Devil's Food Cake Doom Read online

  “Cormack.” I pluck her to the side. “How many pairs of Veragamos do you own?”

  Cormack glowers at me as if I just accused her of wearing a dress fresh from a sample sale.

  “Listen, Lomi Lomi.” Cormack bats those mile-long lashes my way. “If you’re trying to poke fun at my bunions, that’s a low blow even for you. I’m not ashamed to say my shoes are prescription.” She holds out a long svelte leg, only to reveal a stylish, yet somewhat practical looking, nude high heel. “Designer prescription, but prescription none the less. My mother and I are currently petitioning to have Veragamo join the prescriptive craze. You’re welcome to sign for the cause if you like.”

  I’m about to say something—something particularly mean and insulting when I spot the girl hanging off of Everett’s arm kicking her heel up, laughing away as if she didn’t have a care in the world—and there just so happens to be a bright pink sole at the bottom of that heel.

  “Oh my God,” I say as I make my way through the crowd.

  “Whoa.” Noah catches up to me. “Where’s the fire? You want to dance?”

  “In a minute.” I grab ahold of the blonde floozy in question and pluck her off of Everett until she’s forced to spin toward me. “It’s you, isn’t it?” I spit the words right at Cressida Bentley.

  “Essex?” Her hot pink lips part as she scoffs my way with an incredulous look on her face. “Why is your pet baker trying to assault me?” She leans my way. “I don’t care if it’s your birthday. I’ll have you arrested, and I’ll use Detective Fox to do it. And—I’ll make sure Judge Baxter writes up the restraining order himself.” She gives a sly wink.

  “Noah will make the arrest,” I say it with a hint of a laugh as a crowd gathers this way. “And Everett will most certainly help with the restraining order—against you. It’s you who will be arrested tonight, Cressida, not me.”

  Everett steps up, his face locked with concern. “Lemon, what’s going on?”

  “I think maybe Cressida should tell us. Aren’t you renting a house in Willow Heights, right here in Hollyhock? Is that where you’re baking those necrotic cookies you’ve been threatening me with these last few months?”

  Mom traipses forward. “Lottie, what are you doing? You’re causing a scene and it’s not a good one. Everyone knows Cressie is staying with me at the B&B. She and Cormack have adjoining rooms.”

  Cressida hums with a special brand of haughty laughter. “Even your own mother is defending me. How does it feel to eat crow at your own party?” She stalks on past me and I grab ahold of the oversized designer bag perched on her shoulder.

  “You’re not going anywhere,” I shout as I give her bag a wild yank and it dislodges, vomiting all of its contents onto the floor.

  And unanimously both the crowd and I gasp in horror at what we see.

  Lying in the puddle of expensive cosmetics and scarves is a lone small black gift bag.

  Cressida and I dive for it at the very same time, but I come up the victor.

  “Give me that!” She tries to snatch it from me, but Noah pulls her back.

  My chest bucks as I bring the ominous, yet familiar, bag toward me. “Well, well. It looks as if you brought a gift for me, after all.” I pull out the dark tissue paper and unwrap it to find a dark heart-shaped cookie with hot pink icing scrolled over it.

  “The end is near,” I read it out loud as I look up to meet her eyes. “And you’re right, Cressida. The end is near. In fact, it’s here—for you. Noah, arrest her.”

  Noah slowly pulls Cressida’s hands behind her back, but she does her best to struggle free.

  “You can’t do this.” Cressida spins wildly as if her feet were at the flames, and they are—bright orange prison flames. “Essex, you can’t let them arrest me.”

  He glowers at her. “I can and I will.”

  Noah has her cuffed in a shiny pair of silver bracelets, something I’m sure she’s accustomed to in another form entirely.

  “Essex!” she screams as Noah begins to haul her to the exit. “Essex!” She barrels forward a few steps. “So help me God—if I spend a single night behind bars, I will see to it that you never find out who or where your child is.”

  “What?” Everett hisses it out like a threat.

  “That’s right.” Cressida belts out a demented laugh. “We have a child together. Wouldn’t you like to know if it’s a boy or girl? How old they might be? Or perhaps what fabulous boarding school is raising the little brat for us?”

  My entire body slaps with shock as I look to Everett.

  “You’re a father,” I whisper.

  Everett’s face bleaches of all color, but he still looks every bit full of rage—and then, just like that, something loosens in him.

  “Lemon.” There’s a pleading in his voice I’ve never heard before.

  “She can’t keep you from your child, Everett.” A rife panic fills me. “You of all people know that. She’s probably lying. Why would she keep something like this from you for all these years?”

  Everett blows out a slow breath. “Because she’s shallow.”

  “That’s right, Essex.” Cressida worms her way back into our midst. “You and I have a child. Lock me up and that will be the end of it. The little brat doesn’t know about you—they never will.”

  Noah hauls her off as Everett and I stand there trying to make heads or tails over what just happened.

  I don’t hesitate to wrap my arms around him, and I can feel his heart hammering against his chest like a battering ram trying to fight its way out into the world.

