Series: Paige Michaels
Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 40225 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 201(@200wpm)___ 161(@250wpm)___ 134(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 40225 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 201(@200wpm)___ 161(@250wpm)___ 134(@300wpm)
“One?” Avery blurted out as she turned to find Trace.
He was staring at her with narrowed brows. “Seems like your hearing is fine.” Apparently the men had ganged up on the women on this issue ahead of time, also.
Avery protested on behalf of all of them, mostly because she couldn’t wait to sink her teeth into the delicious goodness that was a Witch’s Brew cupcake. One would never be enough. “Daddy, they aren’t that big. Surely we can each have two.”
“Yeah,” Kiki added, nodding in solidarity.
Everyone else nodded, too.
“Those cupcakes are gigantic,” Trace continued. “And tuck that lip away before I remind you what happens to Little girls who pout.”
A collective groan filled the room.
Maniac shook his head. “I don’t know, guys. Maybe these naughty stinkers don’t need to have cupcakes at all. We could just pour them each a glass of milk and call it a night.”
Avery gasped. “We just got here. Rose has more games planned.” In truth, Avery had no idea what else Rose had planned for the evening, but she didn’t want the party to end. She was having far too much fun.
“One cupcake each, and then stack the boxes on the counter,” Adam declared. “I want to see seven boxes with five cupcakes in each one when I come check. There are milk cartons and water bottles in the minifridge for you girls. Napkins, small plates, and forks are on the table. How about you all play the quiet game for a while? At least until you’re done eating.”
Adam finally stepped out of the way to lead the men away from the break room.
As soon as they were alone again, the women all rushed in so fast that at least a few of them bumped into the table.
The scene that unfolded before their very eyes looked like it happened in slow motion. The large paper Little Cakes bag filled with boxes of sugary goodness slid off the other end of the table and landed on the floor.
For several long seconds, they all stood in stunned silence.
“Oops,” Rose whispered.
“Uh oh…” Avery wasn’t sure who said that. Maybe two or three of them.
Rose tiptoed around the table, picked up the bag, righted it, and set it on a chair before she started pulling out the boxes of cupcakes one by one.
Everyone winced. The clear plastic window on the top of each box was covered in frosting, making it difficult to see what had been six perfect cupcakes until ten seconds ago.
Avery had no trouble recognizing which box was hers because the Witch’s Brew cupcakes had black frosting.
All seven of them tiptoed closer, and then the giggling began.
Avery broke through the laughter. “Remember that time a customer came into Little Cakes and ordered the cupcake that had fallen over in the display case?”
“I think I’ve heard Ellie tell the story,” Rose said.
Avery nodded. “Ellie told her she didn’t want that cupcake because it was a bad cupcake. The woman was appalled and insisted it would taste just the same. There’s no such thing as a bad cupcake.”
Everyone nodded as they leaned over the boxes. “They will taste the same. We just need to dollop the frosting back onto them.”
Rose reached for a box. “I recognize mine by the red frosting for the Santa hat.”
Tatiana snagged another box. “Mine has kumquats stuck to the window.”
CC grabbed a box. “Pumpkin Spice has orange frosting.”
Terry lifted one up to examine it. “Does anyone else have chocolate ones? I bet these are Fudge Crunch.”
“Whose are purple?” Rose asked.
Elizabeth raised her hand. “Those would be mine. Sweet Tooth.”
Valerie easily slid the last box toward herself. “That leaves Birthday Cake for me.”
Avery reached for the pile of forks. “I can usually eat a cupcake straight out of the wrapper without losing a single crumb, but I think we’re going to need forks and plates.”
CC was holding a cupcake up to her mouth, and she giggled when she took a bite and got orange frosting all over her chin and nose. After chewing and swallowing, she said, “Oops. Maybe I should have used a fork and plate, too.”
Rose stuck her finger in the red frosting from Santa’s hat and licked it. “Is my mouth red?” she asked, sticking her tongue out.
“Is mine black?” Avery asked, opening her mouth.
They all laughed. “Even your teeth are black,” Kiki said.
Avery giggled. “Did I ever tell everyone how I met my Daddy?”
A few of them had heard, but the others shook their heads.
Avery took another lick of the frosting. “It was the day I had my first Witch’s Brew cupcake. I ate it and then went out in my patrol car. He had a tail light out, and I pulled him over.”
Valerie gasped. “No!”
Avery nodded. “Yes. I don’t know how he kept a straight face since my lips, tongue, and teeth were black, and I nearly died when I found out he was the new police captain—my boss.”