26. Lottie

LOTTIE

" W rongful life suit? " I say once again for the umpteenth time. And I'm just as stunned now as I was when I found out.

"How's this, Lot?" Noah asks as he pulls a seven-foot Douglas fir closer to the picture window in my bedroom.

"A little to the left," Everett says as he wraps an arm around me.

Everett and I are perched on our bed along with Lyla Nell, Pancake, and Waffles. It's almost nine o'clock at night and Noah was kind enough to fulfill a whim of mine.

A couple of hours ago, Noah texted and asked if I had any cravings he could help me out with. Oddly, I did have a hankering for something—a Christmas tree in my bedroom. And, sure enough, Noah stopped by the Jolly Holly Tree Lot and made all of my Christmas wishes come true.

"We're going to need lights," I say.

"Already on it," Noah says, pulling a box off the floor and wagging it my way. He starts right in on plucking out the strands as Lyla Nell cheers him on.

"Noah, take a break," I say. "I've got fresh baked brownies here, along with raspberry-filled glazed donuts—extra raspberry filling, just the way you like them—and I have an entire batch of my hot cocoa cookies, fresh out of the oven. They're still warm." I point to the wooden tray filled with treats and glasses of milk sitting on the bed as well. I've got my red and white Christmas quilt spread out underneath it, and lucky for me, it's forgiving when it comes to a few crumbles of this or that.

"Daddy need cookie," Lyla Nell says, picking one up and holding it out to him.

"You nibble on it for me, baby," Noah says. "Daddy has to get the lights up."

"Thanks, Noah," Everett says as we lean against a pile of pillows. The TV is on and Everett stumbled upon a football game, but even that can't hold his interest.

As soon as he came home, he told me about the nonsensical lawsuit and that's when I decided I'd better bake up a batch of cookies and brownies for him. I had already brought home the raspberry-filled donuts to give to Noah as a reward for getting me another tree.

"But why a wrongful life suit?" I ask, looking up at Everett and he blows out a breath.

"Beats me."

"She just wants attention," Noah says, wrapping the lights around the tree as meticulously as can be. "That's how she makes a living. Everett, you're nothing but fodder to feed the machine. I bet she's relishing it, too. I'd bet money she's thanking her lucky stars that you stepped into the picture and upped her relevance. Evie told me that when I ran into her at the tree lot. By the way, she says not to wait up. She and Conner are headed to the late show with friends."

"I'm just glad she's enjoying her break," I say. "But I'm not glad that Harper thinks that Everett is her lucky break." I look up at him. "She's trying to destroy you. You have no idea what that's doing to all these hormones that are coursing through my body. I've been in a rage all afternoon." One of the babies gives a wild kick. "Oh, geez." I grab my belly and both Noah and Everett are at attention.

"Lemon?" Everett mutes the TV and tosses the remote to the far end of the bed. "Do you need me to take you to the hospital?"

"I'll take her," Noah says. "I can legally speed all the way there."

"No, no. It was just a kick," I assure them.

"Lemon, you shouldn't be getting upset," Everett says, trying to pull me close. But face it, it's like moving a house and eventually, he gives up. "And this is exactly what I didn't want to happen. Hear that, Noah? I forbid either of us from sharing any more news that she might find upsetting."

"What do you mean?" I ask, struggling to look up at him. "Do you have some unsettling news you're holding back?"

The two of them exchange a look.

"No," Everett says firmly and Noah simply gets back to work by plugging in the lights.

Soon, the entire room is bathed in a rainbow of soft twinkle lights and it looks like nothing short of magic.

" Yay ," Lyla Nell shouts and claps so loud and I join right along.

"Thank you, Noah," I call out. "It's just what I needed."

Footfalls speed in this direction and Carlotta shows up panting at the door.

"What'd I miss? What's happened? What did Foxy do that Sexy can't do in the bedroom? What naughty shenanigans are the three of you up to?"

Lyla Nell giggles herself into a conniption. "Cray Cray funny!"

Cray Cray would be the aptly fit moniker that Carlotta has settled upon in lieu of Grandma. Evie came up with it and it sort of stuck.

"Noah put up a Christmas tree for me," I say. "And keep it down. You're freaking out Lyla Nell."

"Little Yippy is used to it." Carlotta lifts her chin with pride and Lyla Nell claps again.

" Cray Cray and Thimby Wicky ," Lyla Nell shouts.

"Where is Thimblewick, anyway?" I ask.

"Who knows." Carlotta shoots a cool glance over her shoulder. "That little pointy-eared rascal can't get enough of me. I've never said this before but, Lot, you need to solve this case so we can send that naughty elf back where he came from. I can't keep up with him."

Everett's chest thumps. "Now that's a first."

"That's a first, indeed," I say.

"Don't worry, Carlotta." Noah steps over to the bed and I lure him to take a seat next to me by way of a cookie. "I'll be solving the Dasher case sooner than later. And I won't need your help, Lot."

"Says you," I mutter.

"I heard that," he says, taking a bite out of his cookie. "This is really good."

Lyla Nell charges at him and soon she's snuggled up in his lap, while I snuggle up against Everett and Carlotta fiddles with her phone, probably taking pictures to use against us later.

"I canceled my date with Harry," she announces.

"What did you do that for?" I ask. "Mayor Nash seemed so happy to see you at the lake."

"Too happy to see me, if you catch my drift," she sputters. "But if Foxy is determined to nab a killer, that means I'd better take advantage of my time with Thimblewick. And he did say he still had a few more tricks to teach me. The guy has the stamina of a nuclear reactor. It's a wonder he's still breathing."

" Carlotta ," I say, shaking my head at her.

"What? I don't care if he is dead. He's perfectly capable of all his bodily functions especially?—"

"Goodnight," I shout before she can get to the finish line.

"It will be for me. Although I'd better start a pot of coffee just to be on the safe side."

She takes off and the four of us watch the rest of the game until Lyla Nell falls asleep in Noah's arms.

"I'll go put her to bed and show myself out," he says before nodding to Everett. "We'll talk." He takes off and I turn to Everett myself.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Everett scratches the scruff on his cheeks. "Christmas is coming. There are gifts to be bought, surprises to be had," he growls out those last few words and I decide not to push the subject.

There are surprises to be had. I bet that dovetails with the news he thought I might find upsetting.

What's upsetting is that secrets are being kept from me. And knowing those two, the secrets are dark and most likely dangerous.

But I'll get to the bottom of it. I always do.

I glance over at the Christmas lights, mesmerized by their holiday magic.

Someone else out there has a secret, too. A secret so dark it's downright deadly.

And I am most certainly going to get to the bottom of that as well.

I always, always do.