CHAPTER 9
If it had seemed like time was moving quickly before, it was nothing compared to how things sped up during the final days leading up to their shop being completed. They were back and forth constantly, approving things, making changes, arranging for deliveries and installations and then, finally, everything was done.
The floor to ceiling windows that made up the front wall gave it a light and airy feel. The tall coolers were already running, ready to be stocked. Her Daddy’s photographs were on the wall, showcasing his best work, and the long pastry cases were waiting to be filled.
They’d been through the place with a checklist, making sure everything was working, but it was all perfect. The building inspectors had come and gone, they’d passed with no issues, so they could open whenever they chose.
“I can’t believe it’s ready,” Heaven said as she looked around the front room with satisfaction. It had turned out exactly the way she’d dreamed.
“Well, we’re not quite ready to open just yet.”
Her mouth dipped into a frown as she turned to him. “Did we forget something?”
His fingers tapped on the glass case. “Just a minor detail. We don’t actually have any candy or cakes to sell.” He grinned.
She blew out an exasperated breath. “Daddy, you almost gave me a panic attack.”
“It’s a valid point. We have a plan. We have a menu of sorts …”
The menu was really more of a baseline. Angel wanted them both free to make whatever they felt like making on a given day. He also wanted to be sure that they didn’t overload themselves with work.
So, they’d agreed on basic items that they would keep stocked at all times. Most of them were quick and easy to make in large batches, and then they’d fill the rest of the cases with whatever they were inspired to create. It might not have been the most organized way to run a business, but it was definitely the best way to keep things fun.
She was done with the rat race. Money certainly wasn’t the goal here, although they both wanted the shop to be a success, of course. But Heaven had burned out on being a national name. It had taken a long time for her love of baking to come back, and now that it had, she didn’t want to lose it again.
They were in this mainly for the love of creating, and to bring people joy. Of course, getting to work with her Daddy was also a huge plus. She’d missed having a partner to work with, had forgotten how fun it was. Angel was obviously a different kind of partner, but it was the companionship that gave the job life, and she hadn’t had that since Barbara had died.
“Of sorts is good enough, Daddy. We have enough variety planned to start with and we’ll still have time to do extras. I’ll be happy just working on my prank line for that. I’ve got it all settled now.”
“Hmm.” He gave her a look but didn’t comment on the pranks. “So, when do we want to plan the big day? The sign went up yesterday, and I’ve already seen a few curious faces at the windows. People will be banging on the door for sweets soon.”
That was the question. She didn’t want to rush the work, after all they weren’t just filling the front cases, but also needed to make enough stock to refill them as they emptied. Some of what they made had a longer shelf-life than others, and some could be frozen, which helped.
“How about next Friday? That will give us plenty of time and we can celebrate all that weekend with the buy-one-get one sale.”
“Friday it is, but how would you feel about trying out our new kitchen tonight? I have to admit I’m itching to get in there.” Her Daddy’s eyebrows rose in question.
Heaven had the same itch. “Now that the professional cleaning is done and all of the supplies have been stocked, I supposed we could. I hadn’t really planned on working tonight though.”
She was tired and was going to the Littles’ Wing for classes in the morning, so she was looking forward to an early night. With all the work, she’d had less Little time than usual and she was missing it. On the other hand, she wanted to try the kitchen out so badly.
“Oh, this isn’t going to be work, chiquita . This is going to be fun. Just something small for ourselves. Consider it a christening, of sorts.”
That did sound like fun, and it was tempting. She hesitated and then gave in. “Okay, let’s do it then. Um what did you have in mind?”
“No idea. I’m just going to start melting chocolate and see where my whims take me. How about you?”
“I’m not really sure…” She chewed on her bottom lip as she considered her choices. “How about if I make something for you, and you make something for me? A dessert for tonight?”
“Perfect idea. I love it.” Angel grinned and, with a dramatic bow, ushered her into the kitchen ahead of him.
Heaven had to take a minute to stand on the threshold and admire the beautiful industrial-sized kitchen. There was so much space. It was the first kitchen she’d ever been part of planning, and she’d put a lot of thought into the design. It needed to be functional and take into account that there would be two separate industries using it.
