Baby Bundt Cake Confusion (Murder in the Mix Book 31) Page 5

  I’d bet money it was, but I’m not saying a word right now. I like to show more than I like to tell.

  We wrap it up and agree to get back to it in the morning.

  I take off for Honey Hollow with an ounce of optimism for my life—first time since my arrest a few weeks back.

  I wish Everett felt the same. If they convict him for something I wrangled us into, I will never forgive myself. Yes, I want Lottie. Yes, I want that baby to be mine. I want Everett to go the hell away, but not like this.

  Nope.

  It shouldn’t happen like this. Everett and I should never have been vying for the same woman once again. But it’s happened. And Lottie belongs to me as much as she does to Everett. I wouldn’t be so sure of it if it wasn’t for Lottie’s grandmother Nell. She came back to Lottie around the same time Lottie conceived and let her know that she has not one but two soulmates—and that I was one of them.

  Sure, most people wouldn’t see that as great news. But I sure as heck did. Lottie and I were together long before Everett dug his claws into her—even though he was there from the very beginning priming her, wearing her down with his unstoppable charm.

  I frown out the windshield as I pull onto Country Cottage Road, the cul-de-sac where I’ve lived the last few years—the best years of my life if I’m honest. The lights are on across the street from my place. That’s where Lottie and Everett have their new rental. I drive past the two plots of land where Lottie and Everett’s old houses burned to the ground, and I still get a chill thinking about that night.

  A silver sedan sits parked on my side of the street and my antennae go off at the sight of it.

  It’s well after midnight. I don’t recognize the car. Maybe someone from the reunion floated over? The headlights kick on and the car fires up in an instant. I speed ahead to get a look at the driver before I’m blinded by headlights, and sure enough, as they whiz by, I spot a woman with caramel waves—same hair as Lottie, maybe a touch darker. My heart thumps wildly as I pull into my garage.

  Who the heck was that?

  And more importantly, what did she want?

  Everett

  Snow. Lots of it.

  I shake my head as I wave Lemon, Carlotta, and Evie off as they head for the bakery. It’s Sunday morning, the sun has broken loose up above, and if you try your best, you might see a hint of blue skies.

  A truck pulls up next door with the words Fisher Construction. Repairs, additions, and more! prompting both Noah and me to head out of our homes at the very same time.

  “Afternoon!” Bear hops out of his truck, looking as if he hasn’t slept in twelve weeks. His hair is frayed in every direction, he’s got bags under his eyes, and his jacket looks skewed as if he threw it on in haste.

  Bear Fisher used to be Lemon’s boyfriend back in high school. He cheated on her every chance he got, and that alone makes me want to bury another body in the snow, but I refrain from the effort since Lemon has decided to forgive him and move on. He’s since married Lemon’s best friend, Keelie, and they have a baby boy, which explains the sleepless stupor he seems to be in.

  Noah comes over with his hands stuffed in his jeans, his golden retriever Toby bounding by his side before he takes off running in the snow over that patch of land I purchased a few months back.

  “All right, Bear.” Noah nods his way. “Spring is nipping at our heels. Are we ready to roll with this thing or what?”

  A few months back, using my questionable wisdom, I hired Bear to build the dream home Lemon and I designed.

  Initially, I had the plans drawn up as a surprise for her, but Lemon put the finishing touches on it. Our new home will be massive and will sit right here over the spread of the last two properties we lived on. I bought her rental place as a surprise, so now we own the land free and clear.

  “I’m ready if you’re done making any changes.” Bear shoots me a look because it just so happens Lemon made a rather significant change last week.

  Since Carlotta is still living with us, and will be for the foreseeable future—mostly Bear’s fault for not getting Nell Sawyer’s old place rebuilt in this century—Lemon needed to expand a few rooms. But I’m betting even when Nell’s place is through, Carlotta will find a reason to stick around. And at this point, I don’t mind. I’d let the entire population of Honey Hollow live with us so long as I get to find Lemon tucked in my bed at night, our bed.

