A truck pulls up next door with the words Fisher Construction. Repairs, additions, and more! prompting both Noah and me to head out of our homes at the very same time.
“Afternoon!” Bear hops out of his truck, looking as if he hasn’t slept in twelve weeks. His hair is frayed in every direction, he’s got bags under his eyes, and his jacket looks skewed as if he threw it on in haste.
Bear Fisher used to be Lemon’s boyfriend back in high school. He cheated on her every chance he got, and that alone makes me want to bury another body in the snow, but I refrain from the effort since Lemon has decided to forgive him and move on. He’s since married Lemon’s best friend, Keelie, and they have a baby boy, which explains the sleepless stupor he seems to be in.
Noah comes over with his hands stuffed in his jeans, his golden retriever Toby bounding by his side before he takes off running in the snow over that patch of land I purchased a few months back.
“All right, Bear.” Noah nods his way. “Spring is nipping at our heels. Are we ready to roll with this thing or what?”
A few months back, using my questionable wisdom, I hired Bear to build the dream home Lemon and I designed.
Initially, I had the plans drawn up as a surprise for her, but Lemon put the finishing touches on it. Our new home will be massive and will sit right here over the spread of the last two properties we lived on. I bought her rental place as a surprise, so now we own the land free and clear.
“I’m ready if you’re done making any changes.” Bear shoots me a look because it just so happens Lemon made a rather significant change last week.
Since Carlotta is still living with us, and will be for the foreseeable future—mostly Bear’s fault for not getting Nell Sawyer’s old place rebuilt in this century—Lemon needed to expand a few rooms. But I’m betting even when Nell’s place is through, Carlotta will find a reason to stick around. And at this point, I don’t mind. I’d let the entire population of Honey Hollow live with us so long as I get to find Lemon tucked in my bed at night, our bed.
I shake my head. “You have to admit, adding a private entrance to Carlotta’s room was a brilliant idea,” I say. “And the porch in the back of the house leading from the den will be great, too.”
Bear grunts as he looks to Noah, “How about you? Did you get a private entrance yet? Or should I tack one onto the master bedroom for you?”
“You’re hilarious.” Noah frowns over at him.
“You’re the hilarious ones,” Bear shoots back. “Thankfully, I was the only man running in the baby race with Keelie. Speaking of babies, is the nursery ready?”
“It’s painted,” Noah is quick to tell him. “We knocked that out a few weeks back.”
“But it’s empty,” I remind him.
Noah nods. “The crib’s been in my garage for the last week. We need to set that up right now if we want to make it in time to the B&B this afternoon.”
Lemon’s mother is throwing her a surprise shower, and both Noah and I were invited to show up toward the end. I ordered that crib Lemon had her eye on, and Noah and I thought we’d have it finished by the time she got home this afternoon.
I glance to Bear. “By the end of today, we should have everything ready for that baby and then some.”
“Just like that, huh?” Bear chuckles as if he’s in on some great secret, and he just might be.
“Just like that,” I say with slightly less confidence than I’d like in the situation.
“All right,” Bear says as he examines the land before us. “I’m going to start clearing the land, grading it, and getting this ball rolling. I’ll get to work right now.” He takes off for his truck once again, and Noah hitches his head to the side as we take a few steps away.
“I’ve got news.” Noah glares my way as he says it. “When I came home from the station last night, there was a silver car parked next to my place. I’m positive they were staking out your house.”
“Do you think it was the Canellis?” My adrenaline picks up a notch. Jimmy Canelli let me know he was putting a hit out on me for messing with his dead niece. “The last thing I want is to put anyone in that house in danger because of me.”
He shakes his head. “It was a woman. She had hair like Lottie’s, maybe a touch darker. Didn’t see the face. She took off like a bat out of hell. One thing is for sure—she didn’t belong here. Keep an eye out for something strange.”
My eyes float out to the snowy field before us as Toby runs wild, barking and jumping.
“I’ll keep an eye out,” I say as my brain tries to map out exactly what this might mean, and I have no doubt it means something. “Let’s get that crib together. I think I want to head out to the B&B a little earlier than expected.”
He nods. “I was thinking the exact same thing. We should have that bad boy up in twenty minutes.”
“Try ten. How hard could it be to put a crib together?”
That woman in the car runs through my mind once more.
I don’t know what nefarious dealing is afoot this time, but whatever it is, I’m ready for it.
Lottie
Honey Hollow is covered with snow, and with the way it’s coming down, there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight.
But I don’t mind it too much. It just makes our cozy little town that much cozier.
Evie and Carlotta help me waddle into my shop, with each of them attaching themselves to one of my arms.
“Hey, watch it,” I say to Carlotta as we stumble through the door. “You’re about to dislocate my shoulder.”
“Better that than a broken hip, Lot,” Carlotta shoots back.
The Cutie Pie Bakery and Cakery has been my baby for the last few years, but in just another week or so I’ll have a whole new baby to contend with.
The scent of vanilla with a hint of lemon is the first thing that hits me as soon as we step into the bakery. The walls are painted a buttery yellow, and there’s an opening from my shop into the business next door, the Honey Pot Diner, also technically my shop since my grandmother Nell basically left me everything in her real estate portfolio when she passed away.
In the center of the Honey Pot there’s a large resin oak tree whose branches flow over the ceiling of both that establishment and a part of my bakery, and each branch is lovingly wrapped in twinkle lights, giving both places an enchanted feel.
There’s a smattering of customers in the bakery, enjoying the coffee while noshing on my sweet treats. The shelves are well stocked with all things delicious, and I see both Lily and Suze taking orders behind the counter.
Since I’m the size of a building, and have about as much energy as a sea slug, Everett and Noah helped me hire a bigger staff around here until I can get back on my proverbial feet after the baby is born. And the way I’m feeling now, that should be at or about his or her senior year of high school.
It’s stunning to think that just a few short months ago I used to get up before the sun and race over to get the morning baking done all on my own. And nowadays, I more or less feel like a spectator at the bakery, and I don’t like that one bit.
The customers clear away from the counter and Evie steps up.