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.
“Abump. 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.
