Page 34 of Sugarlips
Liam caught the towel with one hand and used it to wipe his face. “Ten days, huh?”
I nodded, swallowing a knot in my throat. “Let’s open a week from next Wednesday. That’s actually a little over 10 days.”
“Still pretty tight,” Liam sighed. “But if anyone can do it, it’s you.”
I grabbed the scraper and got to work on that rust. Liam was right… ten days was tight. But I’d be damned if I proved him right about that.
11
Chloe
It actually only took a day and a half of rust-scraping once I got moving. And that was with me working on it almost non-stop Sunday and all morning on Monday. It was one week later, and I was behind the wheel of our beautifully painted, freshened, andsafefood truck.
I pulled up in front of Beefcakes, checking my watch. It was 3:00 p.m., which meant they would be closing soon. Sometimes, they even sold out of baked goods and closed early.
I rolled down the window, leaning my head out to try to sneak a glimpse of how busy they were inside. Not terribly, from what I could tell. There were only a few cars in their parking lot. I hoisted my torso out the window, craning my neck to get a better look, and as I did so, my hand on the steering wheel slipped. My palm landed dead center of the wheel and landed hard on the horn.
Which maybe in most towns wouldn’t have been that big of a deal, but here in Maple Grove,no onehonked. Ever. Add on top of that, Riley had installed a musical horn… the kind that you would hear in movies or at the circus. It was also equipped with speakers that we could use to play music while we served food. I had thought it’d be a good idea at the time. However, right now in this moment, as the horn blasted outGo Your Own Wayby Fleetwood Mac, I was severely regretting the decision.
Especially when Liam came tearing out of the front door of the bakery, looking really confused. Until he saw me… and the truck. Then his confusion lifted.
I cranked the keys, turning the engine off, and cautiously stepped out of the truck toward him, my smile more like a grimace as I approached. “What do you think?”
“Fleetwood Mack?” he asked, looking stunned.
“Best breakup song there is.”
Slowly, he walked over to the truck, peeking in the driver’s side before crossing around to the window where we would serve. He covered his mouth with his hand, then rushed toward the back, throwing the truck open and climbing up into the “kitchen”—if you could call it that.
I had ordered the bare basics in there. A sink to wash our hands. A refrigerator, an electric burner, fryer, microwave, and the biggest necessity—a coffee pot.
“Well?” I asked. My voice sounded small, and I hated how much I was seeking his approval. But we were partners here, and he and I were in this together. His approval didn’t just mean something to my heart. It meant everything to the business. After buying the truck and the appliances, the permit fees, and the first payment to Riley for her work fixing up the truck, my bank account was down to the double digits. I wasn’t even sure I had enough cash to make it until Wednesday. Lucky for me, my sister was helping me out by paying some of the mortgage while she crashed in my house with me.
The shock on his face twitched, lifting his brows. Then, his mouth curved into a smile. “Holy shit,” he said, swiping his hand through his hair and spinning to face me. “You did it.” His grin widened as he looked at me. “You did this all yourself?”
I shrugged. “I had some help from my mom and dad and sister. We all installed the appliances over the weekend. Who knew my dad was so handy!”
Liam laughed and spun around, looking more closely at the space. “Where’d you find these?” he asked, examining the food-truck-sized appliances.
“A guy down in Concord was selling his old equipment. I got a good deal on them because they were pretty dirty and kind of old. But nothing a little Windex and elbow grease couldn’t take care of.”
“Chloe… this… this is…” He shook his head and paused, as though searching for the words. When his bright green eyes finally found mine, his lips curved into the softest grin. “This is incredible. I can’t believe you pulled it off.”
I grinned back as warmth spiraled out to my limbs from my core. “Well, not all of it,” I said. “I couldn’t get us much media coverage. We have a small article going in the local paper. Our Facebook and Instagram accounts are up and running, of course. And I have a lead on maybe getting interviewed on the local 5’clock news. But that’s it. No other bites.”
“Is that normal?”
I sighed. “Sort of. News likes to pick up a story when it takes off. If our food truck is a sudden success—like those Popeye’s chicken sandwiches, then they’d want to interview us. Or if we were doing some sort of event we were promoting, like donating the first week of proceeds to a charity…”
“Why don’t we do that?” Liam said, still grinning from ear to ear. “We could donate the proceeds of our first week toward your sister’s healthcare clinic.”
I loved that Liam’s brain—and heart—went directly to charity. “Thatwouldbe nice…”
“But?”
“But I’ve really drained my bank account starting this up,” I admitted, feeling the blush rise to my cheeks.
“Why didn’t you tell me? I can help with that,” Liam said quietly.
