Chapter 157: Just the Appetizer

NORA’S POV

The cold wind hit my face the moment we pushed through the arena exit doors.

The sharp, clean chill instantly cleared away the lingering smell of ice and hot popcorn. I pulled my wool coat tighter around myself, letting out a breath that puffed white in the November air.

Knox walked right beside me, holding my hand.

He had taken only two minutes inside the lobby to shake hands with the children’s hospital coordinators, thanking them for putting together the event. He had completely ignored the mezzanine balcony where Harold Orwell and the other corporate donors were still standing.

As we walked out, several younger varsity players tapped his shoulder, giving him quiet nods of respect.

Beside us, Bear let out a groan that sounded like a dying engine. "I am officially starving," he announced, clutching his stomach with both hands. "Those three bite-sized soft pretzels barely touched my stomach. My body is running on pure willpower and ice shavings."

"You ate an entire box of Goldie’s bagels at seven this morning," Priya pointed out, adjusting her wool scarf as she walked on my other side. "How is it biologically possible for you to be hungry again?"

"I burned four thousand calories out there towing eight-year-olds around the ice, counselor," Bear shot back, puffing out his chest. "That kind of horsepower requires fuel. We need carbs, we need grease, and we need it within ten minutes or I’m eating Jake’s shoes."

"Leave my boots out of this," Jake said, walking backward a few steps ahead of us with his hands stuffed into his blazer pockets. "Goldie’s Deli is five minutes down the street. Hot pastrami, loaded cheese fries, and they have the football game on the overhead TV."

"Sold," Knox said, steering me toward his black truck parked near the front curb. "Priya, you riding with us or taking your own car?"

"I’m riding with you," Priya said without hesitation, heading straight for the back door of the cab. "I’m not walking four blocks in these boots when Sheridan has heated seats and free transportation."

We all piled into the truck, the heater blowing warm air across our freezing legs within seconds.

Knox drove through the campus traffic and pulled into the gravel lot behind Goldie’s Deli. The red-brick building was busy and noisy. As soon as we stepped inside, the smell of grilled onions, toasted rye, and melted cheese hit my senses.

The hostess recognized Knox and Bear immediately, smiling and waving us toward two wooden booths pushed together in the corner near the back brick wall.

Bear slid into the bench first, practically taking up the entire side with his broad shoulders. Jake sat next to him, while Priya slid into the other booth. Knox sat down right next to me, sliding his arm along the back of the wooden bench behind my shoulders, his thumb resting gently against the side of my neck.

Our waitress walked over, setting down a stack of plastic menus and five tall glasses of ice water.

"Give me the pastrami on rye with extra mustard," Bear ordered before she could even click her pen. "Double meat. A basket of loaded bacon cheese fries, two dill pickles, and a large chocolate milkshake."

The waitress scribbled furiously, blinking in mild shock. "Anything else, honey?"

"That’s just the appetizer," Jake joked, shaking his head. "I’ll take the bacon cheeseburger with onion rings and an iced tea."

Knox looked over at me. "What looks good to you, Bookworm? Hot soup? A turkey melt?"

"The turkey melt sounds amazing," I said, feeling the hunger finally catching up with me. "And some peppermint tea if they have it."

"Make it two turkey melts, two hot teas, and a bowl of chicken noodle soup," Knox told the waitress, handing our menus back to her.

Priya ordered a grilled chicken wrap, and the waitress hurried off toward the busy kitchen.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Priya leaned forward over the table, propping her chin on her hands with a wide grin.

"Okay, can we talk about Vanessa’s face when Knox stepped in?" Priya asked, her eyes sparkling with laughter. "I thought her false eyelashes were going to peel right off her eyelids."

Jake snorted into his water glass. "The best part was her PR guys. The two dudes in the suits looked like they were ready to jump out the emergency exit the second Harold looked down from the balcony."

"Harold looked like he was chewing on glass," Bear added, pulling a paper-wrapped straw apart and dropping it into his water. "He spent fifty grand putting his company logo on the clinic ice to look like a saint, and his own daughter almost got them banned from the building by picking a fight with our captain. Pure gold."

I shook my head, a quiet laugh escaping my chest. "I still can’t believe she brought up the contract again. After everything that happened with Chloe on Monday, she really thought a photocopied sheet of notebook paper gave her leverage."

"She has zero leverage," Knox said quietly. "Her father knows it, Pierce knows it, and Hastings made that clear when he put Chloe on disciplinary probation. Vanessa was bluffing because she had nothing left."

He shifted closer to me on the wooden bench, his knee bumping against mine under the table.

Before I could reply, my phone vibrated violently against the wood.

The screen lit up with an incoming call from Mom.

A quick flutter of warmth rushed through me. I tapped the green button and set the phone on the table between our glasses.

"Hi, Mom," I said, leaning toward the speaker. "Are you on your break?"

"Nora!" my mother’s voice came through. "Oh, honey, I’m glad I caught you! The lunch rush just cleared out of the shop. I had to sit down on the flour bin just to catch my breath."

"How is the knee feeling?" I asked, smiling at her familiar tone.

"The knee is fine, sweetheart. A little stiff, but Mrs. Gable brought me some arnica cream that works wonders," Mom replied. Then her voice dropped to an excited, conspiratorial whisper. "Nora, you will not believe what arrived in the mail today. The official competitor welcome packet from Emerald Pines Resort!"

Across the table, Bear stopped fiddling with his straw, leaning his massive head toward the phone with wide eyes.

"Did it have the schedule?" I asked, my pulse picking up.

"Yes! Gold lettering on heavy cardstock, Nora. It looks so fancy I was afraid to touch it with flour on my hands," Mom said, letting out a breathless laugh. "The check-in for the bakers is next Friday at two in the afternoon. The live bake starts Saturday morning at eight sharp in their main lodge kitchen. Four whole hours to produce our showcase entry."

"Four hours is plenty of time," I assured her, though my stomach did a small, nervous flip at the reality of it. "We practiced the entire schedule yesterday. We know the proofing times down to the minute."

"I know, but... Nora, they sent the list of the other five finalists."