Somewhere Only We Know (22 page)

"A restaurant would offer security, benefits, maybe more money. I'm not sure how much cash a food truck brings in. Working for yourself would allow you the freedom you want, and I can certainly see you creating amazing dishes if you were free to do so. That might be in a truck or in a restaurant with a great boss. You have to weigh out all the pros and cons and decide what your priorities are."

"Well, I didn't think this would ever happen," she said, somewhat surprised to find they were on the same page.

"What?"

"That we would agree one hundred percent with each other."

"You agree with me?" he asked with doubt in his voice.

"I do. Everything you said echoes my own thinking. I know that there's often a trade-off for freedom of expression, and that trade-off is usually less money. But as I rebuild my life and look toward the future, I know that I don't just want to work a job anymore. I've done that a dozen times. I've taken on whatever work I could just so I could live somewhere or travel someplace. But those part-time days are over. I need a career. I know I still have to pay some dues, because I'm in a new city, and my job history has been spotty, but I'm good at what I do. I just need someone else to see that, too."

"You'll make that happen, Maddie. It's not like one path is right and one is wrong. They both have advantages and disadvantages. Only you can decide what's right for you."

She liked that he wasn't telling her what to do. She'd always thought of Burke as someone with very strong opinions, and for the most part he liked to share those opinions, but at the moment he was giving her a chance to think for herself, to find her own way, and she appreciated that. Unfortunately, she now had one more reason to like him.

* * *

"Did I meet Kate at Nicole's party?" Maddie asked a half hour later when Burke exited the freeway.

"No. My Uncle Tim and Aunt Sharon were there as well as my cousin Ian, but I don't think anyone else from that family was there."

"Tim is your father's brother?"

Burke nodded. "He's two years younger than my dad. He was a firefighter for twenty-five years but retired about six years ago. My aunt is a nurse. They have six kids."

"The Callaways definitely like to procreate."

"That they do."

"Where is Kate in the line-up?"

"She's at the bottom. Dylan is the oldest. He's two years younger than me. Then it goes Ian, Hunter, Annie, and the twins Mia and Kate."

"More twins?"

"Yes, they seem to come at the end of each family line-up."

She laughed. "Or maybe having twins just puts an end to the desire for more children. My parents didn't get past Dani and me. Are Kate and Mia identical?"

"Fraternal twins. They don't look alike, and they're very different in personality, too. Mia is a studious, intellectual girl pursuing advanced degrees in art history or something like that. She's been fascinated with art and museums since she was a child. Kate is a kick-ass tomboy who recently applied for the FBI. She wants to be a special agent."

"That sounds fun and dangerous and very Callaway," she said. "How old is Kate?"

He thought for a moment. "I think she's around twenty-five."

"How many cousins do you have?"

"You're really testing my memory and my math skills, Maddie."

"Somehow I think you're up to the challenge."

"Let's see. Uncle Kevin and Aunt Monica have five kids. Aunt Ellen and her husband Greg Coulter have six kids. So that makes seventeen cousins."

"Do they all live in San Francisco?"

"No, the Coulter clan lives in Chicago, although I heard my cousin Wyatt might be moving out to San Francisco when he gets out of the Marine Corps, which is apparently very soon."

"Another dangerous job," she commented.

"My grandparents instilled a strong sense of duty into all their offspring."

"Are any of the Coulters firefighters?"

"One. My cousin Jason is a firefighter in Chicago."

"When was the last time the entire Callaway clan got together?"

"We haven't done it in a few years. Usually, a wedding will pull in most of the group. I know my mom is trying to plan a big family reunion in Lake Tahoe next summer. She's been working on it for a year. Hopefully, we'll get everyone there, or at least as many people as we can. My generation is starting to spread out, get married, have kids…so we'll see who shows up. Do you have any extended family?"

"Three cousins in the Denver area. We hardly ever see them. So, not a big family."

"But I bet you have friends all over the world."

