Waffles at the Wake (Murder in the Mix #29) - Addison Moore Page 0,5

Face with her finger.

Flo nods my way while chewing her gum furtively. “Ruthless Witches is the all-girl family my witches and I are putting together. I’m the lead. Lo is my right-hand gal, and Donata makes sure our hair looks good.” The three of them bray out a laugh.

“So nice to meet you all,” I say. “Please help yourselves to the desserts. They’re right over—”

Flo’s eyes enlarge with horror at something behind me and the entire lot of us turns to find a tall, lanky man in a suit that looks a bit too big for him, heavily lidded eyes, and a shock of dark curly hair.

Lorena pulls her friend in close. “Come on, Flo. He can’t hurt you tonight.”

Hurt her?

The three of them stalk off, and I turn to find Carlotta embroiled in a conversation with both Connie and Cat. I can’t hear it in its entirety, but I pick up on enough to know she’s telling them all about the book she’s writing at the moment—a book on love and romance. A terrifying prospect if you ask me, but it’s a new venture for Carlotta. We’ll see what happens with it.

Lately Carlotta has been snapping up side hustles like gold coins and dropping them like a used pair of underwear.

Last November, she opened a massage service called A Whole Lotta Touchin’ in her minivan. Then in December, she started selling what she called kinky candles. They were just overpriced three-wick balls of wax, if you ask me. But the book is her latest venture. And as long as it keeps her out of trouble, I’m all for it.

I make my way back to the refreshment table, where both Everett and Noah have stern expressions pinned my way.

“Don’t worry, Lot,” Noah says. “We never took our eyes off you. And Carlotta is right. This place is crawling with mobsters tonight. I’ve already called for backup.”

“Lemon”—Everett pulls me in and frowns—“are there any signs of the dead here tonight?”

I scan the vicinity and crane my neck every which way. Typically, I’ll either see the ghost of a cute little furry creature or a full-blown human just before their loved one bites the big one. But I don’t so much as see a supernatural sparkle.

“Not a one,” I say. “And believe me, I’m more than relieved.”

Everett and Noah exchange a quick glance, but they don’t look all that relieved.

Here’s hoping we don’t start the new year off with a bang.

Or with murder.

Chapter 2

The evening wears on as we seem to race our way toward midnight.

I take a break from dancing with both Noah and Everett to rehydrate myself and take my fifteen hundredth trip to the bathroom for the night. The baby is moving and grooving in my belly and tap-dancing right on my bladder, or so it would seem. And now that I’m in my seventh month, I’m no stranger to just about every restroom within a twenty-foot radius.

By the time I get back, both my mother and her boyfriend, Wiley, are having a conversation with Noah and Everett. Mom has creamy vanilla blonde hair and a mischievous look in her sparkling blue eyes. She’s forever young with a face that’s somehow forgotten to age and she’s always dressed sharply. Tonight, she’s in a blue and silver glittering gown that cuts off just above the knee and looks every bit the stunner she is. And Wiley, well, he’s Noah’s look-alike with the same dark hair, green eyes, and dimples. I can see my mother’s appeal, but his checkered past makes me wish she was past him.

“Oh, Lottie.” Mom wrinkles her nose as she looks my way. “I was just about to invite you to a writers’ workshop I’m hosting at the B&B. It’s all about romance, and who better to give advice on the subject than you? But Noah and Everett were just telling me that you might have jury duty this week. How I hope they don’t select you. Show up disheveled or something, would you? Wear your blouse inside out.” She sucks in a quick breath. “Wear your bra outside of your shirt!”

Wiley nods. “Or shout out an obscenity every few seconds. That got me kicked out once. They tried to arrest me, but I told them I had Tourette’s.”

I can’t help but scowl over at him. Wiley Fox was once married to Everett’s mother, Eliza, and bilked her for a good chunk of her bank account. It turns out, he has a habit of bilking widows out