“And then when he discovered Chester was dead, he dumped the body?”
Liana nodded. “I still can’t believe Chester didn’t taste the rat poison in his shakes.”
“By the sound of it, those concoctions tasted so vile to begin with that he probably didn’t even notice,” Luke speculated. He wrinkled his nose in disgust. “The thought of slurping down a glass full of raw eggs and spinach makes me want to retch.”
“So I shouldn’t serve that when I have you over for dinner?” Liana joked.
“You’re having me over for dinner?” Luke asked with an endearing grin.
“Yes. If you want to, that is. I was thinking tomorrow night? I’ll make pasta.”
“Yum! And yes, of course I want to. Though I must say, planning another date when this one has barely even started is pretty optimistic,” he teased. “What if tonight is a total disaster? What if, after tonight, you never want to see me again?”
“That’s highly unlikely,” Liana shot back. “But what if you don’t want to see me again?”
“Impossible,” Luke replied without hesitation. “There’s no one I would rather spend time with. And on that note,” he said, getting up and offering Liana his hand, “I think it’s time for us to go on our date.”
Liana allowed Luke to help her up. She was reluctant to let go of his hand. It felt nice wrapped around hers...natural, even, like that was where it was meant to be. She wanted nothing more than to keep hanging onto Luke’s hand. But she also didn’t want him to think she was weird.
“Where are we going?” she asked, tugging at the hem of her black and white polka dot dress.
“It’s a surprise,” he replied. “Unless you really want me to tell you,” he added quickly.
“No,” Liana smiled. “I think I want to be surprised.”
“Mew!” Fluffy announced, parading into the room. In true cat fashion, he loved to make grand entrances. He spotted Luke and immediately raced over to him. He rubbed his head against Luke’s shin, purring loudly.
Luke bent down to scratch the top of Fluffy’s head. “Don’t worry,” he told the affectionate little furball. “I’ll take good care of her, buddy.”
“Am I overdressed, Luke?” Liana asked as she retrieved her coat from the hall closet. “Or am I dressed too casually? I don’t know where we’re going,” she reminded him, suddenly feeling self-conscious about her choice of attire.
“You’re perfect,” Luke assured her.
The way he looked at Liana when he said it gave her butterflies.
Recipe
Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes
Ingredients for cupcakes:
1 cup of butter, softened
3 cups of all purpose flour
4 large eggs
2 cups of granulated sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 cup of milk
Instructions for cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350℉
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar
Mix in vanilla extract and add eggs one at a time, beating well
Slowly stir in milk a little at a time
Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients, mixing well
Spoon the batter into cupcake liners and bake in muffin tin for 15-20 minutes
Makes approximately 24 cupcakes, fewer if you prefer giant ones
Ingredients for strawberry whipped cream:
1½ cups of whipping cream
½ cup of granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons of vanilla extract
Approximately 24 fresh strawberries
2 tablespoons of cornstarch
2 tablespoons of water
Instructions for strawberry whipped cream:
Finely dice 12 strawberries into a saucepan and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes
In a separate bowl, combine cornstarch and water, mixing until there are no clumps
Slowly combine water and cornstarch mixture with the diced strawberries
Turn heat to low and allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes, until mixture is thickened
Remove cooked strawberries from heat and set aside
In a separate bowl, whip the cream until stiff peaks form
Add vanilla and remaining sugar to the whipped cream
Once cooled, add in the cooked strawberries and mix well
Frost the cupcakes with generous dollops of strawberry whipped cream
Garnish the cupcakes with leftover whole strawberries
Devour the cupcakes while watching adorable cat videos on Youtube
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Strawberry Shortcake to Die For (A Liana Campbell Cozy Mystery Book 2) Page 15
