Just a Taste (18 page)

With a last look around, she sighed. Of course, Liam had left everything spotless, like he hadn't stepped foot in the space. She turned off the lights and locked up. The blast of cold air had her burrowing deeper into her coat.

Maybe she'd wait until it was a little warmer to enjoy outside. Thoughts of warmer weather made her think about warmer places. She hadn't had a vacation since . . . she really couldn't remember. She unlocked the car and sat on the cold vinyl. While the engine warmed up, she considered a vacation.

As a kid, her parents had taken her to Wisconsin Dells. Disney World was out of their reach. Her dad had taken her to Mexico once to show her where he'd grown up. A vacation would give her a nice escape from having to make decisions and plans.

Then she thought about Liam. He wouldn't take a vacation with her. He'd just started on the truck after quitting a good job. He was too focused on being a success to step back and screw around. Could she go somewhere alone? Rosa would be happy to go, but she never had any money.

Carmen drove back to her house and tried to think about where she would want to go, but nothing struck her. She glanced at the clock. She had plenty of time. In fact, she had nothing but time. When she got home, she tossed all thoughts aside and took a nap.

Liam drove toward the heart of the city. They had decided on the Grant Park location for the first stop. As the weather warmed, it would be a great spot for business and probably overly competitive, but in December, they hoped he could grab it without issue. At ten forty-five, he parked, glad to see no other truck in sight.

He started the burners to warm the grill and opened the windows and the awning. His breath puffed white clouds, and the air was cold enough that he thought icicles might start forming on him. Carmen had written up the menu board. Her curvy script was much neater than whatever scratch he would've displayed.

Grant Park was desolate. Buckingham Fountain stood in the distance, shut off for the season. Traffic remained constant, though, and he hoped foot traffic would pick up. Carmen had chosen this spot as one of her dad's favorites.

The sound of feet slapping the pavement caught his attention. A tall, thin Hispanic guy ran up to the truck. His smile was easy as he said, “Hey, I'm Pete. You must be Liam.”

“You're late.”

“I know, man, sorry. I overslept.”

Pete stepped up into the truck behind Liam and made his way to the front. He washed his hands and tied on an apron.

“Look, we don't know each other, so let me tell you this now. You want to work, you be on time. If you're late, don't bother showing up.”

Pete nodded. “You sound a lot like Gus.”

“Gus knew how to run a business.”

Liam got to work, partially cooking a batch of meat so orders would move faster. Pete turned on a radio and hung halfway out the window.

“Not much going on.”

As if Liam needed the announcement.

Thirty minutes later, however, they had a steady stream of customers. Most were not looking to eat while they took a stroll through the park, so Liam wrapped orders up to go back to offices.

The best thing Liam could say about Pete was that he had been late.

Pete screwed up orders as he called them out. He flirted with every woman who came to the window. Liam began to question if the guy knew how to make change or if their profits were blowing away with each pickup line.

The pace was steady, but not unbearable. Then Pete joined him at the grill and started moving ingredients and utensils.

“What the hell do you think you're doing?” Liam asked.

“I just want to squeeze in here and make a couple of tacos for me and the cute chick at the window.”

“You're supposed to be working, not eating.”

“I skipped breakfast and she's the last one in line.”

“I don't care. This isn't your personal dating service.”

“You don't gotta be a dick about it.”

Liam pointed to the window where another customer had walked up. He turned back to the grill and made the tacos for his order. As more orders came in, he split focus between listening to Pete and keeping track of what was popular. Basically nothing flew out the window. Every order was a couple of tacos. Over the course of the first hour, they'd only sold one or two orders of rice.

They needed to change things up, bring people out to eat, something to spark interest. Like it or not, they were competing with fast food. He needed to find a way to make people realize that what they offered was better than fast food.

At twelve thirty, the timer he'd set rang out. Liam got a slight pleasure at watching Pete jump at the sound. They had fifteen minutes to finish the orders at hand and close up to get to the next location. This two-hour limit bullshit was ridiculous. It was like the city didn't want them to succeed.

“Last order,” Liam called. He made the food efficiently and passed it through the window with a smile. As the customers walked off, Liam said to Pete, “We have exactly ten minutes to break down and secure everything to drive to the next spot. With traffic, I think it'll take about twenty minutes to get there.”

He cleaned the utensils and counters and turned off the grill. “I'm going to get rid of the trash. Make sure all the food is secure and put away. Are you going to follow in your car or ride with me?”

“I'll ride with you. I'm parked in a lot.”

Liam jumped out the back of the truck and got rid of the trash. When he returned, Pete had the truck closed up, windows, doors, and awning, so he climbed into the driver's seat and drove into the fray of bumper-to-bumper downtown traffic. When he got to Clark and Monroe, a cupcake truck vendor was already parked.

