Chapter 22
By the time they made it back to Portland, it was after two p.m. and Screen Door had closed for the day.
Willow bit her lip. She couldn’t believe that she had killed Scottie’s battery. That was exactly why she had wanted to take her own car—and why she didn’t date.
The Troll Bridge and Scottie’s easygoing company had been so much fun that she had nearly forgotten that sooner or later, something always went wrong, messing up the date.
But being stranded in the forest and having to call AAA didn’t seem to bother Scottie. She hadn’t let it destroy her good mood. Even when she had kept losing at UNO, she hadn’t stopped laughing.
Willow admired her positive attitude but couldn’t trust it to last should they spend more time together. Even an easygoing person like Scottie could only take so many tech mishaps before she lost her patience.
Maybe her prediction would become true sooner than she had thought because once they’d made their way back across the Fremont Bridge, Scottie grew increasingly tense and restless.
Her grip on the steering wheel was tight, and her gaze darted back and forth between the dashboard clock and the establishments to the left and right.
“Hey, you okay?” Willow asked quietly.
“Oh, yeah, I’m fine. Just looking for somewhere to take you. It’s too late for lunch but too early for dinner that comes with cloth napkins, so I admit I’m at a loss.” She watched the road like a hunter looking for prey.
“Scottie,” Willow said. “Relax, okay? I’m not the queen, and this is just a practice date. It doesn’t matter where you take me.”
“It matters to me,” Scottie replied quietly. “I want you to have a good time, even if it’s just a practice run.”
Willow held her tongue before she could confess that playing cards in Scottie’s Subaru had been more fun than she usually had on dates. “Okay, let’s try it this way: Where would you go if you were out and about in this part of Portland on a Saturday afternoon and found yourself getting hungry?”
“Potato Champion,” Scottie said without hesitation. “But that’s not an option.”
“Why not?” Willow asked.
“Well, because…it’s a food cart. Not exactly haute cuisine.”
Willow clapped her hands. “Great, because I’m not an haute cuisine kind of woman. Let’s go!”
Scottie hesitated. “Are you sure? What will Barb say if she hears I took you to Potato Champion?”
Willow leaned toward her and whispered, “How about we just don’t tell her?”
“Deal.” Grinning, Scottie stepped on the gas.
~ ~ ~
In what felt like no time at all, they pulled into a spot on a side street just off Hawthorne and got out of the car.
Scottie locked the Subaru and led Willow around the corner, to the pod of eight food carts that were set up around a large white tent with wooden tables, benches, and several firepits placed between them.
Strings of lights stretched across the outdoor seating area; they would add to the cozy atmosphere once it got dark.
The scents of melted cheese, sizzling carne asada, and fried potatoes mingled, making Scottie’s mouth water.
Willow’s steps faltered as she took in the carts.
“Are you sure this is okay?” Scottie asked. “We can go someplace else if you’d rather—”
“What? No! I was just trying to figure out which one we’ll eat at. It all smells so good!” Willow stuck her nose in the air. “Which one is Potato Champion?”
“Over here.” Scottie steered them to a metal trailer with jagged mountain peaks and pine trees painted on it. She watched Willow as they got in line behind a couple of other customers. Was Willow really fine with eating at a food cart instead of going to a fancier place?
Willow studied the large black chalkboard above the cart with the same rapt attention she would probably give the menu in a restaurant. “I can’t decide. What do you usually get?”
“Depends on my mood. Their palak paneer fries are amazing, and I haven’t seen them anywhere else. If I want something simple, I usually get the fries with the rosemary truffle ketchup, and if I’m up for an adventure, I go for the PBJ fries.”
“PBJ?” Willow echoed. “They put peanut butter and jelly on fries?”
Scottie laughed at her skeptical face. “Yep. It’s a peanut satay sauce with smoky chipotle raspberry jelly. It’s unusual, but really, really good.”
“Hmm.” Willow scratched her nose. “I’d love to try it, but what if I don’t like it?”
“You’ll never find out if you don’t try it,” Scottie said.
It was Willow’s turn to order, and the guy inside the food cart gave her an expectant look.
Willow hesitated for only a second longer, then nodded decisively. “All right. I’ll take the PBJ fries and a Coke, please.”
Scottie playfully pumped her fist. “You won’t regret it. And if you do, I’ll share my palak paneer fries.” She ordered her food and a ginger ale.
The vendor twisted the caps off their bottles and slid them across the counter.
