Peach Cobbler Confessions Read online

  It seems the master of ceremonies had it partially right. The Honey Pot Diner was once my grandma Nell’s restaurant and it, much like almost all the rest of her estate, belongs to me.

  The Honey Pot Diner and the Cutie Pie Bakery and Cakery are situated right on Main Street in Honey Hollow. And we just so happen to have a walkway into one another through a shared wall. I suppose if all of these people come to the Honey Pot looking for more of these sweet treats, they’ll simply be redirected my way.

  Noah comes up on me first, and I wrap my arms around him, offering him a hearty embrace.

  “Congratulations, hero!” I shout up over the noise of the crowd as he dots a kiss to the top of my head.

  “Thanks, Lot.” Noah gives a quick glance around. “Before Everett gets here.” He leans in with a serious look in his eyes.

  I suck in a quick breath. “You know?”

  He ticks his head to the side. “It depends on what you’re talking about.”

  “His secret,” I whisper.

  Noah’s lips part, but before he can say anything, Carlotta, Lainey, and Meg stride up and congratulate him on his accolade.

  A sharp roll of nausea bounces through me.

  “Whoa,” I say as I steady myself onto Noah’s shoulder.

  Carlotta leans in. “What’s wrong, Lot Lot?”

  “I just—my stomach just turned, that’s all. I’m fine.”

  Meg steps forward. Meg is a year younger than me. Her hair is dyed a harsh shade of black with navy highlights and her icy blue eyes zero in on my face with a look of worry.

  “You’re glowing, Lottie.” She pulls back and snarls. Meg has a bit of a Goth girl thing going, with her thick black eyeshadow and dark crimson lips, her black leather skirt, and matching bustier. Meg used to work the female wrestling circuit in Las Vegas, but now she teaches the strippers down at the gentlemen’s club their dicey moves.

  Lainey sniffs my way while rubbing her belly. “She’s right. Why are you glowing?”

  Carlotta gasps. “Glowing and sick to your stomach? It can only mean one thing. You’ve been knocked up!”

  “What?” both Noah and I shout in unison.

  Noah pulls back as he examines me with new eyes.

  “Lottie, this baby could be mine.”

  “No, it can’t.” I shake my head. “I’m not having a baby.”

  Lainey makes a face. “You could be.”

  Everett steps up and his warm spiced cologne encircles me just a moment before he plucks me out of Noah’s arms.

  “What’s going on?” He frowns over at the inquisitive faces surrounding me.

  Everett more or less has a sixth sense when it comes to winnowing the truth out of people. It’s not a wonder why he went into law.

  Carlotta snags him by the arm. “Our Lot Lot is going to have a baby!”

  “What?” He inches back a notch to get a better look at me. “Lemon, is this true?” His lips curve as if he wholeheartedly approves—good to know.

  Everett has only ever called me by my surname, and I’ve yet to complain. This man has yet to give me a single reason to complain about anything.

  “No, it’s not true,” I say just as another roll of nausea squeezes my stomach, and I swallow down a groan.

  “There’s my man!” Lainey squeals as she points into the crowd. “Come on, Meg. We need to double team Forest with affection. Congratulations, Everett!”

  Meg sings the same sentiment and they quickly disappear into the crowd.

  “And try not to spread any rumors!” I shout, but it’s no use. A throbbing rock song just started up and the roar of the crowd rose an octave. I’m guessing they didn’t hear a thing.

  Carlotta makes a face. “It wouldn’t be the first time. Just last fall we thought you were knocked up. But then you weren’t sleeping with two men. It was just Foxy in the running.” She slaps her hands together and rubs them. “Things just got good.” She squints into the crowd. “Hey—there’s that poltergeist chick. I’ll go check things out while you discuss your carnal past, dates, times, and positions with these two. Hopefully, you can narrow down the baby daddy before Junior arrives.” She takes off before I can swat her.

  “I’m not having a baby,” I reiterate to both Noah and Everett.

  Everett shakes his head. “What’s going on? Is this like last fall? Did you take a test and it came out positive?”

