Chapter 15- The Tip

Paige’s POV

It was a two-hundred-dollar bill, with a note underneath saying, ‘don't spend it wisely.’

I stood there a moment, the money heavy in my hands, chest tangled with a mess of confusion.

“Whoa.” Lisa leaned over my shoulder, eyes going wide. “That’s a huge tip. On your first day?” She whistled low. “Guess being rude to hockey players pays off.”

“I can’t keep this.” I turned the napkin over, like the other side might explain something the first hadn’t. It didn’t. 

“Are you kidding? Paige, you have to take it.” She said it like it was obvious, like I was the one being unreasonable. “That’s Knox Tatum. This is probably nothing to him.”

I almost laughed.

I folded the bill and shoved it into my apron pocket, my face going red with the mixture of shame and embarrassment. 

What did he see me as? A charity case? 

There was no question in mind. I was giving it back to him. 

……….

By the time I got home, the apartment was dim, blinds still drawn from the night before. Leah was curled up on the couch under a blanket, hair a disaster, looking like she’d been run over by the entire hockey team.

“You’re alive,” I said, dropping my bag by the door.

“Barely.” She groaned into a pillow. “Why does vodka hate me?”

“You hate vodka. Vodka’s just doing its job.”

She peeled one eye open. “How was your shift?”

“Long.” I didn’t mention Knox, or the fact that he just gave me two hundred dollars like it was nothing. Probably was for him.

Leah sat up slowly, wincing. “Okay, so. About last night.”

“Mm?”

“Did I—” She pressed a hand to her forehead. “Did I say something to Enzo?”

I bit back a smile. “You told him his smile was illegal.”

Leah made a sound like she was dying. “Oh my god.”

“You also tried to tell him you had a crush on him before I dragged you out of there.”

“Paige.” She grabbed the pillow and screamed into it.

I laughed.

“It’s fine,” I said. “He thought it was funny.”

“Funny is worse than mortifying.” She lowered the pillow, studying me a little too closely for someone who’d been unconscious twelve hours ago. “Paige, are you ok though?” she asked “I feel like you are hiding something” 

My stomach dropped. “What do you mean? Nothing is going on” I lied.

“I mean you’re kind of trending on the school blogs right now.” She said with a concerned look on her face “Are you ok?”

I forced a shrug. “People get bored. They’ll find someone else to talk about next week.”

Leah wasn’t convinced. “Paige you know you can always—”

“I'm ok, Mom,” I said flopping down the seat beside Leah.

She let out a short laugh, but she didn’t drop it — just angled her phone toward me instead, thumb already scrolling.

“On the group chat. Someone posted a video from outside the club the other night.” She squinted at the screen, scrolling. “It’s blurry, but you can tell it’s you and Knox, and people are saying—” she paused, glancing up at me, “—that he kissed you?”

“He didn’t kiss me.” My heart slammed hard against my chest. There was no way I could tell Leah the truth. She’d never forgive me.

Besides…

It had only been one stupid kiss.

“I know, I know, I’m just telling you what people are saying.” She set the phone down, and something in her expression shifted, gone careful in a way that made my chest tighten. “But, like. Nothing’s going on there, right? With you and Knox?”

“No.” It came out too fast. 

She studied me a beat longer, and I made myself hold her gaze, made myself not think about his hand brushing my hip, and his lips.

“Okay, good, because—” She let out a sigh of relief and stood heading to her room. “That would be so yuck. Like, actually. He’s my brother.” 

“Good night Paige” she said walking up the stairs 

“Night Lee” I said, the guilt gnawing at my stomach.

Did I just lie to my best friend?

………

The first thing on my agenda the next morning was returning Knox Tatum’s money.

The folded bills sat safely inside my bag, exactly where I’d left them after getting home last night.

I still couldn’t wrap my head around why he’d left me a tip that big.

Whatever his reason was, I didn’t want it.

It was raining and chilly, so I wore something warm. I put on my usual skinny jeans and a knit sweater, comfortable boots to keep my feet and ankles dry, and my leather jacket. 

After my morning lecture, I headed straight for the hockey arena.

Practice had already ended by the time I got there. Players filtered out in small groups, laughing as they slung duffel bags over their shoulders.

I stopped one of them.

“Excuse me… have you seen Knox Tatum?”

He nodded. “Yeah. He’s probably still in the locker room.”

“Oh.” I glanced around. “Where’s the locker room?”

He pointed down the hallway. “Last door on the left.”

“Thank you.”

I adjusted the strap of my bag and made my way down the corridor.

The hallway grew quieter with every step until I stopped outside a heavy door with ‘HOME LOCKER ROOM’ printed across the front.

I took a steadying breath.

This would take two minutes. I’d hand him the money. He’d take it. And we’d both move on with our lives.

I pushed the locker room door open.

I froze, my feet rooted to the spot.

Knox stood a few feet away, looking like he’d just stepped out of the shower. A white towel hung low around his waist, water still dripping from his damp hair, trailing down the hard planes of his chest and disappearing beneath the towel. His hands pressed to his locker, his knuckles turning white from the pressure, his body was even more ripped than I thought it would be. 

My brain promptly stopped working.

What the hell had I just walked into?

As if sensing someone watching him, Knox turned.

His eyes landed on me.

For one heartbeat, surprise flashed across his face.

“Midget?”

My stomach dropped.

I opened my mouth, but no sound came out.

I was supposed to be returning his money. Instead, I’d somehow walked in on him half-dressed.

He pushed off the locker and took a step toward me. The knot at his waist loosened.

My eyes went impossibly wide.

“Oh my God!”