He scowls when I sit at the other table, but I ignore him and speak to the only other occupant. “Hi. I thought you were leaving?”
Mike smiles at me. “I missed my flight, but I rescheduled for this evening.”
“Where are your mom and sister?”
“They made it on. I didn’t leave the hotel on time.”
Okay. That’s super weird they weren’t traveling together, but I guess plausible. I don’t go everywhere with my family; I’m here after all and they’re at home. Speaking of, I need to call them before taping starts. “That’s cool that you got to come back and watch. I have to go call my mother before they start, but I’ll be right back.”
When I get up to leave, I can’t help but glance Knox’s way. He has fixed his face and pulled out a bag of corn chips. It’s seven o’clock in the morning for goodness’ sake.
When I get to the bathroom, I stop outside and call Mama. It’s early enough there that they shouldn’t be too busy yet. She answers on the second ring.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Mama. Just checking in with you to see how everything’s going?”
“Everything here is fine, Rowan. I haven’t made it to the restaurant yet, but I talked to Wyatt. Sue and Hannah have everything under control.”
That’s odd. Mama doesn’t even leave me alone without seeing for herself. Unless she’s sick. “Are you feeling okay?”
“Fine,” she insists. “How’s everything going out there? Tell me about the new families.”
Okay, swift subject change for the win. “There’s a white family from Pittsburgh, and another one from Chicago. There’s a Puerto Rican family from Birmingham, and a Chinese family from Portland. Oh, and Mike Smith is here. He said he missed his flight. And I already texted you about Knox last night.”
“I love that they try for plenty of diversity. Good on them. For the first time in as long as I can remember, you didn’t text me Knox Asshat Everheart. You two getting along better?”
Decidedly not. That was a momentary lapse in judgment. “No.”
She chuckles into the phone, then her voice hitches.
“Mama.”
“I’m fine, Rowan. You better get back before they start.”
I know when I’ve been dismissed. I’ll just call Wyatt later during lunch and find out what’s really going on. “Okay, love you. I’ll call you tonight if it doesn’t get too late.”
“Love you too, baby.”
Back in the studio, they’re at the stage where the director is giving them the lay of the land. Looks like I got back just in time.
Mike leans over. “Everything okay at home?”
“Yeah. We’re lucky in that I have a good friend who’s a chef and she’s kept everything going smoothly while I’m gone. Of course, my mother and brother are back now so I’m not too worried.”
“That’s good you have someone you can depend on.” His brown eyes twinkle, adding in a kind smile.
Before I can respond, the lights go on around the studio, indicating the set is hot. I guess I missed the warning lights.
The judges are introduced, and again when Dean Ellerson comes out, Knox’s face twists into his signature frown. She used to come down on him pretty hard, but she did on me too. I certainly hold no grudges. We deserved everything we got and more. If anything, she should be grimacing when she sees us.
The first competition gets under way and I grin at Mike. The show is following the same format, and this is when Mike and his family put their yummy chicken potpie against the Everhearts’ Italian offering.
I look over at Knox, but he doesn’t have a reminiscent grin waiting for me. He’s still frowning although not with the same one he reserved for Dean Ellerson.
I guess everything’s back to normal. Which is fine. I understand our normal. It’s last night that had me all flustered.
During the first break when the families switch off, I stand and stretch. Knox takes that opportunity to do the same and somehow ends up nearer to us.
Mike gets up to talk to him since he’s a foot away. “It looks a lot different from this vantage point, doesn’t it?”
Knox shrugs. “I suppose so. It’s good to see the competition though, don’t you think?” He peers at Mike, waiting on his answer, then clunks his forehead. “Oh, where’s my head? That’s right, your family’s out. I totally forgot.”
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Knox Asshat Everheart is back and in full effect.
Mike blinks. His friendly smile falters.
“Knox,” I warn, and start to stand.
Knox rotates my way, turning those ice-blue eyes on me. “Yes, Amber?”
That puts me back in my seat. Mike can fight his own battles. I barely know the guy.
And he tries, bless him. “It was a great competition. Our scores weren’t too bad against yours, but we came up short.”
Knox nods. “That’s true. Nothing to be ashamed of. Of course, you’re a small restaurant tucked away in the Colorado mountains. The judges would expect more of us given our pedigree. You got some very decent scores though.” Knox’s eyes sparkle cornflower blue, and I can’t believe I ever thought they were beautiful. Thick lashes be damned.
Then there’s the thought that maybe he really wasn’t talking about the Smith’s scores. More than likely he was talking about me, my family, and our restaurant. He thinks we scored as high as we did because the judges are grading on a curve. I’m the absolute biggest fool there ever was. I actually felt sorry for him, let down my guard, and… I can’t even finish that thought.
The warning lights pop on which is good, because I’m pretty sure Mike has never had someone be so rude to him before. All he can do is stare.
The thing is, I’ve never seen Knox be that rude to anyone other than me before, even if he really meant it for my ears. This is new territory and I’m not sure what to think. What is
