Puffed, Stuffed, and Melted Murder Read online

  Puffed, Stuffed, and Melted Murder

  The Sundae Afternoon Series, Book 6

  Gretchen Allen

  Summer Prescott Books Publishing

  Copyright 2018 Summer Prescott Books

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication nor any of the information herein may be quoted from, nor reproduced, in any form, including but not limited to: printing, scanning, photocopying, or any other printed, digital, or audio formats, without prior express written consent of the copyright holder.

  **This book is a work of fiction. Any similarities to persons, living or dead, places of business, or situations past or present, is completely unintentional.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Also by Gretchen Allen

  Author’s Note

  Contact Summer Prescott Books Publishing

  Chapter 1

  Yvette Lockhart finally felt like her life was getting back to normal. After what felt like two solid weeks of interview after interview, she’d narrowed it down to four potential new employees. With one of her part-time staff leaving in just over a week, Yvette wanted to make sure that whoever she hired would be a fast learner and one that would settle right in at Sundae Afternoon.

  “When do you need to be to work?” Gavin asked, sitting across from her in his kitchen.

  Gavin Dillinger was not only Yvette’s neighbor and friend, but also the landlord of the duplex she lived in. He’d recently taken over Dillinger Properties after his father retired, and was busier than ever getting his latest apartment building renovated.

  “I have a few more hours,” Yvette replied, looking at her phone for the umpteenth time that morning.

  “Are you waiting for a call or something?” Gavin pressed, giving her a look.

  “No. I mean, yeah, I guess.” Yvette pursed her lips. “I was just sort of hoping I’d hear from Nate.”

  “Ohhhh. What’s going on between the two of you, anyway? Now that he’s back, I’ve been half wondering when you’d tell me you guys were going out.”

  “Not quite. We’ve hung out a few times, and I went to Family Night at Whittaker’s Steakhouse, which was awesome by the way, but other than that there’s nothing going on.”

  “Then why are you so eager to hear from him?” Gavin asked between bites of his ham and egg breakfast sandwich.

  Yvette laughed, finding it comical that Gavin was so interested in her and Nate. “I’m not eager. I somehow got roped into working at the Annual Pancake Breakfast this weekend, and I was hoping he’d want to help out.”

  “Ahhh. So, you want to rope him into it too.” Gavin chuckled.

  “I suppose I do. But, it’s not just that, though. We could really use someone that knows what they’re doing to do the cooking. Normally Chucky from Molly’s Diner takes care of it, but he went on a two-week-long cruise with his wife. I’m sure Molly can handle it herself, but it’s been a long while since she’s had to do the cooking for that many people. As it is, I half expect the diner to slow down since Chucky won’t be there.”

  “Chucky is on vacation. Wow. I don’t think there’s been a single time in the last two years that I’ve gone inside Molly’s Diner and didn’t see Chucky through the window, preparing meals for everyone.”

  “That’s what I mean. Molly used to be the one that did it, but I’m pretty sure she stopped cooking when she hired Chucky. I’m sure she didn’t forget how to cook for that many people at a time or anything, but I just worry that something will go wrong,” Yvette explained.

  “I get it, but you shouldn’t worry. I know how you get when you’re in charge of something. If everything doesn’t go perfectly, you lose your mind. You aren’t in charge of this, though. Believe it or not, they’ve held this pancake breakfast for plenty of years without you,” Gavin teased.

  “Yeah, yeah.” Yvette said, tossing a rolled-up napkin at him. “I know they can function just fine without me. However, with Chucky gone, I really think Nate would be a big help. Plus, it’ll be good for him to get back into the small-town life. He’s been a city boy for entirely too long.”

  “Why not start off with Heritage Holiday Weekend then?” Gavin clapped, clearly mocking Yvette.

  “Careful, or I’ll ask you to help too,” Yvette grinned, knowing how much Gavin enjoyed giving her a hard time.

  “I’m thanking my lucky stars that won’t be possible,” he said, getting up to clear his plate. “I have so many tiny little details to take care of at the Adelaide Apartments that I don’t have time for anything else.”

  “It seems like you’ve been working on that apartment building forever.”

  Gavin sighed. “You’re telling me. That place was a disaster. The guy who owned it before me just let it go. There were holes in the walls, the wiring was a nightmare, and don’t get me started on the outside. The building had so many layers of paint to hide any problem areas that it took my guys nearly two months to get it taken care of.”

  “All that work had to be expensive,” Yvette mused. “When you do you think you’ll be able to get tenants in there?

  “I can move people in by the first of the year but, truthfully, I think I may struggle to get tenants,” Gavin leaned against his kitchen counter, a look of concern on his face.

