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

56. Chapter Fifty-Three

Chapter Fifty-Three

Jacques Aubert Day

J une fourth rolled around, and with it, the inaugural day of Lavender Bay’s food trucks. It was a pleasant, sunny, sixty-five degrees that morning, and the lake was still and glassy-looking. The beach was empty except for walkers. It seemed as if nearly everyone in Lavender Bay was standing in the parking lot at the end of Pearl Street, waiting for the ten a.m. unveiling.

Angie was there early to make sure everything was set up. Jordan and Caitlin, out of college for the summer, arrived early to help her. They wore their Coffee Girl uniforms as Angie still needed to order T-shirts for the food truck. It was on her list to do later that day.

The town had assigned spaces at the back of the parking lot to each of the trucks. Angie’s was right in the middle. She wasn’t sure how that would affect business; she’d have to wait and see.

She double-checked the sandwich board. She’d had Iris write it up last night. Special of the day: Melissa’s Grilled PBJ. Gibson’s Grape Jelly had gotten wind of the fact that their grape jelly was being used in one of their sandwiches and bought advertising space, and their logo had been painted along the side of the truck.

The disappointment over Tom being denied a food truck license lingered, but there were so many good things going on that Angie remained upbeat and positive. First, she was finally finished with her treatment. Second, her hair was beginning to grow back. Currently, the minimal fuzz on her head made her think she resembled a tennis ball. Third, Mr. Beans had settled in nicely at his new home, and she loved his companionship. He was more than a stray cat; he was family.

It was also Jacques Aubert Day, and that held special importance as it was her grandfather who’d gotten that ball rolling. Sporting one of Grammie’s headscarves, she felt the presence of both of them that day. The schools in Lavender Bay were closed to celebrate the founding father’s birthday, and children of all ages hung around with their families in the parking lot. Balloons were being given away for free, and the town had all sorts of activities planned for the day: a parade, live music in the park later, and a carnival located up near the highway.

She couldn’t fault the town hall for their food truck selections. They’d picked quite a variety. Her truck served coffee, iced coffee, and pastries in addition to the grilled PBJs. She was sandwiched between a salad truck called Leaves and an ice cream truck she suspected would give them all a run for their money. She could have used an ice cream truck when she had her mouth sores, she thought wryly. Another vendor served hot dogs and hamburgers, and the final one was a taco truck.

She went over a few last-minute things with Jordan and Caitlin. She felt a little shaky, but it was due to nerves. As ten o’clock approached, more and more people began to arrive until the entire parking lot was filled.

Angie’s family approached. Her mother, Aunt Gail, her sisters and cousins and their families all swarmed her, congratulating her. Yesterday, she’d received flowers from DeeDee, wishing her luck. Debbie also showed up and hugged her excitedly. She then situated herself on the perimeter of the crowd.

“Are you ready?” Louise asked.

“As ready as I can be,” Angie said, drawing in a deep breath.

“It looks like everyone and their brother are here,” Allan remarked.

“I hope so.”

Tom arrived next. He hugged her and kissed her hello. “Best of luck.”

“Thanks.”

He slid an arm around her waist.

She recognized a lot of her customers, who made a point of wishing her well on her new venture. Edna Knickerbocker and her sister, Edith Bermingham, were there, on opposite sides of the crowd, of course, to keep the peace.

The mayor arrived to cut the ribbon and pull down the drapes that covered the signage over the trucks for a bit of drama for the official opening. A photographer from The Lavender Bay Chronicles double-checked his camera equipment.

Before the grand opening was to start, she spotted Nena with her family. She waved her over and when she arrived, she hugged her. She’d finished her treatment months ago and her hair was beginning to grow back. Nena had her grandkids by the hand.

She introduced Nena to Tom and her family. Nena reached behind her and pulled a tall, good-looking man forward. “And this is my husband, Alfred. The man’s a saint for putting up with me.” Her husband smiled at her.

“You can say that again,” he cracked.

A podium had been set up front and center, and when the mayor stepped up to it, he waved his hands to get the crowd to settle down. The mayor, who was known to be long-winded, proved no different today. Halfway through his speech, Angie stopped listening. When he pulled out the scissors to cut the ribbon that had been stretched in front of all five food trucks, Nena quipped behind her, “Finally! I was going to go up there and cut that ribbon myself.”

The mayor posed, scissors mid-air, so the photographer could get a photo for the paper. After the ribbon was cut, aides jumped forward and removed it and the posts it had been attached to.

Starting with the first truck and moving left to right, the mayor pulled the drapery cord over each. When he arrived at Angie’s, she glanced quickly at Tom. She covered her mouth with her hands, unable to contain her excitement.

The curtains opened, revealing the sign above her food truck.

Tom and Angie’s Coffee Club.

Tom stared at it and then broke into a wide grin. “Well, I’ll be . . .” Laughing, he picked her up until her feet lifted off the ground and kissed her hard. Setting her down, he said to her, “You know, this means we’re partners.”

“Yeah, we are.”

Her mother leaned in and said, “That was a nice touch.”