Page 79 of Hero Mine

“Hey,” Sloane answered, her voice rough with sleep. Shit, it was only seven in the morning, and Sloane had worked the closing shift at the Eagle’s Nest last night.

“Sorry to wake you. I need your help. Big-time.” Joy outlined the situation while simultaneously making lists in her head of what supplies she’d need to purchase before heading to Reddington City.

“I’ll be there in twenty,” Sloane said without hesitation. “Just let me throw on some clothes.”

Joy had already started reorganizing her prep station when her phone rang again fifteen minutes later. It was Callum.

God, she hoped this wasn’t about permits or something. Hers had been filed and accepted, but the physical copies hadn’t arrived yet.

But it was even worse.

“Joy, Sloane’s not going to be able to make it. She really wants to, but morning sickness clobbered her all last night and is still just as bad this morning.”

“Oh no.”

“I’m sending her back to bed. I can’t take a chance on her passing out trying to help you.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Joy’s voice was steadier than she felt. “Just get her to take care of herself and the baby.”

“Thank you for understanding.” Joy could hear the relief in Callum’s voice. “She feels terrible leaving you hanging.”

“Honestly, it’s fine.” It wasn’t, but Sloane didn’t need that guilt on top of feeling sick. “I’ll figure something out.”

After hanging up, she leaned against the counter, closing her eyes. The festival started in three hours and forty-two minutes. She needed at least an hour to drive there and set up. That left less than three hours to prep enough food for potentially hundreds of customers, not to mention figuring out how to run the truck alone when she’d been counting on having help.

“Maybe I should call Melissa back,” she muttered, reaching for her phone.

A sharp knock on the truck’s side door made her jump.

“Yo, bitch! You in there?”

Joy yanked open the door to find Amari standing there, grinning like she’d just pulled off the best surprise ever.

“Amari? What are you doing here?”

“Surprise visit! I managed to swap shifts so I could come home for a few days. I came looking for you at your house, then Bear’s garage, and he mentioned you were here.”

Amari peered past Joy into the truck. “Whoa. This is incredible. I can’t believe what you’ve done here. I thought I’d come see—” She paused, taking in Joy’s frazzled expression. “What’s wrong?”

Joy explained the situation in a breathless rush. Amari’s eyes widened, then narrowed with determination.

“I’m your girl,” she declared, already climbing into the truck. “What do you need me to do?”

“You don’t have to?—”

“Joy Davis, in the twenty years we’ve been best friends, how many times have you helped me? Remember when you stayed up all night to help me finish that science project I’d procrastinated on? Or when you covered for me when I missed curfew with Jason Peterson?” Amari rolled up her sleeves. “I’m a doctor. I can follow instructions. Put me to work.”

For the first time since Melissa’s call, Joy felt like she could breathe again. “Okay. I’ll need to make a supply run. Then we’ll need to prep enough food for at least three hundred people.”

“Let’s do this.” Amari’s confidence was infectious. “I can chop, mix, or whatever you need. It’ll be just like surgery. Tell me where to start.”

The next two hours passed in a blur of activity. Joy made a lightning-fast supply run while Amari began prepping what they already had. They worked in synchronized chaos, with Joy rattling off instructions and Amari executing them with surprising adeptness.

“For someone who cuts people open for a living, you’re pretty good with pastry,” Joy remarked, watching Amari delicately arrange berries on a tray of tartlets.

“Steady hands,” Amari replied with a wink. “Though I usually charge a lot more for them.”

By some miracle, they managed to load everything into the truck and hit the road with fifteen minutes to spare before they needed to arrive at the festival. Joy gripped the steering wheel, hyperaware of the precious cargo behind her—hundreds of perfectly crafted pastries, quiches, and breakfast sandwiches, along with gallons of specialty coffee and tea blends.

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