Pecan Pie Predicament (Murder in the Mix #27) - Addison Moore Page 0,18
arm, you’re already in deep-fried butter heaven. I’ll put this in and I’ll be right back to take your order.”
Everett’s chest bounces with a silent chuckle as she takes off.
“I’ve got to give it to you, Lemon, your appetite is something to be admired. But don’t worry. I’ll be indulging right there with you.”
“As you should. You just may be the one responsible for giving me this appetite, and that’s exactly why I’m indulging in deep-fried everything.” I give him a quick wink. “But don’t you worry. I plan on having a big slice of Judge Baxter pie for dessert.” And then I remember exactly where we’re living and cringe. “Yikes. I sort of forgot we’re staying at Noah’s. In Noah’s bed to be exact.”
“He’d slaughter me in my sleep if I turned his mattress into a fun zone.”
I nod. “That’s a surefire way of getting the homicide detective to go homicidal. Believe me, he wouldn’t be a fan of mine either.”
His lips curl. “Lemon, he would be a fan of yours if you burned his house down.”
“I burned your house down,” I tease. “Are you still a fan of mine?”
“Cupcake, there’s not a thing you could do to chase me out of your life.” Everett’s lids hood and not for the right reasons. “Too bad the lodge is so far away.”
“Ooh. “ I waggle my brows. “If it wasn’t the start of the busiest time of year for the bakery, I would have insisted we disappear on the weekends. Evie would love it, too.”
Last year Noah wanted to buy a winter lodge up in Hollyhock, but he had an unfortunate medical event. And while he was indisposed, Everett and I stepped in and bought it for him. And now, well, Noah has bought his way in it, too, and the three of us are the happy owners of the Maple Meadows Lodge. It’s a huge chalet that overlooks a lake. It’s stunning in every way, and right about now, it’s tempting in every way, too.
Everett nods as if reading my mind. “And your mother was right. The Evergreen Manor is booked solid. I tried to get Naomi to give us a room, but she said she couldn’t do it until January.”
Naomi Turner just so happens to be Keelie’s twin sister, and as fate and my Sawyer genetics would have it, she’s my cousin, too.
“Mentioning Naomi makes me miss Keelie,” I say. “No sooner did she come back to the Honey Pot after her maternity leave than baby Bear got his first cold and she went right back home.”
“Maybe you should take her to lunch one day? I’m sure she’d love to see you and get out of the house. Now that she has two bears on her hands, I’d imagine life is a bit of a circus.”
“Maybe I will invite her out to lunch,” I say. “I’ll invite Lainey to come along, too. She’s been an emotional mess ever since she had to get back to work herself.” My sister, Lainey, had a baby girl the same day Keelie did, on Noah’s birthday last August to be exact. She is the head librarian at the Honey Hollow Public Library and has dreaded going back to work after her maternity leave wrapped up. “Did you know that ever since Lainey’s maternity leave ended, she’s been bringing baby Josie to the library with her? She keeps her in a papoose strapped to her chest like a tiny little baby bomb. She’s got Forest’s mother hanging around the library all day, too—fake babysitting. At least she can catch up on her reading. I’m not sure going back to work was a good idea for Lainey, or the baby.”
Everett’s brows lift a notch. “What do you think you’re going to do when the time comes?”
“I’m going to…” My mouth stays open an inordinate amount of time. “I guess the bakery is sort of my baby, too. Maybe I’ll pull a Lainey and wear the baby to work like an accessory?” I make a face. “Oh, Everett, I have no idea what I’m going to do. I don’t even have a room for the baby. It burned to the ground a week ago.” Tears flood my vision, and Everett is quick to scoot his seat over and wrap an arm around my shoulders.
“Hey, it’s okay. I’ve got it all under control. Don’t worry about a thing. And if you want to stay home full-time, we’ll hire the best staff in the world to run