Buttercream Murder: A Frosted Love Cozy Mystery - Book 7 (Frosted Love Cozy Mysteries) by Carol Durand, Summer Prescott
Authors: Carol Durand, Summer Prescott
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Chapter 1
Melissa Gladstone brushed a stray golden curl back from her damp forehead after peeling off her sterile gloves. The proud owner of Missy’s Muffins and More in LaChance, Louisiana, and its sister store, Crème de la Cupcake, in the nearby town of Dellville, had just finished baking her last batch of specialty cupcakes for the evening, and was dismayed when she looked down at her watch, seeing that it was already after nine. She’d been so wrapped up in perfecting her new recipe for Peach Cupcakes with Cream Cheese and Pecan Frosting, that she had completely lost track of time. Her stomach grumbled, reminding her that, yet again, she had completely forgotten to eat dinner. She eyed the freshly frosted treats in front of her, tempted, but decided to wait and fix herself a nice bowl of gumbo when she got home. She’d made a huge pot of it earlier in the week – it came in handy for times just like this, when she needed a good meal, but was too exhausted to cook. Glad that she had tidied up the commercial kitchen while the muffins baked, she cleaned up the bowls and frosting knives and headed for home.
The late Fall breeze was cool, but still pleasant, and Missy inhaled deeply, glad to be done for the day. Her lemon-yellow Victorian with white trim and shutters was pleasantly aglow when she pulled into the drive, and her heart leaped a bit because she knew that lights on in the house meant that her handsome, amazing, wonderful, boyfriend, Detective Chas Beckett, had stopped by to feed the dog and close the windows before night fell. She didn’t know who she was more excited to see, the dashing detective, or her golden retriever, Toffee. Locking the car, she turned just in time to see her ecstatic pet bounding down the porch steps and making a beeline for her. Missy received sloppy kisses with giggles, and started for the house, where she saw dark-haired and gorgeous Chas waiting patiently for his greeting.
“You might want to wait to kiss me until I wash my face,” she grinned at him, Toffee at her heels.
“Good call,” Detective Beckett agreed, taking her by the hand and leading her inside. “I heated up some of your gumbo when you texted that you were on your way home, so once you get freshened up, there’ll be a nice warm dinner waiting for you.”
“Chas Beckett, you are amazing,” she smiled, squeezing his hand before heading upstairs to change and wash up.
“There’s wine too,” he responded, watching her with an appreciative gaze.
“Perfect,” Missy sang out, taking the stairs faster.
Freshly scrubbed and clad in a comfy knit maxi-dress with matching sweater, Missy joined Chas at the kitchen table, where a steaming bowl of spicy gumbo and a glass of Cabernet awaited. Smooth jazz played softly in the background, and the thoughtful detective had lit two candles, giving the eating nook a warm glow.
“Oh Chas, I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to come home to this after a ridiculously long day,” she breathed, kissing him softly before settling into her chair.
“I’m glad to do it,” he returned her kiss. “It helps me feel more human after a day of dealing with situations that are anything but normal.”
“Rough day?” Missy asked, blowing softly on a spoonful of gumbo.
Beckett sipped his wine before replying. “No more so than usual,” he replied. “There was a burglary over at the Plantation, and Chloe Beauregard was so upset about it that she had to be sedated.”
Missy involuntarily snorted in a most unladylike manner. “Chloe Beauregard requires sedation over a hangnail,” she commented dryly.
The detective sat back, surprised. “Why, Melissa Gladstone, are those claws that I see on such a lovely kitten?”
She washed a bite of gumbo down with a swig of wine. “Sorry, it was a reflex. Everyone in the county knows of Chloe’s histrionics. We were in the same class in school, and she used tears and manipulation quite effectively to get whatever she wanted.
Melissa Gladstone brushed a stray golden curl back from her damp forehead after peeling off her sterile gloves. The proud owner of Missy’s Muffins and More in LaChance, Louisiana, and its sister store, Crème de la Cupcake, in the nearby town of Dellville, had just finished baking her last batch of specialty cupcakes for the evening, and was dismayed when she looked down at her watch, seeing that it was already after nine. She’d been so wrapped up in perfecting her new recipe for Peach Cupcakes with Cream Cheese and Pecan Frosting, that she had completely lost track of time. Her stomach grumbled, reminding her that, yet again, she had completely forgotten to eat dinner. She eyed the freshly frosted treats in front of her, tempted, but decided to wait and fix herself a nice bowl of gumbo when she got home. She’d made a huge pot of it earlier in the week – it came in handy for times just like this, when she needed a good meal, but was too exhausted to cook. Glad that she had tidied up the commercial kitchen while the muffins baked, she cleaned up the bowls and frosting knives and headed for home.
The late Fall breeze was cool, but still pleasant, and Missy inhaled deeply, glad to be done for the day. Her lemon-yellow Victorian with white trim and shutters was pleasantly aglow when she pulled into the drive, and her heart leaped a bit because she knew that lights on in the house meant that her handsome, amazing, wonderful, boyfriend, Detective Chas Beckett, had stopped by to feed the dog and close the windows before night fell. She didn’t know who she was more excited to see, the dashing detective, or her golden retriever, Toffee. Locking the car, she turned just in time to see her ecstatic pet bounding down the porch steps and making a beeline for her. Missy received sloppy kisses with giggles, and started for the house, where she saw dark-haired and gorgeous Chas waiting patiently for his greeting.
“You might want to wait to kiss me until I wash my face,” she grinned at him, Toffee at her heels.
“Good call,” Detective Beckett agreed, taking her by the hand and leading her inside. “I heated up some of your gumbo when you texted that you were on your way home, so once you get freshened up, there’ll be a nice warm dinner waiting for you.”
“Chas Beckett, you are amazing,” she smiled, squeezing his hand before heading upstairs to change and wash up.
“There’s wine too,” he responded, watching her with an appreciative gaze.
“Perfect,” Missy sang out, taking the stairs faster.
Freshly scrubbed and clad in a comfy knit maxi-dress with matching sweater, Missy joined Chas at the kitchen table, where a steaming bowl of spicy gumbo and a glass of Cabernet awaited. Smooth jazz played softly in the background, and the thoughtful detective had lit two candles, giving the eating nook a warm glow.
“Oh Chas, I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to come home to this after a ridiculously long day,” she breathed, kissing him softly before settling into her chair.
“I’m glad to do it,” he returned her kiss. “It helps me feel more human after a day of dealing with situations that are anything but normal.”
“Rough day?” Missy asked, blowing softly on a spoonful of gumbo.
Beckett sipped his wine before replying. “No more so than usual,” he replied. “There was a burglary over at the Plantation, and Chloe Beauregard was so upset about it that she had to be sedated.”
Missy involuntarily snorted in a most unladylike manner. “Chloe Beauregard requires sedation over a hangnail,” she commented dryly.
The detective sat back, surprised. “Why, Melissa Gladstone, are those claws that I see on such a lovely kitten?”
She washed a bite of gumbo down with a swig of wine. “Sorry, it was a reflex. Everyone in the county knows of Chloe’s histrionics. We were in the same class in school, and she used tears and manipulation quite effectively to get whatever she wanted.
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