Pecan Pie Predicament (Murder in the Mix #27) - Addison Moore Page 0,46

I shrug over to Noah and Everett. “I mean, if I’m going to eat a salad, I may as well enjoy it.”

“Oh barf, Mom.” Evie gags on cue as the waitress collects our menus and does a disappearing act. “The next thing you know, you’ll be scarfing down macaroni salad by the gallon.”

“What’s wrong with macaroni salad?” I ask.

“Barf, barf, barf,” Evie retorts in return.

Carlotta moans like a dying cow. “Don’t you say that word again, Evie Stevie.” Another hearty moan evicts from her. She looks my way, and her hand does this crazy thing pointing every which way at once. “Ghooooo—”

“Oh my God, I think she’s having a medical episode.” I’m about to jump out of my seat when she shakes her head like mad and points to the bar.

“Ghoooo—”

Evie elbows me. “I think she’s trying to say ghost—as in she’s about to give up the ghost.”

“Ghost?” I suck in a quick breath as I turn to the bar and spot Barry Honeycutt in all his beefy glory trying to ply Greer Giles with hard liquor, and from the looks of all the merriment, it seems to be working.

Evie may not know about my supersensual status, but sometimes I think things would be easier if she did.

Hey? If Barry is here, then maybe there’s a suspect lingering nearby? I twist and turn, and sure enough I spot her. But any glee I might have had over seeing Autumn Frasier here quickly dissipates once I spot her chatting with Cormack Featherby.

“And there goes dinner,” I mutter.

The waitress comes back with all of our food in less time than it would have taken for her to put in the order. Something tells me this isn’t their first turkey dinner of the night. I bet they’ve got an avalanche of turkeys ready and raring to fly right out of the kitchen.

A golden pie brimming with roasted puffy marshmallows lands at a nearby table and my stomach claws to have it, so I put in an order for one of those, too, before the waitress leaves.

Cormack comes up just as Everett and Noah are discussing tactics on how to best attack their meal.

“Oh, Big Boss.” She does her best to scoot in close to Noah, but he holds an arm out.

“Sorry, Cormack. I don’t want to be disqualified before the fun begins. Everett and I are trying to win the free weekly family meal. And seeing that my family is growing, we’re going to need it.” He offers an affable nod my way.

“Cormack”—Everett narrows his eyes over the blonde ditz, his demeanor not nearly as friendly—“what’s this petition nonsense I’m hearing about?”

Cormack gasps and quickly tucks the papers she’s clutching into her designer tote bag.

“Why, I don’t know what you’re talking about, Essex.” She winks his way. “I can’t believe you both fell for the oldest trick in the book. A pregnancy, Lyla, really?” She takes a moment to glare my way. Cormack has never bothered to get my name straight. I’ve long suspected it’s a cheap way to try to get under my skin. Little does she know, she achieves just that with her presence alone. “You really pulled one out of the bottom of the drawer,” she continues. “I suppose you were insecure in your relationships, or you wouldn’t have had to stoop that far.”

“My bio mom tried that tactic,” Evie says. “It never really worked out for her, though. But seeing that I ended up with Dad and you, Mom, it clearly worked out for me.” She shoots Cormack a look. “And don’t you think for a minute my mother is going to leave town.”

Cormack growls over at her, “I almost have double the signatures required to prove she’s a public nuisance. I even got Mayor Nash and Carlotta to sign it.”

I gasp so loud I almost inhale that ambrosia salad without taking a single bite. And, my God, does it look so very delicious. There’s no doubt in my mind my dinner will start there.

“Carlotta, Mayor Nash, how could you?” I shoot them both a beady-eyed look for even thinking about it, let alone doing it.

Mayor Nash moans something out, as does Carlotta, the both of them looking as if they were about to drop dead right this minute.

“Hear that, Cormack?” My cheeks rise her way. “You’ve made them both sick to their stomachs.”

Cormack makes a queasy face herself. “I’ve already seen three people run out of here looking as if they never wanted to see food again. I’m