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Chapter One
Sanjay Tibball had just finished cooling off ninety-six cupcakes for Mrs. Fron’s order. He normally refused last-minute orders, but since she’d been a loyal customer for years, and he’d been lucky enough to pull Kayla in to help, he’d agreed.
He never knew making four cupcake sheet cakes with the image of Paw Patrol could be so exhausting.
“You really are talented,” Kayla said from over Sanjay’s shoulder.
“Thanks.” He could have gone with putting a Paw Patrol badge on each cake and calling it a day, but that wasn’t Sanjay’s style.
“How many cupcakes per sheet cake?” Kayla asked as she walked over to the back counter. “I already forgot how many you used on the first cake.”
“Twenty-four.”
“Jeez.” She turned to look at him. “Just how many guests does little Nathan expect?”
That was exactly what Sanjay had wondered when Mrs. Fron placed the order. Parents usually ordered one cupcake sheet cake for a kid’s party, but Mrs. Fron had made it clear she wanted four cakes.
Sanjay had gotten up at the ass-crack of dawn to get the order started. It was late afternoon now, and his feet and back were killing him from standing and moving all day.
“Just put twenty-four cupcakes each on three of those cardboard cake boards,” he said. “I’ll handle the rest since I know you need to get going. Thanks for coming in on such short notice.”
“You’re very welcome,” she said.
Kayla worked part time at Sweet Spot. Sanjay had a full-time employee, but Reese hadn’t shown up today, which put Sanjay in a bind. If Kayla hadn’t shown up twenty minutes after Sanjay called her for help, he would have been screwed with the order.
She might not be able to design cakes, but she was one hell of an assistant. Sanjay had whipped up the batters—two chocolate, one vanilla, and one strawberry—and Kayla had filled the cupcakes tins and placed them in the oven.
Teamwork. That was how he’d gotten through today. He would spend most of tomorrow frosting the cupcakes to look like a cake and then adding more Paw Patrol images to them like he had the first cake.
Mrs. Fron had paid out the nose to have them ready for Saturday’s party, and Sanjay wasn’t one to disappoint. All four cakes would have different designs, and Sanjay had relied on the internet to help him with ideas.
“Would you mind coming in tomorrow?” he asked her. “I have to frost these, so I need you and Reese to take care of the regular orders for me.”
“I still can’t believe he didn’t come in,” Kayla huffed.
“Me, either.” Sanjay had told Reese last night that they had a big order to fill. Why Reese hadn’t shown up was anyone’s guess. He was usually such a great employee. Sanjay had tried to call twice, but Reese hadn’t answered.
Sanjay took a seat on a stool, groaning at how tired he was. Sweet Spot normally stayed open until seven, but he was closing early tonight so he could soak in a hot bubble bath.
“Okay. I’m taking off,” Kayla said. “Don’t you dare stay until midnight trying to get these cakes done. You have tomorrow to finish them.”
“Trust me. I’m locking up and heading home.” Sanjay yawned, wishing he wasn’t so tired so he could go running in the woods. He loved letting his gazelle out, but it wasn’t going to happen tonight.
As soon as Kayla left, Sanjay locked the door and flipped the sign from open to closed. He slid the cupcakes into the fridge and then headed to the back to shut down his computer.
As soon as the monitor went dark, Sanjay’s phone rang. He smiled when he saw it was his friend Dario. The guy was human but knew about the preternatural world. He’d been dating a nasty piece of work named Trenton, who was a hyena shifter.
“Hey,” Sanjay said as soon as he answered. “Just closed the shop.”
“Trenton came by,” Dario said in a weak voice. “He said he just wanted to talk.”
Sanjay gritted his teeth. He’d been overjoyed when Dario had said he’d broken things off with Trenton. It had been long overdue. Sanjay would never understand why Dario had dated Trenton for six months when the guy was a real slimeball.
Sanjay’s friend sounded…sad? Was that the right word? Down in the dumps? Wait. Same thing. “What happened?”
“Nothing happened,” Dario replied unconvincingly. “He just wanted to get back together, and I said no.”
Sanjay frowned. Something was off in Dario’s voice. “Tell me exactly what he did. Did he threaten you?”
