Black Bottom Murder: A Frosted Love Cozy Mystery Book 6 (Frosted Love Mysteries) by Carol Durand, Summer Prescott

Chapter 1
     
    Melissa
Gladstone bit deeply into her latest creation, an orange marmalade cupcake with
ginger cream cheese frosting, and sighed with satisfaction. It was everything
that she hoped it would be, and she was glad that she had added a sprinkle of
crunchy pepitas on top for a dash of salt and texture. Having just returned
from a whirlwind trip to the Caribbean, she was eager to put what she had
learned about new flavors and spices into practice. This recipe would
definitely be used for a Cupcake of the Day sometime in the upcoming week in
both of her two thriving cupcake shops, Missy’s Muffins and More in LaChance,
Louisiana, and Crème de la Cupcake, just down the road in Dellville. Missy made
a note to stock up on marmalade and ginger, as her loyal LaChance store
manager, Ben, a grad student in Criminal Justice, appeared at the back door, sniffing
the air appreciatively.
    “Wow,
whatever that is, did you save some for me?” he asked with a grin.
    “Of
course,” Missy handed him a cupcake. “We’re going to put this on the schedule
for a Cupcake of the Day next week.”
    Ben
took a bite, chewed slowly and nodded. “Good call,” he agreed, through a mouthful
of cupcake. His assistant, Chris, a buddy from grad school, came in shortly
thereafter and had a similar reaction, indicating his approval with an
enthusiastic thumbs-up. Missy arranged the remaining cakes on a platter, helped
the guys set up for the morning rush, and when she was satisfied that they were
ready to open, headed for the Dellville shop. It was a beautiful Louisiana
morning, and the drive to Dellville was pure joy. The windows were down, the
air was cool, and the sun sparkled in a clear, blue sky. Knowing that her
blonde curls would be a tangled mess when she arrived, Missy threw caution to
the wind and enjoyed the air with carefree abandon, singing along to classic
rock on the radio.
    Cheryl,
the manager of Crème de la Cupcake, and her dark-haired, pale-skinned assistant
Grayson, had just finished stocking the cases and flipped over the ‘Open’ sign
on the front door when Missy pulled up. The early morning crowd, folks on their
way to work, milled about while they waited for Grayson to unlock the door and
let them in. Missy chatted with several customers that she knew as the line
moved into the shop, excited to see that people actually left their homes early
in order to grab a breakfast treat. Once inside, she moved behind the counter
and helped Cheryl move the line as quickly as possible, while Grayson packed
orders that needed to be delivered later in the morning. When they finally had
a lull in the morning madness, Cheryl and Grayson tried the new cupcakes that
Missy had invented, and were equally as impressed as Ben and Chris had been.
    As
she worked alongside him, Missy discreetly watched her newest employee,
Grayson, with pride, pleased that he was doing so well. The quiet youth might
look dramatic, with piercings, dark clothing, and hair that was longer than
hers or Cheryl’s, but he had a heart of gold, despite his troubled home life.
His sweet smile and quick wit had made him a fast favorite with customers,
despite some initial reservations early on, and he was blossoming with more confidence
every day.
    Glad
to know that Grayson was more than capable of handling any customers who came
in, Missy drew Cheryl back into the kitchen for a chat. There was a Cupcake
Convention taking place in East Texas the following weekend, and she felt that
the young manager could really benefit from attending with her. Cheryl was
organized, intelligent and creative, but lacked the self-confidence to take her
creativity to the next level. Missy wanted to boost the young woman’s
self-esteem, and bring her to this event where they would both be inspired to
try new things and push themselves harder. Both shops were doing very well, and
part of the reason why, was the continued introduction of new products as a
daily event. Keeping fresh ideas