From his research, he knew this truck was here most days. Since they offered dessert, Liam didn't see the problem with sharing a block. He parked behind them, careful to make sure he was totally legal and away from the crosswalk.

He cut the engine and said to Pete, “Start setting up.” He left the truck and went to talk to the cupcake people. At the window, he introduced himself.

“You're taking over Gus's truck?” the girl asked.

“Yeah. I'm new to this whole thing. This a good spot for foot traffic?”

“Well, this time of year is dodgy, but we do okay. I'm Lisa.” She extended her hand through the window.

“Liam.” He shook her hand and turned to leave.

“Wait. Take this.” She handed a chocolate cupcake to him. “Welcome to the neighborhood.”

“Thanks. Stop by if you want some lunch. Tacos to go can't be beat.”

“Tempting, but I'm vegan.”

“Oh. Then you definitely don't want anything we have on the truck. Have a good day.” Liam returned to the truck as he sank his teeth into the thick layer of frosting. The top was overly sweet, but the cake was good.

“It's okay for you to flirt and eat but not me?”

Liam stepped into the back of the truck. “I wasn't flirting. I introduced myself to a fellow vendor. She gave me a cupcake. And I was on time for work this morning.”

He surveyed the truck and found a mess. Pete had reorganized everything Liam had set up. He'd only left the guy alone for ten minutes. “Why did you move everything?”

“I set it up the way Gus liked it.”

“I'm not Gus and I had things the way I want them.”

“Whatever.” Pete opened the windows.

Then Liam saw the meat sitting on the counter, exposed. What. The. Fuck. “Pete!”

“What now?”

“Why the fuck is the meat sitting on the counter?”

Pete looked at him like he was stupid. “'Cause we're getting ready to cook.”

The cocky comment made Liam want to punch him. He reined in his anger and clamped his jaw before speaking. “Meat cannot sit out in the open. There are food regulations.”

“I know what I'm doin'. I've worked on this truck since the beginning. It's fine.”

“No, it's not fine. You can't leave food out. Even if we don't get caught doing it, it could make people sick.”

“Nobody's ever gotten sick.”

“In your kitchen, do whatever the hell you want. In mine, you follow the rules.”

“This ain't yours. It's Carmen's.”

“And mine.” He pointed to the meat. “Throw it all out.”

“Hell no.”

Liam reached into the refrigerator and pulled out fresh batches of meat. “That goes in the trash.”

“It's a waste. Gus would never do that.”

“Gus put up with too much shit from you.”

“Fuck you.”

“Get out. You're fired.”

“You can't fire me.”

“I can, and I did.”

“What about my car?”

“What about it?”

“I need to get it.”

“So walk. I have a business to run.”

Pete shoved past him and jumped out of the back of the truck. Liam set the timer to keep him on track and finished setup. A line started to form, so he donned his gloves to take orders and money before manning the grill. Within minutes, he understood why Carmen had suggested a second person, but there was no way he would put up with Pete's crap.

CHAPTER 11

C
armen woke from a fitful nap and checked her phone. No word from Liam. She wanted to believe that meant everything was going well. She didn't know why she was so nervous about Liam running the truck. He was every bit as competent as her dad. While waiting to hear from him, she logged on to her computer and began to search for ideas for a vacation. The world was too big for her to narrow choices, so she texted Rosa.

While Rosa was far from a world traveler, Carmen knew she would have ideas. Her phone bleeped almost immediately, as if Rosa needed to shout.

 

 

Carmen laughed. Of course Rosa would want to go, but she also knew her cousin sucked at follow-through. She sent her thanks and then looked into the Caribbean. Hours passed and she hadn't heard from Liam. He should've called by now, so she sent a text and hoped he wasn't driving.

 

Carmen grabbed her keys and headed to the restaurant. When she pulled into the back lot where they stored the truck, Liam had the doors open as he cleaned. Pete was nowhere in sight.

“Hey,” she called as she shoved her hands in the pockets of her coat. “Where's Pete?”

Liam looked over his shoulder. “I fired him.”

“What?”

“I fired him.”

Crap. This was not how her life was supposed to go. “Do I want to know what happened?”

“Besides the fact that he showed up late, did little more than flirt with every female customer, and then had a total disregard for food regulations?”

No, this definitely was not how things were supposed to happen. “Pete doesn't know regulations. My dad never required it of him. He took orders and cleaned up. A pair of helping hands and not much more. Firing him was a little harsh, don't you think?”

Liam jumped off the truck with a menacing look on his face. “No, I don't think it was harsh. He didn't want to be there. He had a crappy attitude, and when I tried to correct what he'd done, he blew me off like what I said didn't matter.”

