Nearly all the families have left the studio when I spot Knox’s handwritten notes still on his chair. I contemplate my surroundings before shuffling over to the Everheart table. Could he have really forgotten these? I know I shouldn’t be doing this and anyone could see me, but I can’t help myself. I drop my backpack and pretend to pick it up while pocketing the notes, then hightail it out of the studio as fast as I can to meet Mama and Wyatt downstairs at the car.
“Did you sharpen your knives?” Mama is staring at me as if she knows I’ve been up to no good.
I feel the pocket of my pants ensuring the notes aren’t peeking out. “Yup.” Shit, that’s the whole reason I stayed behind. Now I don’t have sharpened knives. The only time I’ll have to do it is if I leave earlier tomorrow morning.
She purses her lips and looks at Wyatt. When he only shrugs, she narrows her eyes at me.
I wither under her stare and my face heats. “What?”
“Let’s get in the car.”
I’m quiet during the ride, watching the asphalt city pass us by. It’s a short ride to our hotel thankfully, and I rush out the car as soon as it stops.
“Where’s the fire, Rowan?”
“Mama, you know she doesn’t go anywhere slow. Ever.” Wyatt shakes his head at me. The way these two are, it’s so ridiculous. Thick as thieves.
I slow my steps, but my pocket is about to burn up. I can’t get to my room fast enough. The elevator creeps up to our floor and Mama never takes her eyes off me. When the doors ding open, Wyatt walks down the hall, but she holds my arm before I can speed to my own room. “So…Knox?”
Oh God, she knows? How does she know? “I um. Huh?”
“How are you holding up? You didn’t want to do this with him in the competition so I’m wondering how you’re feeling about everything.”
Oh my goodness. I thought my goose was cooked for real. She would not approve of me spying on anyone, especially an Everheart. “It’s fine. I mostly try to ignore him.”
“Hard to do when he’s cooking up such a storm, and looking at you when he’s not.”
She knows he’s superior to me. This is as close as she’ll get to saying it. “You don’t think we can win, Mama?”
She grabs my hand then and holds it between the two of hers. “I think we can win the whole thing. You need to believe that or we won’t.”
I hug her and nod before going to my room.
When I get inside, I can’t drop my backpack fast enough. Those notes practically jump out of my pocket into my hands. I flip on the lights and sit at the desk.
There’re five index cards with words and abbreviations that don’t make any sense. There’s “c” & “tb” so maybe cup and tablespoon but everything else is just random words either circled or underlined. One stands out though—Sassafras. And it has three asterisks next to it.
Either this is a strong coincidence or Knox Everheart has my middle name written on his cards.
But why?
I copy everything over to my laptop and run water for my bath. I need it after the long day we’ve had.
While soaking in the bubbles of the Jacuzzi tub, I move the codes through my mind. As my shoulders unwind, it occurs to me what it could possibly be. It makes zero sense though.
*
I lied to Mama and Wyatt, telling them I forgot my knives at the studio and wanted to go over early. In reality I need to sharpen them, but I also need to replace Knox’s notes. I skipped breakfast, so that’ll probably come back to bite me later.
When I get off the elevator, there are a few crew members setting up, but none of the families. Thankfully. I’m sweating as I glance around, making my way over to the Everheart table. One last scan before I pull the cards out of my pocket and hastily drop them in Knox’s chair, then scuttle away.
“Going somewhere?”
I stop in my tracks. There’s no use pretending I didn’t hear him. “Sorry, what?”
He tightens his lips and narrows his eyes. “Is there something you want to tell me?”
“I’m quite certain there isn’t.” Best to keep my answers short so I don’t accidentally step in anything. I wipe the palms of my hands against my pants then pull my backpack higher on my shoulders.
“Are you sure there’s nothing? For instance, maybe that you had some of my property?”
“What? Don’t be ridiculous.”
“What’s interesting is that I got here early to look for some index cards I left behind and there was nothing there. Then I went to the bathroom and came back, and voila, they’re right where I left them last night.” He bends down to retrieve the cards. “And here you are, Amber, suspiciously ambling away from our table.”
All I can hope is that I haven’t left my sweaty palm print all over those cards. “You’re mistaken. I just got here and was passing by on the way to our table. I don’t care about your notes. We’ll beat you just fine without cheating.”
“Not if you keep playing it safe, you won’t.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“You went to the top culinary school in the country, did you not? I’m pretty sure you did. I was there.” He walks closer to me and stops, widening his stance and crossing his arms. “But yet you let your mother make all your choices. The food is good, but you’re not taking any chances. It’s enough to beat the beautiful but talentless Dolter sisters, but…”
“How do you know they’re sisters?” Shit.
He cocks his head to the side and
