I misjudged him. “Ellis,” I whisper, ashamed.
“An apology can never make up for the past few years, but I can promise to be your ally.”
“Why the change of heart?”
“I never realized we were the ones holding you back. You were always there helping, planning, and inventing new ways to forward Smoke. Sure, you’d mentioned wanting your own truck, but you never made moves toward it. I figured you were too timid to run a truck on your own. It takes boldness and aggression to get a business going and maintain it. Those aren’t qualities I felt like you had an abundance of.”
“How could I ever have a chance to develop that when how I should be was constantly shoved down my throat? I was trapped by societal conventions and parental expectation. You two were a victim of the same. Only it worked in your favor.” I take a healthy bite of the slice of cake he plated for me and turn to face him.
He takes a sip of his drink. “Hmm. In some ways.”
The sadness in his voice struck me. “What do you mean?”
“I think we’ve all felt the relentless crush of being held up to the standards of Chef Richard Foley. Everything he’s touched turned to gold, so why wouldn’t he expect the same of us? I mean, did we ever get a moment to think about what we might like or were we simply pushed into the family business? I like what I do, but there were other things I wanted to explore and didn’t.”
“Like what?” I ask, fascinated by this new side of Ellis I’m discovering.
“Baking. I love to bake and decorate more than I ever dared let on. Cake, pastries, and dessert are my jam. Yes, I’m lucky enough to cook well, but it doesn’t feed my soul. I love running Smoke with Casp, but I do wonder what if often.”
“Ellis, why didn’t you go to school for baking?” I say stunned by his revelation.
“You have your crosses to bear, and I have mine. I wanted Dad to be proud. As the eldest, I’ve always been expected to continue the legacy in some way. For me, the food truck was an escape. It allowed me to avoid culinary school. It’s not where my heart lies.”
“Ellis, that really sucks.” I know the pain of hiding the important bits and pieces of yourself away.
“I admire you, little sister. For going after your dreams. Perhaps after I get things settled with the new food truck, I’ll do the same.”
“So you’re behind me on this?”
“One-hundred percent. I’m sure Casp will be, too. As the middle child, I think he’s gotten the best gig. Seems to me he floats around blissfully unaware of things.”
“He’s got the bug like Dad. As long as he’s cooking and creating he’s fine. I would’ve been more stunned if he hadn’t done to culinary school,” I say.
“It’s true. I think that’s why it didn’t bother Dad that I went to school for finances and customer service. Casp has always been a mini him when it comes to food,” Ellis replies with a shrug.
“Since you’re down with this … would you be willing to let me borrow your truck?”
“What’s going on?”
“So, Jas signed me up to be on Truck Wars.”
“Truck what?”
“Q109 is running a competition where teams compete with different tasks for a chance to win their own truck. I’m chosen as one of the five teams,” I reply.
“Damn! Go, Xi. Why do you need the truck?”
It feels good to speak to him openly and get his take on things.
“I need to perfect my menu.”
“As long as you have it ready to go in the morning, you can knock yourself out.”
Setting my mug down, I throw myself at him. He wraps his arms around me and kisses the top of my head. “I love you, Xi. I want to see you happy. I’m sorry I ever made you feel otherwise. Whatever you need to kick ass in the competition, I got your back.”
I sniff. “I love you, too.”
He pulls back. “Now let’s talk about this thing with Shayne.”