A Perilous Cake Pop Read online

  The cookie munchers politely averted their gazes, focusing instead on munching diligently through their cookies.

  Ali chewed her lip and fixed eyes with Delaney. “I’m so sorry! I just got so caught up in everything last night, I forgot all about you.”

  “I was going spare,” Delaney replied. She reached into her bag and pulled out some papers, spreading them out on the counter. “Look at all these doodles I did for your new cookie mascot!”

  Ali hesitated, her eyes roving over all the cute, chubby-cheeked cartoon characters Delaney had drawn. They were perfectly matching companions to Mr. Macaroon, the proud mascot on the sandwich board outside that Delaney had designed.

  “You did these?” Ali squealed, her heart swelling with love. “Even though you were mad at me?”

  Delaney simply didn’t have a bad bone in her body, and Ali felt so grateful to have met such a wonderful friend in her.

  “I had to do something,” Delaney replied with a pout. “I couldn’t sit there twiddling my thumbs all night.”

  “I love them,” Ali said, dashing out from behind the counter and throwing her arms around Delaney’s neck. “Thank you!”

  She drew back and Delaney pouted.

  “Yes. Well. You’re welcome,” she said, stiffly. She was clearly struggling to stay mad at Ali, even though she was fully justified to! “Just, don’t do that to me again, okay?”

  “Scout’s honor,” Ali replied. “I have zero plans on getting embroiled in a murder investigation ever again.”

  “Good,” Delaney replied. Then she glanced around at the others with their mouths full of cookies. She put her hands on her hips. “What on earth is going on here? I thought we were on healthy diets.”

  Piper immediately went bright red. “These are healthy!” she mumbled, her words muffled by the cookie in her mouth. “At least, one of them is, I think.”

  Ali quickly grabbed a plate for Delaney and pushed the new flavored cookies onto it. “Try them!” she said, before Delaney even got a chance to get up on her high horse.

  “Which is the healthy one?” Delaney asked, peering down at the plate.

  As Ali pointed out the sugar-free cookie, she wondered just how many years it had been since her super healthy friend had let her hair down enough to actually eat a cookie.

  Delaney picked up the cookie and inspected it. “Why is this healthy?”

  “No sugar,” Ali said. “And it’s full of fiber.”

  Everyone watched on with anticipation as Delaney cautiously nibbled the corner of the cookie. Then she grinned. “It’s delicious!”

  Everyone began to laugh.

  As Delaney munched happily through her first cookie in years, she sifted through the doodles she’d brought, before picking one out and holding it up. It was another one of her retro cartoon characters, with big round cheeks and a goofy grin, and huge eyes that took up half the face. “This is Countess Cookie. She’s Mr. Macaroon’s arch nemesis. She wants to destroy sugar, you see.”

  “I love her!” Ali cried.

  The others laughed, happily.

  Ali looked about her at the friends she’d made in Willow Bay and felt a calm sense of contentment wash over her. She’d created this life for herself, and thought there were hardships along the way, she wouldn’t change a thing. It was beautiful in every possible way.

  Just then, the door opened abruptly, and the bell above let out an angry jangle. Marco and Emilio came hurrying in.

  Ali immediately knew something was wrong. Not just because they were frowning, and stomping hastily toward her, but because they were together. She was used to drama from the twin pizzeria owners, but it was always between them. The fact they were shoulder to shoulder, united on some matter, made a pit of dread open in Ali’s stomach.

  “What is it?” she asked, immediately concerned. “What’s happened?”

  “You didn’t hear the rumor?” Marco stammered.

  “About the new councilman?” Emilio added.

  “He’s one of Sullivan’s friends,” Marco added.

  “And he’s got some very colorful ideas about how to change things around here if he gets elected…”

  Ali shook her head. She hadn’t heard anything about it at all.

  “This is news to me,” she said. She looked at her friends. They appeared to be as blank as she was. “Do you guys know about this?”

