Conrad shows up next with Piers in tow, both men looking appropriately grim until Georgie’s coconut bra decides this is the perfect moment to stage a wardrobe malfunction as her boobs spring free like a couple of skinny snakes popping out of one of those fake cans of peanuts.
“Oh, good heavens!” Mom lunges forward, trying to preserve Georgie’s modesty, and somehow ends up juggling Georgie’s assets like she’s trying to keep beach balls in the air—or deflated beach balls as it were. Very tired-looking beach balls.
Oh wow. Is that what the future holds?
“This is not how I planned to meet the best man,” Georgie announces cheerfully, making no effort to help with the coverage situation. Instead, she’s actually pulling her shoulders back. “Georgie Conner at your service,” she tells both Conrad and Piers. “And before you ask, the girls are a part of the welcome package.”
“Welcome to the loony bin,” Mom hisses as she yanks Georgie to herself.
“What the heck?” Piers steps forward to get a better look at the grim situation, as does Conrad.
“Geez.” Conrad gasps. “What the heck happened here?”
“I don’t know,” I pant. “I just found her like this.”
Two deputies from the sheriff’s department come running up, take one look at the chaos, and immediately try to arrest everyone in sight—starting with Georgie and her feral boobs.
“Whoa, whoa!” Jasper appears, flashing his badge. “Detective Wilder, Seaview County. This is a crime scene, not a public indecency charge.”
Leo jogs up behind him, quickly wrapping his jacket around Georgie and escorting her toward the inn. “Come on. Let’s get you somewhere with fewer witnesses—and fewer arresting officers.”
“But I was just getting to the good part,” she protests as Leo guides her away.
Macy and Huxley appear next, with two-year-old Mack waddling between them at the speed of a caffeinated toddler.
Macy is in a short red dress so sparkly I nearly go blind. Her blonde bob is cut as sharp as her attitude, and her smile could slice through steel when she’s plotting something. She’s a year older than me and ten lifetimes spicier in general. My brother has the Baker signature dark locks and denim blue eyes, and behind Huxley is little Mack, his son, who is currently licking a sand shovel.
Huxley happens to be married to Mayor Mackenzie Woods. She’s not only the town mayor and my sister-in-law, but she’s sort of my nemesis, too. Fun fact? She’s sort of responsible for my mind-reading quirk since she’s the one who tried to drown me the day it seemed to have kicked into gear about two decades ago. It’s a long story involving a game of bobbing for apples gone very,verywrong.
“Uncle Jasper!” Mack squeals, making a beeline for the crime scene with his shovel drawn like a weapon.
“Oh no, you don’t, little man,” Mom says, swooping in to redirect him. “Let’s go find some ice cream at the inn, shall we?”
She herds him away before he can get a good look at the body, because nothing says family trauma quite like a toddler’s first corpse.
“Thank goodness,” I sigh in relief as I close my eyes.
I’m about to turn back to the groom and the best man when Candy and Cane come bounding up, two fluffy white Samoyeds who are clearly head-over-paws in love with each other. Candy is Macy’s aforementioned bestie, and Huxley is the proud papa of Cane.
Another exciting evening at the inn, I see.Candy gives a soft bark while nuzzling against my hand.Macy says we should be worried about the property values. She says it’s too late for any of us to move! Do you think it’s just a matter of time before the killer hunts us down next?
Nah,Cane barks back, leaning into my scratch.Bizzy alwayssorts these things out. Plus, the food here is amazing. We wouldn’t go anywhere if we could.
“The others went to my cottage,” I whisper to them, giving them both a good scratch behind the ears. “Go keep little Truffle company, okay?”
They bound off together, probably to plan their next romantic beach walk. Not even a homicide can keep those two down for long.
Macy staggers my way and gasps when she sees it. “For Pete’s sake, Bizzy. This is just perfect,” she snaps, appearing at my elbow with her hands on her hips. “Wedding buzzkill doesn’t even begin to cover it. Piers is never going to forgive us for this disaster.”
“You know the groom?” I ask, surprised, while glancing behind me where he and Conrad are conferring with Jasper.
My sister makes a face at me. “Piers and I might have had a few encounters back in my lusty days. Nothing serious. Just a little fun.”
“Ooh, baby,” Camila sidles up next to her, “I’ve had the same experiences with that hot honey. He certainly knows how to show a girl a good time.” She sighs wistfully.
Hot honey? Do I want to know what that’s referencing?
Camila winks my way.I gave Jasper the hot honey treatment once, too. And yes, the visual is just as spicy as it sounds. You’re welcome.
