Baby Bundt Cake Confusion (Murder in the Mix Book 31) Unknown (good beach reads .txt) 📖

He shakes his head. “I’m sorry.”

“AARRGH!” She hoists the cats over her head and shakes them at the ceiling before setting them back down where she found them. “Some Funcle you turned out to be,” she shouts at Noah before turning her wrath on Everett and me. “You’re always throwing a bucket of water on my good time! I hope there’s a plague that takes over the planet and the government locks up everyone in this country in their houses and people like you run out of toilet paper. Then you’ll know what it feels like to be me!” She stomps her way to her room and accentuates her displeasure with us with a slam of the door.

Like that will ever happen.

“Well”—Carlotta reaches over and picks up another sliver of pizza—“her friends and I are sure gonna miss her.”

“Carlotta, you are not going to Cabo with Evie’s friends,” I say with an incensed laugh buried in my chest. “That’s just cruel. And don’t you want to be here to see the baby?”

She squints over at me. “I didn’t stick around to see you, did I? And look how you turned out? Besides, we’re still close regardless. We’re thick as thieves.”

I grunt, “More like felons, but only because we’ve dragged one another into a blunder or two. Fine, it’s mostly me doing the dragging, but that’s beside the point. Carlotta, don’t make this harder than it has to be. No Cabo. What are you going to do on a beach full of teenagers, anyway?”

“Forget the teenagers, I was thinking about bringing Harry. But then, I plan on being so blitzed out on margaritas I won’t even remember who Harry is. Besides, I’ve already got my bikini packed. You wouldn’t want me to go through all the trouble of unpacking now, would you?”

“Yes.” I nod over at her with wild eyes. “Pluck your bikini out of your purse. You’re not going to Cabo. If Evie thinks it’s weird not going, it’ll be twice as weird for her having you there instead.”

Carlotta’s lids reduce to slits as she considers this. “You’re right, Lot. Her friends already like me a little more than they do her. I’ve got what they need.”

Noah cocks his head her way as if he was about to take a stab at it. “An ID that says you’re over eighteen?”

“And a van that fits sixteen of her closest friends,” she says, rising from her seat.

“Carlotta, there are only eight seatbelts in your minivan,” I tell her.

“Why do you think we’re lap sitting?” She tosses her hand in the air. “You’re always throwing a bucket of water on my good time.” She stomps her way to her room and takes a cue from Evie by way of slamming her door.

“Teenagers,” Noah says.

I reach over and take up Everett’s hand. “You don’t think Evie hates us, do you?”

“Just a little bit.” Everett lifts a brow. “But it won’t last long. I’m hoping.”

“At least the fireworks are over for the night,” I offer. “You never did get a chance to answer Carlotta’s question. “What’s the scoop on the dirty judge that was blown away in Fallbrook?”

Everett’s chest widens as he takes his next breath. “It was rumored for years he was accepting bribes from anyone who would give them. But I have a feeling there was a little more to it than that. If he ticked someone off, I’m betting Ariella knows about it.”

“I guess that’s what we’re doing tomorrow,” I say. “Ariella Kellerman, here we come.”

Noah’s phone goes off. “It’s Ivy. She says there’s been a new development.” He hops up and throws on his jacket. “Don’t wait up. This might run late.”

“Catch,” Everett says as he tosses his keys at him. “Take my new ride. I want to throw the Canellis’ death squad for a loop.”

“Sounds good.” Noah shakes his head at the thought. “Lot, if you feel so much as a twitch, call me. I’ll have my phone on.” He jets out the door and Everett’s lips are the ones doing the twitching.

“Well, well, Judge Baxter,” I purr. “It seems we find ourselves alone—something that will soon become a very rare event,” I say as my foot nudges a plate of brownies set on the coffee table. “Are you up for something melt-in-your-mouth sweet that’s guaranteed to keep you coming back for more?”

“I’m in the mood for something a little sweeter than brownies.”

“That’s funny. I wasn’t offering the brownies.”

His lips curve slightly in the right direction. “Lemon.”

Everett lands a heated kiss to my lips and dances us to somewhere a little more private where things take a turn for the carnal in the very best way.

I’m happy to say I was wrong, the fireworks are far from over for the night.

And tomorrow, we’re going to light up Ariella Kellerman’s world until she tells us exactly what we want to know.

Who was so angry with Judge Owen Kellerman, and why did they see fit to lodge a bullet in two different people?

There’s a killer out there who thinks they’ve gotten away with murder, but I say they haven’t.

I might have a baby on the way, but I’m looking to deliver a little justice, too.

Lottie

As the luck of the Irish would have it, the very next day is St. Patrick’s Day.

The bakery was booming and I couldn’t be more pleased. Lily and I had the idea to dye my lemon Bundt cakes green for the day, and they were flying off the shelves at twice the rate than they were already. All the four-leaf clover sugar cookies, iced lime green with lots of green sugar crystals, sold out as soon as a new batch was delivered from the kitchen. We couldn’t bake fast enough to meet up with the demands.

But once evening comes, I don my greenest accoutrements and Noah drives my minivan filled to capacity with Evie, her friend Dash, Dash’s boyfriend Kyle, and Evie’s boyfriend Conner, Carlotta, and me down to Fallbrook