Page 105 of The Nanny and the Hothead
“Do you have far to go?” She checked her watch. She and Mitch would have to take off soon as well. They couldn’t be late to pick up Oscar from school.
“No, it’s down the block at one of the technical college’s outreach locations,” Erick answered.
“Yeah, if we run, we’ll be fine,” Sergio added.
“I know Mitch appreciated your help today.” She surveyed the interior of the food truck. They’d tidied up, but there were two sandwiches left. “What do you need me to do?” she asked.
“Just get those orders out. Once it started slowing down, we were able to clean up during the lulls. There shouldn’t be much left for you and Mitch to do,” Erick answered.
She sighed as the high of coming down from a shoot hit her like a…giant orange food truck. “You guys have been great! What a day!” she added, leaning against the counter.
“It’s crazy, huh?” Erick replied, gesturing toward Mitch and the news crew.
She chuckled. “He’s a little different here in the food truck compared to what he was like at the Crystal Cricket.”
“A little?” the kid remarked, clearly biting back a grin.
She couldn’t blame the teen for noticing the change. The man had done a one-eighty in the hothead department.
“The chef seems to be in his element here,” she replied.
“And you,” Sergio added.
“Me?” she repeated.
“Yeah! The guy lights up every time he looks your way,” Sergio said over his shoulder as he placed a stack of napkins inside of the paper supply bin.
She felt her cheeks heat, but she didn’t want the teens to get the wrong idea. “I don’t know about that, Sergio. I caught him smiling more times than I can count, and it wasn’t always for me.”
“Yeah, dude, you’re lucky the guy wasn’t in beast mode like he used to be when I bussed tables for him. If you had burned anything at the Crystal Cricket, there’s a good chance you wouldn’t be standing here to talk about it. The guy used to be a real…” Erick trailed off.
“Hothead,” Charlotte supplied with a sly grin.
The kid slapped his leg, grinning. “That’s right! That’s what you called him after you threw that salad at him,” Erick replied, shaking his head. “It was pretty cool of you to stand up for me. You were always nice, Charlotte. But I never had you pegged as a…”
“A hothead, too?” she teased.
“No, a fighter,” Erick corrected, his expression growing serious.
A fighter.
Erick’s words lingered in her mind. She’d never thought of herself as a fighter. Did she have that spark, that drive? For others, sure. But had she been too timid to reach for the stars for herself?
“What changed with the chef?” Sergio asked.
She pushed away the gnawing thoughts as her heartbeat quickened. She could answer that question. Everything had changed. But this wasn’t the time to bask in a Mitch Elliott swoon-fest. She schooled her features. “You guys need to go! I don’t want you to be late for your class. Kick some GED prep butt. We’ll see you in a few days for the next Say Cheese, Louise stop,” she finished, shooing them out of the back of the truck.
Alone, she slipped the camera strap from around her neck and set her Nikon next to the basket of pens, then spied the picture of Oscar taped to the glass.
“Your dad’s not so bad,” she said, tapping the corner as her gaze slid to the Polaroid of her and Mitch. She stared at her image, zeroing in on her smiling face. “Don’t get ahead of yourself with him. He is your boss,” she whispered. But that didn’t stop the lightness in her chest and the buzz in her veins at the thought of his touch. She studied the walls, covered with the old photos of Mitch, Holly, and Seth. What must that have been like—the moment he learned the woman he loved and the best friend he trusted had betrayed him? Had he hardened his heart right then and there? She knew a thing or two about being let down by those you loved. But there was no time to wallow—no time to give a moment’s thought to her parents.
She checked Mitch’s position. He was chatting with the reporter as the cameraman loaded up the news van.
She needed to get things wrapped up in the food truck and get out the last two orders. Then they could call day one of the food truck reboot a roaring success.
She washed her hands, exhaling a slow breath, taking this moment to dial down the intensity. Mitch and the teens weren’t the only ones who’d gone nonstop. She’d worked her ass off.
Drying her hands, she walked over to where the last two tickets hung and plucked them from the strip.