They each had their own side, stocked with tables, machines and equipment. In some cases that meant they had doubles, since there was equipment that was useful for both baking and chocolate making. In the middle of the room was a giant table where they could work together. She was hoping they could plan creations that used both of their skills. It was what she was looking forward to most.
“Should we meet in the middle?” she asked. “Or are we going for surprise?”
“The middle seems fitting for our first night in our own shop,” he said, nodding.
Without another word he went to the cabinets and began picking out ingredients. He clearly already had an idea in mind, which left her still scrambling to come up with something. After a few minutes of thought, she decided to make muffins.
It wasn’t what she was known for, but she thought muffins were a vastly underrated baked good. And besides, Angel loved them, especially when they had berries, so muffins it was. As soon as she started pulling out ingredients she was hit with a wave of happiness.
It was finally happening. They were in their very own place, together, and everything was exactly the way they’d wanted it. She had an urge to dance across the concrete floor and sing; that’s how happy she was.
As the batter was mixing, she did start to sing an old rock song. She loved classic rock. As a child she hadn’t often been exposed to anything but hymns, but once she’d run away, she’d quickly picked up other types of music.
Rock was her favorite. She loved the beat and the way it made her feet want to move. Without realizing it her hips started to sway, as she sang a silly song about a yellow submarine and poured a scoop of frozen berries into the mixer.
She had just gotten to her favorite part when Angel joined in. His voice blended so flawlessly with hers, but an octave lower, that several more lines passed before she realized that her Daddy was singing! She spun around and stared at him. “What was that?” Her voice was raised and slightly accusatory.
“That?” Both eyebrows shot up and he set down the chocolate he’d been shaving. “What was what?”
“That sound… your voice!”
“That was me harmonizing with you…” He trailed off, frowning. “Isn’t that okay?”
She just stared, mouth working soundlessly for a long few seconds before she could find the words. “I mean, yeah. Yes, of course. I just… I didn’t know you could sing.”
He laughed. “Not like you, chiquita , but sure, I sing. I actually sing along with you all the time.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You do not. I would have heard you!” Again she sounded accusatory.
“Not with your ear buds in, you don’t. I could play a trombone next to you and you wouldn’t hear it when those things are in.”
“Oh.” He was right about that. She tended to wear them when she worked, because she loved the music and because the Ranch kitchen was so loud all the time. And working was when she usually sang, outside of the shower, but then, she probably wouldn’t hear him if she was in there either.
“Does it bother you, Heaven? I’ll try not to if?—”
“No, no, Daddy. I’m sorry. It’s totally fine. I was just surprised.” But then she had to stop and think about it. Was she okay with it?
She hadn’t really sung with another person since she was a kid. Since she’d sung with her family. Barbara had always loved to listen, but never sang herself. “You should be grateful, child. You sound like a songbird, but I sound like an old crow when I try to sing. All cawing and screeching,” she’d said once, laughing.
So Heaven sang alone, but maybe she didn’t have to anymore. She let out a deep breath, rolled her shoulders to release the sudden tension and sent a smile in his direction. “You were a bit flat on that last line though. If you’re going to sing with me, you’ll have to do better than that, Daddy,” she teased.
He rolled his eyes. “Fine then. Take it from the top.”
She started over with the first line, and they sang while they worked. His execution was bit rough. He didn’t always hold the notes properly, and sometimes his voice cracked, but there was a warmth to it that she liked. And for someone who hadn’t been trained to sing, with hours of practice every day, he was good.
But when their voices melded together, it felt like magic. He harmonized with her so well, voice rising and dipping to match hers, as they went through a medley of old songs. Finally, she started one he didn’t know, and carried on without him for a couple of lines, before she realized and stopped with a laugh.
“That was beautiful, Daddy. I can’t believe I didn’t know you could sing.” She finished scooping batter into the paper-lined muffin tin.
