Grave Delight (A Maddie Graves Mystery Book 3) Read online

  Grave Delight

  A Maddie Graves Mystery

  Book 3

  Lily Harper Hart

  Text copyright © 2015 Lily Harper Hart

  Table of Contents

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty-One

  Twenty-Two

  Twenty-Three

  Twenty-Four

  Twenty-Five

  Twenty-Six

  Up Next

  Author’s Note

  Books by Lily Harper Hart

  One

  “I’m not wearing that.”

  Maddie Graves placed her hands on her narrow waist, her long blonde hair flying as she regarded the tiny black dress her grandmother Maude was holding up.

  “You’re a young woman, Maddie,” Maude said, making a face. “You have a beautiful body. You’re going out on a date with the man of your dreams. You should look like you’re not Amish.”

  “This is a perfectly nice dress,” Maddie said, holding up a modest blue sheath so her grandmother could study it. “It matches my eyes.”

  “It’s fine,” Maude said.

  “Thank you.” If Maddie thought the argument was over, she was about to get a rude awakening.

  “Fine is not how you want to look when you’re about to go out with the hottest man in town,” Maude said. “Fine is how you want to look when you have a hangover on a Sunday and you don’t want the minister to know you were out imbibing until the wee hours on a Saturday night.”

  “Thank you so much for that visual, Granny,” Maddie said, her tone dry. “I don’t think I need to wear … that … to excite Nick.”

  Maddie’s petal pink lips tipped into a smile at the mention of her boyfriend, Nick Winters. He’d only been her boyfriend for a grand total of two weeks. He’d been her best friend for the better part of her life, though. While most things remained the same between them since the shift in their relationship, a lot of things had changed.

  “See, you’re having wanton thoughts,” Maude said, grinning.

  “I am not.”

  “You are, too,” Maude said. “It’s written all over your face.”

  “Don’t go there, Granny,” Maddie said. “I’m not talking to you about this. I told you that any sex talk was off the table where you and I are concerned. It’s just too … icky.”

  “If you think sex is icky you’re going to have a hard time doing it right,” Maude said, nonplussed. “Maybe I should get you a book.” She tapped her chin thoughtfully, her steel-gray curls bouncing. “I’ll get on the Internet while you’re out and get you a book. You’re probably going to need pictures, right?”

  “Granny, if I find any kind of … sex book … in this house I’m going to lock you in your room,” Maddie said, her eyes flashing. “I’m not joking.”

  “I’ll make you a deal,” Maude said. “If you put this dress on and wear it on your date I won’t buy a book.”

  Maddie was caught. She knew it. She planned this. “Fine,” Maddie said, snatching the dress from her grandmother. “I know what you did here, though. Don’t think I don’t.”

  “What did I do?” Maude was a master at feigning innocence. “I just want you to look your very best when you go out to dinner. Where are you going anyway?”

  “Nick is taking me out to that nice seafood restaurant out on the lake,” Maddie said. “It’s supposed to be beautiful.”

  “And expensive,” Maude said. “I’ve heard great things about that restaurant. You’re going to have a good time.”

  Maude held Maddie steady as she slipped into the tight black dress. It wasn’t even Maddie’s. She didn’t own anything this slinky. Her friend Christy, a local hairdresser, had dropped off an armful of clothes for another date – with another guy – weeks before. She’d never bothered to reclaim them.

  “Oh, I can’t wear this,” Maddie said, glancing at her reflection in the mirror and yanking on the low neckline in an attempt to pull it up. “My boobs are on display.”

  “Your boobs are hardly on display,” Maude said. “That dress fits you like it was made for you. Nick’s going to go crazy when he sees it.”

  That was an interesting thought, Maddie mused. After admitting their love for each other during an emotional confrontation, Nick put a moratorium on sex. He said he wouldn’t even consider it for two weeks. He wanted them to get a chance to get to know each other as boyfriend and girlfriend before they got to know each other in the Biblical sense. That moratorium ended tonight – and Maddie found she was incredibly nervous. She was worried the dress would send the wrong message – although she had no idea what that message was.

  “I don’t want Nick to go crazy,” Maddie said. “I just want to have a nice night … with a nice dinner. He’s been busy at work.”

  As a local Blackstone Bay police officer, Nick was almost always on call. While crime wasn’t rampant in the small town, he was often forced to mediate drunken altercations and long held blood feuds between senior citizens. Of course, Maude was often in the middle of the blood feuds so that made things easy when they wanted to spend time together.

  In addition to the normal Blackstone Bay shenanigans, the town also played host to two murders in recent months, and the residents were on edge.

  “Oh, just suck it up,” Maude said. “You finally have everything you’ve ever wanted. Enjoy it … and if you take that dress off I’m going to disown you.”

  Maddie opened her mouth to argue with her grandmother, instead taking an involuntary step back when her mother Olivia popped into view. After spending ten years away from Blackstone Bay on a self-imposed exile, Maddie only recently returned following the death of her mother. So, to be fair, her mother’s body wasn’t in the room. It was just her soul.

