Sneak Peek!
A Whisker in the Night
Book Description:
The Country Cottage Inn is known for its hospitality. Leaving can be murder.
Chapter 1
“Get on your mark,” Mayor Mackenzie Woods bellows over the sound of the cheerful crowd as everyone seated at the extended picnic table leans in. The smell of chocolate wafts through the air like the world’s sweetest scent, and for once, I’m not upset that I’ve fallen prey to its siren song.
It’s the week before Easter, and all of Cider Cove has gathered right here at the Country Cottage Inn for a little fun under the spring sun as the Chocolate Bunny Hop Festival takes place on the grounds.
“All right, folks—” Georgie places both hands on the table as if she’s bracing for impact and her eyes just so happen to be laser-focused on the chocolate bunnies before us. “The rest of you may as well pack it up and head home. You’re looking at the soon-to-be undisputed chocolate bunny eating queen.”
A ripple of laughter moves through the crowd, but I can tell from the way the other competitors are eyeing their plates that no one is taking her threat lightly.
Yes, it’s a chocolate bunny eating competition and my husband Jasper and I, along with my best friend Emmie and her husband Leo, were somehow coerced into entering.
Okay, so it didn’t take any coercing. But what better excuse to eat all the chocolate bunnies you can? And have I mentioned they’re free?
We each have three chocolate bunnies to start with—and each one stands a prideful ten inches tall. The rules are simple: eat as many as you can within five minutes.
Once we devour these chocolate cuties, another trio of bunnies will magically appear. The last one standing—or perhaps holding their stomach, in this case—takes home the chocolate-covered glory along with the big prize.
Oh yes, the prize. A year’s supply of chocolate from Cider Cove Blueberry and Chocolate Heaven and a custom-made Easter basket brimming with chocolate goodies to get your summer started in the right delicious direction.
“Get set!” Mackenzie’s voice rises above the crowd again, and I’m suddenly questioning every life decision that brought me to this moment.
How did I let myself get talked into shoveling as many chocolate bunnies as I can into my pie hole while hundreds of people document the delicious disaster on their phones and upload it to every social media site?
Oh, that’s right. I begged to be included. And to be fair, the baby practically demanded it. Or so I tell myself.
I’m already in my second trimester and the baby is due late August.
I pat my burgeoning belly as if to assure my little one that their mother knows exactly what she’s doing.
Spoiler alert: I have zero clue. But hey, I’ve been inhaling chocolate ever since I found out I was expecting last November. I’m practically a pro at poor nutritional choices at this point.
Focus, Bizzy, Fish yowls from her perch in my sister Macy’s arms. Fish is my sweet black and white tabby, and right now her tail is flickering away. Your mind is wandering, and there’s a year’s supply of chocolate on the line!
Fish is not one for subtlety. She’s also not one for cutting me some slack, even in my delicate condition—especially not when my newfound addiction to the cocoa-based treat is starting to cut into the budget for her Fancy Beast cat food. Suffice it to say, we both have priorities.
Don’t worry, Bizzy, Sherlock barks from the other side of the table, his red freckled face beaming with the kind of encouragement only a canine can offer. If you don’t win, Jasper will!
Sherlock Bones is a red and white freckled mutt that came as a package deal with the aforementioned husband.
Fish swipes at Sherlock for even going there. Don’t listen to him, Fish hisses with her whiskers twitching as she glares at Sherlock. You’ve got this, Bizzy. And if you don’t and Jasper wins, then I suggest we reconsider who sleeps in the doghouse. He should be cheering you on—not aiding in your defeat.
Before I can laugh or play referee to the animal kingdom, a loud pop echoes through the air, and Mackenzie shouts, “Go!”
The table erupts into chaos. Hands dart for those chocolate bunnies with their vacant sky-blue eyes. I dive in with the enthusiasm of a woman who hasn’t eaten in days, which, let’s be honest—it’s more like minutes. I bite into the first bunny and instantly feel transported to chocolate heaven indeed.
Oh, the rich, creamy milk chocolate with a hint of caramel—it just melts in my mouth as if on cue.