Carmen listened and while what Liam said sounded like something Pete would do, she couldn't help but think this was a pissing contest between the two of them. “Do you need help finishing this?”

“No, I've got it.” He climbed back into the truck and gathered the food.

“You don't have to snap at me.”

“I'm not. I don't mean to. It's been a long day out in the cold for what feels like very little. Dealing with your dumbass cousin didn't help.”

She understood his frustration, but he had no right to talk to her like that. “Pete might not be the most responsible guy—”

Liam answered with a snort.

“But he was there to help. Contrary to what you might think, you're not God and you can't do it all. I'll call Pete and smooth things over.”

“Hell, no. There is no smoothing this over.”

“You're being unreasonable. It was a rough first day and you need to get to know each other. I'm sure if you teach Pete, let him know what you expect instead of just yelling, everything would be fine.”

He stepped out of the truck, arms loaded. “Everything is not fine. Pete can't do whatever he wants and act like he runs things. I don't have time to play games. He's fired.”

“What makes you think you can make an executive decision like this alone? We are partners, you know.”

“Like you consulted me before hiring Pete?”

“I was trying to do you a favor.”

“Trust me, I don't need favors like that.” He walked past her and into the back door of the kitchen.

When the door swung open she was treated to a waft of home. The kitchen still smelled like it had when her dad ran it. Before going in to say hello to her uncle, she checked the truck to make sure Liam had followed her directions for draining everything and turning off all of the gas.

Her dad ran the truck for the last couple of years, but she didn't feel his presence here like she did that morning in the kitchen of the restaurant. Maybe that was because she didn't work the truck with him, but this was just a space, nothing special.

Liam stomped back and glared at her. Temperamental dude. She said nothing, but went to the kitchen. “Hey, Junior, Uncle Johnny here?”

“Carmen, what the hell are you doing here? Did someone die?”

She smacked his arm. “That's not funny.”

He sobered, apparently remembering her dad had just died. “I didn't mean it like that. It's just that you haven't come here since your dad sold it to mine.”

The heat of the kitchen started to get to her, so she unzipped her jacket and unwrapped her scarf. “I know. I'm making sure Liam knows what he's doing with the truck.”

“How's that working out?”

“Liam? Okay, I think. Today was his first day and things didn't go well. Pete was on the truck with him and pissed him off.”

Junior slid a plate onto the pass-through. “Order up.” He turned back to her. “Dad's in the office. He'll be glad to see you. You want to stay for dinner?”

“No, thanks. I'm Liam's ride. The truck has been at my house so that's where he started this morning. I need to get him to his car.” She could've said she had plans with Liam, but she held back. Rosa knew, which meant Junior probably knew. She loved to gossip with her big brother. “I'll be back before I leave.”

She walked down the hall to the small office in back. She knocked quietly on the door.

“Yeah?”

She opened the door and poked her head in. “Hey, Uncle Johnny. It's me.”

“Carmen!” He stood behind his desk. “Come in. Come here.” He moved toward her and grabbed her in a big bear hug.

Johnny looked a lot like her dad, only the super-size version. If her dad had been a cuddly teddy bear, Uncle Johnny was the grizzly.

“What are you doing here? Not that I don't love seeing my favorite niece.”

“The truck. We put it back on the street.”

“Yeah, Rosa was telling me about that. How'd it go?” Johnny looked as doubtful as the rest of her family when it came to Liam.

“Okay. It would probably be better if Liam could get along with Pete. I don't know what happened today, but Liam fired him. He seems really pissed too.” She sighed and dropped into a chair in front of the desk. Johnny took his spot across from her. “Liam's not like Dad. He's a formally trained chef. He's a little more uptight than Dad, so he doesn't have the patience for the kind of crap Pete does.” She said the words, knowing they were true, but didn't know how she knew. Liam had shown nothing but extreme patience with her.

Johnny sat back in his chair. “Pete's Pete. How many times have I fired him because of his lack of work ethic? I don't know where my sister went wrong with him.”

“There's nothing wrong with Pete. He's just young.” She shouldn't make excuses for her cousin. Gus had fired him more times than anyone could count. Pete was irresponsible. The whole family kept hoping something would stick with him, but partying was his first priority.

“Everyone has to grow up.”

“Do you know anyone else who might be good on the truck?”

Johnny raised his eyebrows.

“Not me. I can't work the truck.”

“Why not? You know everything there is. Gus never understood why you wouldn't join him after your mom died.”

“I couldn't.” Her throat became tight. No one knew why she avoided the restaurant or why she couldn't work on the truck. At this point, she wasn't even sure she knew anymore.

“I don't have any extra staff. I'll ask around, though.”

