Page 107 of Book Club Confidential

Slowly, Kate turned to take in the vehicle. “What in the name of Frankenstein’s monster is that?”

Hallie swung the door wide and climbed inside. She let down a wide rectangular panel on the truck’s side to reveal a counter and service window. Then she raised a posterboard with the words Vampire Dinosaur Café Truck. “I’m working on the name.”

Kate stole a look at Tessa.

Hallie’s smile faded slightly as she waited for their response.

Tessa inhaled sharply, clapped once and rocked onto her toes. She hoped the feigned excitement would generate some authentic enthusiasm, or at least fool Hallie. “Is this what you’ve been up to? Buying a food truck?”

Hallie nodded. “Is it stupid?”

“No,” Kate said.

“No,” Tessa agreed. “It’s amazing! It’s perfect.”

“You love food trucks,” Kate said. “Now you own one!”

Hallie nodded some more. “It’s not a café. I couldn’t get a business loan. I tried. Do you know how hard it is to secure money from a bank these days?” She dropped her hands to the countertop before her. “I called Lucinda, because she’s always saying she wants to sell her truck. Turns out, I couldn’t afford it by a long shot, but she knew a guy who had this, and it just needs a little work, which I can afford. So I took it to a mechanic and had it thoroughly checked out. The guy works exclusively on food trucks. He knows his stuff. I made an offer to the seller, after I knew how much it would cost to get it ready, and he accepted this morning!”

Kate and Tessa waited, apparently equally unsure what to say next.

“I know it’s not a logical thing to do,” Hallie said. “Spending all of my savings on this. Especially since I don’t have a job to replenish that account, and I still have a mortgage and utilities to pay until my house sells.”

Kate glanced at Tessa, then squeezed her hand.

Tessa felt the earth tilt. “You used all of your money?”

Hallie cringed. “It was a good price for a food truck, and my account isn’t actually empty at this moment. But it will be after today. That’s just more reason to make sure this works out, right?”

Tessa forced a tight smile.

“Look.” Hallie climbed down. “I realized at the bridal boutique that the minute I say, ‘I do,’ my life won’t be my own anymore. I’ll have to run everything I do past Bryce and probably his mother. Nothing will be just mine. Not like now. And this family wants me at home raising kids, not out in the world running a business. But if I’m already doing that, it will be harder for them to make me quit.” She eased back a bit, refreshing her smile. “Besides, pushing limits is my sweet spot. Being broke is my heritage. Making hasty decisions is in my DNA. Having nothing left to lose is really very freeing.”

Kate stepped forward and hugged her. Tessa joined them.

“What does Bryce think of the truck?” Kate asked, as they broke apart.

“I haven’t told him.”

Tessa frowned. “He doesn’t know you spent all your money on this?”

Hallie wrinkled her nose. “I just bought it. I planned to invite him over and break the news gently at my place, but the truck won’t fit in my driveway, and there’s an ordinance in the neighborhood prohibiting vehicles over six thousand pounds from parking on the street. Anyway, I plan on asking Bryce for forgiveness instead of permission.”

Kate moved toward the vehicle. “Okay, well, this will be interesting. Can we get a tour before he comes home?”

Hallie lit up. “Yes!”

She led them onboard and pointed to everything in sight, naming it, explaining it, then describing her vision for the improvement and overall final look. “Complete purple-on-black color scheme with the truck’s name in white to stand out. I want to keep the menu short and simple, and I’d like to stock dark romance books as well. I can ask friends to donate them or buy them cheap at library book sales. Maybe even name some of the menu items after my favorite books or characters. I don’t think there’s much room for dinosaurs anymore, but I might incorporate them as Easter eggs for the OGs who know.”

The energy in the truck changed as Hallie spoke. The vibes of fear and failure melted away as her contagious enthusiasm filled every crack and crevice of doubt. Hallie had risked it all to be the heroine of her story, and it was beautiful.

“Are you crying?” Hallie asked Tessa, horrified.

“I’m moved!” Tessa wiped her eyes. “It’s a huge thing you did, and I’m proud. You deserve this. You went after your dreams. It’s incredible and brave. I love it,” she said. “And I love you guys so much.”

Kate wiped her eyes too. “I love you guys.”

Hallie pulled them into another group hug. “I might need to borrow some money.”