Vann shook his head and turned tooffer Molly a hand as she jumped down from the RV. “If you say so.”
“If I say what?” Molly asked.
“Not you. Me. We just got our firstglimpse ofhim,” I explained, turningto Molly withABORT MISSIONwrittenall over my face.
Molly was momentarily perplexed.“Him? Oh, him! And I missed it! Why didn’t you call me out here?”
Vann made a choked sound, clearlydisapproving our interest. “I really don’t get what the big deal is. So he’s agood cook. So are you, Vere. You’ve got nothing to be afraid of.”
Molly nodded enthusiastically,patting me on the shoulder. “Vann’s right. You’re the best. Killian Quinn’s gotnothing on you, babe.”
“If that’s what you think then whyare you so interested in him?” Vann asked Molly curiously.
“Uh, are you serious?” She laughed.“Because he’ssmokin’ hot! Didn’t you just see him? Hecould make burnt oatmeal, and I would pretend to be amazed.”
“More likely you’ll be the one tomake him burned oatmeal,” I laughed.
“If he’s as good as you say he is,my cooking might be a deal breaker, huh?”
“You’re cooking is a deal breakerfor every guy,” Vann muttered.
Molly punched him in the kidneys, causinghim to jerk forward and grunt. Vann reached up and grabbed a fistful of Molly’shair, yanking it backward. The two of them were like a Three Stooges routine.
“Stand up for me, Vera!” Mollydemanded.
“I can’t,” I told her honestly.“Vann’s right. Your cooking is so bad it’s almost a deal breaker forme.”
“I hate you both,” she pouted. “Andjust for that, I get to pick the restaurant.”
I tried to protest. Molly’s tasteranged from Junior Whoppers with cheese to filet mignon- cooked well done.Ick.“But—”
“Am I buying your lunch too?” Vannsquinted at her.
She squinted back. “Are you offering?”
He shrugged and decided, “I’ll putit on the business card and call it a client lunch.”
Molly and I grinned at each other.“Make it someplace nice, Molls.” She started to point across the plaza but Icut her off before she got ahead of herself. “ExceptLilou.They’re not open for lunch. And we don’t have a genie, so there’s no way we’regetting in before the next solar eclipse anyway.”
Her face fell, disappointed, but itwas a universal truth. Until something better popped up or a zombie apocalypse occurred,there was no way we were eating atLilouwithoutdoing our time on the reservation list.
“Vincenzo’s it is!” Molly decided.
“I’m going to have to fight a carbcoma for the rest of the day,” my ultra-healthy brother complained.
Molly pinched his waist, looking forpudge that wasn’t there. “And it’s going to feel so good.”
I laughed, despite my freshonslaught of nerves and pending failure. We walked across the plaza pastLilou, on our way to the next block of buildings andcobblestone square. I couldn’t help but stare at the darkened windows as we passed,taking in the rustic white washed brick and vibrant green ivy snaking aroundthe windows. I couldn’t see him, but I knew he was in there and my pulsequickened with insecurities.
Until this moment, opening Foodie hadfelt like the craziest thing I’d ever done.
But I realized that wasn’t true. NowI was forced to acknowledge that Killian Quinn resided less than a footballfield away from me and I realized that this was the craziest thing I’d everdone. And the stupidest.
It wasn’t the truck that wasfoolish. It was opening a pseudo fast food restaurant across the plaza from oneof America’s rising chefs.
I let out a breath and forced myselfto get over it. It was sink or swim time, and besides that, I’d already hitrock bottom.
A nervous breath escaped me as I thought,how bad can it really be?
