CS 13 Cupcake Chaos and Cruises, page 1
part #13 of Cruise Ship Cozy Mystery Series
CUPCAKE CHAOS AND CRUISES
A.R. WINTERS
CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
7. Ivan
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Sneak Peak: A Berry Deadly Welcome
Chapter Two
Cupcake Chaos and Cruises
Copyright 2022 by A. R. Winters
www.arwinters.com
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only.
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental.
CHAPTER ONE
“Remember in school, when you would get called in to see the principal?” I asked Samantha, my best friend, cabin-mate, and co-worker on the Swan of the Seas. “How it felt like you were probably in trouble but you didn’t know why?”
Not that we had anything to be in trouble for—at least, not as far as I knew. We’d been on shore leave since our last cruise and this was the first time Sam and I had even been back on the clock over the past couple of weeks.
And sure, we had docked in a notorious party town, but Sam and I—along with our boyfriends, Ethan and Brad—had mostly stuck with more age-appropriate nightlife for out-of-towners in their thirties.
“You know I didn’t get called into the principal’s office very often,” Sam answered. “But when I did, I knew exactly why.” She grinned. “And I always knew I was in trouble.”
I laughed. “How could I have forgotten!”
She shrugged. “I didn’t really try to get into trouble. But it sometimes found me anyway. I wasn’t really rebellious or anything.”
I nodded. That made sense. And I could definitely relate to the idea of being followed by trouble even when I was hoping to avoid it.
Before I could say anything else, the office door burst open and Kelly, the cruise director and our boss, rushed past us like a tornado and made a beeline for her desk.
Sam and I exchanged a secret, half-amused look as papers went flying in all directions and our perpetually busy boss muttered something under her breath.
“Is there, um, anything we can help you with, Kelly?” I asked, wincing a little as she whirled to face us and another stack of papers went flying. “Maybe we can help pick some of this stuff up off the floor…”
Sam was already moving to do just that before I’d even finished speaking.
“Thanks, ladies,” Kelly sighed and made a gesture to encompass her entire office. “I swear I’m normally more organized than this. It’s just, I’ve got a million and one things to do right now!”
Sam and I exchanged another knowing look. Not that Kelly was unorganized, but it seemed there were always “a million” things that needed her immediate attention. That sort of stress just went with the territory of a cruise director, I supposed. Or maybe it just went with Kelly.
Just one more reason why I was perfectly content in my role as Social Media Manager. My job kept me happy as a clam snapping my pretty photos and writing cute little captions and hashtags.
Sam and I collected the fallen papers and returned them to a neat pile just out of reach of Hurricane Kelly while she gathered a separate stack of materials and shoved them into her already-overflowing bag.
“Now, what was I—oh, right,” Kelly smiled. “I didn’t call you both up here to pick up after me but I do appreciate it.” She paused to pull a paper from her bag, finding it relatively quickly considering she’d just shoved who-knows-how-many more papers on top of it. “I have your new assignments for this cruise! Exciting, right?”
Sam and I both nodded as Kelly flashed an expectant look. I had to admit that it really was one of the more exciting parts of each trip—learning who our new passengers would be and what their interests were.
Sometimes our assignments were weird. Sometimes they were wild. But they were never, ever boring.
“Shall I give you some clues about the group?” Kelly asked, turning from me to Sam and back again. “Or should we—ugh, no. I really do have to go if I’m going to make it to my lunch appointment with the captain.”
“Appointment?” Sam wiggled her eyebrows. “Or lunch… date?”
Kelly hesitated for a split second and I could see her cheeks flush a light shade of pink before she shook her head. “A date?” She quickly regained her composure and made a dismissive gesture. “No, no, of course not. I can’t even imagine… anyway. What was I saying?”
“The group?” I offered.
“Oh, right. The group!” She beamed. “Ladies, we’re hosting a group of cupcake fanatics. Cupcakes! Doesn’t that sound delicious? And fun? Delicious fun?”
“That sounds amazing,” I nodded, trying to conjure a mental image of what a group of cupcake fanatics might look like. “And pretty pictures of cupcakes will draw lots of good attention on social media. I’m already looking forward to some random taste tests.”
“Oh, yeah,” Sam rubbed her hands together excitedly. “Taste testing is definitely going to be a thing we’ll need to do.”
Kelly laughed. “I’m not ashamed to admit I was thinking the same thing. But yes, Addi, you’ll be taking all the cute cupcake pictures you can muster and Sam will be the group’s main customer liaison while they’re on board the ship.” She looked back and forth between us again. “Do either of you have any questions?”
I checked my watch. “Have they started boarding yet? I want to see if I can pick them out of the crowd.”
“Not yet,” Kelly answers. “But they should be coming aboard anytime, so you two can probably catch them if you head up to the deck soon.”
“Guess that’s where we’ll be going,” Sam nodded. “I have a feeling this is going to be a fun cruise.”
