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

heave-ho when a thought occurs to me. “I’m thinking about joining the Christmas Angels myself. Where do I sign up?”

Cormack flicks a wrist my way. “Oh, Lou Lou, you can’t just join a coveted league like this one.” Her eyes widen a notch as she nods to Cressida. “You’ll have to undergo an initiation of sorts before we can let you in.”

Cressida chortles like a wild hyena. “That’s right, Luella.”

Both Cormack and Cressida enjoy getting under my skin by mixing up my name with everything that begins with the letter L—with the exception of my proper moniker, of course.

Cressida and Cormack continue to give one another wide-eyed stares and slight nods as if having an entire wordless conversation of their own.

“What kind of initiation?” Evie squints over at the two of them with the look of distrust in her eyes. “Does it involve a snake pit and a game of find the diamond?”

Carlotta zips our way while Mayor Nash takes over the chore of beating both Noah and Everett on the back.

“Does it involve nooses and witches?” Carlotta looks almost gleeful at the thought.

“Heavens no.” Cormack rides her gaze up and down my body. “I would never hurt a woman with child.” Her lips twitch as if maybe she might. “Are you free tomorrow evening? That just so happens to be our next initiation ceremony.”

“Will Candy Brighton be there?” I ask bluntly. I don’t see a single reason to beat around the blonde bush.

Cormack blinks back. “Of course, Candy will be there. She’s one of us.” She winks over at Cressida. “I’ll get the details to you soon enough. Ta-ta for now!” she trills as the two of them sail out the door.

Lily comes over, along with Seven and Naomi.

“Great party.” Lily doesn’t bother to smile. “We’re heading up to Scooter Springs to finish out the night. You and your men up for joining us?”

“I don’t think so. I’m zonked and so are they, but thank you for the offer. It’s nice seeing you again, Seven. Behave around this one,” I tease. “I like seeing your face.”

Seven is tall, bald, and all around studly with his linebacker frame.

“You know where to find me if you need me, Lottie.” He nods my way before looking toward the living room. “You boys got that handled?”

We turn to find both Noah and Everett holding their dukes up as Mayor Nash dances and jabs his fists their way.

“Hey, hey!” Carlotta barks. “Save those moves for later.”

Naomi groans, “Evie, you know where the Evergreen Manor is. I’ll always have a room available for you. I typically don’t deal with runaways, but I see you as more of a hostage situation.”

The three of them take off, and it’s just us now—us being a rather general term.

“Peace out.” Evie dots my face with a kiss before scooping up Pancake and Waffles. “I’m heading to my private paradise. I’ve got a TV, a mini fridge, a queen size bed, and three surprise boxes from your bakery, Mom. I’ll see you on the flip side,” she says as she takes off for her new bedroom.

Carlotta stalks over to Mayor Nash. “Is that a candlestick in your pocket, or are you just glad to see me?” She snatches him by the hand and heads for the hall. “Night, Foxy. Night, Sexy.”

“Hey? What about me?” I tease.

“I’d tell you to sleep tight, Lot, but we both know there’s not going to be a whole lotta sleeping going on here tonight.”

I cringe as I turn to face Noah, but my eyes drift up to that rumored to be haunted portrait of the man cloaked in mystery instead.

“You don’t really think it’s haunted, do you?” I ask just as the lights flicker on and off. A shard of lightning fills the night sky outside the windows followed by a crash of thunder. “Well, there’s that.”

Noah shakes his head. “His eyes follow you everywhere, too. It’s creepy. I’d throw a sheet over it at night if I were you.”

Everett nods in agreement. “I’d keep the sheet over it during the day as well.”

Noah comes over, his dimples digging in. “You don’t really think my mother’s a witch, do you?”

My mouth opens and closes. I’m about to fill them in on that whole beguiler thing, but I end up yawning instead.

“Get some rest. Love you, Lot.” Noah dots a kiss to my cheek before giving my belly a pat. “Whoever you are, whosever you are. I love you, too.”

He takes off, and Everett dips his chin as he gets that dangerously sexy look on his face.

Who am I kidding? Everett was born with a dangerously sexy look on his face.

Everett scoops me up into his arms—one arm mostly—and carries me over the threshold to our new bedroom.

And we break in the house the right way.

One kiss at a time.

Let’s hope I don’t break anything tomorrow night while Cormack and Cressida are hazing me.

I put them out of my mind for now, but every now and again Gloria Abner floats through it like the ghost of homicides past.

If I want to have a holly jolly Christmas season, I’ll have to trace her killer down.

But first, I’m going to trace my lips down every inch of my husband’s body.

And we have a jolly good time all night long.

Chapter 7

The holiday season in Honey Hollow is always bustling. Main Street is thick with crowds, and every shop and business hires a few extra hands to accommodate the ravenous shoppers. Lily and I just closed out the bakery, taking a record number of pie and gingerbread house orders for the day. And no matter how much we’ve upped the production of those eggnog trifles, we still ended up selling out before the day was through. It’s as though the entire country were starved for those holiday-inspired treats, and on top of that, they couldn’t get enough of them.

As soon as I lock up, I receive a text from Cormack letting me know I need to be at