  I shake my head. “You have to admit, adding a private entrance to Carlotta’s room was a brilliant idea,” I say. “And the porch in the back of the house leading from the den will be great, too.”

  Bear grunts as he looks to Noah, “How about you? Did you get a private entrance yet? Or should I tack one onto the master bedroom for you?”

  “You’re hilarious.” Noah frowns over at him.

  “You’re the hilarious ones,” Bear shoots back. “Thankfully, I was the only man running in the baby race with Keelie. Speaking of babies, is the nursery ready?”

  “It’s painted,” Noah is quick to tell him. “We knocked that out a few weeks back.”

  “But it’s empty,” I remind him.

  Noah nods. “The crib’s been in my garage for the last week. We need to set that up right now if we want to make it in time to the B&B this afternoon.”

  Lemon’s mother is throwing her a surprise shower, and both Noah and I were invited to show up toward the end. I ordered that crib Lemon had her eye on, and Noah and I thought we’d have it finished by the time she got home this afternoon.

  I glance to Bear. “By the end of today, we should have everything ready for that baby and then some.”

  “Just like that, huh?” Bear chuckles as if he’s in on some great secret, and he just might be.

  “Just like that,” I say with slightly less confidence than I’d like in the situation.

  “All right,” Bear says as he examines the land before us. “I’m going to start clearing the land, grading it, and getting this ball rolling. I’ll get to work right now.” He takes off for his truck once again, and Noah hitches his head to the side as we take a few steps away.

  “I’ve got news.” Noah glares my way as he says it. “When I came home from the station last night, there was a silver car parked next to my place. I’m positive they were staking out your house.”

  “Do you think it was the Canellis?” My adrenaline picks up a notch. Jimmy Canelli let me know he was putting a hit out on me for messing with his dead niece. “The last thing I want is to put anyone in that house in danger because of me.”

  He shakes his head. “It was a woman. She had hair like Lottie’s, maybe a touch darker. Didn’t see the face. She took off like a bat out of hell. One thing is for sure—she didn’t belong here. Keep an eye out for something strange.”

  My eyes float out to the snowy field before us as Toby runs wild, barking and jumping.

  “I’ll keep an eye out,” I say as my brain tries to map out exactly what this might mean, and I have no doubt it means something. “Let’s get that crib together. I think I want to head out to the B&B a little earlier than expected.”

  He nods. “I was thinking the exact same thing. We should have that bad boy up in twenty minutes.”

  “Try ten. How hard could it be to put a crib together?”

  That woman in the car runs through my mind once more.

  I don’t know what nefarious dealing is afoot this time, but whatever it is, I’m ready for it.

  Lottie

  Honey Hollow is covered with snow, and with the way it’s coming down, there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight.

  But I don’t mind it too much. It just makes our cozy little town that much cozier.

  Evie and Carlotta help me waddle into my shop, with each of them attaching themselves to one of my arms.

  “Hey, watch it,” I say to Carlotta as we stumble through the door. “You’re about to dislocate my shoulder.”

  “Better that than a broken hip, Lot,” Carlotta shoots back.

  The Cutie Pie Bakery and Cakery has been my baby for the last few years, but in just another week or so I’ll have a whole new baby to contend with.

  The scent of vanilla with a hint of lemon is the first thing that hits me as soon as we step into the bakery. The walls are painted a buttery yellow, and there’s an opening from my shop into the business next door, the Honey Pot Diner, also technically my shop since my grandmother Nell basically left me everything in her real estate portfolio when she passed away.

  In the center of the Honey Pot there’s a large resin oak tree whose branches flow over the ceiling of both that establishment and a part of my bakery, and each branch is lovingly wrapped in twinkle lights, giving both places an enchanted feel.

  There’s a smattering of customers in the bakery, enjoying the coffee while noshing on my sweet treats. The shelves are well stocked with all things delicious, and I see both Lily and Suze taking orders behind the counter.

  Since I’m the size of a building, and have about as much energy as a sea slug, Everett and Noah helped me hire a bigger staff around here until I can get back on my proverbial feet after the baby is born. And the way I’m feeling now, that should be at or about his or her senior year of high school.

