Mustard Been You

I couldn’t believe the festival was happening. I’d been trying to get the chamber of commerce to do some sort of food truck festival for over a year, and they’d finally said yes. Tomorrow morning I’d be the only local vendor taking part in the Battle of the Belts competition, the first food truck competition to ever take place in Sycamore Mountain.

“Are you sure you’re ready?” my best friend Kady asked.

“No.” My gaze drifted from one truck to the next as we carried our gear toward the competitor's campground. All of them looked more professional. And all of them had much better paint jobs than the little truck I’d been driving around town for the past three years. “Even if I had another year to prepare, I still don’t think I’d be ready.”

Kady glanced over her shoulder and gave me a smile that was probably meant to instill confidence. Not even her attempt at cheering me up could settle my nerves. “It’s going to be fine. Everyone here loves you. They’ll come out in droves to show their support.”

“I hope so.” With the way food trucks had taken off in popularity, it only seemed right that Sycamore Mountain should have at least one of their own. Running Between the Buns had been a hobby so far, but my dream was to go full time.

Kady was the only one I’d told about my big aspirations. My parents thought it was ridiculous that I spent my evenings and weekends selling vegan hot dogs out of an old delivery truck. They couldn’t understand why I wasn’t happy in my administrative assistant job at City Hall, where I got a whole week of paid vacation, a decent health insurance plan, and a 401k.

My mom would never get it. She suffered from severe agoraphobia and barely left the house. Just getting her to a doctor’s appointment took more effort than it would to summit Mount Everest. She’d created a life that allowed her to live in her comfort zone, and I was so happy for her.

But I wanted more.

I hated spending every day chained to my desk. As someone who grew up in the mountains, I had a huge appreciation for the great outdoors. I wasn’t athletic enough to make a career out of working at one of the ski resorts in the area, but driving my food truck around town gave me the opportunity to get out in the community and see something beyond the drab gray walls of City Hall.

If I won the competition, I’d have the money to invest in a bigger, better truck. My parents needed me so I might not be able to follow my dreams to travel, but at least I could trade my nine to five for a career where I could be my own boss. Maybe even cross the mountains and dip my toes in the ocean off the North Carolina coast for the first time.

“Oooh, look at that one.” Kady tugged me toward a black and red truck advertising a Tex-Mex-Italian menu. “I wonder what their Italian sausage tacos taste like.”

“Don’t you dare go buying something from someone else’s truck.” The five trucks bringing in the most revenue over the next two days would compete in a final round for a cash prize. I couldn’t afford to have my bestie supporting the competition.

“Maybe we can work out a behind-the-scenes trade. One of your stuffed Italian ‘not’ dogs for a taco,” Kady suggested.

“As long as no cash trades hands, you’re welcome to barter whatever you’d like. Though, you promised you’d help me during festival hours, so when exactly are you planning on indulging in Italian tacos?”

She shrugged. “I’m sure there will be plenty of opportunities for a little after festival fun among the competition. Isn’t that why we’re pitching a tent and staying at the campground instead of sleeping in our own beds this weekend?”

The mention of staying in the tent made my shoulders tighten. I wasn’t looking forward to spending the weekend in a sleeping bag on the ground. “We’re staying at the campground so we can keep an eye on the competition, not so we can make friends.”

“You’re lucky I can do both.” Kady squeezed my arm.
She was right. While I had a tendency to become so laser focused I shut out everyone and everything, Kady was the queen of multi-tasking. She also oozed personality. I’d seen her charm her way in and out of a variety of situations, some of them especially sticky. We complemented each other. She was the sweet to my salty, the smooth to my rough, the extro to my introvert.

“Here’s our spot.” I stopped at the space that had been marked off for our camping spot. “Let’s get the tent set up before it gets dark. Then we can grab our box dinners and have a little picnic.”

Kady dropped the bag she’d been carrying. “I told you I don’t know how to pitch a tent.”

“It’s okay. I brought the directions, and it says it only takes one person five minutes to set up.”

“Great. I’ll go get the rest of our things from the truck while you handle the tent. If it really only takes five minutes, you’ll be done before I even get back.”

“Fine.” I set to work pulling the tent out of the bag and making sure I had all the pieces pictured on the instruction card. As I laid everything out in front of me, I noticed two guys headed my direction. They had to be competitors since we were the only ones allowed to stay in the marked-off area. My fingers started to shake when they stopped in front of the space next to me.

They were hot. Tall and muscular, they both had sandy blondish-brown hair and the kind of beards Kady kept pinning to her Pinterest board she’d titled “Things I’d Like to Ride On.”

One of them stepped over the twine separating our spot from theirs. “Hey, looks like we’re going to be neighbors.”

I looked up, shielding my eyes from the sun behind him. “Oh, hi.”

“I’m Felix and this is my brother Lawson.” He held out a large hand, but I was too caught up in his smile to move. His eyes crinkled at the corners, his lips curving up in a friendly grin.

All I could do was stare. I’d never been good with people, especially guys who looked like they could be featured on a steamy Man of the Month calendar. The guy standing in front of me would make a perfect Mr. May. I could picture him whipping off the t-shirt that stretched tight across his biceps. Maybe he’d hold a puppy or a kitten against the ridged six or even eight pack of abs the plain gray cotton tee hid underneath.

“And you are?” he asked, his hand still thrust forward.

“Helpless.” I blinked, trying to tip my world right side up again after it had tilted on its axis the moment he looked my way.

A line creased the space between his eyebrows.

What did I say? Did I even speak? I was so out of my element I couldn’t even remember.

“Helpless?” His smile widened.

My cheeks prickled. Did I seriously just introduce myself as Helpless? Where was Kady when I needed her?

“Um, no, I’m Cora. Cora Angler. I’m helpless against this tent.” I sank back down to my knees in the center of the circle of tent pieces. “It’s supposed to take one person five minutes to erect, but I’m stumped.”

“Well, Helpless Cora, I just happen to be a master at erections. Give me five minutes, and you’ll be all set.”