Page 19 of Simmer Down
“Whoa,” I mutter.
She waves her hand in the air, like it’s no big deal. “Oh yeah. I do social media for a living.”
I almost ask her what tips she could offer me so I can maximize our online exposure, but she speaks first. “I seriously cannot wait for the Maui Food Festival. Like, seriously. I’m already so excited! You and your mom have my vote, and my friends’ votes too. You’re our favorite place to eat on the island, hands down.”
The smile drops, her face darkening. She peers over her shoulder before leaning toward me, like she’s about to reveal a secret. “By the way, I think what Hungry Chaps did to steal your spot was so uncool. Like, majorly uncool. My ex-boyfriend was like that. Always pulling shady power moves. Completely not okay. Can you believe I moved all the way from Ohio to Maui for a jerk like that?”
She chuckles, clearly unfazed that she’s spilling her relationship history to a practical stranger. Rather than feeling put off, I feel comfort. Penelope seems like a genuinely friendly person. I’m flattered she wants to share something personal with me even though we’ve only known each other minutes.
“But it was worth it because now I live in paradise and I found your amazing food truck. And now I’ve actually met you!” She lets out another squeal before her phone rings. “Shoot, I have to take this. FYI, I saw the Hungry Chaps guys milling around the market a bit ago, so steer clear.”
Penelope walks into the crowd with her phone to her ear before I can thank her for the warning. Best to leave now before I encounter Callum. We tried to play nice at the vet clinic, but that only lasted minutes. The last thing I want is another public confrontationthat goes viral. Even if it would drive up business, it’s not worth the stress.
I head toward the other end of the market, then feel a tap on my shoulder. When I turn, there’s Finn James in board shorts, a striped T-shirt, and slip-on shoes, looking like a preppy college student on spring break.
His face reads hesitant. Probably since the only other times he’s seen me were when I was lashing out at his brother. Finn and I haven’t even had a proper conversation in the weeks that we’ve been working next to each other.
I make an effort to lose the frown I know I’m sporting. Finn hasn’t technically done anything to deserve my vitriol. It’s not his fault his brother is a prick.
“Fancy seeing you here.” He hunches his shoulders and tugs on the end of his shirt. He’s leaner than his brother and a bit shorter, but easily clears more than six feet.
“It’s an island. We were bound to run into each other at some point.”
He lets out a chuckle that sounds more nervous than happy. “About all this madness at work.” He stretches his arm out. He’s holding a clear plastic cup of coconut boba tea in his hand. “Peace offering?”
I don’t move to take the drink, opting to keep my arms at my sides. He stood on the sidelines for weeks while his brother and I waged a full-on food truck war with each other, and this is how he breaks the ice?
“You’re joking, right?”
His hand springs back to his body. He clutches the drink to his side, like he’s scared I’m going to smack it out of his hand. “I just thought that maybe—”
“Boba tea doesn’t really make up for the fact that your brother has been a jerk to me since the day we met.”
I spin around and slow-walk through the haphazard maze of booths. My well of patience is tapped dry for nonsense like this.
“Hey, wait! Nikki!”
When I turn around, Finn’s brow is wrinkled to hell. He wears the worry on his face like a blemish. It just looks unnatural on his boyish face. “I’m sorry. Truly. I didn’t mean to make light of things.”
He shakes his head, glancing off into the distance before looking back at me, concern radiating in his eyes. Now that we’re standing up close, I notice that his eyes are a touch greener than his brother’s. I wonder if he’s worried about someone filming our little scene and uploading it online. That’s exactly what I’m thinking.
Thankfully, no one seems to have noticed us. Everyone is milling around the booths, chatting and perusing.
A heavy sigh moves through his chest. “You’re right. Callum is an absolute knob sometimes, but he really does mean well.”
I scoff. “So being rude and disrespectful is perfectly fine if he ‘means well’?”
The frenzied way he shakes his head catches the attention of a nearby arts and crafts booth operator, who squints at him in confusion before looking away.
“No, that’s not... Here, I’ll try to explain. I was having a hell of a time getting my business off the ground here. I love food, I love cooking, I love feeding people. I’ve done it my whole life, and my dream has been to have my own restaurant in Hawaii. But I was clueless when it came to the business side of things.”
He holds the boba tea up to me, but I shake my head. He takes a sip. “Long story short, I tried to do everything on my own at first—I wrote a business plan, applied for a loan, bought equipment. I drainedmy savings. I had no idea what I was doing, and before I knew it I was in debt to my eyeballs. When Callum got word, he dropped everything—his finance job, his flat in Chicago—to move out here and help me. I probably would have lost everything if he hadn’t done that.”
A crack forms in my steely hate for Callum. The knotted muscles in my shoulders loosen. What an incredibly kind thing to do for his little brother.
“He’s completely turned things around for me. Did loads of research on the food truck industry, Maui’s economy, the most popular tourist spots. Pretty much everything I should have done in the first place, but never even thought about. He was the one person who reached out to me when no one else cared.”
“Not even your parents?” I say before I can catch myself.
