Chocolate Heart Killer: A Pumpkin Hollow Mystery, book 14 by Kathleen Suzette (guided reading books .TXT) 📗

I pointed at the one with the white chocolate drizzled over the top of it.

“You got it,” she said and removed it from the display case, putting it into a little bag. “I’ve been looking online at nursery decor to try to get an idea of how we want to decorate the nursery. There’s a part of me that says don’t make everything pink, but the part that’s winning out right now says make everything pink. Everything!”

I laughed. “I don’t blame you. That little girl is going to be spoiled.”

She nodded. “As much as I hate to admit to it, I’m afraid she will be.”

“Do you have a due date yet?”

“June thirtieth. Can you believe it? It seems so far away, but I know it will be here before we know it. So, now that you and Ethan are engaged, have you set the date?”

I shook my head. “No, we were just discussing that the other day. We thought about having a June wedding, but we don’t want you to be uncomfortable during the wedding, and we certainly don’t want you to go into labor during the wedding.”

She looked at me. “Now that would be terrible. But you need to set a date, so we can get planning. There’s so much to do for a wedding and we’ve got to get busy. You and Christy were so much help for my wedding, and I want to help out with yours.”

“And I’ll really need your help. Let’s just hope the caterer doesn’t die,” I said.

She nodded and her eyes went wide. “Don’t remind me. What a nightmare that was. But don’t you worry. Your wedding will be perfect.”

The door opened, and we turned as Polly Givens walked in. She smiled and hurried inside, letting the door swing closed behind her. “Oh, it’s so nice and warm in here. And the smell is heavenly.”

“That’s exactly what I was thinking,” I said.

“How are you girls today?” Polly asked, looking from me to Amanda. “I hope you’re staying warm. It’s so cold outside.”

“I’m cold, that’s how I’m doing,” I said and laughed. “So, so cold.”

“I’m with Mia,” Amanda said. “Only you can add tired to it, too. Pregnancy doesn’t agree with me in that way.”

Polly nodded. “When I was pregnant with my kids, I was tired all the time. But then in the middle of my third trimester I would suddenly get a burst of energy. I used it to clean the house top to bottom, decorate the nursery, and make meals I put in the freezer for after the baby came home.”

“That is a great idea,” Amanda said. “I know I’m not going to want to cook after the baby gets here.”

“Do you know what you’re having yet?”

Amanda grinned. “A girl.”

She smiled. “Good for you. Congratulations, I’m really happy for you.” Polly turned to me. “Mia, I heard about Logan Michaels. Isn’t it a shame?”

“It really is,” I said as I paid for my coffee and scone.

“Does Ethan know anything yet?” she asked.

“Not yet,” I said turning to her. “I just can’t imagine who would want to kill Logan Michaels.”

“Me either. But you know, he and his girlfriend, Mariah Anderson, had a lot of trouble. They broke up and got back together more times than I can count. He lives next door to me, you know.”

“No, I didn’t know that. So they broke up a lot?”

She nodded. “I hate to gossip, but I could sometimes hear them arguing from inside the house. It sounded bad.”

I was surprised by this. Logan had seemed quiet and easy-going. “What did they argue about?”

She shrugged. “I really couldn’t hear what they were arguing about, only that they were yelling at one another. I hated to see it, they were both such nice people. But sometimes the nicest people just can’t seem to get along.”

I nodded, taking this in. “What a shame. I thought they were happy together.”

She shrugged. “Maybe that was just the way they communicated with one another. Some people don’t seem to be able to keep from arguing with one another.”

“But then there were the breakups,” I pointed out. “That sounds like more than just people who don’t communicate well.”

She shrugged. “You’re right. Those two had trouble, I guess,” she conceded. “I hope Ethan can find the killer soon.”

“You and me both,” I agreed.

She turned to Amanda. “And now, I think I’d like to order a vanilla latte. Large, please. I need something to warm me up and I just know that’s going to do the trick.”

“You got it,” Amanda said. “I need to stop by the gift shop and see what you’ve got for babies. I bet you have all kinds of cute stuff for the nursery.”

“I have the cutest little ballerina prints to hang on the wall, and a set of canisters that you can put things like cotton swabs and little odds and ends, and baby wipes in.”

“Oh, that’s going to be pink, then,” Amanda said. “I love pink.”

She nodded. “The prettiest pink you’ve ever seen.”

“I’ve got to stop by then. I don’t want to go crazy spending money on fun things when I know she’s going to need diapers and formula, but I want to give her a cute nursery to sleep in.”

“I can help with some of that.” Polly nodded.

“I had better get back to the candy store, it’s good seeing you both,” I said and picked up my coffee and scone and headed to the door.

“See you later, Mia,” Amanda said.

I didn’t know if what Polly had said would lead to anything, but it was something to keep in mind. I knew that Mariah worked at the gym, and I decided I needed to stop by and see how she was. Even if the two of them had