  They all shook their heads, too, clearly at as much of a loss as Ali herself was.

  Marco thrust a Willow Bay Herald onto the counter. On the front page was a grainy black and white image of an older man—seventy, Ali would guess, or at least definitely post retirement age. COUNCILMAN VOWS TO SHAKE UP BOARDWALK TAXATION.

  Ali’s stomach dropped. She peered at the Italian twins. “I’m guessing by your faces this shake up isn’t in a direction that would benefit us.”

  Marco and Emilio shook their heads in perfect, twin unison.

  “Says here he wants to jack up the rent,” Delaney said, looking up from the page she was reading. “For the eateries, specifically.”

  “What?” Seth cried. “Why just us?”

  “Apparently you guys are benefiting from some old loophole regarding eateries on the boardwalk,” Delaney continued, her crystal blue eyes quickly scanning back and forth as she read. “And according to every other business in town, it’s putting them at a disadvantage.”

  Ali folded her arms and frowned. “That makes no sense. At least half the businesses on the boardwalk are eateries! Who even is it that’s complaining? The people from LaserZone?”

  They all realized the answer at the same moment.

  “Sullivan Raine…” came a murmured consensus.

  Sullivan’s ventures thus far had been apartments and condos. But Ali had heard a rumor about him opening a steakhouse from the man at the vegan bodybuilding bar. Was this his plan all along? To drive out the other eateries so he could bring in his own?

  “They’re in cahoots,” Ali said with astonishment, looking from Seth to Piper, Marco and Emilio.

  Delaney would not be affected by the proposed new taxation, and neither would Nate, but the four of them standing there may well be very adversely affected if Sullivan Raine’s buddy got a spot on the council.

  “But why?” Seth asked. “Why try and run us out of business? We bring so much money to the town.”

  “Because he runs his own eateries,” Ali said, as it all began to make sense. “And it’s not just us he wants to run out of town. It’s Fat Tony.”

  Sullivan’s biggest competitor in town was Fat Tony. The mobster and property mogul owned several pizzerias, which were generally considered fronts for his other more nefarious ventures. If Sullivan and his councilman buddy managed to implement all the changes to rent and taxation to the boardwalk’s eateries, Fat Tony would be driven out of town.

  With a heavy sigh, Seth leaned his head in his hands. “What are we going to do?” he asked, glumly.

  Ali got the distinct feeling that a storm was brewing. But she knew whatever challenges she faced next, she could weather them.

  “We’ll fight it,” she said. “Together.” She cracked her knuckles and cricked her neck, a fire lighting in her belly to protect the town she had fallen in love with. “And I say, bring it on.”

  NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER!

  BEACHFRONT BAKERY: A DEADLY DANISH

  (A Beachfront Bakery Cozy Mystery —Book 4)

  "Very entertaining. I highly recommend this book to the permanent library of any reader that appreciates a very well written mystery, with some twists and an intelligent plot. You will not be disappointed. Excellent way to spend a cold weekend!"

  --Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (regarding Murder in the Manor)

  BEACHFRONT BAKERY: A DEADLY DANISH is book #4 in a charming and hilarious new cozy mystery series by #1 bestselling author Fiona Grace, whose bestselling Murder in the Manor (A Lacey Doyle Cozy Mystery) has nearly 200 five star reviews. The series begins with A KILLER CU
PCAKE (Book #1).

  Allison Sweet, 34, a sous chef in Los Angeles, has had it up to here with demeaning customers, her demanding boss, and her failed love life. After a shocking incident, she realizes the time has come to start life fresh and follow her lifelong dream of moving to a small town and opening a bakery of her own.

  A local Councilman lobbies for new laws to tax and fine all the boardwalk stores, making life for everyone miserable—and he has Allison’s booming business in his crosshairs.

  But when the Councilman turns up dead, Allison becomes the natural suspect. Panicked, Allison realizes that if she doesn’t solve the crime quickly, everything she worked so hard for will be swept away.

