Snow Way Out: A Mystic Snow Globe Romantic Mystery (The Mystic Snow Globe Mystery Series Book 2) Read online

  Snow Way Out

  The Mystic Snow Globe Mystery Series: Book 2

  M.Z. Andrews

  Snow Way Out

  The Mystic Snow Globe Mystery Series: Book 2

  by

  M.Z. Andrews

  Copyright © 2018 by M.Z. Andrews

  Print ISBN: 9781726765350

  VS: 100518.02

  Cover Artwork by Lina Kisonyte

  Editing by Clio’s Editing

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  To T

  My first real friend away from home,

  and my muse for this book.

  Miss you and love you

  M

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Afterword

  Also by M.Z. Andrews

  About the Author

  1

  Evanee Woods stood with her head tipped sideways, gently tapping her nose with her finger. Snuggled up in her free arm, a pear-shaped fat orange cat in a pink-and-white tulle skirt purred contentedly. “Mmm, maybe an inch to the right.”

  Atop a ladder, Gemma Greyson moved the autumn-colored fabric garland over an inch. “Here?”

  Evanee swatted her hand sideways. “Sorry, my right.”

  Gemma rolled her eyes and moved the garland in the opposite direction.

  Evanee’s hand shot out. “Too far, too far!”

  Gemma slid it back a fraction of an inch. “Here?”

  The thirty-year-old shopkeeper’s mouth swished sideways as her eyes darted back and forth between the starting point and the ending point. She debated whether or not Gemma had precisely captured the center point of the swag she’d fashioned around a strand of flame-tipped orange Halloween lights. Was one side droopier than the other?

  “Just hold it right there, Gem. I’m going to get the tape measure out. We don’t want it to be lopsided.”

  “Ev!” sighed Gemma. “My arm’s killing me. I can’t stand up here like this forever.” Using her staple gun, she stapled the center cord to the rustic cedar beam with a flourish. “There. Close enough. Not everything has to be perfect.” She climbed down the ladder in a huff and stood next to Evanee, staring up at their handiwork.

  Evanee looked down at Gemma, giving her a tight smile and raised eyebrows. “Sorry, but I couldn’t disagree more. Just like my mother always says, attention to detail is what makes the big picture so beautiful.” Evanee adjusted the little crown on her cat’s fluffy head. “Isn’t that right, Prim?”

  Prim looked up at Evanee with a pair of wide green cat eyes and blinked solemnly.

  Evanee looked up at her best friend and employee brightly. “See? Even Prim agrees.”

  Gemma groaned. “Prim doesn’t have a say in the matter.” She shook her head before scratching Prim’s furry white chin. “Poor kitty.”

  Hugging the fluffy cat to her, Evanee twisted her torso and strode towards the shop’s counter. “Quit it! Not poor kitty! My Prim is one lucky little girl.”

  Watching Evanee walk away, Gemma shook her head. “Prim is a boy, first of all. And second, I don’t think he’d consider himself lucky. He’s wearing a tutu for heaven’s sake.”

  Evanee sucked in her breath and covered Prim’s ears. “Gemma! Don’t let Prim hear you call her a boy! You’ll confuse her!”

  “I’ll confuse her? You dress your tomcat up like a girl, and I’m the one who’s confusing her?” She shook her head. “I mean him.” Gemma’s brow furrowed. “Ugh. See! You’re confusing me now.”

  Evanee ignored Gemma and lowered Prim down to her plush princess bed under the front counter. The oval bed had been custom-made with pink and ivory minky material and decorated with a pink tulle skirt and golden embroidered pillows, the largest of which read “Prim” in cursive lettering. She’d had the bed specially made for her sweet little kitty for Christmas the year before. Evanee kissed her fingertips and then placed them on her cat’s nose, making a little high-pitched “boop” noise, before standing up to look out proudly upon all their hard work.

  It was finally fall again. Evanee’s favorite season. There were a million reasons why she enjoyed fall, and she’d willingly rattle them all off to anyone that asked. For starters, she loved loved loved getting to wear jeans, snuggly sweaters, and boots again. On cool evenings, she loved building fires outside on the patio, snuggling up with a mug of pumpkin spice hot chocolate and watching the embers dance against the dark night sky. She loved pecan pie and caramel apples, and she had a seriously dangerous addiction to candy corn that she had to monitor closely lest her skin break out with adult acne. She loved the crisp fall air, the changing colors, and the crackle of dried leaves under her feet. But probably the main reason she loved fall was getting to decorate her quaint little shop in Stoney Brook, Vermont, with the signs of the season.

