Sugar and Iced (Cupcake Bakery Mystery) Read Online Free PDF Page B

stubborn streak kick in. She wasn’t sure why she was being so difficult about it, but she didn’t like the knowing gleam in Cici’s eyes and she definitely didn’t want the hotel staff and stage builders watching as she sashayed down the catwalk. She’d probably trip and make a complete ass of herself.
    “I don’t—” she began to protest but it was too late.
    Cici put the tiara on her head and gave her a much less gentle shove toward the catwalk.
    “This is stupid!” she hissed at Angie as she walked by her.
    But Angie wasn’t listening. She had moved to stand beside Cici and the two of them were humming some ridiculous theme.
    “I’m not doing this,” Mel said. She could feel the fine combs of the tiara biting into her scalp. “I feel ridiculous.”
    One of the set builders came over with an armful of plastic tulips and held them out to her with a bow, giving Mel no choice but to accept them or look churlish.
    Getting into the spirit of things, a woman who’d been fussing with the draping on the platform came over and dropped a cloth swag around Mel’s shoulders as if it were a long gown.
    “This will give you the swish effect,” the woman said. She gave Mel a hard nudge while Angie and Cici kept humming through their noses.
    “Fine,” Mel said. She began to stomp down the catwalk that divided the room, hoping to get this over with as quickly as possible.
    About halfway down the platform, she noticed that some of the hotel staff people were waving at her. With a sigh she shifted her flowers and waved back. They broke into enthusiastic applause, and Mel couldn’t stop the smile that parted her lips. At the end she turned around and the stage crew clapped and cheered her return. She cradled the plastic flowers in one arm while giving a dainty wave with her right hand.
    Okay, Mel had to admit there was something pretty sweet about having a tiara planted on your head while you strolled down a catwalk to raucous cries and enthusiastic applause.
    When she reached Cici and Angie, she grinned and said, “Okay, there’s something about sparkly headgear that makes your brain turn to goo, isn’t there?”
    “Now you’re getting it,” Cici said with a wink. “I think we can talk particulars now.”
    “What is this?” a woman stepped out onto the stage, looking irritated. “Why isn’t this stage set done yet? We are on a tight schedule, people.”
    Mel felt the drapery get yanked off of her shoulders and the man who had handed her the faux tulips snatched them back and hurried away.
    A woman with long dark hair strode across the floor toward them. She wore a satin lavender tank top over a black pencil skirt and spiky heels. There was a sheen of sweat on her skin and she looked supremely cranky.
    She fanned her face and asked, “Do they not have air conditioning in here?”
    “No one else is hot,” Cici said. “Just you.” In a stage whisper she added, “The change will do that to a gal.”
    The woman with the dark hair gave her an unpleasant look and then said, “Oh, that’s right, you went through it ages ago, didn’t you, Cici?”
    Angie gave Mel a look that said “Ouch!” and Mel raised her eyebrows.
    “Mariel Mars, may I introduce Melanie Cooper and Angie DeLaura,” Cici said. She turned to Mel and Angie and said, “Mariel is our head judge and a former winner of the Sweet Tiara Beauty Pageant.”
    “Who are you and why are you here?” Mariel asked. She looked them up and down, obviously finding their casual attire wanting.
    “Cupcake bakers,” Angie said. “We’ll be baking what the contestants invent and we’ll be providing a cupcake tower for each day’s events.”
    “Oh.” Mariel looked unimpressed. She glanced at Mel and her look turned mean. “I didn’t realize that being cupcake bakers was a crown-worthy occupation. Obviously I’m in the wrong profession.”
    Mel felt her face get hot with mortification and she reached up and lifted the tiara off of her and handed