  “It was Lainey’s test that was positive last fall,” I remind him. “But no, I haven’t taken a test.”

  Noah carefully places his hand on my shoulder. “Lottie, you could be expecting. We could be having a baby.”

  Everett’s face brightens a touch. “Lemon, we could be having a baby.”

  “Never mind the imaginary baby,” I say, desperate to change the subject. “Didn’t you hear Carlotta? There’s a poltergeist among us.”

  Both Noah and Everett groan at the thought. They’re both apprised of my supernatural tendencies and what they mean most of the time. It used to be that when I saw the dearly departed—whether a person or a sweet little furry creature—it meant that someone they loved was about to have a really bad day. But as of late, it certainly means their loved one’s doom, as in murder. And the ghost in question always has a part in helping me solve the crime. And then, just as soon as justice is delivered, the deceased heads right back to paradise where they belong.

  Everett leans in with those serious eyes. “What did you see?”

  Noah smacks him on the side while looking at something straight ahead.

  “Hold that thought,” he says. “Hey, hey!” Noah’s voice amplifies as he looks at someone behind me. “Look who’s here.”

  I turn just as two men enter our midst and I gasp just a touch when I see one of them is the bald, stalky man who was getting his proverbial cookies handed to him over by the dessert table.

  “Dane Gannon?” Noah is first to shake the stalky man’s hand and pull him in. “What have you been up to?” He gives him a quick pat to the back and the man is all smiles.

  “Detective Fox.” He nods over to Everett as well. “And if it isn’t Judge Baxter.”

  They shake hands and I can’t help but note both Noah and Everett keep sneaking glances my way. It’s clear my barren womb has them both under some false, Carlotta-inspired baby spell.

  There’s going to be a homicide, all right.

  I’m going to kill Carlotta for adding this unnecessary drama to my life.

  “Lemon”—Everett holds a hand out to the stalky man—“Dane used to go to school with Noah and me back in the day.”

  Back in the day, Noah and Everett used to be stepbrothers. Noah’s no good father once married Everett’s billionaire mother and took her for a financial ride. Things didn’t end any better between these two temporary stepbrothers either. Noah stole Everett’s girlfriend and things have never been the same.

  Dane gives an enthusiastic nod. “And look at you two, both fighting the good fight.” He pretends to sock them. “Hey, this is my buddy, Kent Noble.” He pulls the older man forward. He’s not that much older than us, maybe in his forties? He’s got a round belly and dark stubble on both his head and cheeks as he sheds an affable smile.

  “Nice to meet you all.”

  Dane ticks his head toward his friend. “Kent’s helping me out of a pickle I’m in.” He plucks a navy cloth with gold flecks or triangles printed over it from the pocket of his suit and dabs his forehead with it as if the mere mention of the pickle were enough to incite a sweat to break out.

  Noah’s chest pumps with a dry laugh. “Some things never change.”

  A man and a brunette pause as they come upon us, and immediately I recognize them. It’s the tall, handsome man that was having an animated conversation with Dane early this evening. And the woman—she’s the one that continued the conversation in the same heated manner. But up close, that handsome man…he looks amazingly familiar.

  Dane pauses as he looks to them.

  And then it hits me wher
e I know him from.

  “Hey!” I give a little hop to go along with my exuberance. “You’re Ridge Porter from Unsolved Mysteries Tonight! I love that show. My sisters and my best friend, Keelie, we’re all addicted. I don’t think I’ve missed a single episode. How do you find all these unsolved mysteries? I bet more than one of them has been solved because of your show.”

  He shakes his feathery dark hair that touches down to the base of his neck.

  “Nope. Not a single one—not as of yet anyhow.” He looks to Dane and sheds an easy smile. “Let’s talk more on that project when you get a chance.”

  Dane lifts his brows as if he were amused. “Noah, Everett, Lemon, this is my buddy, Ridge. And the lovely woman by his side is my girlfriend, Jade Archibald.”

  His girlfriend? Interesting.

  “Hello,” she says in a husky tone that sounds oddly as if she were trying to seduce both Noah and Everett. She swings her hips as she moves in close and shakes both of their hands while her chest is propped up and on display as if she were offering her wares to the highest bidder. Come to think of it, she is trying to seduce my men.