  “We’ll go through this together,” I whisper as I look into those cobalt blue eyes. “Your child is my child.” God knows it’s not Cressida’s in any way other than genetics.

  Everett pulls back and exhales as a hint of a smile curves his lips.

  “We have a child, Lemon.”

  I nod. “We do.”

  *Thank you for reading! Get back to Honey Hollow with Snickerdoodle Secrets (Murder in the Mix 20) NOW!

  *New to the series? Start at the beginning! Cutie Pies and Deadly Lies (Murder in the Mix 1) has you covered! Happy reading!

  Recipe

  Hello from Honey Hollow! Lottie here! I hope you’re in the mood for something devilishly delicious. My famous, or rather infamous devil’s food cake is well—to die for. If you have a serious hankering for chocolate, you will not regret this. But be warned, your entire home will hold the scent of warm, tempting chocolate. It is rather hard to resist. Happy baking!

  From the kitchen of the Cutie Pie Bakery and Cakery

  Devil’s Food Cake

  1½ cup of softened butter

  ¾ cup unsweetened baking coco

  2 cups sugar

  3 eggs

  3 cups sifted all-purpose flour

  ¼ tsp salt

  1 ½ tsp baking soda

  ¾ cup milk

  1 cup hot water

  1 tsp white distilled vinegar

  1 tablespoon vanilla extract

  Instructions

  Preheat oven 350°

  Grease and dust with coco powder or flour, two 9 inch round pans or a 9x13 pan.

  *I prefer to use a stand mixer. Although mixing by hand works well, too.

  Mix and cream together coco, sugar, butter, milk and eggs.

  Slowly mix in one cup of hot water.

  Add flour, salt, baking soda, vinegar and vanilla extract.

  Pour into two pans evenly, or a single prepared pan.

  Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle, comes out clean.

  Cutie Pie Bakery and Cakery’s Go-to Chocolate Frosting Recipe

  6 tablespoons softened butter

  ¾ cup unsweetened baking coco

  Pinch of salt

  3 tablespoons hot water

  1 ¾ cup of powdered sugar

  In a mixing bowl, cream butter, coco, salt, and water. Stir until it reaches a smooth finish.

  Slowly add in powdered sugar. Make
sure it reaches your desired consistency. If it’s too thick, add a touch more water. If it’s too thin, add in a touch more powdered sugar.

  Frost your cooled devil’s food cake and enjoy!

  Preview: Snickerdoodle Secrets

  My name is Lottie Lemon, and I see dead people. Okay, so I rarely see dead people. Mostly I see furry creatures of the dearly departed variety, aka dead pets, who have come back from the other side to warn me of their previous owner’s impending doom.

  Everett has some serious upheaval coming his way that he never expected, and Lottie is determined to help him get through it. But with another dead body coming between them, things are bound to get in the way.

  Lottie Lemon has a brand new bakery to tend to, a budding romance with perhaps one too many suitors, and she has the supernatural ability to see dead pets—which are always harbingers for ominous things to come. Throw in the occasional ghost of the human variety, a string of murders, and her insatiable thirst for justice, and you’ll have more chaos than you know what to do with.

  Living in the small town of Honey Hollow can be murder.

  *Thank you for reading! Get back to Honey Hollow with Snickerdoodle Secrets (Murder in the Mix 20) NOW!

  *New to the series? Start at the beginning! Cutie Pies and Deadly Lies (Murder in the Mix 1) has you covered! Happy reading!

  Preview Kittyzen’s Arrest

  Check out Addison’s newest series written with USA TODAY bestseller Bellamy Bloom!

  Kittyzen’s Arrest (Country Cottage Mysteries 1)

  An inn keeper who reads minds. An ornery detective. And a trail of bodies. Cider Cove is the premiere destination for murder.

  My name is Bizzy Baker, and I can read minds. Not every mind, not every time, but most of the time, and believe me when I say it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.

  Bizzy Baker runs the Country Cottage Inn, has the ability to pry into the darkest recesses of both the human and animal mind, and has just stumbled upon a body. With the help of her kitten, Fish, a mutt named Sherlock Bones, and an ornery yet dangerously good-looking homicide detective, Bizzy is determined to find the killer.

  Cider Cove, Maine is the premier destination for fun and relaxation. But when a body turns up, it’s the premier destination for murder.

  Kittyzen’s Arrest (Country Cottage Mysteries 1)

  Preview: Stamped Out: A Mail Carrier Cozy

  New from Tonya Kappes

  You might be familiar with my friend Tonya Kappes's cozy mysteries, but if you aren't, you're in for a treat in her new Mail Carrier Cozy Mystery Series.

  Be sure to check it out. Here is the newest release—> Amazon

  Discover the southern life of Bernadette Butler, along with the eccentric and lovable citizens, along with all the fur babies, who live in Sugar Creek Gap in this NEW southern cozy mystery series by USA TODAY Bestselling Author Tonya Kappes.

