Free Halloween Hiccups: A Mercy Mares Cozy Mystery Novella by Ava Mallory Page B

Diana teased as I tried real hard not to let Charlie see me blush, but it was too late.
     
    “Are you blushing?” Charlie laughed heartily, gripping the kitchen counter to keep himself from toppling over.
     
    I bit my lip to prevent myself from saying any of the unkind thoughts that were racing through my mind.
     
    “Ah, Nissan, get used to it. If Casanova is going to be living here, you're sure to get called a lot of names by him.” Nubbin caught what he said after noticing the stunned expressions on both of our faces. “I mean... well, you know what I mean. Why don't you all just grow up? You're all too old for this nonsense, don't you think?” He walked out, leaving Charlie and me staring at each other in disbelief.
     
    “Honey, I'll call you back tonight. I have some business to take care of right now. Love you, sweets.” I said.
     
    “Love you too, Mom, and tell Charlie I love him too.” Diana said.
     
    Without giving it a second thought, I turned to Charlie and said, “I love you, Charlie.”
     
    This time, Charlie wasn't pretending that he was going to collapse to the ground. He did. Right on the tile floor, he fell knees first, clutching his heart.
     
    “She loves me! I do declare, she loves me!” He shouted, making a big show of embarrassing me further.
     
    “Now, what is it?” Nubbin came stomping back into the kitchen. “What in the world? What did you do, go off and hit him?” Nubbin asked me.
     
    I shook my head. “No. I... I said the wrong thing. I... Oh, I don't know.” I walked out of the room, feeling completely mortified.
     
    Charlie called after me. “No, stop! Tell me again. Whisper sweet nothings in my ear!”
     
    I had half a mind to march right back in there and tape his big mouth shut, but considering I needed his help, I couldn't do that just yet. I made a mental note to revisit that topic again, after I figured out how to snare Charlene. She was the one I should have been focusing on.
     
    As Charlie and his shenanigans proved time and time again, he was an unnecessary distraction and I didn't think that having him buy a house here in Lake Villa was going to help me in any way, shape or form. If anything, he was going to add stress to my life.
     
    “I'm taking a shower. No one is to bother me!” I shut the bathroom door behind me and leaned on the back of it to catch my breath.
     
    It only took a minute or two before the circus that was my life came knocking on the door.
     
    “Hurry up in there, Toyota. Some of us have to use the facilities.” Nubbin groaned.
     
    “Mercy, don't stay in there all day. My memory is long. I'll wait you out. We have to discuss what just happened.” Charlie was relentless in his teasing of me. I don't know how or why that became his modus operandi with me, but I was so tired of it. Every time I opened my mouth around him, I said something that I never meant to say or he misconstrued every single word or phrase and I spent the rest of the day having to endure his teasing and boyish behavior as a result of it.
     
    “Go away, Charlie! Don't you have to go look for a house or an animal's cage to live in? I heard the zoo has empty cages. You might want to check there.” I said, hoping to get under his skin a little.
     
    After about two minutes of silence – dead silence – I couldn't resist the urge to peek out the door and see what Nubbin and Charlie were up to.
     
    “Hello?” I asked, listening for their voices.
     
    Really? We're going to play hide and seek now?
     
    “Nubbin?” I called out.
     
    “What? I'm trying to get some shut eye.” Nubbin answered from the spare bedroom.
     
    I looked around and didn't see any sign of Charlie.
     
    “Where did Charlie go?” I asked.
     
    “I don't know. I'm not his keeper. Last I knew, he said something about paying a lady friend of yours a visit and not to tell you because you'd ruin everything.” Nubbin always told the truth, even if it stung a little and this time, it