Page 2 of Poison Apple Crisp

“I’m Brenda Phillips, head of the Honey Hollow High PTA.” She nods my way. “I believe we spoke on the phone.”

“Yes! Brenda,” I say with a note of enthusiasm. “I have your order all boxed up and ready to go. And like I mentioned, I would have been more than happy to deliver them to you.”

Brenda laughs. “No way. I like things just so. I’m overseeing every detail of tonight’s fundraiser, and it’s going to go off without a hitch.” She turns to the redhead on the right. “That’s a promise.” She looks back my way. “Lottie, this is Cokie Hickman, the principal of Honey Hollow High. And this nitwit”—she gives a wink as she hitches her head to the blonde to her left—“is my right-hand gal.”

“Nice to meet you both. My stepdaughter, Everly—Evie—Baxter, will be attending as a junior this year and we’re all so very excited.” Everett finally helped Evie change her surname from Bentley to Baxter, which is wonderful—with the exception that her middle name just so happened to be Baxter. She’s officially Everly Baxter Baxter.

The principal’s mouth rounds out. “EverlyBaxter?”

I’m about to tell her that nobody dares call Evie by her formal moniker, just as Noah and Everett stride up to the counter.

Noah leans in, unsure as he looks to the redhead. “Cokie Tracey?”

The redhead turns his way with surprise right before she gasps and screams.

“Noah French Kiss Fox! And, oh my living, breathing stars, if it’s not Essex Everett Baxter himself!”

Noah French Kiss Fox?

Essex?

More gasps and screams take place as she lunges over them both.

Lily snorts as she leans my way. “Hear that, Lot? She called himEssex. I’m guessing she gets to call him that for the same coital reason I do.”

I take a moment to scowl over at my partner in baked goods crime. It’s true, Lily has done the horizontal hustle with my shiny new husband, but that was before I came along. And I’m guessing Everett schooled Principal Cokie Hickman long before he ever met either of us.

AndCokie,really? It seems none of the socialites that hail from Fallbrook are named something simple like Linda or Mary.

Lily takes off to pull up the boxes of apple crisps, and the blonde gives me a wave. Her hair is pale as wheat, cropped to her neckline, but a dark line of roots gives away the fact she’s taken to bleaching her locks. That and her dark eyebrows wiggling over her eyes like thick caterpillars. But she’s a pretty girl in general.

“I’m Rachelle Dalton.” A short-lived smile blinks from her. And I can’t help but note how cute she looks in her tight white turtleneck with a black leather jacket over it. She looks polished and chic, and most importantly, dressed for this cool, crisp fall afternoon. “My stepdaughter will be a junior this year as well. And I’m looking forward to seeing a new face in the crowd at the PTA.” She hands over a check made out to the bakery for the exact amount due and I take it.

“Thank you,” I say. “But I haven’t decided if I’ll be a member yet.”

Brenda snaps her head in my direction as a sharp look travels from her eyes to mine. You’d think I just said I still haven’t decided if I’ll be wearing clothes tonight.

“I mean, I’ll try,” I shrug, “but my life is about to get a whole lot busier.”

Brenda laughs as her eyelashes flutter through her bangs. “Welcome to September, honey. It’s nothing but a flurry of paperwork. Isn’t that right, Ginger?” She winks over at Rachelle, but, before she can reply, Noah and Everett step this way with the hussy among them—I mean principal.

“Lemon”—Everett always calls me by my surname, and even though we’re married, I’ve kept my name intact—“I’d like for you to meet an old friend, Cokie Tracey. It turns out, she’s the principal at Evie’s new school.”

“CokieHickman.” She laughs as she says it. Her auburn hair touches down just over her shoulders in chunky vertical curls. Her upper lip hardly has the capability to cover her front teeth, and it looks as if a smile comes easily to her. But it’s those wily dark green eyes that assure you she means business—and somefunnybusiness with my men. “I was married for about five years, but I’m single and looking to mingle, if you know what I mean. So if you know of any good men, send them my way.” She jerks her head toward Noah and Everett. “Either of you up for the challenge?”

Knew it.

Noah laughs. “Lottie and I are on and off.” He depresses those dimples my way as if he were pleading with me not to throw him under the relationship bus.

He’s not wrong. Noah and I have been on and off for a while now, and yet in a strange way it feels as if Noah and I never really broke up at all.

“And what about you, Essex?” She swivels her shoulders his way. And judging by that come hither look in her eye, I can tell she’s ready to head into full-on seduction mode. “Ready for C and E, round two?”

C and E? As in Cokie andEssex?

Gag me.

Everett’s chest bounces with a dry laugh.