“Thanks.” She rose. Hopefully, Liam would be done with the truck so she could leave.

“Come to the house this weekend. We've missed you. The girls are baking cookies, I think.”

Yeah, cookies for Christmas, just what she needed. “Maybe.”

She slipped back out through the kitchen, waving to Junior as she went. As hard as it had been to come to the kitchen with Liam this morning, being there while the restaurant was open was worse. Although it hadn't been her dad's restaurant for a few years, she felt his absence.

She bundled up again before pushing the heavy back door open. Liam was locking the truck. At least she had good timing. “Ready?”

“Yeah.”

They walked to her car in silence. Carmen got behind the wheel and waited for Liam to buckle up before speaking. “What's your plan for tomorrow?”

“The Grant Park location wasn't great. I want to look at some of the other places.”

She shivered as the engine warmed up. “No, I mean for help.”

“I have no plan. I'll work alone.”

“Do you think that's a good idea? You've only done this one day.”

“And I finished alone this afternoon because I got tired of Pete's shit. I'll handle it.”

“Whatever.” She didn't know why he was pissed at her. He was probably just lashing out because Pete pissed him off, but she didn't need to take it. She pulled away from the restaurant and turned the radio up loud. Not that she needed to let Liam know she didn't want to talk; the man had little to say.

When she parked beside her house, she got out and went inside. If he wanted to join her, she wouldn't throw him out, but she wasn't going to invite him in either. In the living room, she looked out the window and saw him standing beside her car as if in a debate with himself. Rather than stare at him through the window, she went to the kitchen to make some dinner.

The quiet
click
of the front door sounded and she paused in rummaging through the refrigerator. She closed the door and turned to face Liam.

“Leaving your door unlocked isn't safe.”

Like she needed a lesson in safety.

“I'm sorry I snapped at you. It was a rough day. Pete irritated me before I even laid eyes on him, and it went downhill from there. I shouldn't have taken it out on you.”

“No, you shouldn't have.” She looked at him. He'd shed his coat somewhere else in the house and for the first time, she noticed he wore a chef's jacket. It struck her as odd. Her dad always worked in a T-shirt. Liam looked formal, but overworked. The front of the jacket was splattered, and he had the top buttons undone.

He stepped closer, reaching for her. She swallowed hard as he grabbed her hips and pulled her to him. “Can you forgive me?”

Before she could answer, he kissed her neck. The sensation melted any anger she had. “Maybe.”

“What can I do to make it up to you?”

“I don't know.”

His mouth continued to work against her skin, making her breathless. He moved higher and kissed her mouth, his tongue teasing her with soft strokes. His fingers pressed into the curve of her hip and then he pulled away.

Every time he did that, he left her dazed. Was it supposed to be like that? Every time?

“Want me to make dinner?” he asked.

“You've been cooking all day.”

“That's not really cooking.” He stepped back and ran a hand over his head. “In all honesty, I didn't like it much. The pace was fast, but I'm used to that. I don't know what it was, but I was on edge all day. It wasn't as much fun as I'd thought it would be.”

Her heart sank. Part of her knew the truck wouldn't be enough for a guy like Liam, but she'd thought it would take longer than a day for him to grow tired of it. What would they do now?

She reached for his hand. Interlocking her fingers with his, she rubbed the back of his hand with her free one. “When I was in the restaurant, I asked my uncle Johnny if he knew of anyone who might want to work the truck. I know Pete isn't easy, but he's not a bad guy. He's young.”

Liam tossed a look at her that said he'd never been that unfocused.

“What do you want to do?”

“I don't know.” He pulled away again, this time bracing his fists on his hips as he turned his back to her.

She ran her hands across the tense line of his shoulders. She wanted to plant a kiss on his neck, just above his collar, but she wasn't tall enough. “There's bound to be a learning curve. Like starting any new job.”

“I know.”

She felt his back rise with a huge intake of air. “What can I do to help?”

He let out a chuckle. “Work the truck with me?”

Her hand froze at his shoulder blade. Thoughts sped through her mind. Why was she afraid to work on the truck? If Pete could do it, she sure as hell could. She wouldn't have to cook. But customers weren't fun to deal with. She could spend the whole day with Liam. It would definitely give her a sense of whether this relationship had real merit.

Liam turned slowly and she dropped her hand. “Didn't mean to freak you out. It was a joke.”

“Okay.” The quiet word slipped past her lips.

Liam kissed the top of her head. “We'll figure something out.”

It was time to get over her hang-ups, deal with her fear. “No, I mean, okay, I'll work the truck.”

“What?” He held her upper arms and studied her face. “I thought you didn't want to.”

“You need someone to work. I know the truck and the routine. I'm as invested in this business being a success as you are.”