  It’s stunning to think that just a few short months ago I used to get up before the sun and race over to get the morning baking done all on my own. And nowadays, I more or less feel like a spectator at the bakery, and I don’t like that one bit.

  The customers clear away from the counter and Evie steps up.

  “Is everything ready to go?” she asks as Lily makes big eyes at her.

  “Everything is under control,” Lily says the words slow and measured and a touch too loud as if she suddenly morphed into a robot with her batteries about to run out.

  Evie’s shoulders jump. “Oops.” She glances my way. “I mean, I’d like to order a couple of those cream puff thingies. I’ll be hanging out with Dash in a little while.” She gives Lily a hard wink, and now I know for sure something is up.

  “Good afternoon, ladies,” I say to both Lily and Suze.

  Suze Fox is Noah’s mother. She’s tall, of stalky build, and has short platinum blonde hair that swoops over her eyes in the front and is shorn short along her neck. She wears a perennial frown on her face and has never cared for me all that much no matter how much I’ve tried to get along with her.

  The strangest thing happened last week. Suze said that she spoke to me about working at the bakery. In fact, she said that I suggested the position to her, but the odd thing is that I have no recollection of the incident. I would have thought she hallucinated it, but Lainey said she saw me speaking to Suze that very night. One of us is losing their mind, and sadly, in this equation, it seems to be me.

  “Morning, Lottie.” Lily slides a cup of coffee my way. “Decaf, just the way you like it. I’ve already put the kitchen staff on notice, and we’ve made more lemon Bundt cakes than I care to look at. And don’t worry. Almost all of them were of the smaller individual serving size. I think they’re cuter that way, and we’ll sell twice as many and charge twice as much to do it.”

  “You’re turning out to be a real businesswoman, Lily. I appreciate that,” I say, glancing down at the shelves. “But there are hardly any Bundt cakes out here for people to see. We might want to sprinkle a few more here and there. Things sell better if they’re in abundance.”

  Suze clucks her tongue. “That’s because not all of the Bundt cakes are at the bakery. We’ve already delivered more than half of them to the—”

  “The hospital!” Carlotta shouts as if she were having a medical episode herself. She shoots Suze a beady-eyed stare. “That’s right, Lot. Suze here called this morning and said they were having a big meeting at the hospital. They’re down a few patients, so they wanted some of your poison pie to drum up business.”

  I take a moment to glower at her. “Very funny. What’s going on?” I quickly inspect the four of them and they all have this deer in the headlights look on their faces. “Oh my goodness, something has happened, hasn’t it? You’re keeping something from me!” My stomach tightens again and my hands glide over my belly as I breathe out slowly just the way Serena Digby taught me. Who would have thought the same woman who put a hex on me would have been a saving grace during the most trying part of my pregnancy?

  Serena wasn’t the only teacher in my birthing class. Lainey was her assistant.

  “Mom?” Evie’s voice hikes a notch. “That kid isn’t going to fall out of you right now, is it?”

  “What? No!” I wave the idea off. “Now someone had better fess up. What’s happening around here? And where did all those lemon Bundt cakes really end up?”

  “Fine, I’ll tell ya,” Carlotta barks my way before checking her phone. “What’s this? It’s a note from your mother. She says there’s an awfully big emergency at the B&B and we need to get there quickly!”

  “Oh my goodness.” I grip my belly as it gives me another firm squeeze. “We have to go. Who knows what Cormack and Cressida are up to. Or Wiley for that matter. My God, he could have sold my mother.”

  Lily puts the kitchen staff on alert to take over as both she and Suze take off their aprons and soon we all hustle our way out into the snowy afternoon.

  I’m curious as to what in the world is going on at the B&B, and exactly how my Bundt cakes might play into it.

  What was once the Honey Hollow Bed and Breakfast has horrifically been renamed the Rendezvous Luxury Resort and Razzle Dazzle Day Spa.

