Wicked Whoopie Pies by Addison Moore (english novels to improve english TXT) 📕

to make sure your daddy fills me in on every detail that Olive St. James might tell him. But first, I think we need to have a word with your sister’s English teacher.”

And I’m betting whatever Clementine and Terri were discussing yesterday had nothing to do with scholastics.

But it could have had something to do with a motive for murder.

Everett

Lemon and I officially leveled up—as in the second level went up on our new home today.

Building a house isn’t something I ever thought I’d do—or even hire someone to do for that matter, but here we are and this skeletal structure has the power to bring a tear to my eye. Lemon and I lived side-by-side right next door to one another here on Country Cottage Road up until last fall when both of our houses burned to the ground. It was on Halloween night our homes burned to cinder. Lemon thinks a curse had something to do with it, and I’m not discounting it. But as it turns out, that curse just so happened to lead to my good fortune because Lemon and I are building our own home now—a singular structure that we’ll share together.

“Looking good,” I say to Bear as he and his crew wrap up for the day.

Bear Fisher is covered with mud, concrete, and has some indistinguishable stains over his T-shirt and jeans. The cap bearing his company’s logo sits crooked on his head as he makes his way over. Bear and Lemon dated back in high school. From what I understand, he crushed her heart and made her cry herself to sleep just about every night. That alone is worthy of me implementing some sort of punishment. But by the looks of things, building this monster I designed for Lemon and me might just be punishment enough.

“You think this looks good?” Bear chuckles. “Wait until you see Nell’s place. Keelie helped put the finishing touches on it since Lottie’s been busy with the baby. Between you and me, it looks so good you may not need that mother-in-law quarters you’re having me put in. Carlotta might not choose to live here.”

“It’s a nice thought. But I’m too grounded in reality to entertain fantasies. Besides, if Carlotta isn’t staying over, it’ll be Noah.”

“He is your cross to bear,” he says as he takes off.

“Looks like.”

A crimson minivan glides down the street and right into the driveway next door, so I head down to greet Lemon.

“What is that?” she beams as she takes in the towering structure. “Oh, Everett, is that really going to be our house? I swear, it looks bigger than my mother’s B&B.”

“It might have to be, considering how many people we’ll be housing,” I say as I pull Lyla Nell’s car seat out of the van and she rewards me with a hearty laugh. “Of course, you’re welcome to stay as long as you like.” I brush my finger to her nose. With Lemon and Evie in my life, I thought my heart couldn’t possibly grow another inch, and yet it’s grown a mile all because of this little angel.

“Everett.” Lemon wraps her arms around me without taking her eyes off the wooden structure. “It’s really happening. Our home. Can you believe it? All of our dreams are coming true.”

My stomach clenches when she says it. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s all the death we’ve had to deal with.

Maybe it’s the fact I was just seconds from serving hard time for stealing Florenza Canelli’s body. Or the fact her uncle had a hit out on me up until five minutes ago. Maybe it’s because deep down I see a pattern of unrest in our lives that has me on guard as far as the future goes.

“Yes,” I say it emphatically, a touch too loud as if imploring myself to believe it. “All of our dreams are coming true.” I’m just praying they don’t birth any nightmares.

Another minivan pulls up, Carlotta’s green machine, and both Carlotta and Lottie’s look-alike sister, Charlie, get out.

“I tried to lose her, Lot.” Carlotta hitches her thumb back at her younger daughter. “But she’s on me like white on ice.”

“It’s rice,” Lemon corrects. “And Charlie, you’re more than welcome to stay for dinner. Noah is picking up a pizza from—”

“Mangias,” she says, plucking at her T-shirt that bears the restaurant’s logo. “I was working the register when he walked in. He should be here any minute.” She winks over at me as she and Carlotta head up to the house.

“Great.” Lemon looks up at me. “I still don’t know if I trust her.”

“Don’t worry. She hasn’t earned my trust yet either. Let’s get inside before she infiltrates Evie.”

The house is lit up bright and cheery. Evie is holding one of Lemon’s Himalayan cats, Pancake, and Charlie is holding Waffles. I never thought I’d see myself living with cats, but since I’ve fallen in love with Lemon, I’ve fallen in love with everything in her world, including those hairy beasts.

“Guess what?” Evie runs up as I land Lyla Nell’s car seat on the sofa and Evie quickly plucks her sister out. “Conner and I are up for junior prom king and queen!” she squeals so loud my ears tingle. “And, like, so are Dash and Kyle. But, like, who cares, right? Conner and I are campaigning like crazy. I already let everyone know that if I win, it’s free cookies for a year at the Cutie Pie.”

“What’s that?” Lemon backtracks from the kitchen.

Evie turns my way. “And I told them they could have free legal advice any time they wanted. I mean, that costs nothing, right?”

“It costs my time. And believe me, there’s not a student at that school who can afford it.”

The door opens and Noah bursts onto the scene with a couple of large pizzas and we dive right in.

“Speaking of prom,” Lemon looks to Evie, “we need to shop for a dress.”

“Sorry, Mom,” Evie says, doling out a couple of slices of pizza