Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 98789 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 494(@200wpm)___ 395(@250wpm)___ 329(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98789 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 494(@200wpm)___ 395(@250wpm)___ 329(@300wpm)
“So you set your own dream aside.”
“I did. And I don’t regret it.”
I looked out the window again. “That’s good, Dad.”
“But I always wondered what if, you know?”
I swallowed. “Sure.”
He was silent for a minute. “Your mom mentioned something about a food truck.”
Frowning, I shook my head. “She wasn’t supposed to say anything about that. It was just a silly idea I had, but it’s—”
“It’s not silly. I like it.”
My jaw fell. “You do?”
“Yeah. Want to tell me more?”
“Uh, sure. But Mom said you guys had always avoided getting into any kind of catering.”
“This doesn’t sound exactly like catering though. The people would come to you, right?”
“Well, they’d hire me. And I’d bring the truck there and sell or serve right out of the window. Like at a carnival, but at a street fair. Or someone’s wedding. Or a graduation party.”
He smiled. “That sounds like fun.”
“I think so too. And I could experiment a little with the menu. That way, I wouldn’t be messing with anyone’s old favorites at Moe’s, but I could be creative.”
“Sure,” he said, nodding. “Like those dishes you served that Hugo Martin. I’ve been showing all my nurses his article about you.”
I laughed. “You don’t have to do that.”
“I’m proud of you, Ari. You’re too talented for Moe’s, I know that.”
“Not at all, Dad.” I put my hand on the blanket and leaned forward. “That’s the thing. Comfort food doesn’t have to be cheap or unsophisticated or unhealthy or unimaginative. It just has to taste great and make people feel good. Maybe remind them of something they’ve had before but presented in a new way.”
“I like that,” he said. “Let’s go for it. Where do we buy a truck? How much do they cost?”
“Well, I’ve only looked at one, and the sale price is about forty thousand dollars. And that’s before the exterior paint job.”
He pursed his lips. “Forty K, huh?”
“Yeah, I know it’s a lot. So maybe this isn’t the right time to—”
“We can do it.”
“I just think maybe we ought to wait and see—”
“I don’t want to wait.”
“But Dad, you’re going to have a massive hospital bill, and more medical expenses as you recover, and Mom thinks—”
“I know what Mom thinks,” he said. “In fact, I know what Mom thinks before she even thinks it. And it’s not that she’s wrong, she’s just worried about us and wants to protect us. So she’s thinking from a place of fear.”
“But there is a lot of risk,” I pointed out. “We should be scared.”
“Well, I’m not.” He lifted his chin. “How many good years do I have left? I want to do exciting things, take chances, watch you go after something you want and succeed. I want you to have the chance I never did.”
I smiled, my throat growing tight. “There’s no guarantee I’ll succeed, Dad. I could fail in a big way.”
“Chi non fa, non falla, angel,” he said. “My grandmother used to tell me that when I was learning to cook. It means ‘he who makes no mistakes makes nothing.’”
“I like that.” My eyes filled. “I’ve made plenty of mistakes, and I’m sure I’ll make more. But I want to make you proud.”
“That’s a given, angel.” He reached for me, and I came into his arms and gave him a hug. “You go see if that truck is still for sale. I’ll talk to your mom and the bank. If we have to take out a loan against the house, we’ll do it.”
“You’re the best, Dad,” I said, tears falling freely. “I don’t know how to thank you.”
“Get me out of this place.”
Laughing, I let him go and wiped my eyes. “I’ll give it my best effort.”
He gave me a tired smile. “You always do.”
I didn’t waste any time. As soon as I got behind the wheel of my car—which ran much better these days—I pulled Ellie Lupo’s card from my purse and called her.
“Hello?”
“Hi, is this Ellie?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Hi, this is Ari DeLuca. We met—”
“Ari, hi! How are you?”
“I’m good.”
“How’s your dad? We heard what happened while we were up at Snowberry. That’s so scary.”
“He’s improving. He had bypass surgery Wednesday and he’s on the mend. He’s going to be fine.”
“What a relief. I’m so glad to hear it.”
“Thanks. Listen, I’m calling because I finally had a chance to talk with my parents about the truck, and I’m interested in buying it.”
“Oh.” She paused. “Oh, shoot.”
My heart stuttered. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s sold. Someone just bought it yesterday.”
“Oh.” My spirits deflated. “That’s—that’s too bad.”
“I’m so sorry, Ari. I didn’t realize it would happen so quickly. I feel awful.”
“No, no—it’s fine. It’s totally not your fault. I dragged my feet.”
“Maybe you can find another one for sale.”
“I’m sure I can.” I tried to sound optimistic. “Now that I have an idea of what I want, I know what to look for.”