  Will Allison—her beloved dog by her side—be able to crack the case before it’s too late?

  A hilarious cozy mystery series, packed with twists, turns, romance, travel, food and unexpected adventure, the BEACHFRONT BAKERY series will keep you laughing and turning pages late into the night as you fall in love with an endearing new character who will capture your heart.

  Books #5 (A TREACHEROUS TART) and #6 (A CALAMITOUS COOKIE) are now also available!

  BEACHFRONT BAKERY: A DEADLY DANISH

  (A Beachfront Bakery Cozy Mystery —Book 4)

  Fiona Grace

  Debut author Fiona Grace is author of the LACEY DOYLE COZY MYSTERY series, comprising nine books; of the TUSCAN VINEYARD COZY MYSTERY series, comprising seven books; of the DUBIOUS WITCH COZY MYSTERY series, comprising three; of the BEACHFRONT BAKERY COZY MYSTERY series, comprising six books; and of the CATS AND DOGS COZY MYSTERY series, comprising nine books.

  Fiona would love to hear from you, so please visit www.fionagraceauthor.com to receive free ebooks, hear the latest news, and stay in touch.

  BOOKS BY FIONA GRACE

  LACEY DOYLE COZY MYSTERY

  MURDER IN THE MANOR (Book#1)

  DEATH AND A DOG (Book #2)

  CRIME IN THE CAFE (Book #3)

  VEXED ON A VISIT (Book #4)

  KILLED WITH A KISS (Book #5)

  PERISHED BY A PAINTING (Book #6)

  SILENCED BY A SPELL (Book #7)

  FRAMED BY A FORGERY (Book #8)

  CATASTROPHE IN A CLOISTER (Book #9)

  TUSCAN VINEYARD COZY MYSTERY

  AGED FOR MURDER (Book #1)

  AGED FOR DEATH (Book #2)

  AGED FOR MAYHEM (Book #3)

  AGED FOR SEDUCTION (Book #4)

  AGED FOR VENGEANCE (Book #5)

  AGED FOR ACRIMONY (Book #6)

  AGED FOR MALICE (Book #7)

  DUBIOUS WITCH COZY MYSTERY

  SKEPTIC IN SALEM: AN EPISODE OF MURDER (Book #1)

  SKEPTIC IN SALEM: AN EPISODE OF CRIME (Book #2)

  SKEPTIC IN SALEM: AN EPISODE OF DEATH (Book #3)

  BEACHFRONT BAKERY COZY MYSTERY

  BEACHFRONT BAKERY: A KILLER CUPCAKE (Book #1)

  BEACHFRONT BAKERY: A MURDEROUS MACARON (Book #2)

  BEACHFRONT BAKERY: A PERILOUS CAKE POP (Book #3)

  BEACHFRONT BAKERY: A DEADLY DANISH (Book #4)

  BEACHFRONT BAKERY: A TREACHEROUS TART (Book #5)

  BEACHFRONT BAKERY: A CALAMITOUS COOKIE (Book #6)

  CATS AND DOGS COZY MYSTERY

  A VILLA IN SICILY: OLIVE OIL AND MURDER (Book #1)

  A VILLA IN SICILY: FIGS AND A CADAVER (Book #2)

  A VILLA IN SICILY: VINO AND DEATH (Book #3)

  A VILLA IN SICILY: CAPERS AND CALAMITY (Book #4)

  A VILLA IN SICILY: ORANGE GROVES AND VENGEANCE (Book #5)

  A VILLA IN SICILY: CANNOLI AND A CASUALTY (Book #6)

  A VILLA IN SICILY: SPAGHETTI AND SUSPICION (Book #7)

  A VILLA IN SICILY: LEMONS AND A PREDICAMENT (Book #8)

  A VILLA IN SICILY: GELATO AND A VENDETTA (Book #9)