Cupcake Explosion
Copyright 2018 Bethany Lopez
Published May 2018
Cover Design by:
Makeready Designs
Editing by:
Red Road Editing / Kristina Circelli
Proofreading by:
KMS Freelance Editing
Interior Design & Formatting by:
Christine Borgford, Type A Formatting
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
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Young Adult:
STORIES ABOUT MELISSA—SERIES
Ta Ta for Now!
xoxoxo
Ciao
TTYL
With Love
Adios
Nissa: a contemporary fairy tale
New Adult:
FRIENDS & LOVERS TRILOGY
Make it Last
I Choose You
Trust in Me
Indelible
Contemporary Romance:
A TIME FOR LOVE SERIES
Prequel—1 Night
8 Weeks
21 Days
42 Hours
15 Minutes
10 Years
3 Seconds
7 Months
Novella—For Eternity
THE LEWIS COUSINS SERIES
Too Tempting
Too Complicated
Too Distracting
Too Enchanting
THREE SISTERS CATERING
A Pinch of Salt
A Touch of Cinnamon
Romantic Comedy/Suspense:
CUPCAKES SERIES
Always Room for Cupcakes
Cupcake Overload
Lei’d with Cupcakes
Cupcake Explosion
Women’s Fiction:
More than Exist
Short Stories:
CONTEMPORARY
Christmas Come Early
Harem Night
FANTASY
Leap of Faith
Beau and the Beastess
Cookbook:
Love & Recipes
Love & Cupcakes
Children’s:
Katie and the North Star
Contents
CUPCAKE EXPLOSION
Also by Bethany Lopez
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Epilogue
Enjoy an Excerpt from Too Tempting, The Lewis Cousins Book 1
About the Author
FOR THE FIRST time in a long time, life is good. I've got a smokin' hot motorcycle man as my fiancé, the best friends a woman could have, a couple of great kids, and things have been relatively quiet on the PI front.
You know what that means . . . the other shoe was bound to drop sooner or later.
I’ve been around long enough to know something bad usually happens when you least expect it. Blindsiding you and turning your life upside down.
And, of course, after a few months of calm, that’s what happened . . .
Just when I was ready to settle down and plan the coolest wedding Greenswood has ever seen, the shit hit the fan, and hit it hard.
My friends are fighting, because Amy May caught Bea and Carmen at my new friend Cynthia’s place, Cynthia’s Coffee and Books, eating pastries. Amy May thinks of it as a betrayal, while Bea and Carmen swear they just stopped to shop for books. Now I’m stuck in the middle.
Cade's been out of town doing God knows what for the club, not giving me input on the wedding at all. But, I guess I should have figured that, he is Cade after all, the man who said he didn’t do white picket fences.
And, my sweet little twins are turning into hair-pulling pre-teens with more drama than my old daytime soaps.
I feel like I'm being pulled in a million directions, and I've been going so crazy that Elin's swear jar is near to overflowing. I've been eating cupcakes like a woman possessed, and if I'm not careful, there's going to be a Cupcake Explosion . . . in my pants.
“YOU’RE SO ANNOYING. Why can’t you just leave me and Cassidy alone and go play with your stupid video games?”
What the hell? Was that really my sweet little Lena, talking to her twin brother like a jerk?
“Elena, I don’t want to hear you talking to Elin like that, you understand?” I asked as I turned the corner into her room.
And I kid you not, the little she-devil rolled her eyes at me.
When did my little sidekick turn into a preteen nightmare?
“Elin, go to your room and leave the girls alone please,” I asked my son, ruffling his hair as he walked by me.
“I didn’t want to hang out with a couple of stupid girls anyway,” Elin grumbled.
“Hey, language,” I said, shocked to hear him talk that way. “And, it looks like you’re the one who owes money to the swear jar this time.”
Elin sighed and walked out of the room.
I turned back to my darling daughter, who was sitting on her bed with my best friend, Amy May’s daughter, Cassidy. She’d been Lena’s best friend almost since birth. Cassidy was looking worriedly at me, but Lena had a who gives a fuck look that I knew well.
It was like looking in the mirror.
“Lena,” I said, fighting for calm. “Don’t talk to your brother that way, or look at me like that. I have no problem taking Cassidy home and letting you spend out the remainder of the weekend staring at that wall.”
I could tell she really wante
d to pull a face, or maybe roll her eyes again, but she managed to get her shit together and say, “I’m sorry.”