He shrugged. “I used to sing with my mother when I was a kid. She didn’t speak English very well, but we’d sing these old songs and then she’d have me translate each line, so she knew what they meant.” He chuckled, a faraway look in his eyes for a second, before he blinked it away. “The trials of being a bilingual child.”
She didn’t know a lot about his childhood, but he seemed to have a lot of fond memories of it. She was glad that he’d been happy, but envious too. It made her think about what she’d missed out on, which was probably why he didn’t bring up the topic with her much.
Someday she was going to untangle the mess in her head, and work through it, but until then she was just grateful for the little factoids he dropped from time to time. “Okay, muffins are going in the oven. They’ll need about half an hour. How are you doing over there, Daddy?”
“A little sooner than that, I think.” Angel picked up his small bowl of shaved dark chocolate curls, grabbed a larger bowl he’d been mixing things into, and moved over to the stove.
She followed. “What are you making?”
“You’ll see.” His grin was secretive.
She put her hands on her hips, frowning. “That’s not fair. You said we weren’t doing secrets.”
“Well, Daddies are allowed to change their minds.” He winked at her and began pouring a milky mixture into a small pot.
She watched, as he added in cornstarch and vanilla. The clues should have helped, but there were too many recipes that used them. She wanted to whine, but she didn’t want to bring out her Little side in the kitchen, so she just sighed.
Angel took pity on her. “It’s my version of natilla .”
“What’s natilla ?”
“A kind of custard. Specifically this is Maizena de chocolate . It’s a Cuban chocolate pudding. I’m using dark chocolate so it will be less sweet.”
He knew that after years of baking, she usually didn’t have much of a sweet tooth. She did like dark chocolate though—it was just sweet enough, without being overwhelming. “Ooh, Daddy. That sounds amazing. I can’t wait to try it.”
“Tonight, after dinner, mi corazón . Remember, we’re making desserts, besides even though it can be served warm… my version tastes better when chilled.”
“Speaking of dinner… do we have a plan? The fridge is kind of empty at home.” Neither of them had taken the time to pick up groceries. Luckily the Ranch had plenty of places to eat.
They discussed their options as Angel kept the whisk moving in the pan nonstop, and by the time he was pouring the thick liquid into little ramekins, they had settled on Italian, but since neither of them felt like sitting in the restaurant, they took it to go.
She liked her pasta, but she liked the dessert he’d made even more. It had a bit of a spicy kick to it, which was surprising for a dessert, but nice. And since making one portion of a recipe would have been ridiculous, there was plenty of leftover muffins and pudding for the next day or two.
They curled up on the couch together. Angel put on one of their favorite television shows while they cuddled, but it wasn’t long before Heaven started to yawn. It was early, but they’d been putting in a lot of long days lately, and she gave up before the show was over.
“I’m going to go to bed, Daddy. I’m sleepy, and I’ve got class in the morning,” she reminded him. Angel dragged his eyes away from the screen, and she realized he was half-asleep too. “Are you coming?”
“Not tonight, I’m too tired.”
The joke was so deadpan she almost missed it. “Ugh, Daddy,” she said in a complaining tone, as she rolled her eyes.
He chuckled, but a yawn interrupted it, and he got up. “Yes, I’m going to join you. No one told me that opening our own business was going to be so much work.” He sighed.
“I did! I told you about thirty times, and we both still decided it was worth it.”
He aimed a playful swat at her bottom. “Don’t argue with Daddy, nina . He’s too tired.”
“Well, if he’s going to keep talking about himself in the third person, like a comic book villain, then I’m going to go to bed without him,” she retorted, and headed toward the bedroom with a flounce. This time the swat actually landed and startled a squeak out of her.
It almost incited an activity other than sleeping, but the truth was, they were both just too exhausted. A half-hearted attempt at foreplay stalled when Heaven nodded off. It was just for a few seconds, but it was enough to make it clear that they both needed rest more than anything else.
“I’m sorry, Daddy. Tomorrow, I’ll be up for some fun,” she promised him, only to be greeted by the sound of soft snores. It made her giggle, as she turned over, and wiggled back until she was pressed against him.