Waffles at the Wake (Murder in the Mix #29) - Addison Moore Page 0,15
I hear the dead among us, they can, too.
The noise ramps up, and the wind feels as if it’s about to blow us all right back to Honey Hollow and then with a loud snap the stars fall to the ground.
Standing where that funnel of chaos was a moment ago is a dark-haired beauty sporting long waves, not an eyelash out of place, snapping her gum and laughing while wearing that glittery pink dress with a fresh bullet wound through her chest.
“Angel Face Flo,” I say in disbelief. “You’re back?”
“That’s right,” she snips. “And I’m gonna get the bastard that did this myself.”
With that she up and disappears in a ball of hot pink smoke.
Chapter 4
“Waffles. We want lots of waffles.” Evie gives me a wink as she takes off to a corner table right here in the Cutie Pie Bakery and Cakery. It’s the very next day after last night’s murderous fiasco at the Chanterelle Hotel. It’s snowy and dark, and all around morose. So much for getting the year off to a great start. And have I mentioned the ghost?
But there’s no ghost in my bakery at the moment. I give a quick look around my quaint little bakeshop. The walls are painted a butter yellow, the furniture is mix and match in every shade of pastel, and there’s an opening to the left that leads right into the Honey Pot Diner—my diner if you want to get technical.
When my Grandma Nell died, she felt so bad for keeping my true identity as her granddaughter a secret, she left me all of her land and most of her holdings. Of course, she made sure her children and other grandchildren were well taken care of, but I seemed to get the lion’s share of the real estate, which included the land under my bakery as well. But it was the Honey Pot that was Nell’s baby.
She loved the place so much she had a life-size resin oak tree installed in the middle of the restaurant with its branches crawling over the ceiling, and now they bleed across the ceiling of my bakery as well. And each of those branches just so happens to be wrapped in twinkle lights.
It looks just as magical as Grandma Nell was—and still is. She’s given me more than a few posthumous visits, and I have cherished each and every one.
And at the moment, I’m cherishing the fact my entire bakery holds the heavenly fresh scent of those lemon Bundt cakes I’ve got baking in the oven, not to mention the fact my shelves are filled with every sweet treat I could cram them with.
I’ve got brownies and blondies, croissants, and Danishes, éclairs, and crullers, raspberry tarts, and enough pies and cakes to furnish just about every celebratory occasion this town has to offer.
Carlotta has been here at the counter with me for the last few hours working on her book in which she tackles both love and romance. Evie is here, too, along with her blonde bestie, Dash, and Evie’s two—yes, two—self-proclaimed boyfriends, Kyle and Conner.
Lily comes out of the kitchen with four plates brimming with waffles.
“I’ll take care of Evie and her friends,” she says, snapping up a couple of bottles of syrup with her fingers. “Believe me, I know how embarrassing it can be to have your mother hovering over the table while you’re on a date with a couple of hot guys. And Evie’s boyfriends really are super cute.”
“Cougar,” I tease as she takes off with a giggle.
Carlotta chuckles as well. “Would you look at that, Lot Lot? Mr. Sexy’s apple didn’t fall far from the tree. She’s just sixteen and she’s already roping them in two at a time. And they’re both on the basketball team. Or is it the football team?”
I groan just thinking about it. “Kyle is the dark-haired, lanky kid who plays on the basketball team. Conner is the blond built like a brick wall. He’s on varsity football.”
Carlotta gives a wistful shake of the head. “It’s no wonder our little Evie Stevie went out for the cheer squad. She wanted to cheer for both of her men.”
“Would you stop? She went out for cheer for herself.”
“I’m just calling a spade a spade—or in this case an apple an apple. Hey? I bet I could interview Evie for my new book on how to snag a man. I’ve already got an entire chapter saved for you and your suggestive shenanigans—and let’s be honest, you’ll need two chapters.