  A horrible groan evicts from me as I take in the latest assault to what was once my mother’s adorable B&B.

  “It’s pink!” I howl as if I’ve been mortally injured. No wonder she needed us here stat. But it looks as if the painters are all done with the catastrophe. They must have worked quickly. We’re too late.” The B&B is basically a large boxy mansion with Roman columns, wrought iron balconies, and a sprawling front porch. Mom bought the place with the money from Dad’s life insurance payout when he died, and it’s been her baby ever since—right up until it was swiped from beneath her. And just a couple of years ago, she tacked on a glass conservatory to the back and it affords a stunning view of the woods behind the B&B.

  Carlotta parks in the rear, and I note the back door to the conservatory is open.

  I huff at the sight. “I bet my mother has finally had enough of Cormack and Cressida’s hot pink shenanigans.”

  “No way, Mom.” Evie swings open the door to Carlotta’s minivan as soon as it rolls to a stop. “I talked to Glam Glam this morning and she wishes she came up with half the ideas the dual ditzes have implemented.”

  “You talked to Glam Glam this morning? What did she say?”

  Her mouth opens a notch. “Let’s get inside and ask her ourselves.”

  “Fine,” I say as Carlotta and Evie help me wobble my way through the shoveled walkway. “I’m sure Cormack and Cressi-duh made Glam Glam shovel this walk.” Cressi-duh is usually Evie’s derogatory way of saying her mother’s name, but I’m feeling ornery today and my stomach keeps seizing up like a bowling ball, and now that the B&B is pink, for Pete’s sake. The universe cannot expect me to stand by with a smile on my face.

  A van in the lot catches my eye.

  “Would you look at that?” I point over at it. “The bakery van is already here. I guess Lily and Suze beat us. I wonder why they brought the van? Never mind. I bet Suze told Lily it was cheaper to waste my gas than theirs. That woman knows how to pinch a nickel until it screams for mercy. If anyone should go on a talk show, it’s Suze Fox.”

  “Which talk show, Lot?” Carlotta asks as we’re about to crest the entry.

  “Extreme Cheapskates,” I say. “Suze Fox makes even the cheapest cheapskate green with envy as to what a tightwad she can be.”

  We step into the conservatory as the lights blink on, and just about every woman in Honey Hollow jumps out and shouts SURPRISE!

  The first thing I see is Suze Fox’s beady little eyes glaring at me because clearly she heard every last cheapskate word.

  “Oh my…what?” I press a hand against my chest as I stagger back. “What in the world?” I take a quick look around at all of the colorful balloons sprinkled around the room. Above the refreshment table, giant rose gold Mylar balloons spell out the words baby shower. To the right there’s a table laden with hundreds of my miniature lemon Bundt cakes, and tears come to my eyes just looking at them. Next to that there’s a buffet of finger sandwiches and salads of which most of the women here seem to be partaking in already. In the front of the room there’s a table brimming with gifts, cellophane wrapped baskets, and enough teddy bears to outfit a preschool.

  Next to the refreshment table stands Noah’s look-alike father doling out mama-mosas per the sign perched before him. Wiley Fox has been the resident bartender whenever his services are needed. At least he’s useful for something.

  The sound of cheery music kicks on over the speakers as the women break out into chatty conversations all at once.

  Mom tackles me with a hearty embrace, and I take in the lilac scent of her perfume.

  “Oh, Lottie”—she pulls back and her blue eyes sparkle with tears of their own—“were you truly surprised?” Mom has creamy blonde hair that touches her shoulders, she’s somehow forgotten to age, and always has an upbeat attitude no matter what might be happening around her—case in point, the hot pink couture frock Cormack and Cressida force her to wear around here. Mom has gone from owner to employee in a single bound. But at least she’s still got a free bedroom here.

  Mom sold the place to give Noah’s father money for his publishing house. So far Mom and Carlotta are his only two authors. Mom has transitioned from writing trashy novels to penning steamy beach reads, and Carlotta writes self-help books that teach women how to snag a man. It’s safe to say Carlotta’s been doing extensive research while living with me.