Page 57 of Kyle

I nod. “All right. I better call Rafe.”

“Yeah, I need to call the club.”

We make another killing at lunch and have just opened for dinner.

“The card says declined.” I hand it to the man at the window.

“My rent must have come out. Um…” The guy nervously searches through his wallet.

“Do you have another card?”

“No, I only brought the one. Let me see if I can find some cash.” He fidgets through his pockets.

Kyle pushes the food forward. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Thanks, man.” Relief floods his face.

He starts to turn, but Kyle stops him.

“If you need food, you come back here. I’ve got you. No need for you to go hungry because we all got stuck in a surprise monsoon.”

The man chuckles timidly, and his cheeks flush, but he nods.

“Well, aren’t you Mr. Charity?” I tease.

“Not really. I just know a lot of hardworking people live on a tight budget, and unexpected expenses can put them in a hardship. I’m not going to be the one to do that to someone because they’re hungry and by no fault of their own, they got stuck here.”

“Look over there.” I point to two other food trucks. “They’ve doubled their pricing.”

“What assholes. I’m not going to take advantage of the situation. At this point, it’s about looking out for each other.”

I grab his shoulder. He shrugs out of my touch, but turns to look at me.

I hold my hands awkwardly in front of me. “That’s really kind of you. You’re a good man.”

“Thanks,” he mumbles. Then he turns to the grill.

More and more people have trouble paying, and eventually Kyle tells me to stop charging. He puts a sign up that saysVenmo if you can. Don’t worry if you can’t. No one is going to ask for money here.

When he sees me watching him tape it up, he shrugs. “No need to embarrass people who can’t pay.”

My smile brightens. Who’d have thought the big bad biker was really a big ol’ teddy bear?

After closing shop on our third night stuck, I decide to stretch my legs.

“I’m going to head for a walk. I’ll be back in about twenty minutes.”

“Okay, see you soon,” he calls from where he’s watching a football game on his phone.

I walk past all the regular shops, waving at a few. I turn and walk along the camps. It’s crazy to see so many tents littering the ground. Man, am I glad we didn’t have to camp in this muck. Then I turn and make my way toward the stages. It’s weird with them still standing, but no equipment. I walk behind one, curious what’s back there, and immediately regret the decision.

I didn’t notice the guy trailing behind me.

“What’s a pretty thing like you doing over here?” a tall, lanky man purrs.

“Oh, I was just looking.” I’m not sure if he’s one of the crew tasked with breaking down the stages once everything dries out. I go to move around him, but he sidesteps in front of me.

“No need to run off.” He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes.

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