Homicide and Halo-Halo (Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery #2)(47)
“Are those ready?” Jae’s voice brought me back to the moment. I’d been standing and staring at the finished cupcakes for who knew how long before he spoke up.
I handed him a cupcake and chewed my lower lip as I watched him take a bite. His eyes widened and he smiled at me, his own lower lip covered in frosting. “These are amazing! Not only is the flavor unique but it’s got great texture, too.”
His tongue teased out to lick the bit of frosting covering his lips. I looked away and drained the last of my beer, the room suddenly way too hot. I poured us both some of Adeena’s cold brew and helped myself to a cupcake as well.
They were as good as Jae said, and we smiled goofily at each other as we made our way through our treats. Euphoria coursed through me as I helped myself to another cupcake.
I’d figured out Mommy’s recipe.
I’d come up with a fantastic new offering for the cafe.
I’d gotten my friendship with Jae back on track and received some great info in return.
I’d even devised the next step in my investigation that would also help repair my relationship with Adeena and Elena.
Things were finally looking up.
Chapter Sixteen
What’s the game plan?”
Adeena stared into the Honeybee Salon, taking in the multiple packed stations. “If everyone’s busy getting their hair and nails done, I don’t think they’re going to want to get messy eating cupcakes. Also, did you make appointments for us?”
When I’d called Adeena and Elena last night to explain why I’d stood them up and my general plan for the investigation, I told them I was treating them to mani-pedis and bringing along the cupcakes as free samples for the cafe. I did not, however, remember to call the salon and see if there were any openings. I hadn’t been to a salon since I’d left Chicago and had forgotten this very basic etiquette.
I grinned at them as we stood in front of the packed salon, projecting confidence and “Don’t worry, I got this” energy. “It’s fine. Even if we have to wait awhile, this’ll give us a chance to talk to the other customers. Get some gossip, ferret out clues, advertise the cafe. It’ll be fun.”
Adeena and Elena exchanged looks and shrugged, willing to see how this would all play out.
“I’m not one to turn down a free foot massage and you still owe us, so let’s do this.” Adeena led the way into the shop with coupons and flyers for the Brew-ha Cafe while Elena and I, carrying the cupcakes, trailed behind her.
Katie greeted us at the reception desk. “Hey, everyone! What’s going on?” Her eyes zeroed in on the cupcakes. “Are those for us? They look SO GOOD.”
I swelled with pride as she squealed over my gorgeous creations. “Hey, Katie! I came up with a new recipe last night and thought I’d bring them by the salon so that people waiting for their treatments could help themselves to a free sample, maybe post pics on social media . . . Is that cool?”
“Absolutely! We serve coffee, wine, and mimosas on Thursdays so these will go great with the drinks.” Katie helped herself to a cupcake and posed it carefully with one of our flyers before snapping a picture. She then took a big bite of the cupcake, wiping away the ube frosting that coated her lips and reapplying her lip gloss before taking a smiling selfie with it.
“Do these cupcakes have a special name? I’m about to post these pics online.”
“They’re called halo-halo cupcakes,” I spelled it out for her, “a brand-new offering at the Brew-ha Cafe. Please make sure to tag us in your post.”
“No problem.” Her fingers flew across her phone as she added a cute description and a ton of hashtags in the comments. I took a quick glance at her profile on my phone and was amazed by the amount of engagement she had—maybe I should have her or Joy help with the restaurant’s and cafe’s social media pages. I thought I’d been doing a good job, but I was clearly an amateur compared to these teens.
Once she was done, she looked up and said, “Is that all? I don’t remember seeing your names on the schedule.” She glanced at the computer to see if she was mistaken.
“No, I totally forgot to make an appointment. Do you think you could fit in three mani-pedis today?”
Katie clicked through the day’s schedule. “Hmm, we can fit in two mani-pedis but it’ll be at least a half-hour wait, possibly more.”
Before Adeena or Elena could complain, I said, “That’s fine. Put these two down for those slots. Nothing for me though?”
She gnawed on her lower lip as she scrolled through the options, occasionally studying me out of the corner of her eye. “Umm, you could probably do with a good eyebrow wax and hair treatment. My mom’s six o’clock just canceled. Would that work for you?” Ignoring that slight against my appearance—at least the Calendar Crew weren’t here to add their opinions to that remark—I agreed. She wasn’t wrong, and this was the perfect chance to speak to Winnie. Here’s hoping she loved to talk while working—I usually dreaded getting a chatty stylist, but I would gladly give her one heck of a tip if she gave me the information I needed.
I waved at Adeena and Elena as Katie led me to the shampoo station, nodding my head toward the other women in the waiting area so they could start gathering information.