  “You look lovely,” Olivia said, smiling at her only daughter, as she shimmered next to her.

  “Hi, Mom,” Maddie said, exhaling shakily. She was still getting used to being able to see through her mother instead of curling up on her lap, but she’d take her any way she could get her.

  “Your mother is here?” Maude brightened. “Tell her I said hi.”

  “She can hear you, Granny,” Maddie said.

  While a magical “peculiarity” ran through the Graves family’s genes, it skipped Maude. She’d never missed being able to see ghosts – or psychic visions – until her only daughter died. Now, every time Olivia popped in for a visit, Maddie saw the yearning on her grandmother’s face. It tugged at her heart.

  “Tell her I said hi,” Olivia said, smiling fondly at the woman she’d lived with for the bulk of her life. “Tell her I love her hair.”

  “She says hi and she loves your hair,” Maddie said.

  “Of course she loves my hair,” Maude said, patting it. “I look like a super model.”

  Maddie could think of a few other words, but she wisely let them slide. She ran her hands over the black dress, smoothing it down as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. “You don’t think this dress is too … slutty … do you?”

  “There’s nothing slutty about that dress,” Olivia said. “In fact, you look like a dream. You look like Nick’s dream.”

  Maddie’s cheeks burned under the praise. “I … .”

  “She tol
d you to keep the dress on, didn’t she?” Maude asked knowingly.

  “She said I look slutty,” Maddie lied.

  “She did not,” Maude said, slapping Maddie’s arm lightly. “I may not be able to hear her, but I know she would never say anything of the sort. Don’t lie. I don’t like it.”

  “Fine,” Maddie said, giving in. “She said I look like a dream.”

  “You look like Nick’s dream,” Maude said, smiling.

  “That’s exactly what Mom said.”

  “Great minds think alike.” Maude stepped closer to Maddie, giving her a brief hug. Affection wasn’t ever withheld in the Graves household when Maddie was growing up, but hugs were still a valuable currency. “I love you, Maddie girl.”

  “I love you, too, Granny,” Maddie said. “If someone mistakes me for a prostitute in this dress, though, I’m totally blaming you.”

  “I’m sure I’ll have it coming,” Maude said.

  NICK WINTERS leaned against the wall in the stairwell, smiling as he listened to the conversation a few feet away. He’d let himself into the house with the spare key, never once thinking of knocking. Even before he and Maddie officially became a couple he’d never resorted to knocking. He was part of the family.

  While Nick never thought of himself as a depressed individual, the joy he’d experienced over the past two weeks had been nothing short of extraordinary. It turned out the only thing he needed to make his life perfect was the most beautiful blonde in the world. The fact that she just happened to be the best friend he’d ever had was icing on the cake of a very exciting life.

  After a few minutes of eavesdropping, Nick began to wonder how he was going to interrupt the conversation without tipping them off that he’d been listening when he shouldn’t have been. Nothing in the world could make him break up this conversation, though, especially once Olivia joined the fray.

  While Nick couldn’t see Olivia, and he’d been angry when Maddie finally admitted her big secret, he was happy Maddie still had a piece of the mother she loved so much to hold on to. After ten years without the woman he loved more than anything, he was willing to embrace her psychic abilities without reservation. He would take Maddie as she was and be proud of everything she could do.

  “I still don’t know,” Maddie said. “I think I should change. Nick should be here any second.”

  Nick desperately didn’t want her to change out of that dress. Just hearing Maddie talk about it practically had him salivating. Even though he’d been the one to put the moratorium on sex, he was ready now. The only problem was that the longer they went without doing the deed the bigger it got in both of their minds. It was time to move forward because he was never going to look back.

  Nick jumped when Maddie peered around the wall and glanced down the stairwell. He smiled when he saw her, embarrassed he’d been caught but immediately swept up in how lovely she looked. Her heart-shaped face was perfect, only a hint of makeup highlighting her features. Her long legs were on display thanks to the short dress, and her body was … wow … just fantastic. She looked like a vision.

  “You look like a dream,” Nick said, exhaling heavily. “You look like every dream I’ve ever had about you.”

  “Were you listening to us?”

  “I would deny it, but I know Olivia is up there,” Nick said, pushing himself away from the wall and climbing the steps. “She’s the one who told you I was out here, wasn’t she?”

  “I can’t believe you were listening,” Maddie said, her face coloring. “I … what did you hear?”

  “I heard you and Maude talking about this dress,” Nick said. “And, love, you’re not changing your clothes. You look … amazing.”

  Maddie relaxed, her shoulders softening. “Are you sure?”

  “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life, Mad,” Nick said, leaning over so he could give her a soft kiss. He was still getting used to being able to do it – and he didn’t think he’d ever get enough of it. “Well, that’s not entirely true,” he amended. “I was more sure that I love you than anything else. This is a close second, though.”

  “See, how am I supposed to yell at you for eavesdropping when you say things like that?” Maddie asked, her face serious but her eyes sparkling.

  “I don’t want you to yell,” Nick said. “I want you to give me another kiss, and then I want you to get a jacket, and then I want you to let me open my truck door for you and take you out to a great dinner. I don’t think yelling has to be a part of anything we do tonight.”