I felt the same way. A group that loves fun, cute desserts? Yes, please.
My stomach was already rumbling its approval.
“OVER THERE,” Sam pointed as we walked down the ramp toward the check-in area where several groups of passengers were already waiting to board. “Do you see the special welcome signs?”
I nodded as a big banner and several smaller signs decorated with cupcakes, sprinkles, and what appeared to be an actual ton of glitter came into view. “How could I miss it? We’re really going all out for this group, aren’t we?”
“As we should,” she made a gesture to encompass the entire group in front of us. “These people are bringing us cupcakes, Addi. Cupcakes! I’m probably going to gain ten pounds on this cruise and I’m looking forward to every ounce of it.”
I laughed and gave her a quick pat on the shoulder. “I’d like to pretend that I won’t be right there with you gobbling up all the cupcakes, but how could we not? It’s cupcakes!” We turned our attention back to the group and I gave Sam a little nudge. “Should we go introduce ourselves? Do you think they’ve brought any cupcakes with them today?”
“You know they have,” she nodded eagerly. “I mean… what are the chances that a group of cupcake enthusiasts doesn’t have actual cupcakes on hand? Maybe we’ll make a good impression and they’ll share.”
“Exactly my thought process.” I snickered as we started walking toward them. “But even without the cupcakes, I really love this part of the cruise. Everyone is so excited and happy—meeting the new passengers always makes my day.”
I gave a friendly wave to a shorter woman with long black hair who was standing off to the side of the group. She adjusted her big round glasses and looked up at us as we approached. “Hi there,” Sam and I said at almost exactly the same time. Sam grinned and I followed up with, “Are you here with the cupcake group?”
“Um… hm?” The woman looked friendly enough but had suddenly turned away to start scanning the crowd for someone or something. Sam and I exchanged a quick glance as the woman finally turned her attention back to us with a small sigh, her low pony tail slowly swaying back and forth. “I’m sorry, what were you saying—oh, right. Cupcakes. Of course.” She gave each of us a quick up and down look. “You two don’t look like cuppers to me.”
“We don’t look like what now?” Sam asked with a half-amused, half-inquisitive expression on her face.
“I don’t think we are,” I added. “But it sounds like fun. We work on board the ship. This is Sam, and she’s the main liaison for the group. My name is Adrienne—or Addi, if you like—and I’m the social media director for the Swan of the Sea.” I smiled and offered my hand to shake. “And you are… a cupper?”
Another sigh let me know that it wasn’t the first time she’d been asked that particular question. “We’re all cuppers here,” she explained. “It’s the name Ivan has given us—all of us who have followed him over the years. Isn’t it cute?”
“Super cute,” Sam nodded, giving me a sideways glance. “And Ivan is—”
“You know, that name sort of sounds familiar,” I answered with a complete lie. I just hated to disappoint her after she sounded so certain that we should have known about Ivan. “And what part do you play in the, um… cupcake cult?”
Just saying the word out loud felt kind of creepy to me. Surely it wasn’t really a cult, though.
Right?
Looking around, none of the people near us seemed to be too cult-ish. Then again, would I have really known for sure? Probably not.
“I’m just a fan of Ivan’s,” the lady answered. “And of cupcakes, of course. But Ivan really is the best. None of us would be here on this cruise without him. He’s such an inspiration.” She stood on her toes and took a quick look around again, then gasped. “Oh! I think I see him coming! You’ll have to excuse me.”
She started moving before I could speak. At least Sam managed to call out a quick goodbye and ask what her name was—useful information for the customer liaison.
“Kimberly!” the lady called back. “Kimberly Lee.”
Sam turned to me and shrugged. “I guess we aren’t as exciting as the father of cupcakes or whatever it was that she called him.”
I snorted. “I guess not. But judging from the way she was talking about the guy, I doubt anyone else is as exciting in her mind.”
Someone bumped into me from behind, knocking me into Sam as I momentarily flailed to keep my balance.
“My goodness,” a breathless woman was dropping down to her hands and knees to chase after a small plastic case that was bouncing just out of her reach. She looked up at Sam and me with an apologetic frown. “I’m so sorry. I was trying to open my pill box and completely stopped paying attention to where I was going.”
“That’s no problem at all,” I smiled as I helped her to her feet. “Do you need a hand getting it open?”
She popped the lid off just as I was asking. “I think the fall must have loosened it, so… thank you?” She laughed. “I’m not usually so clumsy but my nerves about going on a cruise along with—well, never mind. Sorry again for bumping into you like that.”
“No harm done,” I said. “Are you here with the cupcake group as well?”
“I am,” she nodded, then looked around and leaned in to whisper loudly, “But I have to confess I’m probably the worst baker in the bunch.”
Sam and I laughed along with her. “Well, my name is Addi and this is Sam—I’m sure we’ll run into each other on the ship, so just let us know if you need anything at all.”
