“Harper is in Mega Eats’ pocket?” Kia didn’t have to ask.
“Big facts,” Nina agreed. “Perfect world: Harper would recuse himself without our even asking. He hasn’t. So I’m going to use this to destroy Harper with the Judicial Fitness Committee. His career is over, it’s just that I don’t know if I can end him before your case. So standard procedure would be to ask for another judge.”
Kia didn’t like the rawness in Nina’s voice. She might be all flash and sass, but she cared about Sullivan. Kia could see it in her eyes. And she was worried.
“Did we get a good judge?” Sullivan asked.
“That’s the complication,” Nina said. “I asked for a newjudge, and the court denied the request. They say the connection between Perfect Foods and Mega Eats is too tangential.”
“What do we do?” Sullivan’s eyes were wide.
“Don’t worry.”
“Don’t worry?” Sullivan’s voice soared with the same panic Kia felt.
“I’m going to keep working on getting a new judge. And you and Kia are going to do more of the same. I want to see you inlove. We might do bus ads?”
“Bus ads?” Sullivan looked perplexed.
“To advertise Kia’s channel, but you just happen to be in the picture, kissing or something.”
“I’m kissing Kia on a bus ad so Mega Eats doesn’t win a lawsuit?”
“You’re right. Not worth the cost. Just get all up in her—” Nina took a sip of Sullivan’s drink. “All up in her socials.”
To make the moment a little more surreal, Opal had started leading the ruggers in chanting, “What’s long and firm and full of sperm? Dick da dick dick.”
“Why is a women’s rugby team singing about dick?” Nina asked. “Aren’t half of them gay?”
“It’s a rugby thing,” Sullivan said.
Opal waved her arms in front of her muddy choir.
“I don’t understand her,” Nina said absently.
“But you love her,” Sullivan said.
“Yeah.” A sweet look crossed Nina’s face, quickly replaced by her sharp, professional smile. “And you love Kia. Got it?”
With Nina’s warning fresh in their minds, Sullivan and Kia planned their next date. Kia was working a fair, but that was a perfect opportunity to promote Kia Gourmazing and their lovestory. Sullivan would “surprise” Kia at work. Kia would feed her, and then they’d explore the fair. Kia always hired local chefs to help in her food truck, so it’d be easy for her to get away.
Around nine p.m. on date night, Sullivan was walking across the grass parking area toward the county fair. It was a waste to crush a grass field to make a temporary parking lot. She’d made that point when her grandfather had brought her to the fair as a teenager. In his slow, thoughtful way, he’d said,That’s true. Then he’d pointed to the roller coaster bedazzling the dark horizon.But that doesn’t make it any less beautiful.It could have been the same roller coaster swirling across the horizon tonight, the moon hanging high above it like a creamy dinner mint. Everything was complicated. Beautiful things hurt the world and were still beautiful. The thrill of seeing Kia in her element cooking in the Diva kept pushing panic about Judge Harper’s conflict of interest to the back of Sullivan’s mind. Was this what it was like to be in the right relationship? Even the hard times glittered when you were with your person? Of course, their relationship was a tangled mess of history, feelings, and impending doom.
It was just hard to remember that with carnival music twinkling from invisible speakers. Inside the gates, people meandered between stalls, their faces hidden behind clouds of cotton candy. No one’s sticky child was screaming yet.
It wasn’t hard to spot Kia’s food truck. IRL, the Diva was even flashier than in theAmerican Farearticle. A life-sized LED screen on the side of the truck showed a GIF of Kia eating stars. Another LED screen flashed the menu. Destiny’s Child played from a speaker at the top of the truck. Deja danced to the beats while flipping something on a grill. Sullivan got in line. There was something about watching Kia from afar. Kia took naked pictures to remember her real self, but this was Kia’s real life too. Shesparkled.
“Love the vibe!” Kia motioned to a customer’s jumpsuit and Afro. She noted the next customer’s T-shirt. “Metallica, heck yeah!” She made devil horns. She’d praise whatever the customers chose. “Y’all know what the good stuff is!” Then she’d hand out a glittery pink pager, call the customermy friend, and move on to the next. Impossibly, she seemed genuinely fond of everyone.
“Hey, baby!” Kia’s voice bounced over the sound of music when she spotted Sullivan. “That’s my wife.” She pointed to Sullivan.
People in line cheered because… no one had ever gotten married before?
“Hey, gorgeous,” Sullivan called back.
“Sorry, folks, I gotta see my boo. My crew will take good care of you.” She motioned to the other chefs. “Babe, I’m making you a plate. Grab a seat.”
Kia had set up a dining space next to her food truck. String lights hung on poles. Signs invited people to give up their seats to people with mobility challenges. Sullivan sat down. A moment later, Kia set a plate in front of her. She’d piled the plate with baked beans, greens, something that might have been beets, fried jalapeños crusted with what looked like Cheetos, a caramelized corn fritter (maybe… it could have been a caramelized anything), and a corn dog. Kia pulled the colorful scarf off her hair. Her hair exploded from its confines. Then she slid into place behind Sullivan, wrapped her arm around Sullivan’s chest, and took a selfie. Then Kia sat, shifting in her seat and looking embarrassed.
