Drunk Dial

Venice was really interesting. Blended into the beautiful beach were guys hawking their CDs and a few medical centers for pot prescriptions. It was the perfect place to people watch.

We’d stopped by the skate park on the way to the truck so that Landon could show me where he spent a good majority of his down time.

We finally arrived at Landon’s Lunch Box, which was parked at the beach. Melanie was on shift when we got there. She was a cute, petite brunette with short hair and an athletic body. Jealousy immediately started creeping in. I’d always wondered what she looked like and was secretly hoping she was unattractive, considering she was spending every single day with him.

Landon introduced us. “Mel, this is Rana.”

“No way!” Her eyes lit up. “It’s you. Rana’s Feta Sandwich!”

It felt odd to be referred to as food. “Hi.” I grinned.

“You know…people loved that one. We’d always run out.”

“What exactly did it have in it?” I asked.

“Feta, shredded lettuce, calamata olives, red onions, and Greek dressing in a pita pocket.”

“Tomatoes,” Landon added, not missing a beat.

“Ah!” She snapped her fingers. “Tomatoes!”

“Mel, why don’t you take the afternoon off. I’ll work the rest of the day and close up. Rana’s gonna be my helper.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.”

“Cool, man. You’re not gonna hear me complain about that.”

Melanie took off her smock and quickly washed her hands.

“Rana, it was really rad meeting you,” she said before bolting out of the truck.

After watching her disappear toward the water, I turned to Landon. “She seems really nice. How did you meet her?”

“I met her at the skating park, actually. She’s an awesome skateboarder—unlike me apparently who nearly cracked my head open.”

I couldn’t help myself. “She’s cute, too.”

Landon seemed to know where my mind was. He just smiled at me for a bit before saying, “She’s gay.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Thank God.

One less thing to worry about.

“You never told me that in all the times you’ve mentioned her.”

“Well, your jealousy is kind of cute, so I neglected to mention it. Figured it might get you out here to California faster if you felt threatened.” He winked. “But apparently all I had to do was nearly die, and that did the trick.”

“Jerk.”

“Let me tell you a secret, though.”

“Yeah?”

He leaned in and spoke into my ear, “You don’t need to worry about anyone. I haven’t been able to think of anyone but you in ages, and when you leave, it’s only going to get ten times worse.”

The idea of leaving him was making me ill. “Let’s not think about that,” I said as he kissed my neck.

My eyes wandered to the counter by the window. A line was starting to form, signaling the start of the busy lunch hour. He had to get to work.

Rubbing my thumb along his lip, I said, “You’d better go. You have a line.”

That afternoon, I watched as Landon whipped up sandwich after sandwich. It amazed me how he knew all of the ingredients off the top of his head without having to double check anything. There had to have been at least fifty different ingredients for the five featured sandwiches of the day. Landon had told me that he mainly used fresh, local produce direct from farmers whenever he could. He kept the truck impeccably organized and clean. To say I was impressed was an understatement.

My job was to fetch him whatever he needed. Everything was labeled in the refrigerator, which made it super easy. There was also an ice-cream freezer, so I’d get those items for anyone who ordered dessert.

The line of customers was non-stop for at least an hour. When it finally winded down, he slapped me playfully with a towel before pulling me into him for a deep kiss.

I spoke against his mouth. “I could really get used to this.”

“You were such a good little helper, beautiful. Is it all you hoped it would be…the Lunch Box?”

“I love this truck. I loved the idea of it before I even knew how awesome being in it really is. But God, it’s so much work, more than I ever imagined.”

“It is, but the time definitely goes by fast when you’re busy.”

“You’re amazing, Landon. You built this business for yourself from the ground up. The success is all yours. People flock here, not only because of the creativity you put into your food, but everything you use is super fresh. You’re fast, efficient, and seriously charming to your customers. If I didn’t already have a massive crush on you, I certainly would have one now. I mean, I would totally be your best customer. I think I would be fat, because I would be gorging on your sandwiches every freaking day.”

He let my words sink in as a passionate look filled his eyes. “Come here, you.” He brought me into him again and just held me as the warm ocean breeze blew into the truck.