Éclair Case of Murder: A Culinary Cozy Mystery (A Rosie Kale Culinary Cozy Mystery Book 2) by Leigh Selfman Page B

wince as a passing waiter offered us each a glass of champagne. I had to remind myself to move as little as possible.
    “A sports massage? Why on earth? You don’t do sports.” He looked me over. “Did that have something to do with your hair?”
    “My hair?” I reached up to find that my neatly pinned hair was now falling out of its elegant updo.
    “That’s a longer story,” I said as I put the glass down on an elegant little table and quickly pinned it back up without even looking. “I better get to the restroom.”
    I glanced around looking for the Ladies Room, hoping that there was an attendant inside with some better hair clips and maybe a little spray.
    “Rosie,” Casey said, as I looked around distractedly. “I don’t want you to be nervous, but there’s something I didn’t tell you about this ball.”
    “Oh? What’s that?” I finally spotted the restroom sign, towards the back entrance of the giant ballroom.
    “Well…” he said, hesitating. “The thing is, my father’s here. I wanted him to meet you tonight.”
    “Your father?” My hand automatically flew to my hair as I looked at him horrified.
    “Your father’s here? How could you know that and not give me any warning? That’s…evil!”
    “I know,” he said, looking guilty. His long eyelashes gave his deep green eyes a sensitive air. “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to make you nervous, you know how you get.”
    It was true, it was the sort of thing that would have eaten at me for days.
    But still…
    “I can’t believe you sprung this on me,” I said. “I can’t meet your father looking like this!”
    “Darling,” he said, bending down and whispering in my ear. “Can you be angry at me about it in a just bit…he’s right behind you.”
    I froze, then put a fake smile on my face and turned to see a handsome, distinguished, silver-haired version of Casey standing there.
    “Hi,” I said with an uncomfortable smile—while inside I planned out just how I would kill Casey.
     
    “Miss Kale,” Casey’s father said, “A pleasure to meet you.”
    “Oh… the pleasure’s mine,” I said weakly. I smiled as best I could, taking in his gorgeous tux, the glass of champagne in his hand, the scent of expensive cologne and his overall aristocratic air.
    I reached up to touch my hair again and tucked a stray piece, back behind my ear.
    “I've heard so much about you,” he said in the same upper crust accent as Casey.
    I looked at Casey, surprised. Then I smiled back at his father. “And I, you. You look so much like Casey,” I said as I leaned in to do the European kiss on each cheek. “Like an older version of him, I mean. But not that much older. Slightly older.”
    I blushed, feeling like an idiot, but when I looked over to Casey, he was smiling as though everything was perfectly fine.
    “So Father, is Kaz in town?” he asked.
    “No, unfortunately your brother is stuck in London. On business.”
    “Ah, too bad,” Casey nodded. “But I’m glad you made your way out here. And got the chance to meet Rosie.”
    Casey smiled at me and I smiled back at him. My earlier anger had all but disappeared as I admitted to myself just how well his devious plan had worked. The potentially nerve-wracking situation of meeting his father was over and done with almost as soon as I realized it was happening.
    Relaxed and happy, I took another sip of my champagne and smiled at Casey as he and his father discussed some new business venture in Seattle. But my smile quickly faded as I saw someone who looked like Detective Sanders entering the hotel ballroom.
    “I think that sounds doable,” Casey was saying to his father. “Let’s ask her. Rosie, would you like to come?”
    After a moment I realized they were talking to me.
    “Come?” I gave Casey an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, I missed some of what you were saying.”
    More like all of what he was saying.
    “To Seattle...we have some new business there,