by Ann S. Marie
STRAWBERRY CREAM CUPCAKE & MURDER
(A Dana Sweet Cozy Mystery, Book 1)
Copyright 2015 Ann S. Marie
All rights reserved; no part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental.
Table of Contents
Copyright Page
Strawberry Cream Cupcake & Murder (A Dana Sweet Cozy Mystery, #1)
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Epilogue
Recipes
Thanks to my Father above for every blessing.
***BONUS RECIPES INCLUDED!***
STRAWBERRY CREAM CUPCAKE & MURDER
(A Dana Sweet Cozy Mystery, Book 1)
Reverse your stress at Cozy Cupcakes Café. Remember, ‘stressed’ is ‘desserts’ spelled backwards!
Her ex-fiancé ran off with her money, her dreams, and her best friend. But that won’t stop Dana Sweet from trying to make a fresh new start. They say the best revenge is sweet success and that’s what Dana plans to do. Turn the struggling cupcake café she inherited from her grandmother into a success. Dana takes a chance and re-opens the café under a new name, Cozy Cupcakes Café, where frosted cupcakes are served with a spoon and delivered with a sweet fortune cookie-like message to brighten customers’ days.
But moving back to Berry Cove in Ontario is not as easy as it looks. For one thing, Dana is not welcomed to town by her competitor. Moreover, the employees at the bake shop haven’t warmed up to her yet. And when the Berry Cove Gazette food critic who gave the café a scathing review turns up dead, all sticky fingers point to Dana. And now a gorgeous detective has her under surveillance...
A Dana Sweet Cozy Mystery series:
Strawberry Cream Cupcake & Murder (Book 1)
Blueberry Cream Cupcake & Murder (Book 2) Available now!
Chocolate Cream Cupcake & Murder (Book 3)
Chapter 1
Grandma Rae’s key ingredients for a good day:
1 cup of gratitude
1 spoonful of hope
1 ounce of laughter
A dash of resilience
A sprinkle of service to others
1 cup of integrity
1 cup of self-respect
I good trusted friend (2 is optional)
A whole lot of love for yourself
1 cupcake with a tasty whipped cream frosting with a cup of kind words to sweeten your day
A nostalgic smile touched Dana Sweet’s lips as she drove her blue Ford Escort on 401 eastbound toward the small town of Berry Cove, Ontario, leaving the state of New York behind her, thinking of the Sweet Family Recipe Book her grandmother left to her in her will. The last page of the recipe book had a little poem on the key ingredients for a good day attached to it.
Though this was her final drive from NY with the last of her stuff, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of nervousness. Was she making the right decision to come back? She hardly knew the town since her childhood.
An uneasy feeling settled inside Dana but she swept it out of her mind.
“It’s only nerves, girl. You’re just worried about what people would say if they found out about what happened in New York,” Dana murmured to herself as the wind blew her shiny brunette locks. The car window was cracked open slightly. The sun was so bright, so she reached into the glove compartment to pull out her sunglasses. She couldn’t believe how warm and sunny it was considering it was now Fall.
She thought about what her new life would be like now. In a small town, conformity was the law. Being different could sometimes make you an outsider. And she intended to fit in. Even though the newly revamped café idea was...well, different.
Dana had changed her Nana’s beloved cupcake café since it was teetering on the brink of bankruptcy after her death. She’d met the employees a few months ago and had implemented a couple of big changes. Initially, they’d been distrustful of her ‘out-there’ ideas (the icing-heavy cupcake served with a spoon, and the messages at the bottom of the cupcakes and on the wrappers), but those ideas had managed to make the café popular again, and they’d come around. Well, some of the employees had come around to her ideas.
Nana had always told her that people were like layers of cakes with many different ingredients. Some people were sweeter than others. “You’ve got to know how to move good with people,” Grandma Rae would always say.
Life had many layers, too. Some sweet stuff, some bitter stuff, all mixed in to make a tasty cake. Like baking powder made a cake rise but you sure as heck wouldn’t want to taste it on its own.
Boy, Dana needed a scoop of confidence right now...Speaking of which...
Her late grandmother, Grandma Rae, always told her that “Life is like a delicious scoop of ice-cream—you’ve got to enjoy it before it melts.”
And Grandma Rae also used to preach that the word “stressed” was “desserts” spelled backwards. It depended on what you did with the letters. It’s not what happened to you, it’s what you decided to do with it that counted. Life was ten percent stuff that happened and ninety percent how you responded to it, she would discourse. Plain and simple. Of course, Grandma Rae lived through three divorces, nine lay offs, two wars and thirteen grandkids, so she knew what she was talking about.
She had always been free-spirited, youthful and full of life even at eighty-five. She reminded Dana of a late famous comedian who had a show on a fashion network—only Grandma had a southern accent from her birth place.
Dana’s heart squeezed in her chest. Oh, how she missed her nana very much. She missed the evenings cozying up by the warm crackling fire in the fireplace on her antique Victoria sofa with quilted covers, telling funny stories and often with the most outrageous twists in the end or Grandma Rae’s famous tales on lessons on life.
