Page 21 of Tacos & Toboggans
“I went into the military a picky eater and came out willing to try anything.”
Once I had the truck backed around and parked with the window facing the street, I shut off the ignition. “Last chance to back out.”
“Not on your life. This is the perfect opportunity to meet the people of this wonderful town and work with a beautiful woman. Where do we start?”
Before I could make a sarcastic comment about the beautiful woman part, he jumped down from the passenger seat, probably to prevent me from making said comment. If there was one thing he seemed to know about me, it was my lack of confidence in my body, at least when it came to men. Especially men of his caliber. He could have any woman in this town, and there wasn’t a chance in hell that woman would be me. Besides, I had to be at least eight or ten years younger than he was. Major was a fantastic person, but I had to remember that he was here to get to know people, and flirting was not on the menu. Even if he thought it was available for order.
Chapter Eight
“Here you go, Mrs. Violet,” I said, handing her the three containers packed full of the Spanish Rooster. This was the second time she’d been to the truck today, and I was surprised, to say the least. “That’s a lot of tacos.”
“Major, I told you to call me Audrey,” she said, but her smile was shifty when she grasped the taco container to her chest. “This is the last time we’ll see these babies for months! When I told Alan that, he sent me right back for more. Looks like I just made it.”
I glanced around the truck with a nod. “We’re sold out. It was a busy afternoon, but it was nice to see that everyone came out to support the kids. They worked hard, so it was fun to hear the nice things people had to say about the truck and the food. I’m sure this will be one of the hottest tickets in town next year when it comes time to find workers to run it.”
“I think you’re right!” Audrey said, her smile shifting into a gleeful one. “Especially if they end up with a daily special like this one,” she said, motioning at the boxes. “The rooster will be hard to top, though.”
“Don’t count me out yet, Audrey!” Jaelyn called from the back of the truck somewhere. “I’ve got a few more tricks up my sleeve!”
Was it silly that my smile grew bigger than it already was? Probably, but Jaelyn had made the entire afternoon a joyful experience for the kids, the customers, and me, so she deserved every bit of praise she got.
I leaned over the window so no one could overhear me. “Word on the street is, our petition may be granted.” Her face lit up as her lips made the perfect O. “It would be hard for Ivy to deny how successful they’ve been on the truck. The few times she ran the special at the diner, it was standing room only for both lunch and dinner. I’ll make sure to head to the diner and lament how much I’ll miss the Spanish Rooster now that the food truck is done for the season.”
“Me too!” With a frown, she stomped her foot once before she toddled off to her car, just as the van from the farm pulled in.
Becca climbed out and walked over, a smile on her lips as she took in the destruction around the truck. “Dr. Warren,” she said, her surprise evident. “I heard there was a celebrity chef, but little did I know it was also our esteemed new doctor.”
“Call me Major,” I said, shaking her hand. “I’ve never been one to stand on titles. Besides, today was way more fun than being a doctor.”
“It looks like you’ve been busy.”
“Understatement,” I said, wiping my brow. “We’re sold out of everything.”
“This town is always ready to support a great cause,” she said wistfully. “Once the truck is cleaned up, I’m taking the kids to the diner for pie to celebrate. You and Jaelyn should come too!”
“How nice of you,” I said, grabbing my wallet and handing over some cash. “Let me cover their treats. It was an honor to work with them today. They planned to help Jaelyn clean the truck, but I’d rather the kids get a little extra time to relax. I’ll help her clean.”
Becca waved away the money. “Kind of you, but there isn’t a chance this side of hell that Ivy Lund will let me pay for anything at the diner.”
“I should have thought of that,” I said with laughter, tucking the cash in the jar they had out for donations to the school-to-work program. “I’m still new to the ways of a small town.”
“If you’re sticking around, it won’t take you long,” she promised, nodding at the tip jar in thanks. “Are you sure you don’t want the kids to stay and help?”
Once again, I leaned over the window so no one could hear me. “This is me flipping into doctor mode now. AJ is sore and tired, so as her doctor, I’d like to get her somewhere to rest sooner rather than later. She won’t leave until Grady does, so you’ll have to take them all.”
“Gotcha,” she said, stealing a glance at the girl sitting in the shade with her foot up. “Maybe I should take her home?”
“You can ask her, but something tells me she’ll say she wants to go to the diner with the team. I feel terrible that she’s suffering and missing out on her senior year festivities, so we should leave it up to her.”
“You got it, Doc. Let me help her into the van first.”
“I’ll round everyone else up,” I said as she waved and walked toward AJ, who was picking up her crutches. They had a short conversation, and I could tell by their laughter that I’d been correct about her wanting to go to the diner.
Motioning for everyone to stop what they were doing, I pointed at the van. “Becca is here to take you for a celebratory treat. There’s not much left to do on the truck, so if Jaelyn says it’s okay, I’ll help her finish up, and you guys can take off.”
Four sets of eyes flicked to the woman I hadn’t taken my eyes off all day, and she smiled. “You’ve earned the afternoon off. Go have fun, and I’ll see you at our meeting next week.”
A round of hugs was given before they all headed toward the van and piled in. Once they were out of sight, Jaelyn sighed. “What a day that was. I’m used to being busy at the diner, but even I’m worn out.”
