into the back of her head.
Personally, I’m shocked to see her without the baby, but no sooner do I have the thought than she turns to call out for our mother and I spot Josie strapped to her back.
Meg comes over. “Good work, Lot. Get these women addicted to your buttered bits, and you’ll have a whole new homicide on your hands once the scales stop tipping in their favor. By the way, that homicide would be yours.”
Mom waves her off as she gives my cheek a kiss. “Good work, Lottie.” She takes another bite of the morsel in her hand. “I think we should have a few extra platters of this on hand along with those extra pecan pies I ordered for Everett’s birthday party.”
“Why would we need extra pies?”
“Oh!” She touches her hand to her lips before craning her neck into the crowd. “Chrissy Nash just walked in. I haven’t seen her in almost a week. I have got to come up with a title for my new book, and Chrissy helped narrow down the field with the last two. Here’s hoping she has another title I can steal. She’s a good friend that way. Hey? Reckless Friendships!” She darts off. Chrissy was Mayor Nash’s wife for as long as I can remember, but they divorced a few years back. Fun fact: It was Chrissy he was married to while cheating on her with Carlotta, thus my conception. I sigh just thinking about the shenanigans that brought me into this world.
Speaking of shenanigans, Carlotta trots up. “These are good, kid. I can use these to lure customers into my van. They’ll work better than the chocolate chip cookies. I’m putting in a triple order. Have ’em ready by the time the class wraps up, would you?”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
Reese claps her way to the front of the room, and soon all of the women fall into neat little rows and begin to stretch their limbs out to her command.
Britney comes my way, and her eyes bug out once she spots the butter sensations nearly depleted. Mind you, I can only see one of her eyes actually bugging out. The other is perpetually hidden behind that blonde lock that seems to be adhered to her forehead.
“What in the fresh hell have you dragged in here?” she snips.
Just as my mouth opens to answer her testy question, in stride Cormack and her equally ditzy bubble blonde counterpart, Cressida Bentley—Evie’s mother.
Cressida does a double take and trots my way. “Well, if it isn’t my stand-in. I hear you’ll be ousted soon enough.” She motions to Cormack, who waves over at me with that clipboard in her hand, otherwise known as my supposed undoing.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I tell them.
“You keep believing that.” Cressida’s lips twitch as if she were in on some great big secret. “See you at the party, Lindley.”
“What party?” I ask as she slithers her way to the front of the class.
Cormack dips my way. “Never you mind. Let’s just say there’s nothing available in Honey Hollow for you to buy, rent, or lease. You’re practically run out of town already.”
“I guess I’ll have to live with Noah forever.”
Her mouth opens wide just as Reese shouts for everyone to officially begin the torment, and Cressida appears once again to yank her into the thick of it.
“I can’t stand her,” I growl.
Carlotta chuckles. “I think you’ve found your next victim, Lot.” She snaps up a few more buttered bits and stalks the heck out of here.
Figures. When the workout gets tough, Carlotta gets going.
And to be truthful, I’m not that far behind.
Britney hitches her head toward the moaning melee.
“You’d better get out there or you’re going to miss it. Now that Hannah Banana is gone, this is the only show in town.”
I take a moment to scowl at the thought.
“Britney, you do realize I consider you a friend. I would refrain from saying things like that because it only makes you sound guilty.”
“I didn’t do it. Besides, had I done it, I would have poisoned her shake. That booty-ful nightmare is still haunting me. Do you realize Reese and I had recently developed an entire line of power bars as well as our very own shakes?”
“Reese brought it up the day Hannah died.” I cinch my lips. “Britney, how well do you know Reese?”
“She’s a good friend. She’s staying with me at your mother’s B&B while her condo complex is undergoing some exterior modifications. And before you