Page 51 of Bake You Mine
Gary continued speaking. “Next Tuesday afternoon, one week from today. From 11:00 to 2:30, you’ll each run a truck. You’ll need to come up with two main dishes and two sides to serve. The winner will be determined by who sells the most items. Each of your offerings will be priced the same. So, youtwo should collaborate on your pricing to ensure it’s fair for both of you.”
The drivers, two of Gary’s assistants, hopped out of the trucks.
“Ashley and Mary will handle all the ordering and ‘front of staff’ duties for each truck, so you two can focus on the food. That also leaves two impartial individuals in charge of tracking orders and dollars spent.”
“Just to keep things fair, Ashley is my little sister’s best friend,” Liam said.
Ashley let out an unprofessional snort. “I know you’re not insinuating I’d throw the contest in your favor?”
Liam blubbered a bit. “What? No. I just?—”
“I’m just giving you a hard time, Liam. I was planning on working with Aubrey anyway.” Ashley punched his shoulder.
Liam narrowed his eyes at Ashley and muttered something Aubrey couldn’t hear.
Gary cleared his throat. “Why don’t you have a look inside? I’m sorry, but I really must run. I’m intrigued by what you two will come up with!” Gary pulled his phone from his suit jacket pocket and marched down Sweet Briar.
Aubrey stepped into one of the food trucks before Liam could talk to her. Her victory was forgotten as she began poking around.
Standard-issue equipment—a grill, fridge, and minimal kitchen space. She leaned against the counter and tapped her forehead, willing ideas to come. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been standing there when she felt a presence in the truck.
Her eyes snapped open, and she found Liam.
“He’s gotta keep things interesting, huh?” He stepped inside and closed the door behind him. “Great job winning the first challenge.I mean that.”
She could tell he did mean it, which made her swoon. Again. He had to stop being so damned charming.
“I know you do, but I also know how much you want to win. That’s why we should keep it professional, right?”
“Of course. But the contest isn’t 24-7.”
She turned away from him because, otherwise, concentrating would have been impossible. “It looks like this challenge might even things out between us.”
And they’d be working separately this time, no need to collaborate except on setting prices.
“You have lunch specials at Petit Chou. You’ll be fine.” He braced a hand on the vent and peered down at her. “Tomorrow night, I should be off by eight. Do you want to make plans for then?”
Her to-do list unfurled inside her mind. She’d had the first challenge down. This one was more geared toward Liam, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t win.
“Hey, you okay?” Liam put a hand on her shoulder.
She ducked under his arm and made toward the door. “Yeah, just thinking about all the work I have to do. I’ll text you.”
Her mind swirled like a storm as she stepped into the late September afternoon.
Liam checked to see if Aubrey had texted him. She hadn’t, but that was fine—no problem at all.
He respected that. He wasn’t at the top of her priority list. Still, one text telling her she was on his mind couldn’t hurt.
Any ideas for your food truck yet?
It’d been an hour, and she’d either left him on read on purpose or was busy. What had gotten into him?
“That’s the fourth time I’ve caught you checking your phone,” Sasha said. “What gives?”
The two of them were at the farmer’s market bright and early. He wanted to pick up a few things for Wednesday’s lunch service, and Sasha needed a little cheering up after her fuckboy had shown his full ass.
“I’m waiting on a callback about something important.”
