After taking a half dozen selfies on her phone, she squeals again.
“I follow your food truck on social media. I’m your biggest fan!” Holding up her phone to me, she swipes across the screen. “That’s me, @hungrypenelope. I wish I could make it out to your food truck every day for every meal, but then I’d go broke.”
When she laughs, I can’t help but laugh along with her. As awkward as it is to be stopped while going about my daily errands, it’s also flattering. The fact that complete strangers enjoy our food enough to tell us means everything. It makes all this craziness worth it.
I try to match her enthusiasm with a smile. “I love your handle, so funny. And you have such a pretty name.”
She yanks me into another hug that’s so tight I have to hold my breath. After she releases me, I catch her impressive one-hundred-thousand-plus follower count.
“Whoa,” I mutter.
She waves her hand in the air, like it’s no big deal. “Oh yeah. I do social media for a living.”
I almost ask her what tips she could offer me so I can maximize our online exposure, but she speaks first. “I seriously cannot wait for the Maui Food Festival. Like, seriously. I’m already so excited! You and your mom have my vote, and my friends’ votes too. You’re our favorite place to eat on the island, hands down.”
The smile drops, her face darkening. She peers over her shoulder before leaning toward me, like she’s about to reveal a secret. “By the way, I think what Hungry Chaps did to steal your spot was so uncool. Like, majorly uncool. My ex-boyfriend was like that. Always pulling shady power moves. Completely not okay. Can you believe I moved all the way from Ohio to Maui for a jerk like that?”
She chuckles, clearly unfazed that she’s spilling her relationship history to a practical stranger. Rather than feeling put off, I feel comfort. Penelope seems like a genuinely friendly person. I’m flattered she wants to share something personal with me even though we’ve only known each other minutes.
“But it was worth it because now I live in paradise and I found your amazing food truck. And now I’ve actually met you!” She lets out another squeal before her phone rings. “Shoot, I have to take this. FYI, I saw the Hungry Chaps guys milling around the market a bit ago, so steer clear.”
Penelope walks into the crowd with her phone to her ear before I can thank her for the warning. Best to leave now before I encounter Callum. We tried to play nice at the vet clinic, but that only lasted minutes. The last thing I want is another public confrontation that goes viral. Even if it would drive up business, it’s not worth the stress.
I head toward the other end of the market, then feel a tap on my shoulder. When I turn, there’s Finn James in board shorts, a striped T-shirt, and slip-on shoes, looking like a preppy college student on spring break.
His face reads hesitant. Probably since the only other times he’s seen me were when I was lashing out at his brother. Finn and I haven’t even had a proper conversation in the weeks that we’ve been working next to each other.
I make an effort to lose the frown I know I’m sporting. Finn hasn’t technically done anything to deserve my vitriol. It’s not his fault his brother is a prick.
“Fancy seeing you here.” He hunches his shoulders and tugs on the end of his shirt. He’s leaner than his brother and a bit shorter, but easily clears more than six feet.
“It’s an island. We were bound to run into each other at some point.”
He lets out a chuckle that sounds more nervous than happy. “About all this madness at work.” He stretches his arm out. He’s holding a clear plastic cup of coconut boba tea in his hand. “Peace offering?”
I don’t move to take the drink, opting to keep my arms at my sides. He stood on the sidelines for weeks while his brother and I waged a full-on food truck war with each other, and this is how he breaks the ice?
“You’re joking, right?”
His hand springs back to his body. He clutches the drink to his side, like he’s scared I’m going to smack it out of his hand. “I just thought that maybe—”
“Boba tea doesn’t really make up for the fact that your brother has been a