Read Trouble Under the Tree (A Nina Quinn Mystery) Online

Authors: Heather Webber

Tags: #mystery, #murder mystery, #humor, #christmas, #cozy mystery, #cozy, #humorous mystery, #heather webber, #nina quinn

Trouble Under the Tree (A Nina Quinn Mystery) (23 page)

BOOK: Trouble Under the Tree (A Nina Quinn Mystery)
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Not yet at least.

I popped some popcorn and pulled out the disc
Kit had given me. I slipped it into my DVD player and nearly jumped
out of my skin when there was a loud knock on the door.

For a second, I hoped that it was Bobby. That
he’d come back.

Then a second later, I hoped it wasn’t
him.

It had been hard enough saying goodbye the
first time.

“Ho! Ho! Ho!” someone yelled through the
door.

Surely not Mr. Cabrera. He was at the love
shack with Brickhouse.

I peeked out the window and nearly had a
heart attack at the faces peering back at me.

“Open up, I’m freezing my jingle bells off!”
Kevin yelled.

Smiling like an idiot, I pulled open the
door. “Well, we wouldn’t want that to happen.”

Riley carried an overnight bag, and Kevin
carried a pillowcase stuffed with presents.

I closed the door. “What are you two doing
here?”

Riley said, “No way were we letting you be
alone on Christmas.” He dashed upstairs to drop off his bag.

“We?” I said.

“We.” Kevin pushed a stack of Christmas
movies into my hands. Everything from
Miracle on 34th Street
to
Frosty the Snowman
. “You don’t mind, do you?”

Truth was, I didn’t mind. At all. In fact, it
might be the best present ever.

I set the movies down and walked over to the
mistletoe and yanked it out the ceiling. “Just so you don’t get any
ideas.”

“Hey,” he said. “
You’re
the one that
fell into my arms wearing your bra.”

I stuck my tongue out at him. And was kind of
glad I had been wearing a nice black lace bra the day of the
fire.

“’Fess up about the mistletoe,” he said.
“You’re afraid you won’t be able to keep your hands off me.”

“Keep dreaming.”

He smiled, and for a second there—only a
second—I forgot to ache.

Riley bounded down the steps and grabbed the
remote. “What’s up first?”

“Wait! That’s—”

He hit play.

We all stared at the screen as “Jingle Bells”
started to play.

“Is that...” Riley squinted. “Dad?”

Kit had created a movie of Kevin in his elf
costume by editing pictures together in a comic slideshow.

Riley burst out laughing. Me, too. I couldn’t
help it, seeing Kevin in those tights and that jingle hat.

“Give me that remote,” Kevin said.

Riley shook his head. “No way!”

“This isn’t funny,” Kevin said to me.

Tears streamed down my face. Tears of joy.
“Yes, yes it is.”

“Look! Dad’s about to fall!”

Kevin stopped and stared at the screen. Kit
has slowed the tape to show Kevin falling in slow motion. “Okay,”
he said, laughing. “that’s kind of funny.”

“Rewind,” I said. ‘I’ll make some hot
chocolate and then we can watch it again.”

“Do you have any of those peppermint
marshmallows Grandma Cel made?” Riley asked, sitting on the
couch.

“Yeah, I do.” I watched as Kevin sat next to
Riley and threw an arm over his shoulder. Again, there was a lump
in my throat.

A happy lump this time.

As I walked into the kitchen, I pulled the
mistletoe out of my pocket. Instead of throwing it away, I put it
in the kitchen drawer.

One never knew when it might come in
handy.

 

***

 

From the Desk of Nina Quinn

 

Holidays can be a sensory overload. The
sights, the sounds, the smells, the tastes, the touches. Try to
take the time to simply enjoy it.

Just be careful with of your favorite holiday
plants—some can be poisonous and especially dangerous to small
children and pets.

The poinsettia might be the most famous for
being hazardous to your health, but it’s not the worst offender. It
is likely to cause mouth or skin irritation, or in a particularly
bad reaction, vomiting. However, as I found out the hard way, holly
berries, if eaten accidentally, can cause
extreme
stomach
upset. Mistletoe, too, is extremely dangerous. Eating its berries
can cause stomach upset, heart and breathing issues—even in extreme
cases, death.

If you have a real tree, it’s important that
if you have pets to pick up the lost needles regularly. If a pet
eats the needles, there’s a chance the needle can cause serious
damage in the animal’s digestive tract. Best if you have pets to
consider an artificial tree—there is no shame in going faux to
protect the ones you love.

All in all, it is better to be safe than
sorry. Choose your holiday plants wisely, keep them (especially
those with berries) out of reach of small children, and if you
suspect a poisoning from a holiday plant, call poison control right
away.

For something a little less dangerous (except
to the waistline), I suggest trying my mother’s recipe for hot
chocolate. Happy Holidays!

~Nina Quinn

 

Celeste Madeline Chambeau Quinn’s Hot
Chocolate

2 cups whole milk

1 tsp. white sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely
chopped

Pinch of salt

Heat milk in a pot, stirring frequently with
a whisk. When steam starts to rise from the pot, whisk in sugar and
vanilla. Slowly whisk in chocolate until it’s fully melted then add
the pinch of salt. Heat for five minutes on low, stirring
frequently so milk doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Serves
two. Top with a dollop of whipped cream, marshmallows, or chocolate
shavings.

 

PS: Don’t tell my mom, but I use chocolate
chips instead of chopping my own chocolate. If she asks, you didn’t
hear this tip from me.

 

***

 

About the Author:

Heather Webber grew up in a suburb of
Boston, where she learned early on how to ride the T, skip rocks in
the ocean, and root for the Red Sox. As a young mother, she tried
her hand at writing novels and hasn’t looked back. These days she
lives in southwestern Ohio with her high school sweetheart and
their children. She is currently hard at work on her next
novel.

For more information on
Heather and her books, check out:
http://www.heatherwebber.com

 

Other books in the Nina Quinn Series:

A Hoe Lot of
Trouble

Trouble in Spades

Digging up Trouble

Trouble in Bloom

Weeding out Trouble

 

Also check out Heather’s other series:

 

The Lucy Valentine Novels

(romantic mysteries)

Truly, Madly

Deeply, Desperately

Absolutely, Positively

 

The Wishcraft Mysteries

(written under pen name Heather Blake)

It Takes a Witch

BOOK: Trouble Under the Tree (A Nina Quinn Mystery)
10.83Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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