  Everyone in Sugar Creek Gap has tried to fix up widow and beloved mail carrier, Bernadette Davis on several dates. They say she has to be lonely.

  What they don't know is how Bernadette's life is filled...filled with everyone's hidden secrets and obsessions. After all, she does deliver their mail and hears all the dirty laundry southern folks love to sweep secrets under the rug.

  While on her route, Bernadette finds out the beloved Sugar Creek Gap Country Club is being sold and turned into condos. The developer is Bernadette's best friend, Mac Tabor and right now he's not very popular.

  The entire town is against the development and eager to vote it down, vowing they will do whatever needs to be done to stop the sell of the country club to Mac Tabor.

  Chuck Shilling, majority owner of the country club, and Mac have a public fight because Chuck is rethinking of selling the club to Mac. When Chuck is found dead, Mac Tabor is the number one suspect.

  Bernadette discovers she's got a penchant for discovering clues that just might help STAMP OUT a killer who is on the loose while trying to save Mac Tabor from going to prison for a murder he didn't commit.

  Books by Addison Moore

  *Thank you for reading! Get back to Honey Hollow with Snickerdoodle Secrets (Murder in the Mix 20) NOW!

  *New to the series? Start at the beginning! Cutie Pies and Deadly Lies (Murder in the Mix 1) has you covered! Happy reading!

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  Cozy Mysteries

  Country Cottage Mysteries

  Kittyzen’s Arrest (Country Cottage Mysteries 1)

  Dog Days of Murder (Country Cottage Mysteries 2)

  Santa Claws Calamity (Country Cottage Mysteries 3)

  Bow Wow Big House (Country Cottage Mysteries 4)

  Murder in the Mix Mysteries

  Cutie Pies and Deadly Lies (Murder in the Mix 1)

  Bobbing for Bodies (Murder in the Mix 2)

  Pumpkin Spice Sacrifice (Murder in the Mix 3)

  Gingerbread & Deadly Dread (Murder in the Mix 4)

  Seven-Layer Slayer (Murder in the Mix 5)

  Red Velvet Vengeance (Murder in the Mix 6)

  Bloodbaths and Banana Cake (Murder in the Mix 7)

  New York Cheesecake Chaos (Murder in the Mix 8)

  Lethal Lemon Bars (Murder in the Mix 9)

  Macaron Massacre (Murder in the Mix 10)

  Wedding Cake Carnage (Murder in the Mix 11)

  Donut Disaster (Murder in the Mix 12)

  Toxic Apple Turnovers (Murder in the Mix 13)

  Killer Cupcakes (Murder in the Mix 14)

  Pumpkin Pie Parting (Murder in the Mix 15)

  Yule Log Eulogy (Murder in the Mix 16)

  Pancake Panic (Murder in the Mix 17)

  Sugar Cookie Slaughter (Murder in the Mix 18)

  Devil’s Food Cake Doom (Murder in the Mix 19)

  Snickerdoodle Secrets (Murder in the Mix 20)

  Strawberry Shortcake Sins (Murder in the Mix 21)

  Murder in the Mix Boxed Set (Books 1-3)

  Murder in the Mix Boxed Set (Books 4-6)

  Murder in the Mix Boxed Set (Books 7-9)

  Murder in the Mix Boxed Set (Books 10-12)

  Murder in the Mix Boxed Set (Books 13-15)

  Mystery

  Little Girl Lost

  A Sublime Casualty

  The First Wife’s Secret

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  Dirty Kisses (3:AM Kisses 10)

  Stolen Kisses (3:AM Kisses 11)

  Lucky Kisses (3:AM Kisses 12)

  Tender Kisses (3:AM Kisses 13)

  Revenge Kisses (3:AM Kisses 14)

  Red Hot Kisses (3:AM Kisses 15)

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  3:AM Kisses Boxed Set 7-9

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  3:AM Kisses Boxed Set 13-15

  3:AM Kisses Boxed Set 16-18

  The Social Experiment (The Social Experiment 1)

  Bitter Exes (The Social Experiment 2)

  Chemical Attraction (The
Social Experiment 3)

  Low Down & Dirty (3:AM Kisses, Hollow Brook1)

  Dirty Disaster (3:AM Kisses, Hollow Brook 2)

  Dirty Deeds (3:AM Kisses, Hollow Brook 3)

  Naughty By Nature

  Heartless (Breakers Canyon Billionaires 1)

  Wicked Heart (Breakers Canyon Billionaires 2)

  Stone Cold Heart (Breakers Canyon Billionaires 3)

  Beautiful Oblivion (Lake Loveless 1)

  Beautiful Illusions (Lake Loveless 2)

  Beautiful Elixir (Lake Loveless 3)

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  A Totally ‘80s Romance (Books 1-3)

  3:AM Kisses, Hollow Brook (Books 1-3)

  Young Adult Romance

  Melt With You (A Totally ’80s Romance 1)

  Tainted Love (A Totally ’80s Romance 2)