"I do. It makes traveling easier. There's usually someone willing to put out the welcome mat." She paused. "I've lost track of a lot of the kids I grew up with, though. I'd love to reconnect with some of them now that I'm back in San Francisco."

"You should. I'm sure they'd love to see you."

"I'd just like to have a little better story to tell before I reconnect and have to answer questions like 'where do you live' and 'what do you do for living'."

"I suspect that will happen very soon."

"Let's hope so."

"Here we are," Burke said a few minutes later. He drove down a street that paralleled the ocean and the Great Highway.

"They must have a view," she commented.

"It's great when it's not foggy. Dylan and Ian grew up surfing every morning before breakfast."

"Did you ever join them?"

He shook his head. "I went a few times, but I didn't enjoy surfing."

"You didn't like challenging the waves? I'm surprised."

"That part was fun, but there was too much waiting around for my taste." He pointed across the street. "I think that's your truck."

"Not my truck yet." She laughed at the name scrawled in green paint across the side of the truck. "
Holy Meatballs.
I like it. And I'm really good at making meatballs."

"It's a far cry from the fancy restaurant you just interviewed at."

"I was expecting that."

Burke parked just behind the truck. They got out and walked around it, but everything was locked up tight.

"It looks in good shape from the outside," she murmured.

"Let's go find Kate."

They walked across the street to a two-story home that shared common walls with the houses on both sides. "Did your aunt and uncle raise six kids in this house? It doesn't seem that big."

"The Callaway kids are used to sharing rooms. Aiden and I shared until I was fifteen. Then my father finally allowed me to move into the unit over the garage. My siblings were incredibly jealous, and that room was constantly being fought over."

"But you got it first."

"The perks of being the oldest. Colton told me that he never got a chance to live there. By the time he was old enough, some of the older kids had moved home and back over the garage."

"I always loved your parents' house. It was so warm and happy, lots of people around, lots of laughter. And the Callaways ran all the street games in the summer."

"It was a good place to grow up, but this house by the beach isn't bad either," he said as he rang the bell.

A moment later a blue-eyed attractive redhead in her mid twenties opened the door. She wore workout clothes, and her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, giving her an athletic look.

"Burke," she said with delight, giving him a hug.

"Nice to see you, Kate. This is Maddie Heller. Kate Callaway."

"Hi Maddie. My friend Joel is so excited that you're interested in helping him out."

"Is he here?" Burke asked. "We'd love to see the inside of the truck."

"He's on his way. He had to wait for a ride. He broke his right arm and fractured some fingers on his left hand in a motorcycle accident two weeks ago. That's why he's out of commission, and he's starting to run out of money. There's a big food truck festival at Crissy Field in two weeks that he really doesn't want to miss out on, but I'll let him give you the details. Come in and say hello to Mom. She said she hasn't seen you in a few months."

Maddie smiled as the effervescent Kate grabbed Burke's hand and drew him into the house. Kate definitely had the outgoing Callaway personality. Maddie sometimes wondered who Burke took after—maybe his biological mother. He definitely seemed to be the most serious of the bunch.

Sharon Callaway was an older version of her daughter with blue eyes and darker red hair. She was sitting at the table looking at a digital e-reader while a large pot of water boiled on the stove. She immediately got to her feet to greet them. She was still wearing blue scrubs with a dark blue sweater, so she'd obviously just come from work.

"My favorite nephew," Sharon said.

"I bet you say that to everyone, Aunt Sharon." Burke gave her a hug. "This is Maddie Heller. I don't know if you met at Nicole's party the other night."

"I think I saw you in the distance. It's nice to meet you, Maddie. Can I get you something to drink? I'm making spaghetti if you want to stay for dinner."

"Sorry, but we have some things to do later," Burke replied.

"Well, sit down, make yourselves comfortable," Sharon said, resuming her seat at the table.

"I'm going to call Joel, make sure he's on his way," Kate said, leaving the room.

"How's work going?" Burke asked his aunt.

"Keeping me busy, but I love it. I'm on the maternity floor now, so it's a happy place. Those brand new babies just melt my heart. Makes me long for grandchildren."

