Wicked Whoopie Pies Addison Moore (the false prince series TXT) 📖

learn she was my grandmother, too. Anyway, that’s why I’ve never called her Grandma Nell. And guess what?” I lean in. “Nell’s ghost visits with us once in a while! I bet she’ll be thrilled to meet you, Charlie.”

She shrugs as if she were indifferent. “Carlotta let me know that Nell knew nothing about me while she was living.” She scoops up the tiny skunk and hand-feeds her a chocolate chip cookie. “You’re not the only one who doesn’t like to share her toys, Lottie. Carlotta is the very same way.”

My heart breaks as I look to my newly minted younger sister. “Can I ask why you call her Carlotta? I mean, I wasn’t raised by her, so that’s why I do it—but I primarily hear you call her by her formal name, too.”

Charlie gives Carlotta the side-eye. “She’s always had me call her that. We moved around a lot. Never made any real friends. By the time I was a teenager, she convinced everyone we were sisters. But I still call her Mama now and again when the mood strikes.”

Carlotta rolls her eyes. “See there, Lot? She’s a rebel. The girl doesn’t know how to listen. She’s got a stubborn will, just like you.”

“Carlotta,” I grouse at the older version of me. “That was cruel. Charlie needed a mom, not a sister. Well, not until now,” I tell the younger version of me. “And I’m sorry you never had anyone to call Mom.”

“I do now.” Charlie strokes her hand over the hungry skunk’s back. “Miranda let me know I could call her Mom right from the get-go.”

Carlotta snaps her fingers. “Miranda Lemon strikes again.” She pats Charlie on the back. “Don’t let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya. Now that you got a mama to write home to, you can boot scoot back to Arizona.”

Charlie glowers at Carlotta so hard I’m half-afraid there’s going to be a fistfight.

I’m still not sure who I’d be rooting for.

“I’m never going back to Arizona, Carlotta. If I were you, I’d worry that a little more of Arizona was coming to Honey Hollow.”

Carlotta sucks in a lungful of air, and if I’m not mistaken, there’s more than a twinge of fear in her eyes.

“What happened in Arizona?” I ask, swooping close in the event they wanted to spill a secret or two.

Carlotta is quick to scoop that ball of black and white fluff out of Charlie’s arms. “Never you mind, Lot Lot. What happened in Arizona stays in Arizona.” She gives Charlie a searing warning of a look, and I can only surmise whatever happened in Arizona wasn’t any good. “Come on, Lot. Stop wasting time showing off your double daddies, your fancy bakery, and mega millions to your poor, unfortunate sister. You’ve got a case to solve.”

I’m not even going there.

“I guess I do.” I pluck the skunk out of Carlotta’s arms and into my own. I’m always surprised by how solid the dead can feel when they wish to. “Hey there, cutie.” I bounce her in my arms. “What’s your name and how did you know Terri Norris?”

“Terri?” She looks around. “Is she here?”

“No, actually,” I rock her as if I were holding Lyla Nell, “she’s gone—as in dead. She was murdered. But you’ve been called back to help solve her case.”

The tiny ghostly being opens her pink little mouth. “Does her case have to do with those delicious cookies?”

“I’m afraid not.”

“Then I’m not interested.” She tosses up a paw. “Terri is the reason I lost my freedom. She decided she wanted to lock me away from the world, away from my family. And I was never allowed any friends. Can you imagine?”

“I can,” Charlie says, snatching the precious poltergeist out of my hands. “It looks as if you and I are going to be two peas in a pod. What should I call you?”

The tiny creatures huffs, “Terri called me Stinky Binky. Can you imagine going through life with a ridiculous name like that?”

Charlie nods as she looks to Carlotta. “Oh, I can imagine exactly what it’s like to have a ridiculous name.” She squeezes the tiny specter. “I think we’ll just call you Binky. No reason to humiliate you each time we say your name. Have another cookie.”

“You know”—I lean their way—“the dead haven’t always been able to eat. I couldn’t even hear them in the beginning, but as my powers grew so did their abilities. And believe me when I tell you, the ghosts have been more than grateful that they can chow down again. I don’t know where the food goes, but apparently, that’s not important. The important part is—”

Carlotta holds up a hand. “The important part is because of you blah blah blah blah. See there, Cha Cha? She can’t stop talking about how special she is. I told you not to come out. I tried to warn ya that there wasn’t a spot of sunshine Lot would be willing to share with anyone. But you just had to come anyway.”

“I did have to come.” She’s right back to glaring at Carlotta. “And you and I both know why.”

The two of them enter into a staring contest, and as much as I want to break up the peeping party and ask Charlie why she had to come to Vermont, I don’t bother. I may not know much about my sister, but I do know she’s not here to make things easy on me.

“Besides”—Charlie snuggles with Binky—“I’m glad I came to Honey Hollow. Not only do I finally have me a mother, I found myself a few friends, too.”

“Like who?” Carlotta’s eyes widen a notch and I have a sneaking suspicion whoever these new friends of Charlie’s are, Carlotta is getting ready to run off and warn them about her.

“Greer Giles,” Charlie says without missing a beat.

“What about Greer Giles?” a voice chirps from behind and we see a dark-haired version of my bestie coming in hot.

“Naomi,” I say a touch too chipper