Juliet chuckles right alongside her. “Funny you should mention that, but it’s actually why I went into knitting.”
I lean in. “You had a craving for a cardigan?”
“My doctor told me to add more fiber to my diet, so I took up knitting.”
The four of us share a warm laugh.
“I’m teasing.” She flicks her wrist. “But I could go for one of your raspberry tarts. It looks as if everyone here has one in their hand.”
“They’re right over on the refreshment table.” I point over to the tempting display. “Help yourself to as many as you like.”
“I will,” she says. “I’m a sucker for a good preserve.”
“It’s baker’s jam, actually,” I’m quick to confess. “Raspberries won’t be in season until summer, but well, Verity had requested them.”
“I can’t blame her. They are delicious.” She takes off just as Teddy floats my way.
“Oh dear, there’s Sugar.” The tiny specter points her razor-sharp nails toward the foyer, and sure enough, Sugar is standing there in a little pink dress, having it out with Chad Harris, of all people. Chad has his hair slicked back and a black leather jacket on, looking like the bad boy he is.
“Say, Lot”—Carlotta pulls my elbow toward her—“isn’t that Verity’s old stinker of a boyfriend?”
“It sure is,” I say just as Sugar stalks off in the direction of the library, and Chad walks straight for us, looking a little miffed by the exchange.
“Lottie.” He nods my way, and just as he’s about to push past me, I jump in front of him. “Whoa.” He comes shy of patting my belly. “It’s as if you’ve got a missile shooting out of your dress. I’d hate to bump into you.”
“I’m fine,” I assure him. “You look tense. Is everything all right?”
He smacks his lips. “Let’s just say I gave love a shot, but Cupid wasn’t in agreement with me. And in her defense, it was more lust on my part than it was love. But a guy’s gotta try, right?”
“You keep on truckin’, honey,” Carlotta is quick to encourage him with a pat to the back. “If one fish spits in your face, you just jump right back into that barrel and shoot another.”
“Carlotta,” I scold her before turning his way once again. “What she’s trying to say is there are other fish in the sea.” My lips crimp. “I guess that means you’re getting over Verity.”
“I’ll never get over her.” His face contorts with a look of grief. “But I’m not against finding someone to take the sting away either. Sugar and I go way back. She’s the one that introduced me to Verity. But it’s not happening, at least not at this moment in time. Have a great night, ladies.” He takes off, and Carlotta watches him go with her eyes bulging.
“Woo-wee, Lot. A couple of more strikes and that young stud will be primed for a cougar like me.”
“Ooh,” Teddy muses. “You’re quite the go-getter, Carlotta. Solving crimes and livening up your love life all at the very same time.”
“More like robbing the cradle,” I mutter. “Carlotta, it’s Valentine’s Day. Shouldn’t you be spending it with Mayor Nash?”
“Oh, I am,” she hisses. “But he won’t be breaking into the house until two in the morning. It’s up to me to keep myself occupied until them.”
“That does sound exciting,” Teddy coos. “Fighting crime and making time for love. You should really take a page out of Carlotta’s book, Lottie. She has it all together.”
A choking sound emits from me, but before I can say a word, Bambi Bailey spins her way over like a tornado.
“Great party!” she shouts above the music. “Verity would have loved it!”
“I’d like to think so.” I shrug. “Technically, it’s in her honor.”
Bambi smirks. “As long as she didn’t have to pay for it.”
“That cheap, huh?” Carlotta asks.
“She wasn’t just cheap, she was barely squeaking by,” Bambi tells us. “Things were about to take off for her, but she was smart enough to keep her gig at the Craft Emporium. Can’t blame her. Judging by the way she was living, they paid her pretty darn well. Who knew all the real money was in arts and crafts?” She cranes her neck toward the crowd. “I see Evie. Believe it or not, that kid is turning into a real celebrity. Now let’s see how much it’ll cost me to get a little dirt on her. Her friends look ripe for the picking.” She takes off, and Carlotta scoffs in her wake.
“Are you just going to stand there and let her get away with that, Lot Lot? She’s about to get the lowdown on your baby girl.”
I shake my head. “All she’s going to do is lose some cash and maybe a bit of her sanity. Evie doesn’t have any secrets.”
“Yeah, but what about my secrets?” She tosses Teddy my way as she struggles to find Evie in the crowd. “I’d best go keep an eye on things. Bambi is hungry for secrets, Lot. And those kids are hungry for dollar bills. It’s one thing for a handful of kids from Honey Hollow to be let in on my mastermind schemes, but it’s a whole other beast to have them published online. Before we know it, women the world over will be nailing my dating commandments to the wall, and then it’ll be curtains for me. I’ll be just like everybody else.”
She stalks off, and I shake my head at Teddy. “Believe me, I know nothing about Carlotta’s dating commandments.”
Sugar comes up, and both Teddy and I gasp. That little pink dress seems to show off quite a bit of skin, and that armful of gold bangles jingles with her every move. The exact same bracelets that she wore the night of the murder, just like the one she dropped in the snow as she was poisoning Verity to death by way of one of my innocent desserts.
“Here she is, Lottie.” Teddy’s voice trembles. “The woman who’s been threatening Evie. And she might just be the killer, too. I always knew Sugar was a go-getter herself.”
I take a moment to shoot the fuzzball in my hands a look. Teddy is forever the cheerleader, and always cheering on the wrong person, too.
“Sugar.” I tip my head to the side as I shed a sad smile. “It’s nice to see you here tonight.” And oddly, I mean it.
“It’s nice to see you, too.” She gives a mournful look into the conservatory behind me. “I’m not sure I can go in there. As much as Verity and I weren’t getting along, this place only makes me miss her all that much more.”
“She stole your pet. She bullied you,” I point out. “She’s the reason your grand opening was a no-go. I can’t imagine you’d miss her all that much.” I can’t bring myself to smile at her. Not after the way she’s treated Evie. This woman is clearly a psychotic.
“Aw,” Teddy coos. “Isn’t she the sweetest? My Sugar always did have the biggest heart.”
I shake my head at the mixed-up marsupial. Clearly, she’s only been trained to see the best in people, and often gets the details wrong.
“And there’s Evie,” Sugar marvels. “Look at all those people mobbing her. She’s quite the popular girl, isn’t she?” Her eyes cut to my belly and I gasp.