Pumpkin Spice Lies: A Pumpkin Hollow Mystery, book 16 by Kathleen Suzette (new books to read .txt) 📗

Amanda sighed. “I think she’s doing all right. She’s a fairly happy baby, and I can’t tell you how relieved I am about that.”

I leaned back in the chair and turned so I could see Christy and Brian. “You’re not going to get to hold the baby today, Christy. I’m the only one who gets to hold her.”

“You want to bet?” Christy asked as she paid for the coffees.

I chuckled and ran my chin over the baby's head. Her hair was soft, and she smelled good.

“I can’t wait for you and Ethan to get married and have one of your own,” Amanda said and took a sip of her iced coffee.

“I think you’re going to have to wait a while. I really don’t think I want to try to have a baby until we’ve been married at least a year or two. I want to just enjoy married life for a while.”

She nodded. “I think that’s a good idea. We didn’t intend to have a baby so soon after we got married, but I wouldn’t have it any other way now.”

“Of course you wouldn’t, this little girl is the cutest thing ever.”

When Brian finished making the coffees, Christy brought them over and set the pumpkin spice latte in front of me, and then set hers down in front of the chair next to mine. “Okay, now share that baby.”

Reluctantly, I handed the baby to her. “You’re so greedy.”

She sat down with the baby and inhaled the scent of her hair. “I don’t care. Call me whatever you want to, as long as I get to hold this little girl. She’s so sweet.”

“What about you, Christy? How are you and Devon doing? Are we going to be hearing wedding bells for the two of you soon?” Amanda asked.

Christy’s eyes went wide, and she shook her head. “No. Not any time soon. But that doesn’t mean that we aren’t doing well, because we are as happy as can be.”

“Good, I’m glad to hear that.” Amanda turned to me. “I heard about Hailey Strong. What a shame. Does Ethan have any ideas who did it yet?”

“If he does, he’s not sharing it with me. I hope he finds the killer soon.”

We turned as the front door opened and Amanda’s mother, Connie Krigbaum walked in. “Oh, there’s my granddaughter,” she said and went over to the front counter to order a coffee. “I’ve got to hold her.”

“Your granddaughter? What about your daughter?” Amanda said.

Connie chuckled. “And there’s my daughter. How are you girls doing today? All of you?”

“We’re doing great,” Christy said. “I’ve got a cute baby to hold, so life couldn’t be sweeter.”

“I hear you,” Connie said. When Brian made her coffee, she came and joined us at the table, setting her coffee down. “Christy, I hate to do this to you, but can I hold my granddaughter? I don’t get to see her enough.”

“I guess so,” Christy said reluctantly, and handed the baby over to her. “But I want her back.”

Amanda picked up her coffee. “What do you mean you don’t get to see her enough? You’re at my house practically every night.” She took a sip.

“And the time when I’m not there holding this cutie just drags on and on. Honestly, I can’t wait until she’s old enough to have sleepovers at my house.” She kissed Isabella on top of the head.

“If you had a crib or a pack and play at your house, she could come over very soon.”

Connie’s eyebrows went up. “Really? Are you certain you’re ready to have her stay away from you overnight?”

Amanda thought about it. “Okay, maybe I’m not. I don’t know what I was thinking. I doubt I could get through the night without her.”

Connie nodded. “I told your father we needed to buy a crib to keep at the house. Maybe we can start with her coming over for a few hours on the weekend, and work up to having sleepovers when she’s a little older.”

“That’s a great idea,” Amanda said and took another sip of her coffee.

Connie turned to look at me. “All right, you know I’m going to ask, don’t you?”

I nodded. “Yes, and no, as far as I know, Ethan hasn’t found Hailey Strong’s killer yet.”

She nodded and lightly bounced the baby in her lap. “You know, several months ago I stopped in at Betty’s Closet and the owner, Betty Mays, was there. She was talking to one of the other girls, and they were talking about Hailey, saying unkind things about her and complaining about what kind of employee she was.”

“What did she say?” I asked, sitting up.

She shrugged and thought about it for a minute. “They said she was lazy. Betty said she was sorry that she ever hired her, and that when she got a chance she was going to rectify that situation.”

“But she was still working there when she died,” Christy pointed out.

Connie nodded. “But when they saw me, they started whispering to each other. I didn’t hear a lot, but I did hear Betty say that one day Hailey would get what she deserved.”

“Really?” I said slowly. “But you couldn’t hear what she said as far as what that comment was about?”

Connie shook her head. “No. But it was incredibly unprofessional, and I was shocked that she said it where she could be overheard. That Betty Mays, I’ve never liked her. She thinks she’s better than everyone else, and she gossips all the time. I wouldn’t trust her as far as I could throw her.”

I wasn’t a fan of Betty’s either, but even if she was mean and unprofessional, did that mean that she might kill Hailey? If it was true that Hailey had caught her cheating on her husband,