Page 47 of Donut Disaster
Noah nods in agreement. “He always was a ladies’ man. If he could pick a sendoff, it would probably be this one.”
The girls each take turns strutting up and down the altar, shaking their wares, sassing it up a bit as if this were a Ms. America pageant gone naughty. Then, one by one, they begin to untie the front of their corsets, and before Pastor Gaines can stop them, they pivot on their heels, and with their backs mercifully turned to us, tear open their tops, flashing that picture of Dr. Dawson.
A small segment of the crowd breaks out into wild applause, followed by a more demure offering from the rest of us.
The girls leave.
Pastor Gaines invites us all to have refreshments next door in Carlson Hall, and the room immediately drains.
The three of us rise as Noah cranes his neck toward the back. “Ivy’s here. I think we’ll do a quick walk-through of the hall together. I’ll catch up with you in a bit.” He takes off.
It’s not unusual for Noah and Ivy to scope out the scene post-funerals. In fact, they do quite a bit of snooping in the aftercare area. It’s also not unusual for the killer to attend events linked to their victim. That is, unless whoever killed poor Dr. Dawson already skipped town.
Everett takes up my hand and warms the back of it with his thumb. “How are things going with you and Noah?”
I blink up at him. It’s the very last question I thought he’d ask.
“We’re fine. I mean, we’re normal—as in the same as we were just a few weeks ago normal.”
He ticks his head to the side. “Have you had a chance to get some good heart-to-hearts in there?”
“We walked down to Founders Square the day his divorce was final. It was brutally hot, and I think I melted off every donut I’ve ever eaten. And he came over for tea once we came home from my mother’s. I’m not really sure it was anything special, though.”
“That memorable, huh?” He frowns a bit. “All right, Lemon. I never thought I’d say this, but you should try to make an effort. Get some serious one-on-one time in there. Ask him to dinner.”
“What?” I inch back. “Everett. I don’t know what to say. Besides, Noah should be asking me to dinner. I much prefer to be pursued than to pursue. I mean, I’ve had it both ways, and being on the receiving end feels a heck of a lot better. Maybe he’s outgrown me? If Noah self-eliminated, that might make things a whole lot easier. But then again, it sounds as if you’re trying to get rid of me.”
Everett’s lips curve with wicked intent. “Believe me, I could think of a lot more interesting things to do—and getting rid of you would wipe them all off the table. I just want you to be happy.” Those stormy spheres he sees the world through bear into me. “And you will be.” He lands a kiss to the top of my head. “I’ll make sure of it myself.”
“Aww,” a female voice coos from the aisle, and we turn to find Cassie there with her hands folded over her chest, the look of adoration on her face. She’s clad in black, complete with a tiny pillbox hat and a small veil that covers half her face. “I miss that.” She looks from Everett to me as we make our way over. “Hang onto him,” she tells me. “You never know what the future holds. Some people aren’t meant to be in your life forever. This one looks like a keeper.” She winks at Everett.
“He is,” I assure her as I pick up his hand. “He’s good to me. Too good.” And it makes me feel rotten to the core, but I leave that part out.
It’s true. The more Everett encourages me to spend time with Noah, the more my heart aches for him. If Noah is right, and this is Everett’s strategy, then he is far more brilliant than I ever suspected.
We head into Carlson Hall together. It’s brightly lit, could double as a gymnasium, and has a full kitchen in the back.
“I baked the sweet treats,” I tell her. “There’s even a sampling of all my donuts. I hope you’ll enjoy something before you leave. I’m sure your appetite isn’t what it used to be. At least that’s what happened to me when I was grieving my father.”
“Oh, I can eat.” She nods. “I’ve always been one to eat my feelings, so a donut sounds exactly like what the doctor ordered—pun intended.” She bounces with a laugh.
Cookie bounds in and lands at my feet, barking up at her without hesitation. Not that it means much. Cookie has a tendency to bark up at anyone he thinks might be a suspect. Suffice it to say, the canine judicial system wouldn’t be all it was barked up to be. Okay, not funny.
Cassie hugs herself as she looks out at the crowd. “Any word from those incompetent homicide detectives? Something tells me they couldn’t find their tails if they looked between their legs.”
Everett and I exchange a glance. My blood boils instantly, and suddenly I want to lay into her. How dare she say those things about Noah. They might be true about Ivy, but that’s beside the point. Okay, so they’re not true about either one of them.
“I agree.” Everett rocks back on his heels. “You and I could do a better job at spotting the killer.” He squints her way. “So tell me. If you had to pick the killer out of this room, who would it be?”
“I’d hate to point a finger.” She lifts a brow his way as if she were trying to seduce him.
“You’re always an option yourself.” He doesn’t mind telling her.
She grunts, “No way. I didn’t kill him. Why would I?”
Cookie barks sharper than before. “She’s holding something back. Grill her for Morgan’s sake.”
“Why wouldn’t you?” I can’t help but toss it out there as the din of voices rises around us and bursts of laughter break out as if we were suddenly at a dinner party. “I mean, I’ve had boyfriends cheat on me. I have to admit, once I found out, it wasn’t pretty. I don’t do rejection very well. Just the thought of me not being enough for them left me both heartbroken and furious. A couple of times I was blind with rage. I guess I could have been capable of anything.”