Page 21 of Donut Disaster
The table gives a collective gasp.
Cookie bellows out a deafening howl. “I knew it. Morgan has always had a propensity to meander toward a pretty girl.”
Both Noah and Everett give a vigorous nod in agreement.
The food is delivered, and I watch, amused, as everyone struggles to bring their food to their mouths.
A jag of lightning shoots across the ceiling, and the entire restaurant breaks out into oohs and ahhs. A peal of thunder roars and grumbles through the speakers as the lights begin to dim again, and it’s right back to eating pizza in the dark.
We wrap up dinner, and Noah graciously offers to pay the bill. Everett drops a wad of cash to the center of the table just as another jag of lightning lights up the room, and Jessica Nicole’s eyes grow wide with greed as she sets her sights on the jackpot. No sooner does the room clap to darkness once again than her tarantula claw starts crawling toward it.
Not this time, missy.
I reach over and grab the empty pizza platter and whack her over the hand with it.
“Ouch,” she howls as Jeremy pulls her in, and I walk behind them just to make sure she doesn’t lift a chandelier on her way out.
We get to the front of the establishment, right back into the sour summer air of Leeds, and squint as we struggle to adjust to the lamp-lit street.
Jeremy and Jessica Nicole take off, and I can’t help but scowl at her for the handy heist she pulled off in front of us.
Noah digs his hands into his pockets as he steps in close. “So, what do you think, Lot? Were we feasting with a killer?”
Lily snorts. “Jessica Nicole is a dodo. I doubt she could figure out how to kill someone, let alone tie their shoe. And didn’t that guy off himself?”
Noah shakes his head. “I don’t think so. And whoever tried to make it look as if he did, didn’t do too good of a job. We found several footprints nearby that led back up to the parking lot, but it’s hard to tell how fresh they were.”
Cormack hugs Noah’s arm, and it doesn’t sit well with me. “There were a lot of people at the lake that day.”
“But only one killer,” I say. “Or killers. Stranger things have happened.”
We say goodnight, and Cormack begs Noah to drive with her so she doesn’t have to make the trek down to Honey Hollow all by her lonesome—and being the nice guy Noah is, he’s quick to acquiesce to her manipulative wishes.
We watch as they take off in the dark together.
Lily shakes her head. “For someone that claims to want you so bad, Lottie, he sure does spend an awful lot of time with his fiancée.” She saysfiancéein air quotes. “Don’t worry, Essex. It looks as if your competition has eliminated himself.”
“Never was worried.” Everett tucks a kiss to my ear as Alex and Lily take off. “How about we head to my place and have our own good time in the dark?”
Noah’s divorce isn’t official yet. Not to mention the fact he’s completely content with Cormack in his life.
“I don’t see why not.”
And we do just that.
Suffice it to say, Judge Baxter serves up satisfaction as well as he does justice.
A good time was had in the dark indeed.
Chapter 7
August in Honey Hollow brings with it an oppressive heat that has a way of seeping in through the windows and making it feel as if not a single air conditioner on the planet is working properly.
It’s the afternoon of Naomi’s naughty book club and I wouldn’t miss this for the world. Lily and I made sure the bakery was well staffed before taking off for the Evergreen Manor. We’ve already sent Keelie ahead of us armed with enough donuts of every shape and size to feed a naval fleet.
Lily read the book cover to cover, twice, and hasn’t stopped rambling about how hot and “smexy” it was. Truth be told, I haven’t had time to crack the cover, but that’s not going to stop me from going because, for one, Cassie Montgomery will be there.
She’s lucky I have a cache of top-of-the-line cosmetics products that have helped disguise that black eye she gifted me—okay, so it’s finally taking on a yellow bruised banana hue, which isn’t all that far from my everyday pale as flour look. But I’m not interested in drudging up our short-lived past. I want to hear all about her relationship with the deceased. She was angry enough to clock me on the night of his murder. But was she angry enough to kill?