“Lemon”—Everett holds up one of my now infamous chocolate chip cookies—“this is your best batch yet.”
Lily nods. “He’s right, Lottie. That tour your mother sent over nearly wiped us out. We’ve been baking them nonstop ever since.”
“It’s nice to know the B&B is still running those tours—and by proxy mine.” When my mother was the owner of the B&B, she came up with the idea of charging eighty bucks a pop to have people walk through her humble abode while the ghosts that live there scared their socks right off. She called it the Haunted Honey Hollow B&B Tours. And once she was through with them, she’d pack them up on the bus they rode in on and send them my way for what she dubbed as the Last Thing They Ate Tour.
Morbid, I know. But since just about every corpse I’ve stumbled upon over the years had been noshing on my sweet treats, it sort of makes sense, too. Regardless, the tours have been both a hit and a boon for business—my business and what was once hers.
“Best batch yet? You really think so?” I quickly reward him with a kiss straight to the lips, and I don’t mind one bit that he tastes like my chocolate chip cookies. “I’ll tell you my secret, I added a little fresh Vermont maple syrup. I mean, I usually add maple syrup, but I doubled up this time. I’m glad it went over well.”
“It did.” He pecks my lips with another kiss. “You really took them to the next level.” His eyes smolder over mine a moment, and I can tell Everett is thinking about taking things to the next level with me. And we will—in a few weeks. I still don’t have clearance from my doctor to do anything next level that concerns my girl parts. They’ve been through a lot, so I’m not all that surprised they’ve received a medical reprieve.
Carlotta grunts, “Darn tootin’ these are your best batch yet.” She chugs the glass of milk set before her. “I’d better get a box to go. I’ve got a big day ahead of me, and I’m going to need all the tackling fuel I can get my hands on.”
“Where are you headed, Aunt Carlotta?” Keelie shoots me a look because we both know Carlotta’s motives and destinations are always more than questionable.
And yes, after years of being besties, Keelie and I found out that we’re cousins, too. But regardless of our bloodlines, Keelie was family to me long before that. And now that we’re both mothers, our bond is even deeper.
Keelie and Bear just had a little boy about eight months ago, aptly named Bear as well. He’s a cutie and a bruiser. I have no doubt he’ll be erecting houses with his papa one day soon. Hopefully, he won’t be working on my dream home. Bear Senior has a tendency to drag his feet as far as construction projects go. He’s still working on my grandma Nell’s house that I inherited and needed to be torn down to the studs due to black mold. That’s the exact reason Carlotta has been living with me. But Everett and I drove by the other day and it looks just about done.
Carlotta snags a cookie off Everett’s plate. “I’ve got my good name to clear and a case to solve.”
“No way.” I shake my head at her. “You’re not running out and heading into danger. You need a pro.”
Everett inches back to get a better look at me. “I think we finally see eye to eye on the issue.”
I nod. “Darn right. That’s why I’m going with her.”
Both Keelie and Lily belt out a laugh. Not surprisingly Everett isn’t joining in on the cackle fest.
“Lemon.” He dips his chin a moment. “What about Lyla Nell?”
“I’m not abandoning her. Besides, she can come with me. I’ve already thought about it and I need to speak with Kit Knickerson first, the woman with the short brown hair in charge of production? I left my scarf at the studio and I need to pick it up.”
Everett’s cheek pulls back on the left as he scans me with those baby blues. “Did you plant that scarf there as an excuse to go back?”
I suck in a quick breath and both Keelie and Lily laugh all that much louder.
Carlotta waves me off. “Sexy’s got your number, Lot. Throw the man a bone when he’s right.”
“Okay, so you are right.” I can’t help but frown his way. “But you have to admit, that was some serious forward thinking.”
“It was dangerous forward thinking,” he corrects. “But don’t worry. I’ll be there with you when you pick it up. Speaking of picking up”—he motions for Keelie to surrender the baby and Keelie places Lyla Nell right where she loves to be, in her daddy’s strong arms. One of her daddies anyway.
Lyla Nell coos as she looks up at Everett with wonder and he coos right back.
“You own me, Lyla Nell,” he says to her before dotting a kiss to her cheek.
Nothing melts me more than seeing Everett holding the baby, playing with, reading to, changing, and bathing the baby. Neither Everett nor Noah has shirked an ounce of baby duty. Everett even gets up when she cries in the night and does his best to rock her back to sleep, but usually she ends up in my arms because, let’s
