckles. “Look on the bright side. Not every potential juror makes the cut. They may not select you.”
“Here’s hoping.”
Everett’s chest rumbles with a quiet laugh as well. “And on the even brighter side, we might get to spend some time together down at the courthouse.”
“There’s that,” I say without the proper enthusiasm. I’d much rather spend time with Everett down at the courthouse on my own terms.
The night wraps up and we make our way out into the snowy night.
The sound of bells chiming in the distance quiets us down to a hush, and Evie points to the sky as I hold her hand.
“Look at that!” she cries with delight, and we look up to see the silhouette of a sleigh driven by eight tiny reindeer as they glide across the brilliant full moon. And if I’m not mistaken, I see a shimmer of red and green stars sitting in that sleigh right next to the man of the hour, and I do believe that’s Kringle himself.
“Merry Christmas to all!” he shouts in his sweet ghostly bellow. “And to all a good night!”
“I heard it, Mom!” Evie trills as she hops up and down. “Santa is real! We have to get to bed.”
She races off for the van, and Noah pulls me in tightly. “I’ll see you in the morning, Lot.” He lands his hand over my belly. “Goodnight, Sugar Cookie.” And the baby gives him a kick.
Noah takes off, and Everett steals a moment to pull me in close.
“Merry Christmas, Lemon.” His lids hood a notch. “You ready for your big gift?”
My teeth graze my lips as I cave to a smile. “Ready and willing. And I might just have something sweet for you, too.”
Everett and I head home and usher in the happiest holiday of the year, the right way.
It’s a merry Christmas indeed.
Three weeks from now
Monday, 12:42 a.m.…
“Stop your bickering,” I shout as I give a panicked look around at the shadowed evergreens. “Just keep digging.” I can’t catch my breath. I can’t hold onto my sanity another moment longer.
Everett wipes the sweat from his brow, his shirtless body gleaming under a midnight moon. “If anyone finds out what we’ve done, we’re going to lose everything.”
Noah lets the body fall from his shoulder, right into the pit. “Give me the damn shovel and I’ll finish the job myself.”
“I’ll finish the job.” Everett takes a moment to glower at Noah before flicking his gaze my way. “The things I do for you, Lemon.”
And he looks as if he regrets every single one.
*Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed Lottie’s latests adventure. You will not want to miss the next book in the series! Click HERE—> Waffles at the Wake (Murder in the Mix 29) to pick it up today!
My name is Lottie Lemon, and I see dead people. Okay, so I rarely see dead people, mostly I see furry creatures of the dearly departed variety who have come back from the