Fire on Ice

Part 14

Nora POV

The door to the café opens and a flurry of business people walk in to get their morning coffee. This time of morning is always busy and I brace myself for the influx of orders that will come my way for the next hour or so. Georgia had to take this week off because her daughter is getting married, so I've had to cancel some sessions with Nikolas at the rink because I had to run the café. Well, I had to tell Coach to cancel the sessions since I still don't have Nikolas' number. From what I've heard from him Nikolas doesn't seem too happy about this, and I can't really blame him because I would be frustrated too. But this job is my only source of income, so I can't help it.

But, our practices these last three weeks have been really promising, sans Nikolas' grumpy attitude and his inability to make small talk with me. He went completely cold after I got out of the hospital and I don't know what to make of it. I wonder if he's mad he had to spend all that money on me for the hospital bill, but at the same time I didn't ask him to do that.

"Hello? Did you hear anything I just said?" I snap out of my daze to find an annoyed looking woman glaring at me.

"Oh, sorry. I must've spaced out. Could you repeat your order?"

She takes a deep breath and starts again, "I said, and for the last time, a large triple shot mocha latte with 2 pumps vanilla syrup, chocolate cold foam on top with 3 taps of cinnamon. No more, no less, just three. You got that?"

I really didn't get that but the last thing I want to do is ask her to repeat it so I just nod my head and say, "Yes ma'am. I'll make it right away."

"Whatever." I rush to start making it, repeating everything she said in my head so I don't mess it up. After a few minutes I finish and hand her the drink. She struts out the same time that someone else storms in.

"Nora, what the fuck?" Nikolas comes in yelling at me and I can't help but notice a hint of an Italian accent when he talks.

I frown, "What? I didn't do anything."

"That's the problem. Why haven't you been at practice?"

"I told Coach, I can't go as much this week because my boss is out of town and she needs me to cover for her."

He rolls his eyes, "When are you going to understand that we need to be one hundred percent focused on the competition? Actually, wasn't it you that were lecturing me about how we needed to 'focus and train'?" He mocks my earlier words and I can feel my face heating up in anger.

"We don't have time for you to be here at this stupid little job at all hours of the day. It's-"

"That's enough." I cut him off. "I don't know what possessed you to think you can come here and yell at me but you're done. I understand, more than anyone, that we need to be focused on the competition. I want to win, no, I need to win as much if not more than you do. But I can't be at the rink at all hours of the day! I have to earn money so I can keep a roof over my head."

He scoffs, "That's what this is about? You're poor? I should've gathered that since you needed me to pay your bills for you."

At this my face heats up in embarrassment and I take a deep breath.

"Yes, I am poor. No, actually I'll do you one better. I'm broke. Every paycheck I earn here goes into paying rent or buying groceries or the bare necessities I need to live." I leave out that it also goes to helping my mom because I don't need to give him another thing he can throw back in my face.

"Not all of us can just spend daddy's money and not think about where it's coming from."

His face flares up at this and he spits out, "You don't know anything about me."