Toby sank back into his chair as Aunt Jackie left the shop. “Don’t I feel like a real heel right about now?”
“You didn’t know.” Sasha patted his arm, then grinned. “This will take care of Olivia’s day care for a few months. I don’t know what to say.”
“There’s nothing to say. But when you see my aunt, please thank her for insisting on the bonus program. She thought the entire thing up. In fact, there’s a whole performance-based section for next quarter’s bonus. The more traffic we get, the bigger your bonuses will be.” I focused on Toby. “Everything okay with you and Elisa? You seem a little tense.”
“Nothing I can’t handle.” His phone buzzed again with a new text message. He rubbed his face with both hands. “I guess I’d better get out of here before she blows another gasket.”
Sasha and I sat in silence as we watched Toby leave the shop. “That was interesting,” I muttered as I finished the rest of my coffee. “Do you want to take home some cheesecake for dessert? I need to clean out the display case anyway.”
She flushed and shook her head. “I’m trying to diet. Of course, being here with all the treats, it hasn’t been the easiest food plan in the world to follow.”
I frowned. “You don’t need to diet. You’re perfect.” Two days in a row now, women who looked amazing had been complaining about their weight. I pulled my sweatshirt closed. Emma and I hadn’t been running in over a week. Maybe the universe was hinting at me and my expanding waistline. I glanced at the single slice of double chocolate cheesecake sitting lonely in the display case. Or maybe not.
“Whatever.” Sasha looked toward the door where Toby had exited. “I’m not trying anything crazy, just eating better and working out every day. I want to set a good example for Olivia.”
As we said our good-byes, I wondered about Sasha and her attention toward Toby. Did he realize the young mother had a crush on him? Or did he have one too many women with kids in his life as it was? This thing with Elisa was Toby’s longest relationship. At least, since I’d known him. I’d have to pry some gossip out of Greg when he took me to dinner tonight.
Walking home, I slowed as I passed by Austin’s Bike Shop. Right in front of the shop, parked on the street, was my food truck. Okay, so I had only rented it once for the Mission Walk, but I’d hoped to be able to purchase it for Coffee, Books, and More’s first annex. A large pink sign hung on the side proclaiming GOOD FOR YOU DESSERTS—COMING SOON.
Amy hadn’t said anything about a new business starting up in South Cove. But here sat the proof. The truck had recently been painted a bright green with flowers bordering the edges. It looked like a hippie mobile from the seventies. As I stepped closer, I could see the tagline for the business written in script under the window. I read the words out loud, “Yes, we are totally gluten-free.”
“I’m just in love with the way the truck turned out, aren’t you?” A slightly familiar woman’s voice spoke to me from behind. I spun around to see Kacey Austin. This time she wore a floral dress with sandals, looking like she’d just auditioned for the role of fairy queen in the next hobbit movie. She moved closer to me, studying my face. I could tell when she recognized me with the smile she gave me. “Hey, I know you. You and your friends were at the park yesterday.”
I nodded. “Jill Gardner. I own the bookstore/coffee shop up the street.” I looked at her truck. “We sell the not-so-good-for-you-but-delicious desserts.”
Kacey giggled. “Don’t I know it. Austin took me there last week for an after-dinner treat. I adore your romance section over in the bookstore. I picked up several new releases from my favorite authors.”
Okay, now I had a dilemma. I was supposed to hate this woman for ruining Sadie’s life and now stealing away my food truck. But she was also a customer who loved my shop. I sighed. Worse, I kind of liked her. “Thanks. I try to stock what my customers want to read. And it doesn’t hurt that I love reading the same books.”
“Well, you’ve got a new supporter in me. I have a list of cookbooks I was going to go into Bakerstown today to look for, but could you order them for me? That would save me a trip.” She dug in the side pocket of her dress and thumbed through some paper scraps. “Here you go.”
I glanced through the list. “I can’t promise these are all in print, but I’ll get them ordered. You should have the majority of them by Friday.”
She clapped her hands. “Perfect. I told Austin that today was going to be ultra-special. And it has been. I met a new neighbor and got one chore off my list in less than ten minutes.”