Noah pulls me close with those dimples of his digging in deep. “I’m afraid I’ve been hit in the eye with—”
“My fist.” Everett blinks a short-lived smile as he frees me from Noah’s clutches. “I’ve done it once and I’ll do it again.” He gives a sly wink my way as the three of us dance to the music. The energy in the room is explosive as the crowd sings along, and soon it seems the entire room is twirling white linen napkins overhead.
Just as it’s finishing up, I see Carlotta leap onto Dom’s hips as she wraps herself around him. Everett curls me into his arms and plants a hot one over my lips. And when we pull apart, we find Carlotta wrapped around Noah’s body, her lips to his as he quickly springs her right off of him.
“Why did that happen?” Noah riots.
“How did that happen?” I ask, pointing in Dom’s general direction.
“I’ve got talent.” Carlotta blows over her fingernails before buffing them onto her dress.
“A talent for misadventure,” I say as something in the back of the room catches my eye—a woman with dark caramel-colored waves that look suspiciously like mine. She turns just enough for me to catch her profile, and a breath escapes me as Everett steps up close.
“What is it, Lemon?”
“It’s her,” I pant. “The mystery woman. She’s here.”
Everett and Noah take off like bullets, and soon they’re lost in the crowd.
Nell’s cryptic words come back to me. Stay on alert. Things are not as they seem. Enemies are lurking where I least suspect them. And finally, tread lightly.
I am on high alert in every capacity.
And I am most certainly hoping things are not as they seem.
Am I seeing a ghost? Some future version of myself that’s figured out a way to come back and haunt me?
An enemy where I least suspect her?
Regardless I will tread lightly.
My stomach seizes up again and I close my eyes and take a slow and steady breath. I might tread lightly, but this baby certainly won’t.
When will this child come into the world? Who is that mystery woman? And who killed Jasmine Albright and Owen Kellerman?
I’m stumped at every turn.
There is simply one mystery too many for me to untangle.
Here’s hoping the clues fall into place soon.
Keelie and my sisters wrap their arms around me.
“Happy babymoon, Lottie Lemon,” Keelie sings.
“See you in eighteen years,” Meg chimes.
“It’s your funeral,” Carlotta quips.
Lainey gives a sorrowful laugh. “Welcome to the leaky boob club, Lot. It’s the best club in the world.”
I nod because I have a feeling she’s right.
My gaze drifts in the direction that mystery woman took off in.
I have a feeling something is definitely not right about that.
We head back to Honey Hollow, and once we turn onto Country Cottage Road, we’re shocked to see dozens if not hundreds of cars parked up and down the street. Every light is on in my new rental and the walls look as if they’re pulsating while loud rap music pumps from the house.
“Carlotta!” I shout as we get out of the van. “I thought you said Evie was having a study group!”
“Don’t you know anything, Lot?” she shouts back. “That’s code for a house-wrecking, booty-shaking kegger.”
Noah growls, “There had better not be a keg in that house.” He takes the stairs two by two as he zips inside.
Everett pulls up behind us and jumps out of his truck. “Hell.”
“Nah, that’s the wrong nefarious place,” Carlotta says, pointing over to a sign that reads Welcome to Cabo!
Everett runs in and begins to roar for everyone to leave and the house quickly drains from every orifice.
“Study group.” I shake my head as Carlotta slings her arm around my shoulders.
“You’ve got a lot to learn about this whole parenting gig, kiddo.”
I have a feeling Carlotta just hit the nail on the parenting head, and the baby gives a swift kick as if he or she agrees.
Lottie
The entire next day, Noah, Everett, and I binge watch every episode and every season of Money on the Med.
Carlotta joins us on this adulterous journey and helps orient us to all of the ongoing plotlines, the who’s who of relevance, the makeups, the breakups, and overall just plain spoils it for us.
“Carlotta, each time you give a spoiler just before something major happens, it sort of ruins the experience. I’m officially evicting you from the living room,” I say as I snuggle on the sofa with my sweet cats, Pancake and Waffles, while Everett sits close massaging my shoulders.
Have I mentioned the man has magic hands?
“No can do, Lottie,” Noah says as he thumbs through a file in his hand. “Carlotta is an avid viewer, and I’ve deemed her a valuable asset to the investigation. I think she should stay.”
“Here that, Lot? Foxy’s in love with me. I knew that smooch would put him over the edge. In my defense, I thought I was necking with Domenico. But that wily kid tossed me in the air like a hacky sack. And if it wasn’t for Foxy’s quick thinking, his big, strong arms, I would have split my head open like a piñata and my marbles would have rolled right out all over the place.”
“Let’s not get dramatic,” I say. “There wouldn’t be that many marbles.”
“She thinks she’s funny.” Carlotta hitches a thumb my way before helping herself to another slice of pizza.
“One with extra anchovies, please,” I say and Carlotta is quick to oblige.
Noah picked up Mangias on his way home from Ashford this afternoon. He went down to the sheriff’s department this morning to see if there were any new developments, and Ivy let him take home a duplicate of the case file.
Everett lands his lips next to my ear and takes in a breath as if he were locking my scent into his body.
“Let’s go over the suspects,” he whispers and sends a