  “I’m Lottie Lemon.” I step before her and hold out a hand, which she hesitantly shakes. “This is Noah, my boyfriend—and Everett, my husband.”

  Her mouth rounds out in confusion.

  Okay, so I probably shouldn’t still be using that line. But for a long time it was true. Noah was my boyfriend, and while we were seeing one another, I may have married Everett so that he could qualify to receive the entirety of his trust fund. It was purely a business transaction, until it wasn’t.

  “Ridge.” Noah smiles over at him. “I think I remember you from back in the day, too.”

  “You’re friends?” My voice hikes with excitement, and just like that, I get a brilliant idea. I pull Noah in close as I look to the two men before us. “Well, then you probably know this big guy is about to have a birthday. And I happen to be hosting a get-together at Honey Lake in three weeks, on a Saturday at seven. You’re all invited.” I make a face at the busty brunette. I’m sure she’ll be there with pasties on.

  “Thank you.” Dane gives a friendly smile my way. “I’ll be there for sure.” Something catches his eye and he squints as he looks somewhere off into the crowd.

  “I’d better get going.” He glances to Noah and Everett. “It was good seeing you guys. I’ll catch you before I leave.”

  He takes off as Ridge and Kent step to the side to have their own conversation, leaving Jade here with a starstruck look in her eyes.

  She leans my way. “So you’re really seeing both?” she whispers as if it were suddenly a secret.

  “Yup.” I make a motion for her to scoot her way in another direction—far away from these two men. “In fact, I might be having a baby and have no idea which one the daddy can be.”

  “Aww.” She moans as she stomps her foot. “All the good ones really are taken and you’ve got two.” Her blue hobo bag slips from her fingers in the midst of her stomping spree and drops to the ground.

  I bend over to help her pick the innards that just spilled out and note what looks like the metallic blue butt of a gun sticking out of the back.

  “I’ve gotta run.” She quickly scoops her purse up and cinches it over her shoulder. “It was nice meeting you,” she says to no one in particular as she darts into the crowd.

  “Did you see that?” I hiss to both Noah and Everett. “She had a gun in her purse!”

  “What?” Everett squints in the direction she took off in.

  “Are you sure?” Noah doesn’t look convinced. “I thought they were having people walk through metal detectors before they let them into the venue? After all, you’ve got a group of ornery judges that need protecting.” He chuckles to himself just as a wiry-haired woman wearing holey jeans and a white T-shirt stalks on over.

  She holds a red Solo cup in front of her, and as soon as she gets within two feet, she chucks the contents of that cup right into Everett’s face.

  “Oh my God!” I quickly work to wipe what looks like water off his chest.

  Security comes up and quickly apprehends her.

  “Take that, Judge Bastard!” she shouts as they muscle her away. “You put Peter Green behind bars even though he was innocent! How do you sleep at night?” she screams as our corner of the convention center quiets down for a moment. “You shouldn’t! Take it back! Do what’s right and help Peter! I hate you!” Her voice echoes eerily as she’s taken down the hall. “I hate you!”

  “Oh, Everett.” I pull a tissue from my purse to dab his tie. “I’m so sorry you just went through that.”

  Noah tracks the woman with his eyes. “I think I’ll make sure she gets off the grounds and doesn’t come back.” He blows a breath my way. “Everett, take extra care of Lottie while I’m gone. She might be carrying my baby.” A look of utter delight takes over his features as he takes off.

  “Lemon.” Everett offers a crooked smile that suggests I might be carrying his baby. On second thought, he has that look in his eye as if he wants to make a baby.

  “Come on, Everett.” I give his tie a tug. “First things first. Let’s dry you off.”

  “I thought you preferred me wet?” He lands a heated kiss to my lips. “You told me so this morning, right before I dried off from the shower.”

  “Everett.” A giggle rises in my throat. “I like you wet on purpose—not accosted by some angry family member of someone you sent up the river. Now let’s get you dry and maybe some of my peach cobbler in your belly.”