  “Don’t be silly. Everyone in the area knows your work and knows that you would never expect anyone to live in a place that was anything less than perfect.”

  Yvette knew how much of a worrier Gavin was. Maybe even more than she was herself. He’d been with his father’s company since he was old enough to work, but the minute he took it over himself, he was constantly worried that people wouldn’t like his choices if they were different from his father’s. Heritage locals and even folks that traveled to the town all said the same thing; Dillinger Properties offered stunning homes and apartments with curb appeal that was to die for. Once potential tenants saw the massive change from what the Adelaide Apartments looked like before to what they’d look like when Gavin was finished, they’d be rushing to get in there.

  “Thanks. I appreciate that. I think I’m going to do something big when I’m done. Like host an open house or something. I’ve been working with Drew Ross over the past few weeks on ideas.”

  “Eww. Drew Ross, really?” Yvette balked.

  “I see you’re a fan,” Gavin laughed, sitting back down.

  “Not even a little. Are you sure you want to be working with him? Why do you even need a realtor for apartments?”

  “I don’t. He’s just really good at staging homes, and I think he could help me out. I discussed hiring him just to do that. Anything related to actually renting the apartments won’t have a thing to do with him,” Gavin explained.

  “Good, because I’m pretty sure that that creep would sell his own mother’s home right out from underneath her.”

  Gavin moved his head from side to side, as if he was considering what Yvette had just said. “Yeah. You’re probably right. He’s not the greatest guy around but like I said, I think I’m gonna need to do something big to prove to people that this apartment building is in much better condition than it used to be. Fortunately, I think Drew is just the man for the job.”

  “Don’t you mean, unfortunately?” Yvette grinned, pulling her jacket from the cha
ir behind her and tucking her phone in the pocket. “I gotta go shower and get ready for work. I’ll see you later.”

  “Good luck getting Nate to help,” Gavin joked.

  “Good luck working with Drew the Devil Man Ross,” Yvette quipped before dashing out the door and heading back to her own apartment.

  Chapter 2

  Hey, Stella!” Yvette said, greeting her newest employee.

  “Mornin’, boss,” Stella replied as she dipped an ice cream scoop into the newest flavor; White Chocolate Cranberry and Pistachio.

  Yvette was the manager of Sundae Afternoon, a well-loved ice cream shop open year-round right in her hometown of Heritage, Massachusetts. She’d been the manager for just over two years, but had worked for the Kline family since she was a teenager. There were few things in the world that she loved as much as her shop. Yvette was proud that Emma Kline, the owner of four Sundae Afternoon locations, entrusted her with the shop that started it all.

  “Busy morning?” Yvette asked, noticing a couple of tables that sat with empty dishes on them.

  “We had a little rush. There was a group passing through on their way to a casino trip up north. They stopped in saying they thought having dessert before lunch was a great way to begin their trip. Joey’s in the kitchen washing the first round of dishes and said he’d be out for the rest soon. I think I’m all caught up though, so I’ll get the tables cleared and the dishes brought in the back for him,” Stella spoke quickly.

  “Don’t worry. I understand you were busy,” Yvette assured her. She knew that her employees were always on the ball, and typically, they didn’t let a table sit uncleared for longer than a few minutes. “I can help out too, ya know?”

  “Don’t you worry about that,” Stella responded, rushing over to a table. “I know you have someone coming in today to talk about getting a job.”

  “Yes. Her name is Leslie, and I think she may work out. I want to see what she thinks though, after spending a few hours in the midst of things. It’ll be like a training interview.”

  “How come I didn’t have one of those?” Stella grinned.

  “Because there was no doubt in my mind that you’d love it here and we’d love having you,” Yvette smiled back at the older woman.

  “You’re a good judge of character, so if you think she’ll work out then I’m sure your spot on.”

  “Thanks, Stella. I think I’ll hang out front for a while, so you and Joey can get organized. Let me know if you need anything.”

  Yvette watched as Stella hurried to clean off the tables that still had dishes on them. She hoped that Leslie loved the job as much as the rest of them seemed to. In Yvette’s mind, one of the most important things about being a manager was making sure that her staff was happy. Vanessa, her right-hand woman, had been with her at Sundae Afternoon for as long as she’d been the manager. Vanessa’s teenaged daughter, Sage, worked a few hours during the school year and picked up as many shifts as possible in the summer and during school vacations. Joey was the only other full-time employee aside from Vanessa and while he’d recently admitted that he was looking for more out of his life than working at an ice cream shop, he was always reliable and hardworking. Tonya and Stella were both part-time workers, but Tonya and her family were moving out of state. Yvette’s hope was to ask Stella to work full-time hours, and hire Leslie to replace Tonya and pick up the slack that Sage was unable to since school was back in session.

