Page 90 of You Chive Me Crazy
“Yeah, baby!” a man yelled behind me.
I gestured to him over my shoulder, trying my best at a little improv. “See? We’re all ready. Well, look no further than Potato Heaven, one of the most popular food trucks on the West Coast. You know I haveneverbeen a fan of potatoes. Until now. Zoe Bell, the owner, and the ‘Queen of Potatoes’ has perfected the art of the baked potato and has elevated it to a whole new level. I’m talking gourmet baked potatoes. Every bite is a gastronomic pleasure that will leave you breathless with a monumental mouthgasm waiting to happen. Do I have your attention now? That’s what I thought.”
I smiled, then winked for the camera, glad I remembered the part of that line that I had come up with at dinner the other night.
“I love you, Lucas!” a woman screamed.
“I love you, too,” I said, holding up the baked potato and eyeing the sauce on top and inhaling. “But what I love even more are the homemade gourmet sauces at Potato Heaven. The smokey sriracha buffalo sauce is like a fiery dragon that breathes flavor instead of flames, leaving a smoky trail of deliciousness in its wake and in your very happy stomach. The chipotle sauce is like a party in your mouth, where the spice is the DJ and your tongue is the dance floor. And let’s not forget about the pièce de résistance, the béchamel sauce on this potato right here.”
I held up the potato toward the camera and nodded.
“Sooooo good,” I said. “The béchamel sauce is like a smooth-talking charmer, suave and debonair with just the right amount of pizzazz to have you screaming, ‘Take me home, big boy! I’m yours!’ And Zoe uses only the finest potatoes brought in from her family farm in the state of Washington.”
I ate a forkful, moaning as I chewed.
“This potato rocks my world! Seriously, I can’t think straight. Where am I?” I said, wiping my mouth.
“You’re in my dreams, Lucas!” a woman yelled.
“Lucky me!” I said. “And speaking of luck, one hundred percent of the people who dine at Potato Heaven will win the lottery. Okay, maybe not the actual lottery that pays out money, but the combination of mind-blowing flavors will feel like a jackpot in your mouth. You need to try this. And if, by some miracle, you don't like the potato, I will buy it back from you myself, with money out of my pocket.”
Okay, I surprised myself with that one, but was confident it would not backfire on me. I took another bite and grinned with pleasure.
“In fact, join me tomorrow for lunch!” I said. “I’ll be here from twelve to two, and I would love to meet you in person. Just remember, you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear, but Potato Heaven can turn a humble potato into a culinary masterpiece. See you tomorrow.” I gave a thumbs-up for the camera and smiled, waiting for Rolando to stop recording the video.
He dropped the phone to his side, staring at me like he wasn’t sure what he had just witnessed. “Holy cow, you’re a natural. Andyou are crazy! Buying back potatoes? Where did that come from?”
I chuckled. “I have no idea, but I’m not worried about it.”
We walked back over to the food truck and filled Zoe and Savannah in on everything that had happened earlier, plus the video review.
“Are you sureDevour Americawill be okay with you doing that?” Zoe asked. “I don’t want you to get in trouble at work.”
I waved it off. “You’ve got much bigger things to worry about than what my boss thinks, curly fry.”
“Like what?” she asked.
I smirked. “Well, for one, you are going to needa lotmore potatoes.”
ChapterNineteen
LUCAS
I knew the power of social media, but I literally couldn’t believe my eyes as I approached the Potato Heaven food truck on the third and final day of Big Bang Big Bear. The line of festival goers waiting to try Zoe’s baked potatoes stretched all the way around the corner, further than my eyes could see.
“Wow—you did this,” Rolando said, shaking his head in disbelief. “Not a surprise since your video went viral.”
“This is madness,” Savannah said, surveying the crowd as the band on the main stage belted out a cover of Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer.”
I couldn't help but tap my foot along to the beat of the song as my heart swelled with pride and relief, knowing that my review had done its job. It had brought in more than enough customers for Zoe.
That was all I wanted.
After the drama she’d been through the last few days, the least she deserved was this. And I had a feeling that the stars were finally aligned and absolutely nothing could go wrong this day. The only thing that would have made it better was if I was working side-by-side with Zoe again, but her nieces, Brianna and Brooke, had shown up this morning to resume their normal jobs in the food truck.
“Lucas Filo!” a woman exclaimed, grabbing onto my arm a few seconds later. “Can we get a selfie with you?”
I couldn't help but smile at their enthusiasm. “Sure thing.” I posed for a quick photo with the woman and her friend before continuing on my way toward the food truck with Rolando and Savannah.