  We take off for the dessert table, and I offer him some napkins to go along with that peach cobbler. We decide to head to the front of the convention center for some fresh air and to make sure Noah truly has the situation handled, but before we hit the exit, Carlotta dashes past us, following that woman in red, and both of them are howling at the top of their lungs. Instead of heading for the front, the women take off down a long, dark hall and Everett and I follow them right out through a back exit.

  The ghostly woman lets out a shrill cry and Carlotta mimics her to a T.

  “What is it?” I shout just as Carlotta trips and lands over a mound of—a person?

  Lying on his back with a handful of my cobbler is an all too familiar stalky, bald gentleman who seemed to have more than his fair share of enemies in this building tonight.

  But he won’t have to worry about infuriating anybody else.

  Dane Gannon is dead.

  Chapter 3

  “He’s dead,” I pant as Carlotta tips her head back and begins an odd, rather obnoxious yodel.

  “Carlotta,” I snip. “What are you doing?”

  She huffs my way, “Trust me, Lot. If you’re not caught screaming, they’ll dub you the killer.”

  “You didn’t kill him,” the woman in red pipes up. She’s glowing an unearthly hue of pink and tiny sprays of stars illuminate her crimson hair.

  I couldn’t always hear the dead, but as my powers grew so did their abilities. The latest and greatest shiny new feature is the dead’s ability to fill their ghostly bellies full of whatever they wish. And believe you me, not one spook has complained about that culinary feat. It’s been a calorie-free, all-you-can-eat, supernatural buffet ever since.

  Something about the haughty tone in this ghostly ghoul’s voice, that face, that fire engine red hair—she is just so familiar.

  Oh my God!

  “Wait a metaphysical minute,” I say. “I know you. You’re Collette Jenner!”

  Collette Jenner was one of Everett’s many shady exes who just so happened to bite the big one almost two years ago when someone poisoned her drink. It was a pumpkin spice latte provided from my own bakery, and I just so happened to solve that murder.

  Everett leans back and looks suspiciously at the space around him. “Collette?”

  The flirtatious phantom throws open her arms. “Essex!” She lunges at him, and surprisingly he stumbles from the effort. It’s true. The dead can feel just as
real as they want to. And they can most certainly manipulate objects and people in the material world.

  Carlotta continues with her yodeling routine, and soon we’re swarmed with every public servant under the sun—or more to the point, under the roof of the Ashford Country Civic Center.

  Noah and his partner down at the homicide division, Ivy Fairbanks, a leggy redhead with a no-nonsense personality and perhaps a genuine dislike for yours truly, head this way.

  Noah pulls me into his arms. “Lottie, are you okay? What the hell happened?”

  “He was just lying there.” I glance over at the poor man with a bloodstain over his heart. “I think he—I think he was shot.”

  Ivy growls, “And I see he was eating dessert. Yours, I presume?”

  I cower a moment without meaning to.

  “Hey,” Noah says it curt but low to his partner. “Lottie is in a delicate state. I don’t think this is the time to harass her. I think we both know she didn’t have anything to do with this.”

  “Delicate state?” Ivy tips her head, amused. “Don’t tell me one of your suitors actually managed to plant a seed in your womb. Was it you, Fox? Did you beat Judge Baxter to the paternity punch?”

  “No,” I answer for him. “And before you get excited, it wasn’t Everett either.” I glance around to find that Carlotta and Collette have drifted and taken Everett with them. “Look, I gotta go,” I say, speeding that way.

  “Don’t leave town,” Ivy shouts after me.

  “Collette,” I hiss as I take up Everett’s hand. We found out, quite by accident, some time ago that I act as a conduit of sorts. If Everett holds my hand, he can hear the dead, too. Carlotta shares my quirky gift, so she doesn’t need to hold onto anything, not even her sanity. “What’s a dead girl like you doing in a place like this?”

  Collette scoffs over at me. “Ask the one who gave me the poison concoction to drink to begin with.”

  She’s not wrong. I was the one whipping up pumpkin spiced lattes for an awards ceremony she was being honored at—an event eerily similar to this one.