Murder in the Mix Boxed Set 28-30: Cozy Mystery Addison Moore (the reading strategies book .txt) 📖

“Fine.” She makes a face. “My head is killing me anyway.” She links arms with Ivy, and Ivy’s eyes widen with horror. “Now that I’m a detective myself, we have a lot to talk about.”

They take off, and Everett looks to Noah.

“Ivy may never forgive you.”

“I don’t care.” He winces as he slings his legs over the side of the bed. “I’m just glad that nightmare is over.”

Everett purses his lips. “Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched. I’ll go see about getting you out of here.” He takes off, and I scoot in close to Noah and nuzzle my head to his neck.

“I’m sorry, Noah. I’m going to make this up to you. I don’t know what I would have done if something happened to you.”

He tips my chin his way with his finger, and I can see tears glowing in his eyes like shards.

“You still love me,” he whispers.

“I will love you forever, Noah Fox.”

He presses out a sorrowful smile. “I’d take a thousand bullets just to hear that again and again.” He dots a kiss to my cheek. “Thank you for that.”

We get Noah back to Country Cottage Road, but he asks to hang out at our place. He said he’s determined to see his niece come back from the Winter Formal. So the three of us—four counting Carlotta, five counting the baby—chow down on Noah’s favorite double pepperoni pizza from Mangias and watch a movie while a fire blazes in the background.

I’ve got Everett on my right and Noah on my left as the three of us get cozy on the sofa. Both Pancake and Waffles do their best to sit in what’s left of my lap while Toby sits dutifully by Noah’s feet.

Carlotta is working feverishly on her laptop, stealing glances my way every now and again.

“How’s your book coming along?” I ask while patting my belly. It turns out, the baby is a big fan of Mangias pizza and loves to give a kick of approval every now and again.

“I’m all done. Wiley’s agreed to publish it for me as a friend, but he hasn’t agreed to take me on as a client, so I’ve really got to dazzle him if I want to make a career out of this, Lot. I’m just polishing up the chapter on throuples. Believe me, the three of you have been a bigger help than you can imagine.”

Everett glances her way. “Keep our names out of it.”

“Oh, I have,” Carlotta is quick to inform us. “I have a disclaimer right up front that I’ve changed the names and places as to protect the innocent.”

“Okay, let’s hear it,” I say. “What’s our cover?”

“Sexy, Foxy, and Naughty Clemon.”

“Carlotta,” I groan at the thought of a thinly veiled tell-all on the horizon.

Noah shakes his head. “My last name is Fox. It’s too easy.”

Carlotta shrugs. “Sorry, Foxy, it’s staying. I conferred with my attorney, and he said it was fine.” She shoots Everett with her fingers. “Thanks for the free legal advice, Sexy.”

“Everett?” A somewhat amused laugh escapes me.

He shrugs. “I thought she was just writing about Noah. And”—he winces—“she’s still within the bounds of the law.”

“See?” Carlotta says it with glee. “Trust me, no one will put two hot studs and one knocked up mama together. Besides, I said the three of you were from Funny Hollow. What genius is going to crack that code?”

A moan strums from me. “Do whatever you want, Carlotta. We’ve got bigger fish to fry. Noah, are you up for talking about the case?”

“Yup.” He gives Pancake a quick scratch on his head. “Is Flo here?”

Carlotta and I exchange a glance because neither of us has seen the shifty specter.

“No.” I pull the cats in close until their tails are whipping my nose alternately. “You would think having the murder victim come back to help find their killer would make things a piece of cake.”

Carlotta grunts, “More like a cake made of flour and hard liquor. You have a good time shoveling it in, but you regret it come morning.”

Everett glides his arm around my waist and pulls me his way a notch as I snuggle against him.

“She was shoveling something our way, all right.” He blows out a breath.

Noah glances his way. “I know what you’re thinking. I’m the one that bought into it. I could have stopped it, Lottie. But here we are. And I want to assure each of you, I’m going to singlehandedly take care of Flo’s body. I got us into this, and I’m going to get us out of it.”

“Noah.” I give the scruff on his cheek a quick scratch. “You are not responsible. It was solely me, but good try. I had the final say. And you’re not moving her body by yourself. You’re down an arm. I’ll help you.”

“Right, Lot.” Carlotta guffaws as if it was the funniest thing on earth. “I can see it now—Gimpy and Preggo starring in Night of the Living Dead in Honey Hollow.”

“She’s right.” Everett offers a stern look to Noah and me. “Neither of you is going to move that body an inch. Actually, this entire nightmare is officially done for the two of you. I’m taking over.”

“Like you should’ve done to begin with,” Carlotta adds. “You know you wanted to tack that little tidbit on,” she says to Everett. “I’ll help you with the body. Now that we got the weak links out of the way, you and I can get a move on with what needs to be done. We’re going to make a great team—just you and me, Sexy. We both know we’re the brains of this organization. The only thing these two are good at is rutting like a couple of rabbits. ”

Everett’s brows dip down in a hard V. “I’m pretty good at that, too.”

“Don’t I know it.” Carlotta gives a wistful tick of the head. “And believe me, you scored