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

with her long dark hair swinging with a life of its own, those laughing blue eyes. She’s bundled in a green skintight turtleneck that shows off her curves and matching green velvet jeans. For as long as I’ve known this woman—almost a year, since Cormack and Cressida hired her to place a ridiculous hoax of a curse on me—she has always had the same look on her face. It’s a look that suggests she’s privy to some great secret, a look that suggests she has something over me and I can’t quite place what.

“I’ll take this,” I say to Lily as I step over to the obnoxious brunette coming my way. “What’s with the coven congregating today? Let me guess, there’s a shortage of fresh sage now that the snow has frozen the land?”

Serena averts her eyes. “You think you’re funny. We need a dozen or so more of those fresh baked brownies, please.”

Lily raises a hand. “I’m on it, Lottie.”

Serena cinches her lips. “Must be nice to have someone do your bidding.”

“You would know.” I glance past her at Suze, who seems to be having the time of her life—an oddity all on its own. Suze isn’t exactly known for having a good time or smiling in general. She’s the resident sourpuss as far as people go, but with these women, she seems downright jovial. “What are you doing with this crowd, anyway? They don’t seem quite your speed.” She was irritated with Elodie the other day. In fact, she looked irritated with the entire group.

She shrugs. “Maybe I like the fact I can get them to do my bidding.” She gives a little wink. “Maybe I like to beguile them into doing whatever I want.”

“Beguile?” I suck in a quick breath. That’s right! Greer all but confirmed this to me, as did that little haunted meet and greet at my mother’s B&B. “You really are a beguiler! Oh my God, tell me right now if Suze Fox is one, too.”

Her eyes bulge hard before returning to their natural mocking state.

A dull laugh pumps from her. “Why, I don’t know what you mean.”

She starts to turn, and I reach across the counter and grab her by the wrist.

“I know who you are and what you’re capable of.” Okay, so that last part may not be one hundred percent accurate. “Admit it.”

Her bright eyes search my features before she pulls her hand loose from my grip.

“Lottie Lemon, what do you know about this beguiler business of which you speak?”

A silent laugh bucks through me. “All those months ago I accused you of being a witch, and you weren’t a witch after all. You were a true blue beguiler. You have the power to coerce others, and perhaps even things into doing your bidding.”

Her eyes widen another notch, confirming my theory.

“You’re transmundane, further classified as a beguiler.” I nod and watch as her lips float open in shock. “Yes, I know things about you, Serena. Now tell me right now if Suze shares this wickedness in her bones.”

“What’s this?” Suze squawks from my left, and I gasp at the unexpected sight of her. “Did you just call me wicked?”

Serena quickly drifts back to a table filled with women all clamoring to have at my platter filled with fresh baked brownies. Not that I can blame them. There’s nothing as scrumptious as a hot, out of the oven brownie. And it’s certainly something worth smacking a few wrists out of the way for.

Before I can answer Suze, a tall, dark, and handsome homicide detective waltzes through the door with a peppering of snow dusting his dark wool coat.

“Noah,” I force his name out brightly. “Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.”

Suze growls, “Don’t get excited, Noah. I bet she says that to every handsome man whose path she happens to cross.”

“Right.” I glance to the ceiling. “I was just on my way to see you, Noah. Do you have a minute?”

“Not so fast.” Suze is quick to cut the investigative party off at the knees. Much like any party I’m assuming she comes by. “This woman just called me wicked,” she says while wagging a crooked finger my way.

Noah offers a playful frown my way before leaning over the counter and landing a kiss on my cheek.

“Play nice, ladies.” His dimples dig in deep as he looks my way. “If it isn’t the ever beautiful Mrs. Claus. Have you felt the baby move today?”

“Just a little when I got here. Nothing like last night.” And to be truthful, I felt bad that Everett didn’t get a full display of what this leggy little sugar cookie can do.

Suze heads over and straightens Noah’s jacket and clears the snow off his shoulders as if she were about to send him off to catch the school bus.

“I don’t know why you spend time pining after a woman who doesn’t have your best interest at heart,” Suze snips. “Not only that, but one who is rude to your mother. Both you and your brother take after your father in the romance department. If I knew that catastrophe would ensue, I would have kicked him to the curb about a decade earlier. Come to think of it, I probably should have killed him.” She gives a strangled laugh before heading back to the brownie bunch.

A part of me wishes Suze could go back in time and do the deadly deed with her ex. At least then I wouldn’t have to worry about my mother’s finances being hijacked by that wily dimpled man.

“What’s up?” I ask, but Noah’s gaze is very much still set on his mother. “Hello?” I wave a hand over his face. “Earth to Noah. Everything okay?”

“I don’t know.” He takes a seat at the counter, and I offer him a plate full of crullers, chocolate chip cookies, and gingerbread men, right before I pour him a cup of coffee just the way he likes it, extra milk and sugar.

“Noah, what’s going on? You look