CHAPTER TWELVE Maisy

CHAPTER TWELVE

Maisy

"I'm taking a break," I called out, not even bothering to look at Mad Bell to see if he would approve of me leaving.

There were enough people helping in our tent. He didn't need me. He also didn't need…

"I'm taking the prospect!" I yelled, looping my arm through said prospect's elbow and pulling him along after me.

"Uh," the prospect said with much hesitation as he handed a stack of paper bowls off to Twigs.

"The hell he's leaving!" Mad Bell roared.

I turned my head and stared at him with just a tinge of a dare in my eyes.

"He deserves a break, same as anyone else," I said, still pulling the prospect along. He tripped over his gangly legs and stumbled a few steps.

We were gone before Mad Bell could respond.

"You like to get me in trouble," the prospect muttered under his breath.

"No," I said, giving him my full attention, "I like to make sure you're cared for."

His brow furrowed as his cheeks tinted pink.

For some odd reason, the prospect felt like a little brother. I had a deep need to look out for him.

"Where are we going?" he asked. I released him and wove my way through the huge crowd of people milling about.

"My friend has a food truck here and I'm so hungry I'm about to eat my own pants off." I laughed as he shook his head at me.

"Right… and it's not like you're going to eat Mad Bell's chili."

I shot him a look as if saying "Exactly."

I was able to spot Stella's food truck easily. She had a decent-sized line, which made me smile. I knew she'd been nervous about people not stopping to try her chili. When she looked up and spotted me, I waved like a crazy cheerleader. The smile on her face was worth the sideways glances from the surrounding crowd.

"What is this?" I couldn't help but notice how the prospect's eyes were locked onto Stella as he asked.

"That's my friend Stella and this is her amazing food truck of delicious, good-for-you food."

"So… she's, like, a health nut?"

My head went from side to side as I tried to think of the best way to put it. It wasn't my story to tell, especially to someone she hadn't even met yet.

"Sort of, but not really," I answered, causing him to look at me for the first time since we stepped in line. "She got really sick as a kid and changing her diet was the one thing they found that helped her. She became kind of obsessed. The food saved her life so she wanted to… do everything she could for the food?"

He looked at me like I'd lost my mind. Sure, it didn't really make any sense if you didn't know Stella and how she thought, but it wasn't like I could break my friend down and explain her in a handful of minutes.

"I think I get it," he said, and I half believed him. Maybe there was something in his life like that and he could relate. I really wanted to ask more, but his attention was on my friend again, and by the look in his eyes, I didn't think he'd even hear me if I started talking.

Oh, boy.

I decided to play oblivious because I didn't want to deal with any of that.

"I didn't think I'd actually get to see you!" Stella said the moment we stepped up to the truck. She wasn't surprised to see me because I'd called her bitching and crying about how I'd fucked up and how Mad Bell wasn't talking to me at the time. She had been no help whatsoever. "It's insane! Such an amazing turnout."

She was beaming. My little ray of sunshine. Light of my life, as weird as that sounded.

I was having a great day before, but seeing her instantly made it even better.

"It has been great," I agreed. "I'm glad people are stopping by."

"I suppose you want some, huh?"

"Uh… did I lose my virginity to Chaney Thompson in the eleventh grade?!"

She rolled her eyes at me.

"You're with her?" she asked the prospect, brow raised as if to say she felt bad for him because he had to deal with me. "I'm so sorry."

He snickered under his breath, a shy noise that made me eye him as I held back a laugh.

"She's not so bad," he said softly.

My mouth dropped open in shock.

"I'm awesome," I stated, pointing a finger at myself. "You know I'm awesome. Both of you know I'm awesome. How dare you?!"

"Two bowls?" Stella asked with a shake of her head that said she was already used to me.

"Yeah," I said.

"One for Maisy and the other for…" Stella called over her shoulder but her eyes were locked onto the prospect as she waited for him to give her the information she was searching for.

His mouth opened, but then he snapped it shut and looked down.

"Hi, my name is," I said in a comically low voice that almost sounded like a cartoon version of a big toad. At the same time, I used my hand to move his jaw up and down, as if he were talking. "Daniel-Sam-Bob-Aaron-Ted-Casey-Moe."

One of those had to be close to right. Hell, at this point I'd take the first letter of whatever his name was.

His shoulder shook with a laugh but he didn't answer.

"Ugh," I threw my hands up in frustration. "Prospect. Just call him Prospect." I rolled my eyes hard. One day I was going to get it out of him.

It wasn't like it mattered because Laney, Stella's employee, brought over two bowls at that moment.

"Thanks," I said with a smile aimed at Laney. I turned my attention back to my BFF once again. "Smell ya later!"

The prospect grabbed our bowls and we headed off.

I snatched one of the bowls from him, shoving a heaping spoonful in my mouth the moment I grabbed the spoon. It was hot, but…

"Holy shit!" I swallowed. "That is amazing."

I turned, not surprised to see Stella still staring after me. Her smile was wide and infectious. I shot her a huge thumbs-up. This was perfection. The earthy taste was still there, but less overpowering. And there was a sweetness that cut the acid, but not in a way that stood out.

"This is vegan?" the prospect asked, surprise clear in his tone.

"Yep. She used dried mushrooms for texture."

"It's really good."

"I'll let her know," I said. "Unless… you want to go back there and tell her yourself." I hip-checked him, amazed when neither of us tripped or spilled our chili.

"No," he said firmly, but his cheeks were a little pink. Was it from the day in the sun or the bright, beautiful Stella? Who knew?

"Took you long enough," Mad Bell snapped the moment we got back. "Dipshit, get more bowls ready."

The prospect shoved another spoonful into his mouth before abandoning the bowl on the back table with a sad, longing look.

When I moved my gaze to Mad Bell, he was glaring at me. He seemed angry. As much as I wanted to roll my eyes and do something that would piss him off even more, something stopped me. There was something under that look that seemed a lot like hurt.

What the fuck?

But why?

Because I didn't get him a bowl? Because I took the prospect?

I had no clue, and I knew better than to waste time trying to get in the head of the grumpiest man alive.