Page 16 of Heaven Leigh’s Little Halloween

Heaven frowned. “I guess. Neither of them live in the Littles’ Wing though. It’s different over there. So many rules you have to follow all the time.”

“It would have to be. Dealing with a group requires a certain kind of structure.” He hesitated and then picked up a stabilizing rod. “You use these in cakes, yes?”

She nodded. “Yeah with multi-tiers or complicated ones you need them to hold everything together.”

“So this one thing provides the structure to keep all the pieces in place. The rules in the Littles’ Wing are like that. They are in there to keep everything together. Otherwise it would be chaos.”

“I guess.” She let out a long sigh and offered him a half smile. “I just don’t think I fit in there very well. Master Derek thinks I need a Daddy of my own.”

Angel suspected Derek was right, but he was a long way from being convinced that should be him. Heaven was smart, and judging by the photos of her work, she was talented too. That didn’t mean they were a match.

“And what do you think?”

There was a long hesitation and then she shrugged. “It doesn’t really matter what I think. I doubt there’s anyone out there who wants me.”

His eyebrows flew up. As far as he could see there was nothing that would put any prospective Daddy off. “Why do you think that?”

“I just… don’t fit.” There was a second when it seemed like she was going to go on but instead she shook her head. “What would you like me to do next?”

Angel was torn between letting her change the subject and trying to get her to talk. In the end, it didn’t seem right to push when they barely knew each other. “Check the temp on the warming plate and set it to one-oh-four.” He pointed toward the pantry, where it was set up on the counter. “While you’re in there, you can grab a bag of the Belgium Sweet white melting chocolate, and a box of Smyth’s seventy-percent dark,” he called after her.

She disappeared from sight and a second later he heard a low, “Wowwwww.”

He went to look just in case she needed help and found her staring awestruck into the largest cabinet. He laughed. “Hadn’t had a chance to look in there yet?”

She jumped and turned back to see him leaning in the doorway. With a head shake for his question, she said, “I guess so! I never knew there were so many different kinds of chocolate. We only ever used the basic types,” she explained.

He could understand the surprise. There were thirty or forty different brands and types of chocolate neatly organized in the cabinet. The basic categories of milk, white, and dark, were just the beginning of the spectrum. With dark chocolate alone he had seventeen different couverture types with different levels of cacao and a range of flavor notes.

“I have very specific ideas of how I want something to taste. It often requires a special recipe.” He leaned past her, trying to ignore the warmth of her body as he brushed against her. “Candy making is more chemistry than anything. You need exactness, even the slightest variation can ruin chocolate.”

She turned back to the cabinet and her glance ran along the shelves, reading the labels. “With baking… there’s a little more flexibility and the basic ingredients don’t change much. It’s more about how you decorate after.”

“Come, I’ll show you how to temper the chocolate properly so that it hardens for sculpting.”

The ringing of the bell pulled them both out of a conversation about the best way to mix the white chocolate into the dark for a swirling effect. “Oh… I guess I better go.” She was already taking off her apron.

“Yes, don’t want to miss lunch.” And yet he was hesitant to let her go. They’d had a good morning working together. He’d enjoyed it, but he wasn’t satisfied. “Unless… you’d like to have lunch with me, Heaven Leigh?”

Heaven looked up, startled. “With you?”

Angel shrugged. “Why not? I could use a break.” Of course, the last thing he wanted to do was show up in the dining room with her, or worse in the cafeteria where all her friends would be. The rumors would start flying before they’d taken a bite.

He had a better idea. “I bet if I asked nicely, I could get someone to box us up a lunch. We can go sit outside to eat. An impromptu picnic. What do you think?’

Her expression brightened. “That sounds like fun!”

Chapter 6

Twenty minutes later they were settled together under a tree for shade. He’d grabbed a folded tablecloth to use as a picnic blanket and she helped to spread it. There wasn’t a lot of chatter as they sat down and unpacked lunch. Heaven, he’d already noticed, tended to be quiet. And he was enjoying watching her out of the corner of his eye.

But there had been an ulterior motive for inviting her to lunch. He wanted to get to know her, so once they’d gotten a few bites into them, he started the conversation. “So, did you always want to be a baker?”

It had seemed a fairly harmless question, not too probing, but she still took her time considering it. “No. I don’t think I ever really thought about what I wanted to be when I grew up. Things seemed to be planned for me. But once I… when I was on my own, I needed a job and baking was one of the few skills I had.”

“Oh? It is a useful skill. You must have found some love in it. I mean, you stuck with it?”

“I did. I…” She trailed off, looking hesitant. “I got a job at this bakery and the woman who ran it was the most amazing motherly type. Barbara really took me under her wing. Gave me a job, a place to live… everything. We baked together.” There was a hint of pain in the words.

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