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“They don’t need no ice cream. I just bought them some donuts,” I said, remembering the donuts I’d gotten.

“Oh, well cancel that. Have they ate?”

“Yeah. We went by the food truck festival across town before we came here.”

“Good. Well, we good to go for a while. I’ma find some kind of way to keep them entertained. It looks like they’re good for now. I just finished washing these cars. I’m about to sit my ass down somewhere. You want a beer?”

“You read my mind,” I said, following him to the chairs under the trees by his house.

After about an hour and a half, I left Warren’s house and headed back home. I’d left to get Vick a change of clothes and other things I knew he would need to get him through the night, before settling down and watching the boys play while chopping it up and catching up with my cousin and his girlfriend.

There weren’t many people that I trusted with my son, but my cousin had proven to be solid on more than one occasion. Victor loved being at his house, and I loved that he had someone his age to play with.

I should have headed straight home from there, but instead, I found myself taking the scenic route again. I’d given Warren and Courtney the cinnamon rolls I bought for myself, giving me an excuse to go back to A Little Bit of Sweetness. I wanted to see Shiloh again.

Having the boys with me limited how much I could say to her, that and the growing line behind me. Buying a few more treats should get me another few minutes of her time. I wasn’t sure why I wanted to see her other than the fact that she was so pretty. I saw pretty women all the time. In my business, there was always a pretty girl batting her lashes for a discount.

My sweet tooth and attraction to the fiery woman responsible for the cinnamon rolls that made my cousin gobble his up in three bites, had me pulling back onto the street where the festival was held.

My heart sank when I noticed that the lot was nearly empty. Most of the vendors were already gone, and there was a crew picking up trash and cleaning up. My mood immediately improved when I noticed that among the couple of trucks that were still out there, A Little Bit of Sweetness was one of them.

As excited as I was to see her again, I wondered why she was still there. The festival was clearly over. Instead of parking out in the grass like I had before, I drove over to where the food truck was parked.

The window was now closed, indicating that Shiloh had closed up shop. I got out of my truck and noticed that she was standing next to the driver’s door with the phone to her ear. When she noticed me, she lowered the phone.

“Quinton?”

“Hey, you still open for business?” I asked.

I already knew the answer, but I needed to say something to explain showing back up.

“No, unfortunately, I’m closed. I’m just waiting for my uncle.”

“You good?”

She rolled her eyes as she considered her answer.

“It looks like you need some help, Shiloh. Is there anything I can do?”

“Ugh, I wish I didn’t. My uncle claimed to have fixed my truck by fixing the thermostat, but it’s running hot again.”

“I told you that you needed a new radiator, sweetheart.”

“My uncle said that y’all were trying to cheat me and have me buying parts that I didn’t even need.”

I laughed. I didn’t mean to laugh at her, but once it was out there, it was out there.

“You see where that got you. Why would I cheat you and then offer to work with you on the price?”

“I’m sorry, but I haven’t had a good history with mechanics or men in general,” she explained.

“I can understand that, but I really want to help you. Can I take a look at the truck?”

Before she could shoot me down again, I moved toward the front of it.

“Pop the hood,” I instructed.

I could smell the radiator fluid before she opened the hood, which was proof that the truck was overheating. Just for the hell of it, I walked around and climbed inside the truck. The needle was still in the red, even with the truck turned off. Even if I wasn’t looking into it myself, I had a very competent team working at my shop.