  Well, maybe something, Nick added silently.

  “Do you really think I need a jacket?” Maddie asked. “It’s so nice out.”

  “The restaurant is on the lake and I reserved a table on the deck,” Nick said. “I’d rather be safe than sorry. Although, if you don’t want to take a coat I’ll give you mine. That would be the gentlemanly thing to do.”

  “Oh, no one would ever accuse you of not being a gentleman,” Maddie teased, leaning forward and planting her lips on Nick’s. After a few moments of heavy kissing, Nick was out of breath when Maddie pulled away.

  “That was amazing,” Nick said, his dark eyes latching onto Maddie’s sea-blue orbs. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too,” Maddie said. “Let me say goodbye to Granny and grab my coat.”

  Nick watched her turn, smiling when a coat shot out from the hallway behind Maddie. Maude glanced around her granddaughter, grinning when she caught sight of Nick. “It’s good you dressed up,” Maude said. “You two look great together.”

  “It’s a date,” Nick replied. “You dress up for a nice date.”

  “You dress up good,” Maude said. “I won’t wait up.”

  “Don’t,” Nick said. He held out his hand. “Come on, love. We don’t want to keep the night waiting.”

  Maddie took his hand. “No, we definitely don’t.”

  Whatever happened tonight, they were both ready for it. Finally.

  Two

  “This place is beautiful,” Maddie said, turning her face into the breeze so she could gaze out at the placid lake. “What a great view.”

  “I agree,” Nick said, never moving his eyes from Maddie’s astounding face.

  Maddie rolled her eyes when she realized what he was doing. “You’re really laying the charm on thick tonight.”

  “Is that a problem?”

  “No,” Maddie said. “I just … you don’t have to do anything special to woo me. You know that, right?”

  Nick grinned. “Woo you?”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “I think you’ve been spending too much time with Maude,” Nick said. “I don’t know anyone under the age of fifty who uses that word. Or … well … my mom actually used that word when she found out I broke up with … .” Nick broke off, immediately regretting the conversational turn.

  When Maddie first returned to Blackstone Bay Nick was involved with a local woman named Cassidy Dunham. Even though Nick knew the relationship wasn’t going anywhere – he had a six-month cycle and he stuck to it – Cassidy was ravaged when Nick finally broke up with her.

  He still felt guilty, even though he hadn’t seen Cassidy in almost two weeks. He was done postponing his happiness, though. “I shouldn’t have brought her up,” Nick said. “I … that was stupid.”

  Maddie waved off the apology. “Nicky, don’t do that. Just because we’re a couple that doesn’t mean we’re not friends, too. Tell me what your mother said.”

  “She said I should bring you flowers when I woo you,” Nick said, chuckling at the memory. “I was mortified. My mother hasn’t given me dating advice since … well … ever.”

  “Why do you think she did it this time?”

  “Because she knew I would never date anyone else again,” Nick replied, guileless. “This is her last chance to impart motherly advice on my dating life.”

  Maddie rubbed her burning cheek. “Oh … I … .”

  “You’re so darned cute,” Nick said. “Eve
n now, after two weeks and constant proclamations of love, you still seem surprised that I mean it.”

  “I just never thought it would really happen,” Maddie said. “I spent years loving you from afar … and then pining for you from really far away. It’s like a dream come true.”

  Nick reached across the table and captured Maddie’s hand, rubbing his thumb over the ridge of her knuckles softly. “It was my dream, too, Mad,” he said. “I was just as miserable without you as you were without me.”

  “Except I was the one who made us miserable by running away,” Maddie said.

  “I don’t want to talk about that again,” Nick said, internally sighing. In an attempt to keep her psychic abilities hidden from him, Maddie attended college in downstate Michigan and stopped taking his phone calls, essentially breaking his heart. After the truth came out, he’d made a decision to forgive her because he understood her fear. It was unfounded – there was nothing in this world that could ever make him stop loving her – but he understood it.

  “I know,” Maddie said, shaking herself out of her reverie. “I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

  “Let’s start over,” Nick said, smiling broadly. “How was your day, love?”

  Maddie giggled. “Well, I did tarot readings for two teenagers, I fought with Granny about the flask she has hidden in the garage, and I had lunch with Christy.”

  “Oh, wow, that’s a busy day,” Nick said. “Was there anything off about the readings?”

  Maddie was known to uncover a murder – or two – before they happened thanks to her job running her mother’s former magic store. When Maddie started shaking her head, Nick couldn’t help but let loose with a relieved sigh.

  “They were normal,” Maddie said. “They were more interested in finding out if they had a chance with the guys from One Direction.”

  “What’s that?”

  “It’s a band.”

  “I’ve never heard of it,” Nick said. “Are they new?”

  “And British.”

  “What about the flask?” Nick asked. “What was in it?”

  “Whiskey.”

  “Did you taste it?”

  “Um … maybe,” Maddie admitted. “It was hot this afternoon and Granny gives me a headache when she’s on a tear.”