Little did Dana know then that they were having more than just fun family time, they were creating happy memories that would linger sweetly like the scent of fresh baked cinnamon rolls. That was what life consisted of, happy moments or whatever we did to capture and sweeten each moment with those we care about.
Grandma would always tell Dana and her cousins, “If life gave you lemons, sweeten it and make lemonade. Don’t come to me with any sour faces because you bit into a raw lemon,” she would playfully tease them. God rest her wonderful soul.
She also told Dana that you need to have something to live for—or else what would be the point. If you don’t believe in yourself, who do you think would? If you were not your own best friend, why would anyone else want to be? And that was the truth. She also told her that sometimes you need the lows to appreciate the highs in life. And sometimes life didn’t unfold perfectly as planned. Well, she was going to enjoy her life for once.
“Trust me, child,” Grandma Rae once told Dana, “If you ain’t got nothing to worry about, you ain’t got nothing to live for. If life were always easy—where would be the adventure?�
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Yes, life was always an adventure to Grandma Rae. And Berry Cove was a small town filled with the best walking trails and wooded forests and scenery and was always fun from what Dana could remember from her childhood visiting the area.
Life was so much fun and carefree and challenging and exciting back then.
What happened to Dana from her childhood to now? Grandma Rae died a few months ago, around the same time Dana’s fiancé bailed out on her. He found someone “better” in his books. With “old money.” Some rich socialite—one of Dana’s classmates and study buddy. He had his high-profile life in the city as a hot shot advertising executive and she just wasn’t too good for him after they’d finished college.
That was what happened. Still, Grandma Rae’s words of wisdom on moving forward and how life was an adventure lingered in Dana’s mind right now.
The words caused her lips to curve into a smile as she drove past the sign on the highway that read “Welcome to Berry Cove, Ontario.”
Thank God, she had her dual Canadian and American citizenship. She didn’t want to be anywhere near her ex right now. She needed a break from the competitive circle of acquaintances they’d accumulated. A change of scenery. And moving from the busy city life to a small town on the lake scented with the fresh fragrance of berries in the air and the sounds of birds chirping in the trees, instead of sirens and honking horns in traffic with city congestion was a perfect change for her.
Dana inhaled the sweet cottage country air as she drove on the lakeside with a breathtaking view of the waterfront. Yep, it sure felt good to be back after all these years.
Though sadness filled her heart at the thought that Grandma Rae was no longer around. Well, not in the flesh anyway. As one person put it, she felt her presence more than her absence. After the funeral, a few months ago, she and her Aunt Petunia went through Nan’s stuff, which was hard to do but at the same time, she felt closer to her. It was as if her spirit was still in the home, her warmth, and the scent of her foxy perfume. She always wore Chanel No. 5.
God, she missed Nana Rae, Dana thought as she pulled up to the gas station off the highway.
“Well, welcome back, stranger.” Gerdie-Sue called out to Dana at the gas station when Dana had pulled up to fill her tank up.
Gerdie-Sue was in her dark grey Mercedes Benz. She was a rich widow whose husband number two left her very comfortable when he died. But she was also known as the town gossip. Dana knew better than to divulge any information about herself that she didn’t want to see on the front page of the Berry Cove Gazette.
“Morning, Miss Sue. You’re looking very well.” Dana smiled cheerfully.
“And so are you. Honey child, it must have been awful for you with your grandma passing on like that, right after your break up with Ramone.” Gerdie-Sue clucked her tongue. “That’s too bad, sweetie. How are you coping, child?” Always the drama queen, Gerdie-Sue tilted her head to the side. Her large hoop earring dangling off her earlobe.
“I’m good, thanks. Really. Starting a new chapter in my life.” Dana flushed.
Waves of anxiety swept through her but she wasn’t about to let Gerdie-Sue, the town gossip, privy to this bit of information.
Her source of anxiety right now: The café.
This would be the week of the official grand opening for the Cozy Cupcakes Café.
And Dana had many concerns, such as: Would the newly revamped business fly? Would everyone catch on? What if it tanked? Then what would she do? Dana had given up all her savings to save her grandmother’s business after her death and she’d already vacated her New York apartment.
She only had a month to turn things around and hopefully improve sales. Since her grandmother's ill health and eventual death, business at the café had tanked.
The café had been everything to her late grandmother.
Dana was more determined than ever to make this work. If nothing more, than for her grandma's honor and memory. Grandma Rae always loved uplifting people. She would always offer a cute saying or words of wisdom to offer people. So Dana thought what better than to establish a Cozy Cupcake Café. Where customers could get of warm treat served with sweet words of encouragement—only it would be written on cute little cupcake wrappers instead of spoken by her Grammy.
God, she hoped this would work. Dana tried to throttle the fluttering in her stomach.
Those dang nerves again.
Dana had already used up most of her savings to help save the business. Not to mention the move from New York to Berry Cove, across the border. But this happened at a perfect time come to think of it. Because since for her ex, Ramone, ditched her, this was a great opportunity to restart and to rethink her future. "Nothing happens before its time," her grandmother would always proffer.
