Read Dying for a Cupcake for Free Online

Instead of a sophisticated twenty-first-century businesswoman, she looked like a nineteen-fifties housewife all dolled up for an evening out with her husband. She wore a baby blue voile shirtwaist dress with a full circle skirt, a pearl necklace, and bluepumps. A matching clutch lay on the table in front of her.
    Suddenly, I was conscious of my own casual appearance. My summer work uniform was jeans, sneakers, and a polo shirt with DEVEREAUX’S DIME STORE embroidered on the pocket. In deference to meeting the cupcake tycoon for the first time, I’d exchanged the polo for a blue-and-green swirl-print tunic and the tennis shoes for navy sandals, but I’d kept on my Levi’s. Seeing Kizzy’s perfect blond French twist, I wished I had combed out my ponytail. Still, even if I had fixed my hair, I knew my feeble efforts would have been in vain. The cupcake CEO was stunningly beautiful.
    After the waitress took our drink orders and left, Ronni said, “Kizzy, I hope your suite is okay.”
    “It’s delightful, thank you,” Kizzy said. “I love the little balcony.”
    “That’s my favorite part of those suites, too,” Ronni said. “Is your partner happy with hers?”
    “Lee is easy to please,” Kizzy answered. “She has simple tastes.”
    “That must make her pleasant to travel with.” Ronni raised an eyebrow in my direction, then turned back to Kizzy and asked, “Is your assistant comfortable in her room? I’m sorry there wasn’t anything larger available for her.”
    “Fallon’s accommodations are fine for her station in life.” Kizzy waved her hand, clearly dismissing her employee’s need for luxury. “She came to me from a program for young people who had gotten caught up in the penal system due do drug crimes.” Kizzy took a sip of water. “Fallon claimed she never was a user, but she spent a year in prison for bringing drug money across the border for her boyfriend.” Kizzy put down her glass and tapped her nails against the plastic. “So yousee how even the smallest bedroom in your B and B is a step up.”
    “Right,” Ronni agreed, a bemused look on her face. Regrouping, she glanced around the table and frowned. “I wonder what’s keeping Harlee.”
    “Oh. Sorry,” I apologized. “I forgot to tell you that she called me and said that she isn’t going to come after all. She tried to contact you and couldn’t get through, so she asked me to pass on her regrets.”
    “Then we’re all here except for your business partner and assistant,” Ronni said to Kizzy. “Are they going to be able to make it?”
    “They should have been right behind us.” Kizzy checked her phone. “Just as we were leaving, I got a message from a delivery service saying they had a package for me and would be at the B and B in ten or fifteen minutes. Fallon volunteered to stay behind and sign for it, and Lee offered to wait with her so she wouldn’t have to drive on unfamiliar roads alone.”
    “I hope they didn’t get lost.” Ronni glanced toward the door. “The one-way streets can be a little confusing around here.”
    “They’d have called if they needed directions.” Kizzy shrugged. “Let’s go ahead and order.”
    “I’m sure no one minds waiting for them,” I said, ignoring my hunger pangs.
    Kizzy bared her teeth in a fake smile; then when everyone around the table finished expressing their willingness to wait, she said, “Devereaux, how sweet of you to offer your opinion on the matter. I love that you have your own idea on the issue.” Her smile faded and she narrowed her eyes. “I just don’t want to hear it.”
    Seriously?
Why was Kizzy so hostile? I’d never met her before, so it couldn’t be a past grudge. Still, she wasthe star of our little weekend, so I bit my tongue and kept quiet.
    Kizzy beckoned to a nearby waitress and said, “We’re ready.” After placing her order, Kizzy turned to Ronni and commented, “I’m sure Lee and Fallon will arrive soon. After all, what could happen