Read Online Brownies & Betrayal (Sweet Bites Mysteries, Book 1) by Heather Justesen - Free Book Online
Authors: Heather Justesen
Tags: cozy mystery, Murder mysteries, Baking, murder mystery, cozy mysteries, culinary mystery, culinary mysteries, recipes included, Sweet Bites Bakery, Tess Crawford, easy recipes, Cupcakes, Tempest Crawford, dessert recipes, pastry chefs
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about the murder. “So how do you know the bride and groom?”
“I grew up here. Analesa’s dad and mine were best friends, second cousins or something.”
Wait, Jack? My eyes zeroed onto his face as I considered, comparing him to the image of the little boy I knew. “Not the Jack who’s a few years older than Analesa and me, who used to torment the girls at the pool during the summer?”
A chuckled. “Guilty as charged. Should I know you?”
Only if you remember being bested by a couple of younger girls, I thought. “I doubt it. I was a bit of a mouse.” Holy terror, that’s what he’d been. And boys like him so seldom grew up to be anything but bullies. I supposed that explained his attitude. This destroyed any interest I might otherwise have had in him—if I’d been interested, which I wasn’t—and I turned to cut more slices.
Honey came over. “Tess, everyone’s raving about your cake. Can I have another piece of the chocolate?”
“Wait a minute,” Jack said as I handed a plate to Honey. He looked at her, then back at me. “Tess and Honey. What mouse?” he asked, putting his now-empty plate on the table. “You were no mouse—more like a spitfire. The two of you ganged up on me at the pool.”
“That’s still one of my favorite memories.” Honey’s words were wistful. “You so deserved it.”
I flashed a grin at him, then turned to Honey. “We went too easy on him.”
She nodded. “Good thing you grew up okay. I’m taking credit for that. Well, joint credit with Tess here. If we hadn’t straightened you out at such a young age, who knows what might have happened?”
Jack laughed, surprising me. “Well, I’ll remember to keep out of your way. I don’t need a whole lot more lessons like that one.” He focused on me. “Thanks for the cake. It was delicious.” He waved at both of us and moved back into the crowd.
Honey smiled knowingly at me. I glared back at her. “Forget it. He’s a self-righteous, condescending jerk.” Who just happened to be extremely handsome and had a decent personality when he wasn’t being prickly. He’d helped me with my timeline, hadn’t he—even if he didn’t realize it. “Now Shawn Plumber, on the other hand—he’s very nice, hunky and we have a date tomorrow night.”
“Wow. Good job on getting back into the dating pool so fast, but,” Honey’s brow furrowed. “Shawn Plumber? Scrawny Shawn?”
“Not scrawny anymore. Where’ve you been?” I turned and pointed him out in the crowd. He was chatting up a woman. Another cousin, I wondered, or someone else? Then I decided it didn’t matter either way. I was the one with the date for the next night, after all, and it wasn’t like he would be around all that long, anyway.
“Oh, not scrawny Shawn at all,” she agreed after a long look. “Dish.”
“Nothing much to say. We flirted for a bit, and he asked me out. I’ll call him tomorrow and we’ll set something up. He had his business card in the inside pocket of his tux.” I met her gaze. “Player?”
“Yeah, player. But hey, it doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with him tomorrow night.” She wiggled her eyebrows at me.
“My thoughts exactly.” I made another long two-inch-wide slab in the bottom cake tier, then flipped it on its side for slicing into smaller pieces.
Honey forked up another bite from her plate. “So what else have you learned?”
I brought up the conversations with Millie and Jeff, the tidbits I’d gleaned from Shawn—I hadn’t asked Shawn much about Friday, actually. I’d gotten a little caught up in his dancing eyes. But I didn’t need to pump everyone tonight, right? There was time to worry about it tomorrow. And as we had a date, there would be plenty of opportunities.
“Tad’s sister agreed they finished their girls’ night around eleven,” Honey reported. “She said no one left early, as far as she remembered, and they all headed for bed, but if the murder happened after that, it
“I grew up here. Analesa’s dad and mine were best friends, second cousins or something.”
Wait, Jack? My eyes zeroed onto his face as I considered, comparing him to the image of the little boy I knew. “Not the Jack who’s a few years older than Analesa and me, who used to torment the girls at the pool during the summer?”
A chuckled. “Guilty as charged. Should I know you?”
Only if you remember being bested by a couple of younger girls, I thought. “I doubt it. I was a bit of a mouse.” Holy terror, that’s what he’d been. And boys like him so seldom grew up to be anything but bullies. I supposed that explained his attitude. This destroyed any interest I might otherwise have had in him—if I’d been interested, which I wasn’t—and I turned to cut more slices.
Honey came over. “Tess, everyone’s raving about your cake. Can I have another piece of the chocolate?”
“Wait a minute,” Jack said as I handed a plate to Honey. He looked at her, then back at me. “Tess and Honey. What mouse?” he asked, putting his now-empty plate on the table. “You were no mouse—more like a spitfire. The two of you ganged up on me at the pool.”
“That’s still one of my favorite memories.” Honey’s words were wistful. “You so deserved it.”
I flashed a grin at him, then turned to Honey. “We went too easy on him.”
She nodded. “Good thing you grew up okay. I’m taking credit for that. Well, joint credit with Tess here. If we hadn’t straightened you out at such a young age, who knows what might have happened?”
Jack laughed, surprising me. “Well, I’ll remember to keep out of your way. I don’t need a whole lot more lessons like that one.” He focused on me. “Thanks for the cake. It was delicious.” He waved at both of us and moved back into the crowd.
Honey smiled knowingly at me. I glared back at her. “Forget it. He’s a self-righteous, condescending jerk.” Who just happened to be extremely handsome and had a decent personality when he wasn’t being prickly. He’d helped me with my timeline, hadn’t he—even if he didn’t realize it. “Now Shawn Plumber, on the other hand—he’s very nice, hunky and we have a date tomorrow night.”
“Wow. Good job on getting back into the dating pool so fast, but,” Honey’s brow furrowed. “Shawn Plumber? Scrawny Shawn?”
“Not scrawny anymore. Where’ve you been?” I turned and pointed him out in the crowd. He was chatting up a woman. Another cousin, I wondered, or someone else? Then I decided it didn’t matter either way. I was the one with the date for the next night, after all, and it wasn’t like he would be around all that long, anyway.
“Oh, not scrawny Shawn at all,” she agreed after a long look. “Dish.”
“Nothing much to say. We flirted for a bit, and he asked me out. I’ll call him tomorrow and we’ll set something up. He had his business card in the inside pocket of his tux.” I met her gaze. “Player?”
“Yeah, player. But hey, it doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with him tomorrow night.” She wiggled her eyebrows at me.
“My thoughts exactly.” I made another long two-inch-wide slab in the bottom cake tier, then flipped it on its side for slicing into smaller pieces.
Honey forked up another bite from her plate. “So what else have you learned?”
I brought up the conversations with Millie and Jeff, the tidbits I’d gleaned from Shawn—I hadn’t asked Shawn much about Friday, actually. I’d gotten a little caught up in his dancing eyes. But I didn’t need to pump everyone tonight, right? There was time to worry about it tomorrow. And as we had a date, there would be plenty of opportunities.
“Tad’s sister agreed they finished their girls’ night around eleven,” Honey reported. “She said no one left early, as far as she remembered, and they all headed for bed, but if the murder happened after that, it
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