Red Velvet Villainy: A Small Town Cupcake Cozy Mystery (Cupcake Crimes Series Book 7) by Molly Maple

Author:Molly Maple [Maple, Molly]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Mary E. Twomey, LLC
Published: 2022-01-01T16:00:00+00:00

Crowd Control

I turn to the kitchen to face my doom, now that I have the brain space to focus. The tomato soup ocean is all over the kitchen table and the floor, so I waste no time getting on my hands and knees after the tabletop has been dealt with. I go through about half a roll of paper towel in the process, but it is a worthy sacrifice to pay for a non-tomatoed kitchen.

My knees are sore from being on all fours on the hard kitchen floor, cleaning up the mess. The inside of my nose stings from the cleaning solution that is doing its best to keep up.

Laura has to deal with this every day? I would drown my sorrows in Gus’ soup, too, if I didn’t have Marianne and Carlos here to help.

Carlos is a fountain of patience as he talks the unmotivated Marvin through his homework. He doesn’t show even a hint of frustration when the boy starts whining. The undone worksheets keep piling up the more Carlos investigates the backpack.

It takes me three rags and more paper towel than I can quantify to get the rest of the kitchen wiped down. Then I set my sights on Nathan, who still has not lined up the shoes. Instead of completing the simple task, he has taken it upon himself to attempt juggling a sneaker, a slipper and a boot, which is going about as well as one might expect.

I am just testy enough to snatch the slipper out of the air before it crashes to the floor once more. “I don’t think this is what you were asked to do.”

Nathan sighs. “Oh, fine. But how else am I supposed to teach myself how to juggle?”

I soften at what looks like actual eagerness rather than petulance. “I can teach you. Or rather, I can learn alongside you. But I don’t think shoes are the thing we start out with. First things first: we need a juggling area. That means these shoes need to be lined up and out of the way. Then we need to clear out the living room. See all those toys? If you want me to teach you how to juggle, we need absolutely nothing on the carpet. It inhibits dexterity.”

I have no idea if any of that is actually true, but I can’t stand to trip over one more toy.

Nathan nods eagerly. “Okay!” In no time at all, the shoes are lined up.

His enthusiasm drops, however, after two toys are picked up off the floor. “Forget it. I don’t need it perfectly clean. It’s clean enough.”

I shake my head. “I’m telling you; all the best jugglers have a clear workspace. This is serious business.”

We work together, putting toys into the ironically empty toy basket in the corner of the living room until everything is picked up. I fold the blankets and stack them on the end table beside the cushion-less couch.

I narrow an eye at Nathan. “Find the couch cushions and put them where they belong.

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