Seven
Despite the rough start to the day, timing was on his side when Levi sat down at the long, diner-style countertop of Pete’s. Who better to talk to about a food truck, or any culinary venture, than a man who’d run a restaurant successfully for Levi’s entire life?
A big, burly man who looked like Santa and often acted like Scrooge, Pete ran the go-to place for breakfast, brunch, and lunch in Smile. Pete’s was a favorite of tourists and locals alike, not just for the great food but the vibrant and utterly unique art that adorned the tables.
Levi was waiting for the big guy himself to come out and chat with him, but according to his line cook, Pete was on the phone with a supplier. The man liked to cook his way. He didn’t like any other parts of the business. But he knew them, and hopefully he’d share some trade secrets.
Sipping his coffee, his stomach eager for the waffles he’d ordered, Levi turned when the door jingled and saw Beckett strolling through with a gorgeous woman at his side, her head tipped back in laughter. He wanted that.
Some might think tripping over a cooler and making a fool of himself wasn’t great luck, but not Levi, since it gave him some time with Jillian. He could picture her laughing at his jokes like Beckett’s girlfriend was. He wanted that more than he’d considered. That familiarity, the right to touch and laugh and kiss. Inside jokes and all the rest of it.
“Levi Bright,” Beckett said, spotting him as the pair started toward a booth. They detoured toward him as he rose from the stool.
They met in the middle of the floor and a lightness invaded his chest. He’d really missed his friends. Texts, emails, FaceTimes, and a random visit here and there hadn’t been enough. They hugged, both of them laughing, before he pulled back and held a hand out to Beckett’s girlfriend.
“You must be Presley. I’m Levi. I voted in favor of this guy asking you to marry him, but if it’s not what you want, just blink twice and I’ll rescue you,” he said, moving quickly when Beckett went to give him a shove.
“No horsing around in my diner,” Pete said, coming through the swinging door.
“Or smiling or laughing,” Levi whispered, making the other two laugh.
Pete stopped beside them, looked down his bulbous nose at Levi. “You want to eat these waffles or wear them, Bright?”
Presley laughed, tucked herself under Pete’s arm, and gave him a squeeze. Clearly, the woman didn’t value her life.
To Levi’s surprise, everything about Pete softened. He handed Levi the plate of waffles, gave Presley a half hug, and told them to find a booth.
“Are you magic?” Levi looked at her then Beckett. “Is she magic?”
The two of them slipped into one side and Levi sat on the other. They held hands and grinned like loons in love.
“She’s magic, all right. Pete’s sour moods are no match for Presley’s sunshine.”
Presley rolled her eyes. “Please. He’s a teddy bear.”
Levi unrolled his fork and knife, cut into the thick, vanilla-scented waffle, his mouth watering. “Maybe you ought to come meet my dad.”
“Actually, I did a little bit of website work for your dad,” Presley said.
Holy shit. The fork paused halfway to Levi’s mouth. “And he let you?”
She laughed again. “He hired me.”
So, it was just Levi he didn’t want in his space or business.
Groaning around his bite of waffle, he closed his eyes.
“Jesus, dude. Want us to leave you alone?” Beckett said.
Opening his eyes, Levi swallowed and laughed. “I missed these.”
“You’re a chef, aren’t you?” Presley asked as Pete approached.
“I am,” he said, cutting another bite but tipping his head in Pete’s direction. “But this guy has a secret recipe that he won’t share for anything.”
“Family only.” Pete squeezed in beside Levi without an invitation.
Levi slid his plate over onto Mona Lisa’s face—each table was a re-creation of a painted masterpiece, all done by Pete’s wife and his daughter. Every one of them was gorgeous. Van Gogh’s night sky was Levi’s favorite, but it had a family of four around it right now.
An older woman hurried out of the back, tying an apron as she rushed over to their table. It was the older woman from the park. Her bushy brows lifted when she saw him, a smile twitching on her lips.
“Hey, Beckett. Hi, Presley. Sorry I’m late, Pete. Some runner went ass over cooler, not looking where he was going, and we had to help him out.” She kept her gaze on Levi, who did his very best not to turn the color of ketchup. Pete’s sister! That’s who she was.
“What an idiot,” Pete mumbled.
She laughed. “What’ll you two have, since I see this one’s already eating,” she said, gesturing to Levi.
The two of them ordered, Pete’s sister went to ring it in, and the four of them caught up a bit. Presley was delightful, and seeing his old friend so happy—another person who’d gone away only to realize his life was right here in Smile—gave Levi some courage.
“I know you have to get back to the kitchen, so I wondered if I could meet up with you sometime soon to pick your brain on starting a food truck.” Dragging a bite of waffle through syrup, which he also thought was Pete’s special recipe, Levi did his best to appear calm. Casual. Like getting advice on the next phase of his life was no big deal.
