Page 97 of Defensive Desire

For the next hour, we transform the sterile vacant room into a wonderland that would make any book-loving kid's heart sing.

It would also make for the perfect café space, a room perfect for my vision of expanding my brand.

I arrange a cozy reading corner with cushions and blankets in Icehawks colors. Logan assembles the small stage where he'll do story time, his hands surprisingly gentle as he positions each piece of the backdrop we painted last night.

The hot chocolate station gets the full Chapter and Grind treatment, keeping the theme flowing between my two shops, only with a subtle infusion of additional hockey atmosphere for this arrangement. Vintage copper urns, wooden stirrers carved with tiny hockey sticks, and little paper cups printed with both the Chapter & Grind logo and Icehawks branding.

Today… every detail matters.

Logan catches me adjusting the bookmark display for the fourth time. "You know they're perfect, right?"

"I know, I just—"

"Emma." He steps behind me, his hands settling on my shoulders. "Look around."

I do. And it takes my breath away.

The space looks absolutely magical. Warm and inviting despite the sterile industrial setting, with soft pools of light catching on every carefully arranged detail. The hand-painted banner reading "Tales from the Ice" hangs perfectly centered above our reading area, the letters shimmering with a touch of silver glitter that catches the light.

The prize table positively sparkles with its treasures—signed hockey pucks nestled in beds of dark green tissue paper, kid-sized jerseys folded perfectly, and custom bookmarks featuring both the Icehawks logo and tiny illustrations.

Every element feels purposeful, like we've carved out a little bubble of literary hockey magic in this concrete box of a room that will soon be transformed into my own vision.

Everything looks... professional. Real.

Like something that belongs here.

"It's beautiful," I whisper.

"You did this," Logan says against my ear. "All of it."

Before I can respond, Sophia's voice cuts through the space.

"Emma! Logan!" I spin around to see her eyes popping. "You guys… This looks incredible!"

She strides toward us in perfectly coordinated business casual, tablet clutched in one manicured hand. Her smile is bright, but I catch something sharper in her eyes. The look of someone keeping score.

"You two have really outdone yourselves," she gushes, walking the perimeter of our setup. "The attention to detail is remarkable. Very... professional."

Logan straightens beside me, and I feel some of his tension transfer to my own shoulders.

"The story time area is particularly charming," Sophia continues. "And I love the integration of both brands: IcehawksandChapter and Grind. Very smart."

"Thank you," I manage. "We wanted to create something special."

"Well, you've certainly done that." She pauses, her smile growing even brighter. "Well, as you know, you're the front-runners right now. Get everything right today, and that café space is yours to do whatever you want with."

My stomach flips with nervousness.

"Though I should mention, Ryder and Mia have quite the crowd gathering for their pet adoption event. That will be popular with the kids too. And Connor's fire safety demonstration has been drawing families attention as they arrive in the parking lot all morning."

She says it casually, but the message is clear:You're winning, but don't get cocky.

"We'll do our best," Logan says, his voice carefully neutral.

Sophia nods. "Well, good luck. Big Mike and I will be making our final assessment after we've seen all the events. No pressure!"

She laughs as she says it, but the weight of her words settles on my chest like lead.

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