They found an empty table nearby and took a seat while they waited for their order to be done. The warmth from a firepit directly next to them warded off the cool November air.
Their table wobbled a little, but Scottie quickly fixed it by sliding a folded napkin under one leg.
Willow gave her a grateful nod. “You’re always fixing something, aren’t you?”
Scottie didn’t know why it was, but somehow, a subtext seemed to hide in Willow’s comment. “Not always,” she replied. “Some things don’t need fixing.” Like today, for example. Despite all the mishaps, it had been perfect for her.
That seemed to be the right answer to give because a smile spread across Willow’s face. Before she could answer, their number was called.
Scottie stared at the food cart. “That was fast. Stay. I’ll get it.” Within a minute, she carried two paper boats full of hand-cut, golden fries back to their table.
Hers were smothered in spinach-based sauce and squares of paneer cheese, while Willow’s were topped with peanut sauce and raspberry jelly.
“Oh wow,” Willow said as Scottie set the food down on the table, “that looks like it could get messy.”
Scottie nodded. “That’s half the fun.”
Despite her comment, Willow dug right in. She eagerly pierced a fry with her plastic fork and took a big bite. Her eyes widened. “Oh my God,” she mumbled around her mouthful of PBJ fry, “this is really good.”
Scottie laughed and relaxed. “I told you so!” She speared a cube of paneer cheese and a couple of fries and popped them into her mouth. A gentle kick of spice spread along her tongue, making her hum. She slid her paper boat toward Willow. “Here. Try mine.”
Willow did while offering Scottie a few PBJ fries in return. She chewed with the same enthusiasm as before and let out a low moan that warmed Scottie’s body more than the firepit.
Scottie quickly shoved a couple of fries into her mouth to distract herself.
“Yum,” Willow said when she had swallowed. “They’re great too. I can understand why this is your comfort food.”
Scottie took her time swallowing the PBJ fries, enjoying the salty-sweet-smoky mix of flavors. “It used to be,” she said quietly. “I haven’t been here since Tanya and I split up. I couldn’t bear it.”
Willow paused with another fry halfway to her mouth. “You used to come here with her?”
Scottie nodded.
“Oh, Scottie. Why didn’t you say so? We could have gone somewhere else.” Willow let go of her plastic fork and moved her hand across the table.
For a moment, Scottie thought she would take her hand, but then Willow paused and curled her fingers around her bottle of Coke.
“Tanya and I were together for ten years, and we lived in Portland for all of them. If I avoided every place she and I have ever been to, I’d have to either leave the city or spend my life sitting at home.
” Scottie tilted her head and gave her a crooked smile.
“Which, admittedly, was what I did the first few months after the breakup. A smaller apartment opened up in my building, so I moved and holed up there.”
“I’m sorry,” Willow said in a near whisper. Her hand tightened on her Coke. “I can’t even imagine what that must have been like.”
“It sucked,” Scottie replied, not feeling the need to sugarcoat things around Willow. “But now I’m ready to make those places mine. This”—she waved her hand back and forth between them—“really helps to not make it feel like hers anymore.”
“Good.” Willow gave a firm nod. She dipped a fry in jelly and held it up as if for a toast. “To making things yours again.”
Scottie grinned, thoroughly charmed that Willow would toast new beginnings with fries even though their beverages were right there.
She picked up a palak-sauce-covered fry and touched it to Willow’s as if they were clinking glasses.
“And to trial runs that don’t go according to plan but work out for the best.”
They let their fries rest against each other for a moment while looking deeply into each other’s eyes. The buzz of conversation from neighboring tables and the sizzle of the food cart friers seemed to fade away.
Then they popped their fries into their mouths.
The spinach-and-curry aroma from Scottie’s dish mingled with the peanut-and-raspberry from Willow’s. The mix of flavors shouldn’t have worked, but strangely, it did.
Willow laughed at the ridiculousness of it all, a low, easy sound that wrapped around Scottie like a warm hug.
She watched Willow across the table. A tiny dab of peanut sauce clung to the corner of her mouth. For once, she seemed entirely at ease. The afternoon sun cast an orange glow across her face, making her skin appear impossibly soft.
Scottie leaned back and let herself soak it in. She nodded to herself. Yeah, this trial date is definitely working out for the best.
~ ~ ~
Scottie brought the Subaru to a stop in front of Willow’s house and shut off the engine.
For a moment, they sat in silence.
“In case I haven’t said it before, this place is really cute,” Scottie finally said. “Is it Fiona’s?”