I nodded, then turned and got out of there as fast as I could.
Lord save me from budding teenagers.
I’d thought dealing with Elin and his hormones was going to be what pushed me over the edge, but, nope, it was going to be Lena’s newly found attitude that was sure to give me gray hair way too early.
I walked through the house, CB following at my feet as always, and decided a cupcake break was just what the doctor ordered.
I opened the fridge, pulled out the box of cupcakes Amy May had dropped off with Cassidy, and took out custard filled with chocolate icing, which was a current favorite.
My mouth was full of custard when my phone rang.
“Ha . . . bo,” was my greeting when I answered.
“May I speak to Delilah Horton?”
“Mmnhmmm.”
“Is this Delilah Horton?” the woman on the other end asked again.
I swallowed and replied, “Yup, you got her.”
“Of Horton Investigations.”
“Yes,” I said, beginning to get annoyed.
I’d started off as an investigative photographer, after the picture I’d snapped of my ex with his face full of snatch had made its way around town. And, yes, it made its way around because I’d taped it up all over town.
Anywho, I’d started working for Moose, who was a private investigator. Unfortunately, during a crazy case with a Mexican drug cartel, Moose had been killed, and, to my surprise, had left all of his worldly goods to me.
His PI firm, his house, everything.
My fiancé, Cade, and I . . . Man, I get a buzz every time I realize Cade’s my fiancé . . . I digress. Cade and I had totally flipped the house and made it something that the kids and I were proud to call our own.
I felt awful about the way Moose died, and the fact that I was the closest person to him in his life, but I would be forever grateful to him for everything he’d given me. He’d taken on a bitter, divorced, single mother, and given me a purpose. A job I enjoyed and was actually good at.
“Are you listening to me? Hello . . .”
Oops. I stopped woolgathering and replied, “Sorry, can you repeat that.”
There was a sigh on the other end.
“My daughter is missing. The police say that because she is eighteen, they can’t do anything. But, she’s a senior in high school and hasn’t been home all week. They keep trying to tell me that she ran away, but I know my Misty, and she wouldn’t do that. I’d like to hire you to find her.”
I walked to my office and grabbed a pen.
“Tell me everything,” I said, then started writing as the distraught mother on the other end gave me her daughter’s description, names of her friends, and the last place she’d seen her. “Okay, ma’am, I’ll get right on it and let you know when I find her.”
“Thank you.”
I shoved the rest of the cupcake in my mouth, then sat down at the computer to do a little research, figuring it was best to start by looking at Misty’s social media.
My phone pinged again, this time signaling a text.
I’ll be a little late, want me to pick up grub?
I smiled at the picture I had saved as Cade’s contact photo. It was from our trip to Hawaii, and he’s wearing only board shorts. His long hair is falling around his shoulders, his body is tan, and he’s built like a badass.
Sounds good. I just caught a case, so I’ll probably be out late, too.
Anything I should know about?
I rolled my eyes.
Cade expected me to get into trouble every time I started a case, but that really only happened a couple times. Sure, the times that it did happen, I’d stumbled across some pretty scary dudes, but I was positive that wouldn’t be the case with this missing person.
At least, that’s what I’d tell Cade.
Nope, just a runaway. Easy peasy.
All right. Let me know if that changes. Later
My fiancé wasn’t the hearts and flowers type, but I was content with him feeding me and constantly giving me the D the way I liked it. We were pretty much a perfect match.
I’D PARKED IN a coveted spot along Main Street, and was walking, intent on Clarice’s Nail Salon, where a couple of Misty’s friends had posted they were getting pedis, when I looked up and saw the sign for Cynthia’s Coffee and Books.
Hmmm, maybe I need a coffee, I thought. And, it didn’t hurt that Clarice served up larger-than-life cupcakes. Shhhh, don’t tell Amy May.
I opened the door and recognized the voice of my bestie screeching.
My first instinct was to shut the door and run, but I looked toward the commotion and saw Amy May standing, hands on her hips, and yelling at our other two friends, Bea and Carmen. They were sitting on one of the plush couches looking up at Amy May with guilty expressions.
Uh-oh, I thought, mentally pulling on my big girl panties and walking over there.
I waved at Cynthia, who was eyeing my friends with a worried look, and gave her a reassuring smile.
“Amy May, what’s going on? Why are you screaming in the middle of the book store?” I asked softly, keeping my tone light so as not to fuel her flame.