  Glancing at the clock and realizing that she still had about twenty-minutes before Leslie arrived, Yvette wasn’t sure what to do with herself. For the first time in a while, the monthly newsletter, the Inside Scoop, was already set up and ready to go out days in advance. She had no major events planned, at least not until the weekend, but Sundae Afternoon wasn’t responsible for that, it was a personal project. There were no delivery orders or catering events on the schedule and most importantly, no one had been murdered. She’d just gotten Heath, the chief of police and her father’s best friend, to forgive her for getting involved in the last investigation. Yvette thought the one thing that had saved her was that her mother had accidentally ended up with a houseful of people, one of them being a potential killer. She’d convinced Heath that she’d felt the need to get involved only to protect her mother. Thankfully, he’d believed her and forgave her. She could only hope that another situation wouldn’t arise, causing her to get involved again. Something told Yvette that Heath wouldn’t be so kind the next time around.

  Knowing that the ice cream coolers needed to be cleaned, the stockroom needed to be prepped for an upcoming delivery, and that both waffle cones and bowls needed to be made. Yvette was having a hard time sitting on her hands and not either getting the tasks taken care of herself or asking an employee to get it done. Having Leslie come to the shop on that particular day was done so for a reason. It was always the most hectic day of the week. What better time to show a potential new employee the ropes? If Leslie didn’t enjoy the hustle and bustle and fast paced work environment, she’d know early on and save them both some time.

  The bell on the door chimed causing Yvette to snap out of her daze.

  “Hi! I know I’m a little early, but I was just so excited to get started today that I’ve been up since four this morning,” Leslie laughed as she greeted Yvette.

  “Well, that’s a good sign! Let’s go get your things into a locker in the employee break room so we can begin,” Yvette said, eyeing Leslie’s purse and jacket.

  “I wasn’t sure if I should leave it in the car or not. I was hoping you had a safe place to store it,” Leslie said, following Yvette to the back. “My last job didn’t.”

  Yvette poked her head through the kitchen doorway on her way by, letting Stella and Joey know that Leslie had arrived so they could keep an eye out for customers.

  “Of course we have a safe place. I’d never expect you to leave things in your car. Especially not a jacket when it’s freezing out, or your purse. I like to think Heritage is a safe place, but things happen,” Yvette said, ushering her into the break room.

  “Sounds perfect to me. I appreciate a safe and honest working environment,” Leslie said, placing her things into an empty locker that Yvette had shown her.

  “You don’t have to worry about that here. Now, come on back out front with me and we’ll see what we can get into.”

  Yvette led Leslie to the dining room, feeling a little bad for the woman. Her previous job had been listed as a waitress at Molly’s Diner. Yvette knew Molly, and had always considered her to be a kind and fair woman. She couldn’t imagine Molly making her staff put their things out in the open like that. As much as people wanted to trust others, everyone had a right to their privacy.

  Chapter 3

  How many more thumbprints do I have to make?” Amelia, Yvette’s best friend, whined.

  “You act like it’s a tough job.” Abigail rolled her eyes.

  Every year Abigail Lockhart hosted a cookie baking party the day before the kickoff of Heritage Holiday Weekend. As the new co-chair of the Downtown Neighborhood Association Branch, Abigail was responsible for making sure that over two-hundred dozen cookies were baked and packaged for the Jingle Bell Bazaar. Every cookie sold went toward various events and projects that the Association would host the following year.

  “It’s not hard, but I wanna try something more fun,” Amelia replied.

  “Get over here and fill these hot chocolate cookie cups then,” Audrey Briggs said calling her over.

  “Okay!” Amelia exclaimed, rushing over to where the other woman stood. “What do I have to do?”

  “Take a mini marshmallow and put it in the bottom of the cookie bowl, pour the melted chocolate over the top, and then drop a few more of the extra tiny marshmallows on top of that,” Audrey explained.

  “Got it. These will be way more fun to make,” Amelia nodded, popping a marshmallow in her mouth.

  “You’re just like my husband. You only want to help so you can eat the product.” Audrey s
hook her head, teasing Amelia.

  Audrey was Abigail’s best friend. She was spunky, and just as involved in everything related to the town as Abigail was. Especially since her husband was the chief of police. Yvette always considered her parents to be lucky. Their best friends were married to one another, and for as long as Yvette could remember, the two families had been close.

  “Real nice,” Amelia made a face. “Are you hearing this, Yvette?”

  “I’m just over here minding my own business,” Yvette said, sprinkling powdered sugar over the top of the green colored crinkle cookies she’d just pulled from the oven. “You gotta admit though, you do like to eat your ingredients.”