On a Roll by Beth Bolden (free ebook novel .txt) 📗

want to do something interesting and exciting?” Sean questioned. “Maybe Tony is fucking with us, but just because he is, doesn’t mean we should just phone it in, and do something shitty and expected.”

“Maybe.” Gabriel wasn’t really sure he gave a fuck, honestly—but he wasn’t surprised that Sean did. That was what Sean did, and if he was being painfully blunt about it with himself, that was part of why he goddamned liked Sean so much. He fucking cared. Always, and with a passion that Gabriel had always envied.

Gabriel was set in his ways because he was stubborn to the point of insanity, and for a handful of reasons that probably all originated from him being the middle child in a huge family that had always expected him to be a little Moretti clone.

But Sean? He not only had passion for doing things the right way, he had principles. He wanted to be the best, and not just for himself. Because he felt an intrinsic obligation to Tony, even when he was screwing him over, for inviting him to participate, and for including him in his food truck family. And, Gabriel thought darkly, because Sean also had a memory of someone he’d loved, that he was trying to live for.

No, he was totally not jealous of Milo. Not at all.

“Well, I’m not going to do something shitty and expected,” Sean announced. “You can do whatever you want, but that’s not something I’m participating it.”

“Except I can’t,” Gabriel argued. “We’re supposed to work together. This stupid thing is supposed to be a representation of both of us.”

“Yes, well,” Sean said snippily, “if that was what Tony really wanted, maybe he should have started with a different pairing.”

“What, so we can only work together when we’re fucking?” Gabriel asked, even though he was afraid to hear the answer—because of everything, that was the thing he feared the most.

Sean glanced away. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Then what did you mean?” Gabriel told himself that it didn’t matter what Sean said, but that was such a blatant lie.

“I just mean that we approach things so differently,” Sean said. “You see that, don’t you?”

“Maybe instead of thinking about all the ways we’re different, we should think about what we do that’s similar.” Gabriel wasn’t stupid enough to think that would work; it was a pipe dream, born of too many fantasies where they could be more to each other than just enemies and fuck buddies.

“What is that?” Sean asked.

Gabe had not really been expecting that question. Right or wrong, he’d thought that Sean would keep arguing with him. And he was left grasping for straws. What ways were they similar? He didn’t even know.

“We both really care about our food,” he said. Which was true. “As long as what we make is delicious, what does it matter if it’s innovative or not? The point is feeding people and bringing joy to their lives, right?”

“Right,” Sean said suspiciously. “So you really want to do this meatball wrap.”

“I mean, it would be the easiest way to accomplish the goal,” Gabe said. But Sean still didn’t look convinced.

“I guess we could give it a try,” Sean said. “I’ll go grab a few wraps from my truck.”

Gabriel nodded, beginning to pull a few tubs and bins out of the under-counter fridges where they stored their leftover prepped ingredients. “I’ll heat up some stuff,” he said. “Meatballs and sauce.”

He also grabbed a tub of their famous roasted garlic butter, which got slathered all over the roll before it was dressed with meatballs and sauce and then a healthy helping of cheese—provolone and mozzarella.

He was just heating a pan on the stove when Sean showed back up. He was carrying a whole bunch of stuff—bins and bins and not just the plastic package of oversized tortillas he used for his wraps.

“I brought two kinds,” Sean said, setting everything down on one of the shiny stainless steel counters. “Tomato basil and spinach.”

“Tomato basil might be too much tomato,” Gabriel said, after thinking for a second. “Why don’t we try the spinach?”

“Works for me,” Sean said, opening the package. “I’m just surprised you’d allow a vegetable this close to your workspace.”

“Hey, I have vegetables,” Gabriel argued. “I freaking import tomatoes from Italy.”

“Tomatoes are a fruit,” Sean pointed out.

“And there’s some ground onion in the meatballs,” Gabriel said, ignoring the fruit jab.

“Oh wow, onions. Next you’re going to be claiming garlic is a vegetable,” Sean said, as he pulled a spinach wrap out of the package.

“I’m Italian, aren’t I?” Gabe said. “Garlic is practically our national vegetable.”

“Exactly,” Sean said with an exaggerated eye roll. “Where do you want to heat this up? On the flat-top grill?”

“Yeah, sure,” Gabriel said absently, as he spooned sauce into his sauté pan, enjoying the sound and smell of the tomatoes hitting the heat. His stomach growled, and Sean glanced up, laughing.

“Was that you?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Gabe said, trying not to be embarrassed. “It was coffee or food, and well, unsurprisingly, coffee won. Hands down.”

“Of course it did,” Sean said. “Well, good news. You’re gonna get something to eat soon.”

“Yeah,” Gabriel said, as he tossed three meatballs into the sauce, and then added another for good measure. He wasn’t sure it was all going to fit, but he didn’t want Sean to accuse him of being stingy.

Shaking the pan, letting the sauce continue to sizzle and the meatballs heat through, he grabbed the cheese. The mozzarella, of course, and the provolone slices, and even a little dusting of parmesan for good measure, he thought.

“Three kinds of cheese?” Sean asked, raising an eyebrow, as he flipped the tortilla on the flat top. “Should we try to melt them now, when this is heating up?”

“Yeah, good idea,” Gabe said, and passed the three bins to Sean.

He watched as Sean placed the bare minimum of cheese on the tortilla. “Really?” he asked. “Cheese is glue. You should know that.”

“Cheese is also full of fat,” Sean argued.

“Well, I’ve eaten my weight in cheese