  Two and a half years ago, Evanee had purchased the building after finding it on the Internet for a steal. As the story had been relayed to her, in its early days, it had simply been an oversized barn on the outskirts of Stoney Brook, just past the covered bridge spanning the small town’s namesake waterway. Perhaps horses and tractors had once taken up residence in the oversized barn, and the owners had likely farmed the small plot of land adjacent to the property, but at some point, the barn had been converted into the town’s fire hall when the real fire hall, ironically, had burned to the ground. Then, sometime in the mideighties, the town had passed a tax bond to fund the construction of a new fire hall. Once that was built, the old barn-turned-fire-hall had been promptly abandoned and left for the animals and other varmints of Windham County, Vermont, to take up residence in. By the time Evanee had taken possession, the place was in poor repair, and though she’d gotten it for a song, she’d had to sink her life savings into the renovations to turn it into what it was today.

  Woods Rustic Wares.

  A little everything shop.

  She sold handmade goods, such as hand-sewn patchwork quilts, embroidered table linens, po
t holders and aprons, jewelry, soaps and candles, jugs of maple syrup and wedges of cheese. Women from all over the county loved to bring her their finest handiworks to sell in her shop. Even Gemma sold her very own line of homemade jams, “Gemma’s Jams,” that she packaged in pretty jars and wrapped in cellophane tied with seasonally colored raffia. Woods Rustic Wares also featured a full-service café, serving everything from basics like coffees, cocoas, and pumpkin spice lattes to sweet little treats like chocolate croissants, cream cheese frosted pumpkin bars, and coffee cake.

  In addition to the handmade items, they also sold a handful of store-bought items, mostly seasonal home decor things that caught her fancy. She also sold vintage and antique odds and ends that she found at auctions or estate sales or on one of her many out-of-town buying trips. Occasionally, when she was feeling particularly crafty, she refinished or repurposed old furniture to feature in her shop. And then, of course, in the fall she sold pumpkins and gourds she grew herself on the attached five acres. And she ordered mums to sell from a local greenhouse. In the winter, she sold wreaths and fresh Christmas trees, and in the spring and summer, it was potted flowers and pretty floral arrangements.

  Word of Evanee’s attention to detail and flair for decorating had spread like wildfire in the small community, and she’d been hired to do some personal decorating. A year ago, she’d been invited to join the town’s beautification committee. And if all that wasn’t enough, she taught yoga classes five times a week in the back of the building.

  Evanee was one busy woman.

  Which was why she’d hired Gemma. Gemma had been single when Evanee had hired her two years ago, and the two women had become fast friends. But since her hire, Gemma had reunited with her high school sweetheart, Matthew Greyson, and they’d married and had little Sarabella, the blond-haired, blue-eyed doll that Evanee loved like her own. So Gemma had gone from full-time friend to part-time friend in a short amount of time. Occasionally Evanee felt a twinge of jealousy over Gemma’s newfound family, but she always tried to shrug it off, knowing her own prince was just around the corner.

  Standing behind the counter now, Evanee closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. The shop smelled of cinnamon, nutmeg, and coffee beans. She loved that smell. It was one of the many reasons she looked forward to coming downstairs to work bright and early every morning. Evanee opened her eyes and scanned the freshly decorated rustic shop with its high ceiling’s exposed beams, its painted shiplap walls, and its raw-cut cedar floorboards. A soft smile covered her face.

  “It’s almost perfect, Gemma,” she announced through a quiet sigh.

  Gemma balked. “Almost perfect? Ev, you’re crazy! It is perfect. People are going to flock to the shop once you’ve posted a few pics to our Instagram feed.”

  “No, it won’t be perfect until our pumpkins and gourds show up.” Evanee glanced at her watch. “What time did you say they’d be delivered?”

  “Oh,” sighed Gemma. “Steve said he’d be here by close of business. He’s still got at least another hour.”

  “It’s just such a bummer we had to buy pumpkins and gourds this fall. After all that hard work we did planting. To have an entire crop ruined by a darn insect is just so frustrating.”

  Gemma closed up the ladder she’d been using and started hauling it away. “Hey, at least I was able to hook you up with my produce guy and we didn’t have to go without this year.”

  Evanee’s eyes widened. “Oh my gosh! Can you imagine? A fall shop without any pumpkins?” Her head shook. “It would have been horrific!”

  Gemma giggled. “Horrific may be a bit of an overstatement.”

  “Hardly! That’s a very important detail that we couldn’t have afforded to overlook.”

  “We’re lucky Dawson Farms grows things besides the fruits I use in my jams. Did you know they even carry eggs? I heard they have a whole herd of chickens over there. Maybe we should take a field trip to go check out their farm. We could start carrying eggs here,” she hollered as she returned the ladder to its home in the back of the building.

  Evanee quirked a brow and hollered back, “I think it’s called a flock of chickens, Gem.”

  “Isn’t that what I said?”

  “You called them a herd of chickens.”

