Chapter 14

Chapter 14

She started to work on her plan that night to make sure she was ready. On the days leading up to Halloween, she spent all her spare evening time in the kitchen, and then finally on the twenty-ninth she was ready to go.

The last pan, carefully covered and hidden on the bottom shelf of a pantry cooler, was finished. There was a final step, but it would require some stealth and cunning. And maybe a little assistance from a friend.

She’d been so nervous about how to phrase things without lying, but Angel had given her the perfect opportunity and against all odds he’d agreed. There was some guilt. Obviously, she’d misled him, even if she’d been careful not to actually lie.

It was meant to be a surprise, and that was the reason she didn’t want him in the kitchen with her. If he’d been there, there would have been no way to pull this prank off without him catching on. But in the end, he’d agreed, and he even wrote her a note giving her permission to spend the evenings in the kitchen.

That first night she’d waited until the after dinner clean-up was done and the kitchen was dark and silent, before she slipped in and began setting up. Anyone who did see her would just find her quietly working at the chocolate table in the back. The kitchen staff had gotten used to her being there, so the one time someone did pop in, to get something they’d left, they simply waved on their way back out.

It was almost shocking how easy it all was.

There were several parts to the prank. The first one would be using her realistic cake baking skills, and that part could be done in advance. It took the first two nights and a lot of fine detail work to get everything how she wanted it, but it made her realize how much she missed doing that kind of creative art.

The pangs of grief were still there, but they were more muted. She didn’t think she’d ever be able to bake without thinking about Barbara, but it didn’t feel like knives in her chest now. And the work was soothing. She drifted, listening to music with her ear buds in, as she made each little cake look exactly how it needed to.

She had to chill them afterwards, hardening the outside shell so they could be piled into a serving pan as a last step. The next move was going to be a lot easier… and a lot harder in some ways.

“Hey, Angel?”

“Yes, chiquita?” He looked up from the Halloween display he was putting the final touches to. She couldn’t wait to see the entire thing set out together, but each piece had come out amazing.

“Why don’t I make cake pops for dessert tomorrow? I was thinking since you’ve been busy with your display, it’s something I could do. And I don’t think anyone is really expecting a big dessert on the night before the Halloween event, so cake pops would be perfect.”

“You know the Littles aren’t getting dessert right now, right?”

She nodded. “I know, but everyone loves cake pops. Even mean old Doms and Bigs.”

He tilted his head considering. “You know, that’s not a bad idea. Just simple cake pops? Maybe with Halloween colors on the shell?”

“Yep! I was thinking round and orange, with Jack-O’-Lantern faces. I can work on it today and tomorrow, while you finish with that. Actually, I can do double batches and save the rest for the party. That way the Littles will get some then,” she added.

“That’s a fantastic idea, Heaven.” With the enthusiasm in his voice, it was clear he loved the idea. But then he frowned, giving her an examining look that made her insides twist. “Are you sure you’re up for it? If it’s going to upset you…”

A wave of relief swept through her. “No, no, I promise it’s okay, Angel. I’ve started to remember how much I love baking and being creative. I want to do this.” Every word was true, just not exactly for the reasons he might assume.

He relaxed and nodded. “Good then. Go ahead and get started. I’ll be happy to help if you get behind.”

And phase two was on its way. The morning’s work was very similar to what she’d done the night before. Which made sense, because she was making the exact same round cake balls she’d been making in the evening. It was only the outsides that differed.

These cakes were much simpler. They didn’t need the modeling chocolate, or the hand molding. They just needed to be chilled on sticks and then dipped into chocolates of different colors. As promised, they all looked like adorable little pumpkins when she was done.

Row after row of them were set to dry in slotted stands. It allowed the chocolate to drip downward, and kept the pop nice and round, while she painted the faces on. She had fun with that part.

Despite her feelings about Halloween, she did like making the scary little faces. It was possible Angel had been right that participating in the holiday might be good for her. It was almost too bad she’d probably be banned from the party because of the prank.

She giggled, thinking about how she’d have to pretend to be sad over that. Of course, it probably wouldn’t be the only punishment, but she had a feeling the rest would be harder to deal with. It was well worth the price though.

Dozens of cake pops went into the cooler after Angel approved them. He’d been busy with his own work, and didn’t notice she’d only made one batch, instead of two. But he had nothing but praise for the desserts he saw, and that had her insides fluttering happily.

That night she was back in the kitchen alone, to put the final touches on everything. The huge kitchen fridge was packed with Brussels sprouts, not surprisingly since they’d been served with dinner every night. She took a full bag and brought them to the pantry to scrub. The outer leaves had to be peeled away and then she impaled each one on a cake pop stick.

They were dipped into the orange chocolate and set up in the cake stand, just like the actual cake had been. Time was tight. They were needed for dinner the next day, which meant this was her last session and everything had to be done.

