Time to make some pasta.
CHAPTER 30
Guilia
Being sneaky was harder than it looked.
Guilia marveled at the sheer bloody-mindedness that must accompany pranksters’ machinations. All she had to do was get this book signed by people on the Ranch. Not a difficult proposition at all.
But instead, she found herself holding her breath when going round corners and acting very much like she were in one of the old-school Pink Panther movies.
Secrets were not for the faint of heart.
Erika had booked her in to visit Nathan Jenkins, the Headmaster of the school program the Ranch had, and Guilia had almost felt nervous, standing outside his office.
“Come in,” he said, and the older, distinguished gentleman who opened the door had a smile that dispersed any anxieties she might have had. “Firstly, Chef Guilia, may I say that I have had the pleasure of dining at your establishment, and it is most brilliant. Delicious food and an inspired menu.”
“Thank you,” she said, and straightened up. “I have a request, a favor, to ask of you, signore. My Little—Tay Martin—has been feeling rather down lately, and I was wondering if it would beall right for me to go into the lessons this morning and ask the Littles and Middles to write something they like about them in a book I’m putting together.”
“But of course,” said the headmaster. “I shall email all of the teachers now, so that they expect you. The only Littles who might find that difficult are the Caterpillars and the Butterflies, but if you speak to Miss Price and Nanny J, I’m sure they can come up with something that could work.”
In fact, Miss Price and Nanny J had some really good ideas. The Butterflies did pictures of Tay with “I like Tay because” statements underneath. The Caterpillars were a little bit more difficult, as this was the nursery space for Littles, but Nanny J asked them to come up with a big list of things they liked about Tay (of which the great ice-cream heist featured very highly), and then she wrote it all out for them in the Little Book of Worth, before they all came and scribbled their names underneath.
The teachers for the school-age classes were quite happy to let the Littles and Middles come up and fill out the Little Book of Worth on their own. They might have been, but Sadie wasn’t. She was very much in Middle mode, and had her hands on her hips, overseeing each entry.
“I’m sure they can do it,” said Guilia gently, but Sadie just rolled her eyes at her.
“I know that theycan, I just want to make sure that theydo. It’s really important for Tay that they get it right, and I want to be on hand if anyone has any questions.”
After the school, Sadie took Guilia around the rest of the Ranch—over to the university classes, into all the offices, and down to the Dungeon. Guilia had been so caught up in the fallout from the ice-cream heist that she’d forgotten that Bex and Faith were visiting the Ranch for a few days. Bex’s birthday was the first event that Guilia and Tay had ever traveled away togetherfor, and even though the two of them had been traveling with Mandi and Amelia, it had felt like a very special moment indeed.
“Of course we’ll write something!” said Faith, flushing pink. “What a lovely idea! Tay was one of the first people I met at Rawhide and they’re just the sweetest.”
Bex, the Brit, was a little more reticent, but no less heartfelt. “Tay made a delicious picnic for us on our first proper date; it was very sweet of them.” She looked at Guilia. “You finally did something about that, then?”
Guilia felt a smile creep across her face. Bex had noticed the connection between her and Tay, and the two of them had messaged about it over the last few months. “I’m their Daddy now.”
“Excellent.” Bex clapped her on the back. “They deserve to have an excellent Daddy. They’re good people.”
In fact, every single person they spoke to had something good to say about Tay. The book was full to bursting by the time they were done. Pages and pages of love and friendship.
“I suppose we should grab some lunch,” said Guilia, but for some reason they wanted a bit more time to process all of what they’d done that morning.
Sadie took one look at her and sensed it immediately. When she spoke, she was not the Little or the Middle that Guilia knew her as, but as a woman who recognized the enormity of what Guilia had done. “Why don’t we grab a picnic basket from Chef Connor’s kitchen and head out onto the grounds. There’s a lovely picnic spot by the smaller lake.”
Guilia nodded, grateful, and Sadie flew about getting all of the things ready.
They took a golf cart over to the perfect spot, and Guilia laid out the blanket and set up the food.
Sadie threw herself down and grabbed some carrot sticks. “What’s going on?”
“There’s no reason for me to feel overwhelmed,” said Guilia. “The book isn’t for me, and yet everyone was all just so willing to help. They all love Tay so much and I’m sad that they can’t see that for themself sometimes.”
“That’s not all though, is it?” Sadie, it turned out, was very good at doing an impression of Signore Derek. She dropped a leading question in there, and then waited for the silence to be filled by someone else.
Guilia resisted all of thirty seconds before caving. “It felt as if some of them were also doing it for me.”
“Well yes,” said Sadie. “You’re very well respected around here. You’re the only Top who has their room amidst the Service Submissives, and there’s a reason for that. Derek trusts you implicitly. We all do. You are kind and thoughtful, and Tay is very lucky to have you.”