"I'm sure you'll get there."

"I don't know. My children seem to be stubbornly single. By the way, I'm so happy for Nicole. I know she was afraid to take another chance after Brandon's issues, but I'm glad she did. Hopefully, she'll have an easier time of it with this baby."

"Even if she doesn't, she'll be a great mother," Burke said.

"So true. I've always been in awe of the way she fights to help Brandon. She's amazing. Not every woman is cut out to be a mother, but Nicole was made for it." Sharon paused. "How are you doing, Burke? I heard about the incident at Leanne's memorial dinner. Dylan said that one of the other firefighters is trying to prove Leanne's death was not an accident. I don't understand that."

Burke stiffened. "I sometimes forget what a good network our family has."

"We all worry about each other. You know that. So what's the story?"

"I don't know. I don't really want to talk about the past anymore. I just want to move forward."

"That's understandable. I'm sorry I brought it up, Burke."

"Don't worry about it. Tell me what's going on with Ian. Dylan said he just got a research grant."

"To study something that I cannot begin to understand." She smiled at Maddie "My second oldest son is a scientist."

"You have very accomplished children from what I hear."

"Two firefighters, a scientist, an art historian, a graphic designer and a wanna-be FBI special agent," Sharon said. "Sometimes I can't quite believe all the different directions my kids are going in, not that they are kids anymore. Time moves very quickly, especially when you get older. It's a good idea not to waste it."

Maddie thought that was excellent advice. Listening to Sharon talk about her children's accomplishments had only reminded her that she would have been a lot farther along by now if she'd set some goals, made some plans. But she couldn't change the past. She could only affect the future.

Kate came back into the room. "Joel is outside. Are you guys ready to see the truck?"

"We are," Maddie said, quickly getting to her feet. She was eager to move on to the next phase of her life. She didn't know if banking her life on meatballs was the best idea she'd ever had, but it couldn't possibly be the worst.

Chapter Fifteen

Joel Edwards was a skinny guy in his late twenties wearing a T-shirt and low-riding jeans. His brown hair was long enough to be pulled back in a ponytail, revealing tattoos down the side of his neck. His right arm was in a cast up to his elbow and the two middle fingers of his left hand were also splinted.

After exchanging introductions, Joel said, "I'm really hoping you can help me out, Maddie. I'm losing so much money not being able to work." He opened the door to the truck. "Let me show you around."

As she stepped inside the truck, she was impressed by the cleanliness of the small kitchen. It was set up very efficiently with oven, burners, microwave, sink, cooking space and paper supplies. The window that opened to the street had a nice wide counter and again was in excellent condition.

"I serve meatballs, as you might have guessed," Joel said. "I have twenty different kinds on the menu ranging from Italian to Spanish to Mediterranean. I also serve up three pastas, rice, and a grilled meatball sandwich smothered in cheese and onions, one of the most popular dishes I offer. Sometimes I run a special if I get a discount on a particular protein. The meatballs are a mix of beef, pork, turkey and chicken. I also have a vegan ball. I aim to be as creative and innovative as possible, so if you have ideas, you're welcome to try them out."

"I like the sound of that."

"Where have you been cooking? Kate told me you were an experienced chef but in between jobs."

She nodded. "Yes, I've been cooking my entire life. I took classes in both France and Italy and worked in restaurants in both countries as well as some restaurants here in the States."

"You've gotten around."

"I have. What about you? Where did you learn to cook?"

"My grandfather's Italian restaurant right here in San Francisco. He taught me everything I know."

"What does he think of this truck?"

"Sadly, he passed away three years ago, so he didn't get to see it, but I think he would have liked it. He always told me it's not where you cook, it's what you cook."

"Very true," she agreed. "What happened to his restaurant?"

"My uncle runs it now," Joel explained. "He and I don't see eye to eye when it comes to food, so when I had the chance to get this truck, I grabbed it. I can do 70-30 on the net proceeds with you. You get the 70 percent. I take 30."

"How long do you think you'll need help?"