She turned to me, eyes narrowed, and I knew it was too late. That flame was stoked.
“Can you believe this?” Amy May seethed, throwing her hand out toward Bea and Carmen. “I was walking by, minding my own business, when I look in the window to see these two Benedicts sitting in here eating her cupcakes.”
“Do you mean like, Eggs Benedict, or Benedict Arnold, cause the second one makes a bit more sense,” I asked, hoping to distract her and get her to calm down.
It didn’t work.
“Don’t get cute with me, Lila, you know very well I’m talking about the traitor . . .”
“Hey,” Bea said, standing up and crossing her arms over her chest. She was still in her police uniform, obviously having just gotten off work. “Carmen and I met here to look at books, and since they happen to serve coffee and pastries, we decided to treat ourselves. There’s nothing wrong with that, Amy May. It’s not like we’re boycotting your bakery in favor of Cynthia’s, it just happened.”
I looked at the table, and sure enough, there was a stack of historical romances, Bea’s favorite, and in front of Carmen, there were self-improvement books.
“See, it’s not a big deal,” I started, but Amy May wasn’t having it; instead, she turned on me.
“And, what are you doing here? You stepping out on me, too?” she asked, her eyes beginning to fill.
Oh no, she is going from pissed to hurt, real quick.
“No, Amy May, come on . . . You know we all love you and your baked goods to pieces. I was coming in to grab coffee, because I work tonight, and because Cynthia is my friend. I wanted to say hi. Bea and Carmen have already said they came in to shop for books . . . No one is stepping out on you.”
“Whatever,” Amy May said, wiping angrily at her cheeks. “Enjoy your books,” she told Bea and Carmen, then looked at me and said, “And, enjoy your new friend.”
I watched, mouth hanging open as she stormed out of the shop.
“What the hell was that?” I asked, swinging my head back to Bea and Carmen.
Carmen looked shocked.
“I don’t know. One minute we were talking about Bea and Shannon trying for adoption, and the next Amy May was towering over us letting it all out. I have no idea what happened, but I’ve never seen her so mad.”
“There must be something else going on,” Bea guessed. “Because she’s never blown up like that before. And, there’s no way she was just walking by, I think she saw us come in and came down to bust us.”
“Hmmm, I’ll have to check in with her and see what’s up,” I said, just as Cynthia came over.
“Everything okay?” she asked, her voice serene.
Cynthia was pure hippie with a side of gypsy. Totally co
ol with her long curly hair and flowing skirts. She had so many bracelets on her wrist, they jangled with every movement, and she had the coolest bookstore I’d ever seen.
“Yeah, sorry about that, our friend Amy May was a little upset,” I replied, then I gestured to the couch. “Have you met my friends, Bea and Carmen? Guys, this is Cynthia, the owner of this rad shop.”
“Nice to meet you, Officer,” Cynthia said to Bea, then to Carmen, “And you’re the journalist, right? I believe you did a piece on the shop after we opened. Thanks for that.”
“It was my pleasure,” Carmen said with a delighted smile.
“Nice to meet you too, you have great coffee,” Bea added.
“Well, I just wanted to check and make sure everything was all right. I hope your friend’s okay.”
“Thanks, Cynthia, she’ll be fine,” I assured her. “I’ll be over in a minute to grab a coffee.”
“Sure, I’ll get that started for you. Remember, don’t even think about trying to pay. Your money’s no good here.”
I smiled gratefully at her. A while back I’d caught a thief who’d been terrorizing her shop, which had earned me free coffee for life.
“Do you think I should go talk to Amy May?” Carmen asked, worrying her lower lip.
I shook my head.
“Give her some time to cool off. Amy May can be hotheaded, but she’s usually quick to come to her senses and listen to reason. Don’t get worked up about it, she’ll be okay.”
Carmen tended to take things to heart and stress over them, and I hated to think of the anxiety she’d have, worrying about Amy May being upset with her.
“Okay, I’m gonna grab a cup and get to work, got a runaway to find,” I said, then added, “And, I think we’re due for a Ladies Night. We’ll have to get one on the books.”
“Need any help with your runaway?” Bea asked.
“Not yet, but I’ll let you know,” I said.
“Oh, let me know too, you know I love to help you investigate,” Carmen added, her tone conveying her excitement.
I chuckled and said, “I will, promise,” then went off in search of free coffee.
And, a cupcake.
“CLARICE, HOW’S THE world of beauty?” I asked as I walked into her salon.