The faces took the most time, and she had to rotate batches, letting the freshly dipped ones chill and harden, while she painted the ones that were ready. It was a rush job, and they didn’t look as cute as the real ones, but it didn’t matter.

As soon as she was done, she went into overdrive, cleaning up the mess and leaving everything spotless. She got back to the dorm just in time to make curfew. Sleep was hard though. She was too full of excitement and nervousness and her mind wouldn’t shut down.

It was her first prank, and she literally didn’t know how anyone was going to act when they realized what she had done. No one even knew she was doing it. She hadn’t told any of the other Littles because she didn’t want them to get blamed for it.

When she finally did fall asleep, she had nightmares about getting kicked out of Rawhide, while all the other Littles pelted her with Brussels sprouts. It was the most ridiculous bad dream she’d ever had and when she woke up, heart racing, her first reaction was to laugh at how silly it was.

The Bigs might be mad at her… but the Littles were going to be thrilled. At least she hoped so.

The morning was simple. It was the day before Halloween and the cake pops were finished for dessert, so there wasn’t any work to do, besides help Angel. But he didn’t have much work to do either. His project was as complete as it could be, before he set it up on the long party tables, and finally connected it all together.

They spent most of the morning talking and laughing. It did a lot to ease her nerves, and if Angel noticed she was a little jittery, he must have chalked it up to Halloween, because he didn’t comment on it.

The day dragged on and her anxiety returned. All day she waffled back and forth in her head. It wasn’t too late… she could easily skip the prank, and no one would ever know that she’d put so much work into planning one. Well, Angel might eventually wonder what she’d been working on at night, when she had nothing to show him.

But she’d done all the work, and the point still stood. It was mean of the bossy people to make all the Littles have sprouts with dinner every night, on threat of withholding Halloween if they refused. She and the others who hadn’t even participated in the strike were being unfairly penalized.

She drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. No, she was going to do this. And then after, she’d take the consequences, whatever they were. She just hoped she could actually pull it all off, before getting caught—and that was going to be a trick and a half.

The kitchen was busy. The staff were rushing around, getting things out to the dining rooms and the cafeteria for dinner, while Chef busied himself with the finishing touches. The dining rooms got the main share of his attention, as the cafeteria tended toward simpler food.

He stood there, right in the middle of everything. Right where she needed to be, and he showed no signs of moving. Darn it.

She could see the serving pans full of sprouts ready to be delivered, but she couldn’t get to them to swap them out. Suddenly a thought occurred to her. She slipped out of the kitchen and went looking for Hayleigh.

Her friend was standing right outside the dining room, talking to someone Heaven didn’t recognize. She didn’t want to be rude, but things were time sensitive. She made a frantic waving motion and saw Hayleigh’s eyes widen.

A second later Hayleigh had made an excuse and come over. “Hey, Heaven. You need something?”

“Yes! Come with me.” Heaven grabbed her by the arm and pulled her away from the traffic. As it got closer to dinner, everyone was heading for the cafeteria. “Okay, listen… I maybe need a little help. And maybe it might get you in a tiny bit of trouble, I’m not sure. I mean I’ll try to keep you out of it. It’s just that I can’t absolutely swear it won’t bounce back on you, but you’re the only one who can do it. So please?” The words flew out in a rush.

Hayleigh slow-blinked. “Um.” She squinted as she tried to take in the fast-rambling monologue. “It might help if you told me what you want?”

Heaven closed her eyes and sighed. “Sorry. Right. Well, I just need you to get Chef out of the kitchen for a few minutes.”

“Crap on a cracker, Heaven. You don’t ask for much do you?” She blew out an exasperated breath. “Why do you need him out anyway?”

“I can’t tell you that. Plausible deniability. If you don’t know why, then you’re less likely to get in trouble.” At least Heaven hoped it would work that way.

“Oh. I don’t know. I mean this is the busiest time of day. It’s going to be hard to get him to leave.” Hayleigh rolled her bottom lip under, gnawing gently on it as she considered.

“I know. But if anyone can distract him, you can. A few minutes is all I need. And I think it will be worth it when you find out later.”

“Okay, I’ll do it. I just hope I don’t end up regretting it. I’ve already been stuck eating yucky sprouts all week. Last thing I need is for him to decide to make it a month.” She scowled.

Heaven was so tempted to tell her then, but she shut down the impulse. If all went well, the Littles were going to be laughing their butts off and all the Doms and Tops were going to get a lesson in fairness.

And she’d get… well whatever she got. She just hoped it would come from Angel. If he claimed the right to deal with it, that would probably tell her what she needed to know.

She never was entirely sure what Hayleigh said to Chef, but she saw the wide grin that cracked through his serious workface. They disappeared into his office and the moment he was gone, she went into motion. Being a regular in the kitchen meant no one noticed when she casually scooped up the sprouts and carried them to the chocolate pantry.

