Free The Diva Frosts a Cupcake by Krista Davis

front.
    I could imagine great uses for them, but this puppy needed to wear herself out by walking and running. At least she wouldn’t escape again.
    “I brought you a little present,” she trilled, handing Alex a box wrapped in her signature robin’s-egg blue and tied with a lacy bow. “It’s a DVD of my best shows.”
    Alex stood up and accepted it graciously, pecking her on the cheek.
    “Maybe you’d like to come to the studio with me one day? And you simply must come to dinner while you’re visiting. I’ll set it up with the general.”
    “Thank you. That’s very thoughtful of you.”
    “Did Sophie tell you I was a beauty queen?”
    “She must have forgotten to mention that. I can’t say I’m surprised.”
    I admired his deft handling of Natasha, but she irritated me. She already had Mars. Would she
never
go away?
    “Look over there. Isn’t that a photographer from the newspaper?” It was a lie. A terrible, mean thing to do. But it worked. Natasha spun that stroller around faster than Superman could fly and propelled it across the plaza.
    “Is this your dog?” Alex asked the little boy.
    The boy gazed up at his mom for reassurance. Nodding, he wrapped his arms around the puppy’s neck.
    “What are you going to name her?” asked Nick.
    “Princess Isabella von Humperdink,” the boy answered without hesitation.
    His mother smiled. “I’m thinking Bella.”
    I promised their application for adoption would be on the top of the pile. When they walked away, Alex promised I would keep Bella for the boy.
    Francie had a twinkle in her eye and nudged me. “He’s adorable!” she whispered.
    I knew she didn’t mean the kid. Alex seemed too nice to be true.
    Francie held out her hand. “I’m Sophie’s neighbor, Francine Vanderhoosen. What’s your marital status, young fellow?”
    I wanted to dive under the table with Daisy. She had other ideas, though, and belly-crawled toward Alex to sniff his shoes.
    He reached down to pat her and didn’t seem a bit perturbed by Francie’s nosiness. “I’m separated from my wife.”
    To anyone else, that might have been a good thing, but to me it meant he wasn’t available yet.
    Francie crossed her arms over her chest. “Hmpff. And what is it you do for a living?”
    His grin was enchanting. How dare he be so charming when he wasn’t single yet?
    Clearly amused by Francie’s question, he said, “I’m an attorney in Richmond. Three hamsters, two step-kids, one cockapoo. My mom taught fifth grade, my dad was a CPA. They’re retired now and spend half the year in a fancy motor home. I make a Bloody Mary that you won’t believe, and I’m an expert on the barbecue grill, if I do say so myself. Did I omit anything?”
    “You seeing anybody?” She observed him with a dubious squint.
    “If you need a date for the cupcake feast tomorrow night, I would be honored to escort you.”
    Francie, his senior by a good twenty or more years, tucked her head and wiggled her hand in embarrassment. “Pick me up at five thirty. I don’t want to be late and miss out on anything.”
    Alex wrote down directions to her house and promised to be on time.
    As he walked away, she leveled a stern look at me. “If you don’t date that boy, I will!”

    By the time Nina returned an hour later, several adoptions awaited her approval.
    “Well?” Francie and I couldn’t contain ourselves, even though we were eager to see the other dogs and cats in homes.
    “He claims he doesn’t have Buddy.” Nina smiled at people waiting to adopt, and started processing their applications. “He refused to let us into his house. If Buddy was there, he wasn’t barking.”
    My heart sank. What had he done with that poor dog? Was Buddy wandering the streets? I had to push away thoughts of what might happen to him.
    In a slow trickle, we emptied the dog pen and the cat cages.
    The timing proved perfect. The next shift arrived with new dogs and cats for adoption.
    Nina whispered to me, “I’ve