Page 19 of Tacos & Toboggans
We all laughed because he wasn’t wrong. He’d tamed more than one fussy baby during Saturday family time at the farm.
“That’s our way of saying we’ve got your back. All of that said, I’m not sure why I’m here other than to be reprimanded for selling too many tacos?”
Cameron chuckled. “That’s Jaelyn’s way of getting the show back on the road, so let’s do that. Speaking of the road, we’ve put a lot of miles on that truck already this season.”
“Have we?” I asked, surprised. “We haven’t taken it out of Bells Pass. Is that why it broke down?”
“No,” Ivy said, waving her hand. “You noticed the temp was running hot, and it turns out the thermostat was going, so we replaced it. While it was there, they gave it a full tune-up, but said otherwise it’s in great shape.”
“What I meant was,” Cameron said, “we got some time under our belt with it and discovered how successful a food truck can be here.”
“Oh,” I said, nodding at how much sense that made. “We have done that. I’m sad that it’s over for the season. The kids and their mentors really hit their groove with it, but now it’s time to wrap for the year. We had a great time with the social media account as well.”
“What if we said it wasn’t over?” Ivy asked, and I blinked in confusion.
“It’s going to be a bit cold in another month for people to eat outside. Not to mention, for those of us inside the truck.”
“Unless the truck is parked here and used for the tree farm,” Cameron said.
“I’m listening.” I leaned forward, taking it all in as they explained their plan to park the truck in the lot and have it open for cookies, hot cocoa, and eggnog during the busy days at the farm. The truck would have space heaters to keep everyone inside it warm, but we wouldn’t need to cook anything, thereby reducing the risk of fire.
“Honestly, I love the idea,” I agreed. “It would cut down on the congestion in the store during Saturday family days, which means people might be able to shop more easily. It would also provide a place for those picking up a tree to stop for a hot drink. That said, why wouldn’t you build a small hut like the ones in the park for the tree lighting? Keeping the truck out all winter puts it at risk of having a serious problem come spring.If we can’t store it safely inside the way we’d planned, it might need costly repairs before it can get back on the road.” The room was silent, and I glanced around, their expressions stunned. I grimaced. “Or not. You know what? Forget I said that.”
“No,” Ivy said, scooting forward. “I won’t forget you said that. I should have thought of it.”
“Me too,” Cameron said with a frown. “We were looking for a way to keep the kids working together on the truck, and it never crossed our minds that we were putting the truck at risk.”
“Maybe you aren’t,” I said quickly. “I don’t know that much about vehicles, so I could be off base.”
“You’re not,” Lance said. “It was a worry that crossed my mind, too, but I figured Ivy and Cameron were cool with it.”
Ivy glanced at Cameron, who gave her a sheepish grin. “We’ve been schooled.”
“I’m honestly embarrassed,” Cameron said as he shook his head.
“Don’t be embarrassed, Cam,” Stephan said, patting his shoulder gently. “You always tell us this is a learning experience, and we can’t know everything all the time. The same goes for you.”
“He’s right. You do say that,” I reminded him.
“How fast do you think we could get a hut here?” Ivy asked as Becca stood.
“Hope is playing in Cameron’s office. I’ll do a quick check online. We could buy a prebuilt for this year, and then if it works well, we can have one built that suits us perfectly during the summer and repurpose the old one on the property.”
“I like it,” Cameron said with a nod. “Stephan, would you go with Becca and put together some options for us? We trust you know what we’ll need. Once you have two or three to choose from, head back and we’ll decide which one will serve our needs the best.”
“You got it, boss!” Stephan said, popping up and following Becca from the room.
“I didn’t mean to cause a problem,” I said, capturing my lower lip between my teeth.
“You didn’t,” Lance said. “You may have prevented a problem down the road with the truck.”
“Considering our plans for it, we need to protect it,” Ivy said with a nod. “I’ll reach out to my friend about storing the truck. I’d told him we wouldn’t need a spot until January, but he won’t mind taking it in November as we’d originally agreed.”
She was probably talking about her friend who had loaned me the camper, and I fought against the grimace the thought brought to mind. Hard as I tried, I couldn’t stop thinking about what I was going to do in a few more days when my camper had to go into storage as well.
Rubbing my palms on my jeans, I pushed myself up. “Looks like my work of being an absolute menace here is done. I’ll see myself out. Tick tock, taco truck, and all that. Indie and Lance, congratulations, and expect full-on spoilage from the girl gang, but my lips are sealed until you tell everyone.”
Ivy stood and pointed at the chair I’d exited. “Sit. We’re just getting started with this meeting, and you’d better buckle up.”
