by Lin, Harper
When the shower was over and all of the girls went home, including Mirabelle, Mom and I were home alone. She went into the kitchen to start on dinner when the doorbell rang.
I went to answer it. When I looked through the peephole, I was shocked. It was Nick!
I opened the door to him holding a bouquet of roses and a cupcake in one hand.
“Surprise!” he said.
“Nick?” I grinned from ear to ear.
“I know you hate surprises, but somehow you love mysteries.”
I took the cupcake that he offered, the same one that was left on my porch.
“It was you?” I exclaimed.
“You didn’t guess that it was me?” Nick frowned.
“I thought it was from the murderer.”
“What murderer?”
“Oh? You haven’t heard?”
“No. There’s been another murder here?”
I quickly explained.
Nick shook his head. “Geez. No. On our second date, we shared a cupcake at the cafe in SOHO, remember? I had the same cupcake shipped from New York.”
“Oh my gosh.” My hands were over my mouth from shock.
“In a couple of hours, it’s going to be midnight. Valentine’s Day. I was wondering what you were doing on that day? Do you have a date?”
“Oh, is it tomorrow?” In the midst of all the chaos, I’d forgotten. “I’m not doing anything.”
“Really? Not even with that cranky detective?”
I smiled. “Not a chance.”
“Then I have a special date planned for you.”
“But why didn’t you call?”
Nick shrugged. “I thought it would be more fun to drop in and see you in person. Aren’t you glad to see me?”
“Yes. So, you’re not with Chloe Vidal?”
Nick laughed. “Why would I? You actually believed those rumors? Chloe’s become a good friend after the shoot. She’s like a little sister to me. Plus she’s bisexual and in a relationship with the set decorator.”
“Oh.” I felt stupid. “Why did I always believe the hype about you in the papers?”
I hugged him and he leaned in and gave me the sexiest kiss.
“Come on, if I believed everything I read about you, I wouldn’t sleep at night. There was one last week saying that you were seen in leaving John Mayer’s apartment.”
“That is such crap,” I exclaimed. “You know I’ve been here the whole time.”
“I know,” Nick said. “Why are you still here? Isn’t your album coming out?”
“Um, I’m still taking a hiatus.”
“As long as we’re doing it together.”
“I’m just so surprised that you’re here! I thought you’d moved on or something.”
“Come on, I told you I wanted to marry you. Why don’t you believe me?”
I didn’t have an answer for that. Nick Doyle to me still wasn’t quite real. In fact, even seeing him in front of me, I still had the feeling that he only existed on the movie screen. He was a living legend.
He was only real every time he kissed me, and he did, again and again on the porch, to prove his existence.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
On Valentine’s Day, Nick did surprise me all right. In a rental car, he drove me to the country side where a group of huskies waited for us in the snow. After we shared a glass of Champagne from the trunk of the car, we were off on a sleigh ride with the huskies!
It was the funnest Valentine’s Day I’d ever had. Every year, Nick made the effort to plan something romantic. Last year, we’d gone scuba diving in the Bahamas and had a romantic dinner for two by the sea.
I realized that although Nick did travel and work a lot, he always remembered birthdays, holidays and special occasions, and he put his all into planning special dates to experience together. He was a romantic and he loved me. And actions spoke louder than words.
“I hoped I’d given you enough space,” he said.
“Space?”
“You know, to think about you and me. The fact that you’re not with Sterling tells me that he’s history. I always knew that he was a rebound.”
I playfully punched him on the arm. “You’re so smug. Sterling and I had a history, and I guess I thought we had something, but coming home wasn’t as easy as I thought. It’s like trying to relive your youth. I’m too old for that now. Sterling and I are not compatible.”
“I always knew you were just right for me.” Nick hugged me close.
I pulled back. “There are still things I want, of course, like taking it easy and starting a family. Are you sure that’s what you want?”
“Yes,” said Nick. “You know that you’re the longest relationship I’ve ever had? I’m so sorry that I had to lose you for a while to realize that you’re who I want to be with for the rest of my life. I’m starting to get up there too, and I do think it’s time to talk about kids. I think I would make a pretty good father.”
I play-punched him again. He sure was arrogant, but what did you expect from a movie star?
He pulled out a box from his coat pocket. It was the same box with the same big diamond that I had caught a glimpse of on Christmas. Nick went down on his knees, in the pure white snow, in the middle of nowhere.
A cry escaped my lips. Of joy. Nick looked up at me eagerly waiting for one word.
And I gave it to him.
Yes.
Lena’s Lavender Cupcakes with Lemon Frosting
All recipes make around 12-15 cupcakes.
1/2 cup whole milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp dried culinary lavender
3 tbsp softened unsalted butter
1 egg
Lemon frosting:
3.5 to 4 cups confectioner’s sugar
1/2 cup softened butter
Tsp pure lemon extract
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
4 to 5 tsp lemon juice
Combine the milk and dried lavender bowl with a lid and leave it in the fridge for 6 to 8 hours, or overnight, to infuse.
Preheat over to 325 degrees F.
