Page 13 of Poison Apple Crisp
A spray of lavender stars appears by the walk-in refrigerator and I gasp.
“Grandma Nell?” Her name slips from me with such fervent hope. I haven’t seen her since Keelie’s wedding this last June, and I’d love more than anything to have another one of her supernatural visits now that I’m about to be a mother, which she predicted not all that long ago.
But the form that appears is smaller than a breadbox and a heck of a lot furrier than my Grandma Nell ever was. It’s the paranormal Pomeranian I met up with last night, with that cute little smile on her face, button eyes, and adorable ears that point straight to the ceiling.
“It’s you,” I say, dusting her tiny nose with my finger as she swims in close. “Now what’s your name, missy?”
“Ginger,” she squeaks it out in an adorable little voice. “I met Carlotta last night. And I understand your name is Slutty. So nice to meet you, Slutty.”
“What?” A breath hitches in my throat. “No! My name isn’t Slutty. It’s Lottie.Lottie,” I say a touch louder than before. “Leave it to Carlotta to turn everything into a circus, starting with my birth story.” Tears come to my eyes, because soon enough I’ll have my very own birth story to share. I turn my back to the little creature as I struggle to gain my bearings.
“Oh dear, I’m so very sorry! Perhaps I misunderstood.” She floats around until we’re eye to eye once again.
“You heard her clearly, I can assure you.” I dab my eyes with my apron. “Carlotta loves to tease. She doesn’t mean any harm by it. And you’ll have to excuse me. I’m a bit of an emotional mess as of late. I just found out I’m having a baby, and I’m not sure if it’s my husband’s child or my boyfriend’s. It’s just a big mess.”
A sharp bark comes from her. “My apologies, but you caught me off guard. My goodness, I had that very same problem before they fixed me. I had an entire litter of tiny balls of fluff. I wasn’t sure if they belonged to Emmet, my house husband, or my park boyfriend, Nolan.”
I take in a quick breath. “Emmet orNolan?” I give a suspicious glance around the ceiling. “Why do I feel as if someone up there is toying with me?” I take a step closer to the glowing pup. “Well, don’t just float there, whose were they? Am I having Emmet’s litter or Nolan’s?” I shake my head abruptly. “I mean you.” But I really mean me.
“Let’s see.” She tips her tiny head as she considers this. “Emmet was strong and handsome and really liked to lay down the law around the house. Not with me, of course. He had a cute little habit of calling me Berry. That was our surname. We belonged to the Berrys.” Good Lord. I roll my eyes before motioning for her continue. “But then, there was Nolan.” She sighs hard at the thought of him, and I so get it. “He had a habit of policing everyone at the park. We had a great time together, but it turns out, he was keeping a furry little sidepiece a secret from me. Oh, he said they were old news and they were, but the fact he didn’t tell me sooner, it was a seismic shift in our relationship.”
“I’ll say.” I make a face. “Well, if you could do your best to remember, I’d sure appreciate it. I have a feeling it might be the key to my own personal paternal mystery.”
“Is that what I’ve been called here for? And here I thought it had something to do with my sweet Brenda. She could be a bit sour, too, but that was simply her way.”
I nod. “You’re right. You’re here to help me bring down Brenda’s killer. If you can remember anything about last night at all, anything you think might help with the case, please let me know.”
“Will do.”
“Lottie?” Lily calls from up front. “You’ve got people who want to see you.”
I shrug to the tiny poltergeist. “Just a minute, Ginger.” I pull the apple crisps out of the oven and pause a moment to take in their heavenly scent. “You’re welcome to come on out front if you like.”
“I think I’ll head over to your place if you don’t mind. Carlotta introduced me to Pancake and Waffles. I must say, I haven’t had these feelings stirred up since those days of trying to choose between Emmet and Nolan.”
My cheek twitches just hearing her say it.
“I’ll see you later. Have all the fun you like with my cats.” My sweet kittens are a pair of Himalayan brothers. I had Pancake originally, and when Grandma Nell died, I inherited Waffles along with almost all of Honey Hollow and a beach house in Nantucket.
I speed out front, momentarily surprised to see Keelie with baby Bear in an infant carrier sitting on the counter, and gathered around the sweet sleeping angel I find Carlotta, Evie, and Naomi.
“Well, lookie here,” I say, cooing over at the adorable little peanut. “A cutie pie in the Cutie Pie. How about fresh donuts all around?”
Evie lifts a finger. “Cheesecake for me. I’m trying out for cheer, and I need to build my stamina.”
“The cheer squad!” A touch of pride beams from me. “Oh, Everett and I are coming to every single game. We’ll even go to the away games. We won’t miss a single minute.”
Carlotta slits her throat as she stands behind Evie.
And Evie gags on cue. “Never mind. I’m not trying out for cheer. I’d rather poke my eyes out with a butter knife, put them on a skewer, and eat them than spend every Friday night with my parents.” She sticks her finger down her throat to punctuate the sentiment.
“Okay then,” I say. “We won’t go.”
Naomi snorts. Naomi is Keelie’s twin sister, but she chooses to dye her blonde locks a luscious shade of midnight, and she’s got the brooding personality to match.
“Don’t listen to her, Evie,” Naomi offers up her commentary. “Lottie is your classic helicopter parent. She’ll be up in your social junk until you fly the coop to come live with your cool Aunt Meg.”
I take a moment to scowl at Naomi. She’s never liked me. And who the heck knows exactly why. It could be because Keelie liked me better than her. Or it could have something to do with the fact my high school boyfriend Bear slept with everyone but her—and Keelie. And thankfully so, since he’s just married my bestie. Nevertheless, Naomi’s hatred for me is old news.