“Dawn Fawcett,” she replied. “And thanks so much. Hopefully we don’t literally run into each other again, though” she said with an apologetic smile. “I’m afraid my sense of coordination isn’t what it used to be.”
Sam turned to me after we said our goodbyes to Dawn. “Did you see that rock on her ring finger? She might not be good at baking, but her husband must be good at something to afford a ring like that.”
“No doubt,” I murmured. “That was a lot of big diamonds on one little band.”
“And a lot of makeup—not that I’m judging,” Sam added. “But… it was a lot. Someone should tell her she’s on vacation now. No need to impress any of us.”
From the corner of my eye, I could see an older, smiling man gesturing to get our attention. “Excuse me!” he called over. “Do you work on the cruise ship?”
If his smile hadn’t been so wide and disarming, I probably would have been a little intimidated by the man, who looked to be in his seventies at least. He had thick, white hair and stood head and shoulders above the women around him; his grey eyes were sharp and didn’t seem to miss anything.
“Yes, sir. We do work here,” Sam answered as soon as we were close enough that we didn’t need to shout.
“What can we help you with?” I asked, returning his smile. “Are you with the cuppers?”
Sam gave me a funny look and I knew what she was thinking. It just sounded weird when I said it.
Cuppers.
Better than cupper cult, though, right?
“Lifelong cuppers.” he laughed and patted his belly. “My partner and I both have a soft spot for a good cupcake, even though we live in Las Vegas where you can get all kinds of food. She couldn’t make it on this trip, though—off on a yoga retreat with the girls. But I promised her I’d take plenty of photos, so…” He held up his camera. “I was hoping I could get your help with that? Maybe take a group picture while we’re all right here?”
“Of course,” I nodded, taking the camera from his outstretched hand as my brain tried to process all the random information he’d just tossed out. “I’ll even post it to the ship’s social media page if you’d like.”
“That would be wonderful!” the man boomed as he gathered a few more people for the photo. “Wouldn’t that be wonderful?” he asked them to a chorus of cheerful answers. “Maybe you could even caption the picture for me? To Karma—that’s my wife’s name—with love? From Glenn?”
The cheers that went up from the group were almost overwhelming, but… in a good way? I wasn’t sure anymore. It seemed like everything with this cupcake group was a little over-the-top.
Sam stepped closer to me as I pulled the camera up to my eye to snap the picture. “I’m loving their enthusiasm,” she murmured. “This trip is going to be a lot of fun.”
I nodded, taking a couple of extra photos for good measure before handing the camera back over to Glenn. “I’ll let you know when I get that picture posted,” I said, though I didn’t commit to any particular caption. I had a feeling that starting to take requests might be an exhausting precedent to set, especially with this group.
But like Sam said, at least they were enthusiastic and friendly. If we were going to spend a bunch of time in the middle of the ocean with a cult, at least it was a good one.
And at least there would be plenty of cupcakes.
CHAPTER TWO
A fter meeting a few of the cuppers and then watching from a safe distance as the eclectic crowd boarded the ship, Sam and I agreed that we had to see more of them.
We needed to observe them in their natural habitat—the Cupcake Classroom—which was located near the ship’s kitchens in a conference room that had been aptly renamed the “Cupcake Nexus” for this trip.
“Do you think they’ll mind that we’re just popping up in their meeting?” I asked as we walked down the corridor toward the conference room. “I mean, they seem to take this stuff pretty seriously. The classroom… the nexus…”
“Making cupcakes is serious business, Addi,” Sam shot back with a sarcastic grin. “Don’t worry, though. I cleared this with Kelly. She said Ivan Jamm would love to have a customer liaison present in case they needed anything—especially for the first day or two.”
“Okay,” I nodded. “That covers you. What about me?”
She shrugged. “You’re going to be there to take pictures of the cupcakes. They’ll love that. And come on, some of these people are ready-made for social media. If Glenn isn’t a viral sensation just waiting to happen, I don’t know what is.”
She definitely had a point. After meeting a few of the passengers and watching the rest of them interact with each other, it was almost impossible not to be at least a little curious about them.
I was also willing to bet that the rest of the passengers on the cruise—maybe even the rest of the world on social media—would be just as curious as Sam and I were once I started posting a few of the candid photos I’d snapped.
“Looks like this is the classroom up ahead,” I said, lowering my voice as we followed the steady stream of people in front of us. “Have you had a chance to check out their setup down here yet?”
She shook her head. “This will be my first time down here in a while. I’m honestly kind of excited to see what they get up to. Aren’t you?”
I nodded. “I think it’ll be interesting, for sure.”
And it certainly was. I noticed some immediate differences as soon as we walked through the big double doors. What was usually a big, boring, ordinary conference room had been transformed for this cruise to what I had to imagine must have been a cupcake lover’s paradise.