Sure, it’s warm out, and I’m positive that’s assisting with my strategy, but I know for a fact that the Westoffs craft some of the world’s best quality chocolates. That’s who owns Blueberry and Chocolate Heaven, the Westoff family—or at least they did before they blew apart in a messy divorce.
I’m not all that familiar with the family. But my mother is one of the cogs that keeps the Cider Cove gossip mill running and she makes sure I don’t miss a messy beat.
But never mind the gossip mill or anyone’s messy divorce, I can’t stop moaning my way through every scrumptious bite—it’s just that good.
You’re savoring, Bizzy, Fish scolds. This is no time to savor! Think of the prize! You need to inhale those pointy-eared chocolate suckers!
She’s so right.
I cast a quick glance at Jasper and he’s already halfway done with his second bunny.
It’s obvious his competitive streak is shining through brighter than a golden egg in an Easter basket, and twice as prideful.
“How are you doing over there?” he asks and his words are muffled by a mouthful of deliciousness. Jasper has thick dark hair, light gray eyes, and dimples that make me melt on cue. He also happens to be the lead homicide detective down at the Seaview Sheriff’s Department.
“Living out one of my favorite fantasies,” I manage as I reach for my second bunny as well—even though he’s suddenly onto this third.
Across the table, my best friend Emmie sits, looking like the picture of springtime elegance in a pink and blue floral dress. And despite her advanced stage of pregnancy, she looks rather dainty while nibbling on her first bunny as if it were a treat at a tea party.
Emmie notices me gawking at her and pauses from the chocolate task at hand. “Don’t look at me like that, Bizzy.” She offers up a wry smile. “I’m just here for the fun.” Besides, you know Leo has this on lock for the both of us. He’s in it to win it. She nods over to her husband who sits dutifully by her side gnawing away on chocolate bunny number four because clearly Leo is indeed in it to win it. The man is tearing through his bunnies like a sugar-hungry hitman.
“This is not a drill,” he growls between bites.
Leo is your standard tall, dark, and handsome sheriff’s deputy, and it’s the exact reason Emmie was drawn to him like a pregnant woman to pickle-flavored ice cream. And yes, the ice cream exists, and both Emmie and I have devoured a pint. And we’re also looking forward to our next pint, too.
“We’re taking home that basket, Emmie,” Leo calls out.
“You mean I’m taking home that basket,” Georgie grunts his way before devouring the bunnies in front of her with the ferocity of a sugar-seeking missile (albeit a senior citizen missile), leaving a trail of gold foil carnage in her wake. And just like that, three more chocolate bunnies are placed before her. “Go on, Bizzy,” she goads. “Don’t let the baby slow you down! Even though I’m going to win, I want you to get eating!” And don’t think I’m sharing the loot with you either.
She gives me the side-eye as the greedy thought crosses her mind.
Not many people know I can read minds, but Georgie is one of them, as are Jasper, Emmie, and Leo. And well, oddly enough, Leo shares my supernatural abilities, too. I sort of regard it as an odd quirk, but on occasion, it’s more of a curse.
My name is Bizzy Baker Wilder and I can read minds. Not all minds, not all the time, but most of the time—and most of the furry species are included in that supernatural number. As usual, the furry species among us have better things to say than humans.
Georgie glances my way again. “I said get to eating, woman!”
And get to eating I do.
I chomp down on all three bunnies and three more appear in their place, offering me the same vacant blue-eyed stares. Come to think of it, they look a bit frightened—and as they should. I’m about to make quick work of them as I introduce them to my digestive system.
By the time I’m halfway through my fourth bunny, it’s clear I’m not winning this competition.
I glance over at the other contestants and spot a strawberry blonde with a freckled face and an adorable baby bump absolutely demolishing her third tray of chocolate goodness. She’s going at it like a well-oiled machine and it’s quickly becoming obvious I’ll be admitting defeat—along with everyone else at this table.
A deafening buzz goes off and the entire lot of us lets out a collective groan—mostly from relief.
“And the winner is—” Mayor Mackenzie Woods bellows into the microphone in her hand and we all look up at once.
***I hope you enjoyed this preview! Thank you for reading!****