"Oh good. Good to hear.” Gerdie-Sue looked dubious and smiled partially.
Dana observed the woman for a moment. It looked as if Gerdie-Sue was dying to ask something else but bit down on her lip instead.
"Oh, and what a fantastic idea for the café. Everyone’s been talking about the new changes." Gerdie-Sue continued, while she finished the gas and closed the gas tank knob and turned it with a crank.
"They are?” Dana asked as she proceeded to the driver side of her vehicle.
“Child, where did you come up with such a crazy idea?"
“Crazy idea?”
"You know what I mean. It's—what is that the young kids used today? Sick. Meaning good. Or is that bad meaning good?”
Dana smiled sheepishly. “Thank you so much Gerdie-Sue. I worked as a copywriter at an ad agency in New York. And of course, Grandma Rae was full of wisdom and always offered her wonderful sayings."
“You can say that again. That woman was never a lost for giving words of encouragement with those proverbs of hers.”
Dana stomach fell. Her heart squeezed inside her chest. "I know," she said quietly. Every second of the day missing Grandma Rae more and more than ever before.
"Good luck with the grand opening. When is it again?"
"This Friday.”
"Right Friday. Of course.” Gerdie-Sue sighed.
"What is it?"
"Oh nothing. It's just that well,” Gerdie-Sue paused and glanced around her to see if anyone else was listening within earshot. “Well, Bianca Baxter and her lot aren't exactly too happy about the changes you've made."
"Bianca Baxter? But she has her own café!”
“Hmm-mmm. Tell me about it, child.”
“Well, there’s plenty of room for everyone in this town to sell their goods. I mean, we’re specializing in cupcakes and nutritious smoothies and pastries. The Baxters do mostly muffins and bagels and coffee. It's a different focus, you know. I’m not sure why they see us as a threat.”
"I hear you." Gerdie-Sue walked over to Dana and leaned closer to her.
Uh-oh. That was always Gerdie-Sue’s trademark got-some-gossip-to-tell-you move.
"You didn't hear this from me,” Gerdie-Sue added with a slight smirk, “but, child, you’d better watch out. I hear that Mrs. Baxter's been complaining about how she would stop at nothing to keep being the number one café in Berry Cove."
"The number one café in Berry Cove?" Dana swallowed hard and placed her hands belligerently on her hips.
She lifted her chin and boldly met Gerdie-Sue’s gaze. She stood up to the bullies at the ad agency that she worked at in New York. Heck, even her ex-fiancé's mistress. She could stand up to anyone, even a small-town competitor in Berry Cove.
"Well, you only visited here as a kid a few times, but let me tell you this. From someone who's lived here her whole life in the small town, folks are kind and caring and willing to help out at the drop of a hat. There's nothing like good old-fashioned small talent hospitality. No one does it better than Berry Cove.”
"I know," Dana said, her tone softening as she fondly remembered the days she visited as a child and teenager and how much cozier the close-knit community appealed to her. It felt so much
different than the big cities. In the small town everyone knew each other by name, even the mailmen and the pharmacist, unlike the big city where you were just a nameless face in a crowd.
"But don't you get it twisted, girl,” Gerdie-Sue continued. “I'm only telling you this because I like you and I liked your grandma a lot. She was good people, you know."
“I know. And?” Dana probed wanting to hear more about the possible challenges she might have to face by some of the folks in Berry Cove.
"And some folks don't like different in the small towns. Conformity is good. Rocking the boat ain’t always a good thing. Some folks would stop at nothing to keep things the way they like ‘em. Not to mention those Baxter's. Like to think they own the town, they do. Their bakery has been in their family for 95 years, not long after the first Berry farmers established Berry Cove as a town back in the late 1890s. Now they're running on tough times like everyone is in the recession and since you've made those changes at the café and all, their customers have been flocking to your store to see what all the hype is about.”
“They have?” Dana said, leaning against her car with her arms folded across her chest.
Gerdie-Sue nodded slowly and dramatically, arching a brow. “They have, child. Now it’s good that you have your auntie and your cousin Katie helping you out at the café and that you’ve kept your grandma’s old staff, but just be very careful not to step on any toes around here.”
“You mean careful not to step on any egos around here.” Dana spoke softly, blowing a puff of air to lift her bangs off her face.
Gerdie-Sue winked emphatically.
Just as Gerdie-Sue said her goodbye and air blew her a kiss, Dana grinned and shook her head.
She couldn’t believe that Grandma’s café was the talk of the town now. Grandma Rae would have been very proud, or perhaps surprised. Her café was modest and cozy but hadn’t been as packed as other cafes in the Town Square.
Dana’s cousin Katie, who had been working at the café with Grandma Rae since the beginning, had called Dana while she was in New York to tell her that the café had seen a burst in customers since the changes. By fixing the fireplace in the café among other things—like adding those motivational sayings to the cupcake wrappers and creating a Cozy environment where friendly, lively fun was the name of the game, things had begun to turn around. However, the café owed a lot of debt and Dana was counting on the grand re-opening to really boost revenue.
