It’s true, my wedding ring is a stunner, with its emerald cut diamond encrusted with smaller diamonds that drip down the sides. I’m in love with it almost as much as I am with Jasper.
Ember shoots a curt look to my sister. “And you, Macy? Let me guess, you’re far too cagey to let any man hold you down.” I know it for a fact. And don’t think I’m going to let you off the hook with your man-eating ways either. I’m here to grind you down and make you ten times as miserable as you’ve made me.
My eyes bulge upon hearing her heated thoughts.
Good Lord, what has my sister done now? It’s not a secret that Macy Baker is no saint. But is she really that bad of a sinner?
Macy sheds a sour smile. “Why, I’m happily single, Ember, thank you for asking. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a well-established and much-loved business to tend to.” She clears her throat. “Fifty percent off all candles over at Lather and Light!”
Macy zips across the street, and a small stampede follows along with her.
Ember glowers in my sister’s direction, and a cold chill runs through me just looking at the sight.
You will rue the day you ever thought to mess with me, Macy Baker. I’m taking you down or I’ll die trying. Rumor has it, there has been a string of murders in Cider Cove. A tiny smile twitches on her lips. Pity if Macy’s body should turn up next.
A breath catches in my throat as I pull Fish close.
Ember forces a smile as she cups her hands around her mouth. “Seventy-five percent off all candles! Today only!”
Georgie and Juni join in on the feeding frenzy as half of Main Street vacuums into the small little shop.
It looks as if Macy had better watch her back.
And if Ember is smart, she had better watch hers, too.
My sister doesn’t take well to being challenged in any capacity. Something tells me neither does Ember.
Let’s just hope a body doesn’t turn up before the day is through.
A wild wind picks up and blows the leaves over the crowd as if they were confetti.
Brace yourself. My mind picks up on the strange voice, and I can’t tell where it’s coming from or if it’s from a man or a woman. Often, if the mind I’m inadvertently prying into isn’t within my visual range, the voice comes across as a bit androgynous.
You’ll pay for what you’ve done to me. Enjoy yourself while you can. I can promise—this will be the last day of your life.
I gasp as I spin and take in the crowd.
An autumn chill is in the air, and so is murder.
Chapter 2
The wind blows in from the navy Atlantic and sends an icy chill up my spine as I look up and down Main Street at the throngs of bundled bodies all heading toward the gazebo like salmon swimming upstream. In the exact opposite direction, at the other end of this bustling road, sits the Country Cottage Inn, the place I’ve been managing for the last six years. The owner is a wealthy earl from England named Quinn Bennet who lets me have full run of the place while he pays the bills. It’s a match made in employment heaven and I wouldn’t want it any other way.
But right now Fish, Sherlock, and I have drifted from that knockoff shop of my sister’s as we migrate our way down the road until I come upon two familiar, and by the looks of it, happy to see me faces—both of which happen to be holding a platter of apple cider mini donuts dusted with powdered sugar.
“Emmie!” I hop over and pull my bestie into a quick embrace.
Emmie Crosby and I share the same long dark hair, light eyes, and penchant for trouble. We’ve been locked at the best friend hip for as long as I can remember. Not only do we look alike, but we share the same first name, Elizabeth. So in an effort to avoid confusion, we’ve gone through life using our nicknames and have never looked back at our formal monikers.
“Hey, Bizzy.” Leo Granger glides an arm around Emmie’s waist.
Leo is a tall, dark-haired, dark-eyed, handsome stud who happens to be my husband’s best friend. They had a falling-out ages ago that concerned a woman, but they’ve recently moved past it just in time to have Leo as the best man at our wedding. And it just so happens that Leo shares my strange little mind reading quirk—it’s how we met about a year ago. And as of just last week, Emmie is in on our mind reading secret as well.
Emmie leans in, her eyes growing wide as she bites down on a smile. Have a donut, Bizzy. They’re delicious. Emmie is in charge of the kitchen at the Country Cottage Café, and her specialty just so happens to be baking tasty treats like this one. Wink once if you love it.
“I have no doubt I will,” I say, giving her a wink regardless as I snap one up. “Mmm!” I moan through a bite.
Emmie bursts out with a laugh. “I can’t get over this. How could you hold out on me for so long, Bizzy? Think of all the fun we could have had. I could have told you secrets right out in the open. Think of all the tests and quizzes I could have helped you out with. And don’t get me started on the crude jokes I could have been spewing while you were giving your valedictory speech.”
A laugh bumps through me. “I’m just glad you’re still speaking to me.”
Honestly, I didn’t know how Emmie was going to take the news that I was keeping something so supernaturally bizarre from her. But thankfully, she took it all in stride.
Sherlock lets out a bark. Hand one of those donuts over, Bizzy! One
