JJ fights back a laugh. “So we’re going to wear new glamours every time we visit, right? Just to confuse them?”
“Obviously,”Cass says, and they smile at each other before unwrapping their food.
Desi tears through her tacos and ice cream in record time, as is her custom, and beams up at JJ. “All done! Can I go fly my kite, JJ? Please?”
Out of the corner of JJ’s eye, he sees Cass’s smile waver. Taking a deep breath, JJ turns to face Desi directly. “Not today, honey,” he says quietly. “Since this is our first time outside in a while, we want to stay close to each other, okay? We can fly kites together next time.”
“Oh.” Desi looks briefly disappointed before perking up. “Can I watch an episode ofWyvern Academy,then?”
JJ grins, pulling out his cell phone and tapping into his streaming app. “Sure. Snowstorm gets in big trouble in this episode—I can’t wait to hear what you think!”
Cass obligingly produces a pair of headphones from an invisible pocket dimension, and within minutes, Desi is absorbed in the depths of Season Eight, swinging her legs happily under the table while she watches.
JJ eats his food more slowly after that, enjoying the fresh air and warm sunlight. Lakeside sometimes feels like it exists entirely outside of time, the sparkling lake and sandy shoreline a constant since his own childhood.
Only the food trucks occasionally change. JJ’s eyes linger on Samosa Spot. “You know,” he says thoughtfully, “I’ve always wondered why Samosa Spot here and Sambusa Stop in the Courtyard have such similar names. I know that samosas and sambusas are regional variations on a similar concept, but I feel like making the names so similar is just begging for a lawsuit.”
Cass squints at him. “Well, I should hope not. Especially since Anju and Tariqua are married.”
JJ’s eyes widen. “They’rewhat?”
“You didn’t know that?” Cass looks surprised. “Yeah. They originally wanted to go into business together, but then Anju said it would be funny if they had rival trucks, Tariqua joked that she should make sambusas to compete with Anju’s samosas, and the rest is history.”
“So what you’re saying,” JJ says, “is that we have a bona fide monopoly alive and thriving in Redwater?”
Cass’s lips twitch. “Oh, that’s not even the funniest thing to happen in our food truck crowd,” he says, and he slips over to JJ’s side of the table, settling in next to him to point at the poutine truck. “Did you ever wonder why it’s called PoutineQueens,even though a brother and sister run it?”
JJ didn’t even know the owners were siblings. He gives Cass an embarrassed smile. “I always just thought they chose the name because it rhymes.”
“Not quite,” Cass says. “They named it that because Chelsea is one queen and Keith is the other—he does drag shows twice a month at that bar off Mayfair. He absolutely kills it in eight-inch platform heels.”
JJ grins. “Well, I think we have a plan for our next field trip.”
“Oh, Desi wouldlovethat. The amount of glitter and sequins is frankly astounding.” There’s a relaxed smile on Cass’s face, aneasysmile. The type of smile he usually only gets after Desi has already gone to bed, when he and JJ are curled up on the couch with matching mugs of chamomile tea and a light conversation to make the hours pass like minutes.
JJ wants to savor that smile for as long as possible. “Tell me more?” he blurts out.
Cass’s eyes dance. Decisively, he points towards the three trucks at the far end of Lakeside. “Well, Javier from Gimme Tortilla and Viktor from Currywurst To Go are both flirting with Mina from Bibimbap House. It’s like a whole love triangle, except Mina is utterly oblivious to the entire thing. She really just thinks they’re being friendly.
“If she ever figures it out, though, their solution may be…” Cass directs JJ’s attention to Gulab Jamun Forever. “Polyamory. Aditi, Malia, and Joshua are in a triad, and they opened Sweets Forever together. Nowadays, Joshua handles the brick-and-mortar bakery, Aditi runs Gulab Jamun Forever, and Malia runs Pavlova Forever in the Courtyard.”
JJ can’t resist a smile. “I always wondered why those names were so similar, too.”
“Yeah, we have a lot of crossover episodes between here and the Courtyard,” Cass agrees, and he casts his eyes towards the cloudless blue sky, thinking. “What else? Crêperie is run by a grandfather and grandson, Falafel Express was started by three college roommates, Yamamoto Sushi Truck is operated by the Yamamotos’ triplet daughters…” He arches an eyebrow. “And I’m sure you’ve noticed Nick from Falafel Express flirting with Esteban from Tacos Near Me?”
JJ’s jaw threatens to hit the table.“What?”
“Yep,” Cass confirms, grinning. “Lucia and Andrew are both about ready to strangle them. It’s hilarious.”
JJ shakes his head, amused. “You really do know everything, don’t you?”
Cass’s expression shifts. “Well,” he says, his gaze not leaving JJ’s, “maybe I’m trying to impress you with my esoteric knowledge of Redwater’s food truck culture.”
JJ’s breath catches. Cass is sitting close next to JJ, close enough to touch, close enough that the hair’s breadth of space between them feels like a live wire. Even with the glamour, Cass’s smirk is playful and his eyes are bright, and JJ?—
JJ wants to kiss him.
The thought doesn’t necessarily surprise him. At this point, he’s probably thought about kissing Cass dozens of times, along with a few other fantasies he only lets himself imagine in the privacy of his bedroom at night.
