Page 73 of The Nanny and the Hothead
Forget the stupid lock! Ignore the damned comfort of her touch and get back in the game.
He doubled his efforts to maintain a stony front.
“Mitch,” Charlotte whispered with a look of shock on her face as she pressed up to her tiptoes and peered over his shoulder.
He leaned in. “What?”
She chewed her lip as she focused on whatever the hell was going on behind him.
“Gwen is smiling, or else she’s so mad at you she’s gone past anger and entered into some sort of loopy delirium,” she whispered.
Slowly, he turned toward the women. Each had their cell phone out and was hammering away at light speed. Gwen looked up, and yep, the woman was grinning ear to ear. And yeah, she did have an air of loopy to her.
“Please, join us! Going back to the beginning with the Say Cheese, Louise food truck for a limited run is a fantastic concept. Our marketing folks love it,” Gwen whooped—actually whooped.
“It’s true,” Ines agreed. “People adore a throwback. And a limited-time run of good old Louise is sure to garner loads of publicity. My tech guys are creating new social media accounts for the Say Cheese, Louise reboot, and I’ve already reached out to a few of the locations where you used to park the truck years ago. They’re thrilled, to say the least, about a return visit. You can focus on the lunch crowd. That will give you the evenings with Oscar. It’s the best of both worlds, Mitch,” she added with a look in her eyes that said,don’t fuck this up.
“How soon can you schedule a stop?” Gwen asked, still smiling like a lunatic, with her eyes glued to her phone. “We’d like to get things moving as quickly as possible. We’ve still got a tight timetable.”
“Tomorrow! I’m just waiting for confirmation for a location downtown near several businesses,” Ines answered brightly.
His gaze ping-ponged between the women.
Tomorrow?This was moving fast—too fast!
“For Christ’s sake, slow down!” he exclaimed, drawing on his hotheadedness as he paced across the garage.
“What are you worried about, Mitch? It’s a solid concept. We simply need to execute the plan,” Gwen remarked.
Sure, it was a solid plan—for her. But there was nothing simple about it. He was the one who’d be doing the work. Not to mention, he hadn’t cooked in the food truck since…
He scrubbed his hands down the scruff of his cheeks as competing forces tore at his heart. How the hell was he supposed to set foot in Louise after everything that happened? He observed the bright orange vehicle. He’d chosen the color. He’d even come up with the name. That truck had been an extension of himself until it became a glaring reminder of what he’d lost. After everything had fallen apart, he’d almost gotten rid of her.
Almost.
Could the food truck from his past become his path forward?
“This is your way back, Mitch,” Charlotte said gently as if she’d read his mind.
She wasn’t wrong.
Still, running a food truck wasn’t like flicking on a light switch.
He crossed his arms. “I’ll admit, going back to the beginning with Louise is a decent idea. But you don’t decide to operate a food truck on a whim. Even if it was for a limited engagement and we’re only making the signature sandwich, I need all the ingredients. Arrangements need to be made. Orders have got to be placed weeks in advance. The organic apple butter I use comes from the Applebaum Farm. They’re a family-owned operation just north of the city. You can’t simply snap your fingers and set off for grilled cheese nirvana without it.”
“Oh, but you can!” came a rich vibrato voice with a thick eastern European accent.
“Madelyn?” Charlotte exclaimed in a stunned breath.
Sweet Jesus! Where did she come from?
His jaw dropped as he stared at none other than Madelyn Malone, standing in the doorway to the garage. Who the hell else was going to parachute in on the shitshow that was his life? “What are you doing here?”
The woman smoothed her red scarf, then sauntered in like this was a garden party. “My people are taking care of returning the RV, and I thought I’d drop by and see how you were settling in,” she purred, scanning the room. Her gaze lingered on the food truck as the ghost of a grin pulled at the corners of her mouth. “This certainly seems like the place to be. And Gwen, it’s so nice to see you—and so soon,” she finished, addressing his publisher.
“You know each other?” he asked, beyond befuddled.
“I was a guest at Gwen’s niece’s wedding,” Madelyn answered smoothly.