  Gemma’s cheeks pinkened as she returned to the front counter. “Oh yeah. Duh, me. A herd of chickens,” she repeated with a smile. “What was I thinking?”

  “I think that’s called mom brain.”

  Gemma’s eyes widened. “Exactly. Sleepy mom brain. Sara’s teething right now, so bye-bye sleeping through the night.”

  “Sorry, Gem, but you don’t get to complain. You’ve got a beautiful life. Many women would give anything for what you have,” she chided.

  “Many women? You mean you?”

  Evanee lifted a shoulder lightly as the shop’s doorbell chimed. “I’m just fine where I am. My prince will be along soon enough, and he’ll be riding gallantly on his white horse.” Of course she’d been telling herself that for years. She only hoped one day her words would actually come to fruition. Though there had been no shortage of men interested in her over the years, Evanee was a bit of a self-proclaimed perfectionist, and finding her perfect suitor was taking longer than anticipated.

  “Good afternoon, ladies!” A petite sliver of a woman breezed into the shop past Gemma. She was dressed in an off-the-shoulder cream sweater, slim-cut jeans, and taupe heels. Her manicured nails matched her heels, and her blond hair was meticulously styled in a fresh bob with long, sweeping bangs and chunky brown lowlights. She looked like she’d just stepped out of the salon. Simply by looking at her, one would’ve never guessed that the spirited woman who’d popped into the shop was actually in her fifties, rather than the thirty years she appeared to be.

  “Hello, Bluebell,” said Gemma.

  “Good afternoon, Bluebell,” added Evanee. “You look like a woman on a mission!”

  Bluebell Adams was well known around town. Not only because she’d lived in Stoney Brook all her life, but also because she had her hand in everything. She didn’t work, but instead volunteered around town. She was the head of the town beautification committee, she sat on the town council, she was president of the school board and a valued member of the church’s ladies’ auxiliary. In addition, Bluebell was married to Ace Adams, who was well known around town in his own right as Stoney Brook’s former mayor and the current CEO of the Stoney Brook Bank. To Evanee, Bluebell and Ace Adams had the quintessential perfect family.

  “I am a woman on a mission,” said Bluebell with a broad grin. “I’ve only got ten minutes to look around before I have to get over to Annie’s to meet with her and her wedding planner, but I wanted to stop in and check out what you might have for centerpieces.” She sucked in her breath as she eyed the big fall display the women had just finished setting up. “Oh my goodness, ladies! What a beautiful display!” She shook her head, her blond hair dusting the tops of her shoulders lightly. “You’ve just got such a talent for this, Evanee. Stoney Brook needed you here. We really did.”

  “Aww, that’s sweet of you to say, Bluebell,” said Evanee, beaming.

  “Which is why I demanded you sit on the town beautification committee with me last year!” She glanced at Gemma then. “And she’s done a truly bang-up job. You know all the new planters and hanging baskets down Main Street were her idea.”

  Gemma nodded, an amused smile playing on her face. “Yes, I think Evanee mentioned that a time or six.”

  Evanee blushed. Perhaps she was proud of the contributions she’d made while a member of the committee. “Well, it’s something I enjoy.”

  “She really does a great job. And she’s had some great ideas for the Renaissance Festival too. This is truly going to be the best one yet!” Bluebell sucked in her breath. “Oh, girls, I just had a thought. Did you hear the Sandersons moved to Arizona a few weeks ago?”

  “Oh, yes, Mary stopped in here to say goodbye before she left,” said Gemma.

 
; “Well, now that they’re gone, we’re short a few performers for the festival. How would the two of you like to be in the show?”

  Immediately, Gemma’s head shook. “Oh no. Not happening. I have my hands full with Sara right now.”

  “Well, what about you, Evanee?” asked Bluebell.

  Evanee’s eyes widened. “Oh, hmm, I don’t know. I’m really not much of an actress.”

  Bluebell waved her hand. “Neither am I, dear. You’d just be a commoner. The real stars of the show are part of the theater group. We just need to fill out the crowd with costumed people, that’s all. You know, to make everything seem more authentic.”

  Gemma shot Evanee a broad smile. “Oh, Evanee would be perfect for something like that. You should totally do it Ev.”

  Evanee’s heart raced. The thought actually excited her. “Yeah, that might be fun.”

  “Okay, well, we have festival practice this Monday night at seven at city hall. Someone usually brings snacks, so at the very least, you can come and have a bite to eat.”

  “I’ll think about it,” said Evanee, even though there was nothing to think about. She knew she’d be at that meeting. “Now, I know you’re pressed for time, so what can I help you find?”

  Bluebell clasped her hands to her chest and eyed the shop. “Annie has been scouring Pinterest for wedding ideas and she’s decided she wants to use old-fashioned lanterns for her centerpieces for the wedding. I thought I’d stop in and check if you have any rustic lanterns.”