From there it was a simple matter to swap them out for her own creations. She’d worked hard and each little cake now resembled a perfect green sprout, complete with leaf lines. Even a close comparison confirmed that no one would be able to tell by looking.

She had to hope they wouldn’t notice they were cold, instead of fresh and hot from being steamed, but otherwise they were identical. And the chill would give the cake sprouts a little more sturdiness too. Without the slightest bit of trouble, she was able to make the swap.

She checked the special cake pops she’d made for the second part of the prank. They were sitting innocently at the front of the cooler waiting to be served to all the Doms. The raw sprouts under the tasty chocolate coating were bound to get a reaction.

“Heaven? Is that you?”

She jumped, turning away from the cooler with a gasp.

Angel leaned in the doorway of the pantry. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you, chica. What are you up to?”

He was usually gone from the kitchen long before dinner prep, returning after it was served if there was a dessert to deal with. She hadn’t expected him to be there. Her mind whirled, rushing to come up with an excuse for her presence.

“I was just checking to make sure the cake pops were okay.” Not a lie. She had been slightly concerned that the weight of the sprouts would cause them to slide down the stick, or the chocolate could crack exposing the vegetables underneath—but so far everything was fine.

Angel gave her a fond smile. “Nervous about getting back into things, huh?”

She was nervous about a lot of things at the moment, so she just nodded. “They all look okay. The front two trays are for tonight. The back trays are for tomorrow.” The back trays were the real cake pops, of course. They wouldn’t be needed today.

He laughed. “I have done this before you know. Now, get going to dinner before you’re late. You don’t want to get in trouble again. Ándale, chiquita.” He stepped out of the doorway and waved her through.

She hurried by him and went straight to the cafeteria like a good girl. Except, of course, she’d been anything but good. She settled down at the table next to Hayleigh, who raised an eyebrow in question, but Heaven just shook her head.

Dinner proceeded as normal, and as usual there was a round of complaints from the Ranch Littles when the Brussels sprouts were brought out. Everyone got a heaping pile on their plate. The whining about it had been a constant for the last few days. This time Heaven had to hide a grin as she waited.

She had expected most of the Littles to put off the sprouts as long as possible. But not every Little procrastinated on the bad stuff. She watched as Callie sighed, and reluctantly started with the yucky part first—presumably that way she’d have the rest of dinner to wipe away the taste.

Heaven nudged Hayleigh and leaned in. “Watch,” she said, jerking her chin at Callie.

Callie used her fork to stab the sprout and brought it up to her mouth. Her nose was already scrunched expecting to taste sprout as she bit in. Her eyes flew open, and a look of confusion flew across her face. She looked down and stared in shock.

She said absolutely nothing. She looked up quickly, her gaze flying around the room, as she tried to figure out what was going on. Heaven waited until Callie looked in her direction, and then gave her a sneaky little thumbs-up.

Callie looked down at the sprout, then back up at Heaven. She mouthed “you?” soundlessly across the room. Heaven nodded and grinned.

With a look of absolute delight, Callie devoured the rest of her “vegetables” until there wasn’t one crumb left. And then she leaned toward the left and whispered in Brittany’s ear. Brittany let out a small squeal, before quickly covering her mouth.

Luckily that kind of excitement from Littles at meals wasn’t unusual and no one really looked at her. Within a few minutes there was whispering everywhere. The only gaps were where there were Bigs to stop the flow of information, but she saw the Littles getting around that in various sneaky ways.

Hayleigh looked confused. She hadn’t made any attempt to touch her sprouts, and would delay that as long as possible, so she wasn’t sure why there was a low flutter of happy excitement racing around the table.

“You should eat your sprouts,” Heaven said, smirking.

“Ugh. I hate them. I’m so mad about having to eat them when I didn’t do anything.” Hayleigh’s bottom lip rolled out in a pout.

Heaven rolled her eyes. “Just… try them. Trust me.”

With a suspicious look, Hayleigh picked up her fork and a butterknife to cut one in half. She blinked, cocking her head as she examined it. “That’s not…”

“Just put it in your mouth, Hayleigh!” Heaven was looking around furtively to make sure none of the bossy people were watching.

A few seconds later her friend was staring at her with a look of wide-eyed admiration. “What did you do… how did you… I can’t…”

“Shhh. Just eat them.” Heaven Leigh picked up her fork and speared one of her own, eating it with slow, obvious enjoyment. Prank number one had gone down perfectly, and best of all so far no one in authority seemed to have figured it out.

In a silent pact of mutual cooperation every Little around the room was doing their best not to expose the treat. Probably because they didn’t want to lose it and have it be replaced with actual vegetables, but it was perfect. Some were even pretending to be upset and whining about it as they ate each one.

Considering that Heaven never did pranks, she was perfectly happy to consider it a major success. Now, if only the second phase went as well.