Butter, egg and infused milk need to be at room temperature. Line your cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
Use a strainer to remove the dried lavender from the infused lavender milk.
In a bowl, soft together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add sugar and softened butter. Mix well (with stand mixer of handheld mixer) until texture is sandy.
With the mixer on low, slowly add the milk into the mixture. Then add the egg. Mix for 15 seconds on medium speed, then scape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is combined. Just don’t overmix, as that will result in a dry cake.
Fill each liner 2/3 full. Bake for 20-30 minutes or when a toothpick comes out clean. Remove cupcakes and set on a wire cooling rack until completely cool.
Frosting: Mix the butter with the sugar. Add lemon extract, zest and lemon juice, beating on low speed until smooth. Increase mixer speed to medium and continue beating for around 2 minutes. Add more sugar if needed for spreading consistency.
Demi’s Classic Vanilla Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Frosting:
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Line your cupcake pan with paper liners.
In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
In another bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, and then beat in vanilla. Alternate adding the flour mixture and milk, beginning and endin
g with the flour mixture.
Fill each liner 3/4 full. Bake until golden, around 20 minutes, rotating the pan once if needed. Transfer to wire rack; cool completely.
Frosting: Whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl once or twice.
On low speed now, slowly add the powdered sugar. Then increase the speed to medium-high and add vanilla. Whip until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed.
You can store any unused frosting in the fridge in an airtight container. Take it out when needed and let sit until it’s at room temperature, and then give it a quick whip before using.
Cherry’s Strawberry Cupcake with Strawberry Whipped
1 2/3 cup + 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
4-5 large strawberries
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
1/4 cup strawberry yogurt
3/4 milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Strawberry Whipped Cream:
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup strawberry jam
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line pan with cupcake liners.
Slice strawberries. Use a food processor or blender and pulse until they are a chunky puree.
In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside
In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt butter in the microwave. Stir in sugar. Mixture will be gritty. Stir in egg, yogurt, milk and vanilla extract until all is combined.
Slow mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients until no lumps remain. Fold in the strawberry puree. Batter will be thick! Should be enough to divide between 12 cupcake liners.
Bake for 20 minutes or toothpick comes out clean. Transfer to wire rack; cool completely.
Strawberry Whipped Cream: In a large bowl, whip the cream, sugar and vanilla extract together on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 4-5 minutes. Add the strawberry jam and beat for another 30 seconds. Add more jam if you want a stronger flavor or a pinker color. However, the more jam you add, the thinner the whipped cream will be. Cover and store cupcakes in the fridge for up to 3 days. Serve cupcakes chilled.
Larson’s Lazy Fudge Oreo Cupcakes
1 regular package Oreo cookies
1 package chocolate cake mix
Frosting:
1/2 cup butter
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1 package Mini Oreo cookies for decoration (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix packaged cake mix according to box directions (but do not bake). Line cupcake pan with liners. Place a regular Oreo at the bottom of each liner. Take half of the remaining cookies and chop coarsely and add to the cake mixture. Fill the cupcake liners. Bake for 15 minutes (or time on box directions).
Frosting: Cream butter and cream cheese together. Add vanilla, then powdered sugar slowly until blended well. Chop remaining regular sized Oreos finely (or put them in the food processor) and add to frosting.
When the cupcakes have cooled, frost and decorate with Mini Oreos.
Cupcake Recipes
1 cup flour
3 1/2 tbsp pure cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup and 1 tbsp butter, softened
3/4 cup + 2 tsp sugar
1.5 egg
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp sour cream
3 tbsp + 1/2 tsp milk
1 ounce red food coloring
3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting:
3/8 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 tbsp and 1 3/4 tsp butter, softened
2.5 tsp sour cream
3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/8 (16 ounce) box confectioners’ sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix flour, baking soda, cocoa powder in a medium bowl.
In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed for 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs. Mix in sour cream, milk, food color and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until blended. Do not overbeat. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full.
Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.
Frosting: Beat cream cheese, butter, sour cream and vanilla until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar until smooth. Frost cupcake.
What's next for Emma Wild?
Emma may have found love, but trouble still follows. Stay tuned for the 4-Book Emma Wild World Tour Series. Emma performs in four major cities to promote her third album, but she’s faced with more perplexing murder mysteries to solve.
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Other books by Harper Lin:
The Patisserie Mysteries
A cozy mystery series based in Paris with French dessert recipes!
Macaron Murder: Book 1 (Available)
Éclair Murder: Book 2 (coming soon)
Baguette Murder: Book 3 (coming soon)
Crème brûlée Murder: Book 4 (coming soon)
About the Author
Harper Lin lives in Toronto, Canada with her husband, daughter and Pomeranian puppy. She writes cozy mysteries and contemporary romance novels. She is currently working on more books in the Emma Wild Mysteries, as well as The Patisserie Mysteries, a cozy series based in Paris.
Email her at [email protected]. She would love to hear from you!
If you’ve enjoyed her books, please leave a book review or recommend them to friends to support the author.
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