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I felt gluttonous. “Well, shouldn’t I choose?”
His brows furrowed. “This way you don’t have to.”
“But what if I want to? And then I’ll have to come back tomorrow and struggle with whether to try something new or something I’ve already had that was so good I couldn’t order anything else!” I threw my hands up and then to my hips.
Molly slid forward. “Deciding is half of the experience, Ransom. Let her have this one. Poppy doesn’t mind.”
Poppy just laughed. “Aww, come on, Ransom. Let her have the experience. I got the time.”
Ransom shrugged, placed his own order, then stepped back, gesturing for me to take center stage.
“Shit, now there’s all this pressure,” I muttered.
Molly laughed then sidled up next to me. “The bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit is perfection. Flaky biscuit, fluffy eggs, that crappy fake cheese slice, and the best bacon you’ve ever tasted. But you can’t go wrong with the maple bacon doughnut. The candied bacon on top just melts in your mouth.”
My mouth was drooling so much, I felt myself start choking. “Stop, Molls!” I rasped. “I’m going to drown in drool.”
Molly cackled with glee. “I really should be in marketing.”
Looking up at Poppy, I tilted my head. “I don’t know you. I mean, at all. But I already feel this kinship for you in that we both love bacon. I’m really impressed by your love for it, though, your dedication to the craft. So, I want one of the biscuits and one of the doughnuts so long as you promise you’ll be here tomorrow and the next day and I’ll get to try the rest soon.”
Poppy chuckled. “Absolutely, hon. I’ll be right here. Built up this business from scratch with my husband and a young single mother who had a way with bacon,” she told me while she started constructing my breakfast sandwich. “Molly’s mom, Kiley helped us build this business into what it is today. Her recipes and my ability to replicate them in mass quantities without sacrificing any of the taste is our superpower. So, hon, we’re dedicated. We’re practically in a union with bacon that cannot be severed. And with all my heart, pretty lady, I hope you enjoy it,” she said, handing me the bag.
I took it with deep appreciation. “Thank you, Poppy. Thank you for your loyalty and dedication to bacon.”
Poppy nodded to the woman beside her. “And Harmony. Can’t forget her over here.”
Harmony was practically a beauty queen in flannel. I knew my mouth dropped open the moment the cold hit and made my teeth ache.
Molly appeared at my side again. “Excellent choices, Phoebe. Now, let me introduce you to Harmony.” She squinted against the sunlight bouncing off the thick white layer of snow on the ground. “Can I call you Sam’s girlfriend yet or not?”
Harmony coughed. “No, Molls! What is wrong with you?”
Molly scowled at her. “Too much to deal with now. Phoebe’s new to town. She needs points of reference. Bacon food truck is only one of them. When she comes to girls’ nights, she needs to know who is who without a food truck around and what man to avoid.”
Harmony smiled at me. “Don’t mind Molls. She’s ornery before she gets her doughnut. And I’m single. The only man for me is Omar, my five-year-old son.”
I gave her an awe-filled smile. “Nice to meet you. A mom, huh? Wow. I can’t even imagine knowing how to do all that. And you look really young, yet you already know so much more than I do about kids and life.”
She rang me up and I handed her some cash. “Yeah, well, some days go better than others. Sure has been a learning curve.”
I nodded. “As is anything worth doing. Thank you, Harmony. It was really nice to meet you. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Harmony gave me a warm smile. “You too, Phoebe. And I hope you can quiet your mind and relax.”
I felt my eyes widen.
She leaned forward. “Your mind seems to be going a mile a minute. There are some really good places to meditate or relax around here. If you ever need a tour guide, here’s my number.”
My smile widened as I reached for the food truck business card with her number scrawled on the back. “Thanks. I may just take you up on that.”
When I stepped back, Molly was chatting with Poppy, but she reached out and snagged my arm before I could get to Ransom.
“Come back to Sam’s place with me,” she whispered. “I’ll make you a study guide of all the people you need to know. We’ll eat, drink coffee, and get you the 411 on Taylor Ridge.”
We both looked back and saw Ransom with his food bag chatting with Sam, whose gaze was firmly on Harmony.
I nodded to Molly. “What’s the deal with those two?”
