A pink leather laptop bag was resting at her feet and her MacBook was open in front of her; a small lined notebook lay flat on the table with a pen rested in the crevice of the spine.
Her laugh bellowed through the bakery and Finn nearly slammed into me where I stood frozen, gawking at her beauty.
“Dude,” Finn scolded me in his childish, kid-brother way. Another laugh roared through the bakery—only this one wasn’t Chloe’s. It was shrill and high-pitched. Both Finn and I cringed at the sound.
Across from Chloe sat Tanja, sipping a latte. Her overly tanned legs were crossed above the knee, and her yellow-flowered romper left little to the imagination. “Are we allowed to enforce that whole ‘we have the right to refuse service to anyone’ thing?” Finn asked me quietly.
I rolled my eyes and checked my phone. “Chloe has a meeting at one. I’m sure Tanja will be gone soon.”
I said that—but truly, I had no idea. Tanja didn’t seem to take hints all that well.
I took a deep breath, ready to invade their girl-talk. I was pretty surprised to see Tanja here. Last I heard, Chloe barely had a moment to breathe today, let alone have a coffee date with her best friend.
“So,” Tanja said, “I was thinking, since you’re so good at the PR thing, maybe you could help me manage my career? I read once that Jude Fisher paid a hundred thousand bucks to increase his twitter followers to a million.”
Chloe tapped her pen and slid a look at her phone… probably checking on the time. “Well, I don’t recommend putting a focus on Twitter. That ship is sinking fast. But I could probably help you grow your TikTok and Instagram accounts.”
Tanja beamed, but red-hot rage coursed through me. I didn’t like Tanja… at all. She was an abrasive, fair-weather friend, and for as much as Chloe seemed to love her, Tanja only popped up when she needed something. Where was she the night Dan dumped her? Where was she after Elaina went on location with Neil and Chloe felt lost and lonely without her sister here? This “friend” didn’t strike me as ride or die—and that’s what Chloe deserved. She deserved a best friend who would give as much as she would take.
“Jude also stated in that article that it was the biggest waste of money he’d ever spent,” I said, interjecting. I should know, Neil was Jude’s stuntman in several movies and they were close friends.
“Hey!” Chloe cried out, slapping me sarcastically. “Are you saying my services aren’t worth it?”
“Not at all. I’m saying that if there’s anything I’ve learned from you, it’s that growing your followers isn’t as important as organic engagement.”
She grinned and gave me a wink. “He’s a good student.”
Tanja rolled her eyes. “Okay, fine. So, can you help me get more organic engagement or whatever?”
Chloe bit her lip, but nodded. “I can help. I’m stretched pretty thin, but I can squeeze in a few brain-storming strategy sessions with you.”
Tanja beamed and sat back in her chair. “Great! Why don’t we go to brunch again Sunday?”
“Well…” Chloe glanced up at me, wincing. “I was supposed to have lunch with Liam and his mom. But…” Not only was she supposed to have lunch with Mom and me, but I knew she also had dinner plans with her parents Sunday evening. It was supposed to be our one day off this week. I offered her a genuine smile. “It’s no big deal,” I said. “We could even see if our parents would be open to combining our plans—one big family dinner with my Mom and your parents.”
She sighed, relieved. “That would be great,” Chloe said. “My parents have been wanting to see Linda, too.”
Tanja clapped her hands together. “Great! Brunch on Sunday it is!”
“And of course,” I added, because I couldn’t stop myself, “Tanja will be treating you to brunch since you’re helping her with her social media. Isn’t that right?”
I would have bet my food truck that Tanja had no intention of paying—for services rendered or for brunch. I’d seen it at least three times now; the way Chloe always picked up the tab. Still, she was my best friend’s other best friend. I needed to try to like her for Chloe’s sake.
Tanja’s returning smile was tight. “Of course. Brunch is on me.”
I gently scooted Chloe’s notebook to the side and set the sandwich and the can of seltzer down in front of her. “Here. You need to take a break and eat before your next appointment.”
Chloe smiled up at me and though she looked happy, she also looked exhausted. “Thank you.” She reached up, touching her hand gently to my arm and my own fingers twitched, aching to brush them across her flushed cheek. Instead, I held them firmly at my side.
“Any time.”
“Oh! You’re making paninis now? I’ll take a ham and cheese,” Tanja said, eying Chloe’s sandwich.
“I was actually finishing up my shift,” I said, unable to hide my scowl.
“Great! So, you’re not busy.”
I couldn’t prove it, but I was pretty sure this was her secret/not-so-secret way of getting back at me for suggesting she pay for brunch.
“Here,” Chloe slid her plate across. “Why don’t we split my panini—”
“No.” I covered her hand. Chloe needed to eat. It was her busiest day of the week with these meetings back to back—then with us running The Dump Truck tonight. “I’ll make you your own panini, Tanja.”
Tanja smiled a saccharine grin in my direction. “You’re the best, Liam.”
“Wish I could say the same,” I grumbled under my breath as I turned and stalked back to the kitchen.
That night was mostly business as usual. We opened the truck sometime between 7:30 and 8:00 and things between us were running smoothly. Even if Chloe’s energy was low.
Who could blame her? She was exhausted.
When we had a lull between customers, she ducked to the side and sat down at the small table and chairs we’d