“A food truck? That’s a great idea. What kind of food?” Presley asked, turning her cup over for the waitress to pour in coffee.
“Comfort food with a bump,” Levi said.
“A lump? You want lumps in your food? Didn’t you go to some fancy-ass school?” Pete asked.
“Give him a chance to talk, Petey.”
Pete practically snarled, but Sue ignored him and filled the rest of the coffee cups before walking away.
“A bump . Elevated. Elevated comfort food. Twists on old favorites,” Levi said, clutching the fork tighter.
“Smile is going to keep growing, and you’re not far from Northern Michigan. A food truck lets you wander if you need to, but I honestly think you’ll have more than enough business right here,” Presley said, then bit her lip. “Sorry. I get excited about this stuff.”
Beckett put his arm around her shoulder, kissed her temple. “Don’t apologize for being amazing.” His gaze settled on Levi. “She’s excellent, man. She’s doubled the bike shop’s bookings through social media and cross advertising.”
Pete sighed. “It’s a good idea. I’ll give you that. Not sure about the cuisine, but I’ve never wanted to move beyond breakfast foods. What’s your schedule like?”
“Other than finding a place to live as soon as possible, pretty clear.”
Beckett’s brows scrunched. “Everything okay with your parents?”
Levi set his knife and fork on the plate. He was full, but sorry it was finished. “Dad’s surgery went well so now it’s just recovery, but he’s not real thrilled about me being home. Plus, the houseboat makes me queasy.”
Pete and Beckett laughed but it was Pete who said, “Wimp. Few years off the island and you can’t handle a boat?”
Levi chose to ignore him as Sue set down Beckett’s and Presley’s food. Pete shifted, rose out of the booth.
“You could stay at the lodge, but we’re fully booked starting a month from now, and Jilly’s working on getting some different groups in and out before then. Could probably work around it, though.”
“Be here tomorrow morning at eight thirty,” Pete said. “I might have a solution for your living situation.” Without another word, he went back to the kitchen.
“Full of details and words, that one,” Levi said, picking up his coffee.
“Oh my gosh, it just gets better and better,” Presley said around a happy sigh as she ate a bite of waffle smothered in blueberries.
Beckett sat up a little straighter as he cut into his egg, bacon, and tomato sandwich. “She’s talking about me.”
Presley shook her head. She had a sweet softness about her that made her approachable, but when she’d talked business, her tone and demeanor had shifted, showing Levi she could probably lead the charge on just about anything. She was confident, even in her quieter moments. Unlike Jilly, whom he seemed to have to coax smiles out of, Presley seemed to wear a permanent one. Makes getting one from Jilly more special.
“A food truck, huh?” Beckett said around a mouthful of sandwich.
“That’s the hope. I wanted to be available to help my dad, but I’m not sure he wants me stepping on toes at any of his construction sites.”
“Sorry things are still rough with him. Give it some time,” Beckett said.
“What happened?” Presley asked, picking up her coffee.
Levi sighed and leaned back in the booth, thinking about the day he’d told his dad he won an early-entry scholarship to a distinguished culinary school in New Hampshire.
“I followed my dream instead of his.”
Like she sensed he didn’t want to get into it, they spent the next little while chatting and catching up.
“Why don’t we do a get-together at the lodge this weekend. You wanted to cook for everyone. Your dad should be okay to travel by then. It’s a short ride. You could see the place, feed us, and maybe your dad could give us some advice on a few outbuildings Jillian was thinking of.” Beckett polished off the last of his sandwich as a larger party filed through the door and took up the booths on the other side of the diner.
Levi could take care of anything the lodge needed. If the job wasn’t started yet, he could help his dad without messing up any existing projects. “Yeah. That’s great. I’ll talk to my parents. I told Jilly about it,” he said, hoping his tone didn’t give off any “I’m still crushing on your sister after all these years” vibes.
“Great. She’ll be in, and my parents, too. And Ollie.”
“I met her,” Levi said, pulling his wallet out of his back pocket.
“Ollie? When?”
“Uh, today.” After being the idiot who fell over the cooler. He glanced at his phone and stood up. “I should go. Presley, it was great to meet you. Becks, I’m glad to be home, man. I’ll figure out a menu and text you. You’ll clear it with Gray?”
“For sure. You sure you’re okay cooking for all those people?”
Levi smiled. “More than okay. I’m going to try out my food truck ideas on you guys.”
“Better not be waffles,” Pete hollered.
Levi paid, lifted his hand, and said he’d see the chef tomorrow.
As he walked out of Pete’s into the sunshine and fresh air, his heart felt a hell of a lot lighter than it had earlier today.