Second Chances in Lavender Bay (The Lavender Bay Chronicles #3)

53. Chapter Fifty

Chapter Fifty

M elissa continued to bake, and when nausea sidelined Angie from taste testing, she left it up to the rest of the staff. As promised, the café showcased Melissa’s creations as a weekly special, and customers were asked to rate their preferences. Melissa’s mini fruit tarts were by far the favorite. A small pastry shell filled with blackberries, raspberries, and a little bit of kiwi and strawberry, with a glaze to die for, was so popular that Angie insisted it be added to their regular list of items. It didn’t go unnoticed that Melissa had a spring in her step these days. And she became even more inventive in the kitchen, creating delicacies like macaroons flecked with gold leaf, and chocolate-glazed poached pears that were almost too beautiful to eat. As delicious as these creations were, they were too high-end to be added to the existing pastry case lineup. Angie mulled this over. She certainly didn’t want to discourage Melissa, as it appeared she was going through a very creative phase, and if anything, that needed to be encouraged. She wondered how she could utilize her assistant’s talents better.

At the end of the month, Angie received a certified letter stating she’d been granted a license to operate a food truck starting in the summer. She gave a couple of whoops and a yelp, causing some of her employees to come running to make sure she was all right.

She held the letter aloft, waving it in the air. “We did it! We’re going to run a food truck at the beach starting in the summer.” Everyone clapped.

The new venture gave Angie a sense of purpose. Something to look forward to. More than ever, she was anxious to be done with treatment and move on with her life.

With the letter in hand, she crossed the street to see Tom. His café was full, and there was a line at the counter. Smiling to herself, she realized it had been stupid on her part to be jealous of Java Joe’s. There was more than enough room in Lavender Bay for two cafés.

As she walked by the counter, she asked, “Hi Everett, is Tom around?”

“He’s in the kitchen, hold on,” he said. She was about to protest and say, “Don’t bother him,” but her nephew disappeared. Tom appeared, wearing an apron and holding a towel.

“Evangeline! Come on back,” he said.

She went through the door marked “employees only.”

“What’s up?” he asked, leading her back to his office.

“Did you hear from the town about the food truck license?”

Tom was gruff. “I did. No go.”

“What? You didn’t get it?” she slumped against the office door. Disappointment washed over her on his behalf. It took the joy out of her own news.

“Nope. Hey, it’s okay. Wasn’t meant to be.” He studied her for a moment. “I take it you were granted a license.” When she nodded, he broke into a huge grin. “That’s awesome, Evangeline. Congratulations!” He pulled her into a hug and kissed her.

If the shoe were on the other foot, she would have been sour about it. But not Tom.

“I don’t know,” she said. “I don’t want to do it if you won’t be there.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” he said firmly. “This is a golden opportunity.”

She’d had daydreams of their food trucks parked next to each other on the beach. What fun would it be if he wasn’t going to be there? “You’re right, it’s a great opportunity. I just hope I’m up to the task of getting it up and running.” Thoughts overwhelmed her. Maybe it was too much. “I don’t know. It’s going to be a lot of work between the café and the food truck.” She bit her lip.

“You know, this might be a blessing in disguise. Since I don’t have to get my own food truck set up, I can help you with yours.”

Angie frowned. “You’d do that?”

Tom shook his head and stared up at the ceiling before looking at her. “What am I going to do with you? You’re so intelligent, but sometimes you’re clueless.”

Confused, she stared at him.

“Don’t you know there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you?” His eyes searched hers.

She smiled and whispered, “I know now.”