Sugar and Vice: Cupcake Truck Mysteries by Emily James

Author:Emily James [James, Emily]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781988480237
Publisher: Stronghold Books
Published: 2018-09-28T04:00:00+00:00

I called Serial Grillers and found out their current spot, explaining I was considering hiring them, but that I wanted to speak to them first. I’d noticed that business names weren’t as creative here as in Fair Haven, but it would have been unusual if they had been. Fair Haven was one of a kind. Serial Grillers was one of the few that could have fit right in.

I parked my truck a block away and walked to the coordinates I’d been given. I’d also taken a few steps to disguise myself, letting my hair down out of its ponytail and putting on a pair of sunglasses and a ball cap.

Like most food trucks, the owner was also the operator, so there was a good chance he’d have recognized me as the cupcake lady from Harold Cartwright’s party if I showed up looking like myself. Thankfully, the warm sunshine made the glasses and hat believable.

I strolled up to the truck like I was completely relaxed and stopped at the window. Alongside the owner, whose name was Vinny according to the sign on the side of the vehicle, I spotted two other guys inside. I knew which one was Vinny because he had to be the one Claire spent so much time yelling at. She wouldn’t have chosen an employee over the boss.

“What can I get for you?” Vinny asked.

“I’m…” Great. I hadn’t thought up a fake name. I couldn’t say Isabel. I’d been in the paper after all. He might put it all together. “I’m Amy.”

Wow. That was actually worse. It took all my years of holding emotions in to keep from covering my face. Of all the names that I could have used, I’d defaulted to my real name under pressure.

Now I definitely had to make this worth the risk.

“I’m the one who called,” I said.

“Right, right.” The man’s face had heavy jowls, and when he smiled, they lifted up, reminding me of a grinning bulldog. “Let me come out and you can ask me whatever question you need to.”

That wouldn’t work. I needed to mention Claire’s name around the full number of truck employees to see how they reacted.

I moved for the door. “Actually, could I come inside for a second. I’m OCD about cleanliness, and one of the reasons I wanted to meet was so I could see your truck.” I giggled like I expected him to think I was silly. It felt unnatural. “Too many bad experiences with hot dog stands I guess.”

That last part made me sound even more inane than the giggle. Hot dog stands didn’t have much to keep clean.

But Vinny didn’t let on if he was thinking I was a few grains shy of a full salt shaker.

He popped open the door from the inside and stepped out of the way. “Be my guest, but it’s a tight fit in here with four.”

It’d be a tight fit to even squeeze past him into the truck.

I looked up at him, and my feet felt like my shoes had melted into the concrete.

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