I nodded for the door. “Should we go to Ardena?” The catering prep kitchen was a short walk to the restaurant, and we’d had a few quick-brainstorming-turned-long-planning sessions there already.
“No need.” She retrieved a folded pile of papers from her purse and slid them across the counter.
I pulled them apart and read the top page:Pennsylvania Dining & Hospitality Association (PDHA) Flavor of Philadelphia Catering Competition.
Arden Catering’s information had been filled in, and at the bottom of the application, the status read: ACCEPTED.
My stomach tightened as the rest of my body braced as if sensing an oncoming train. I glanced at Jillian. “You entered us into a catering competition?”
A mischievous glint filled her eye.
Oh boy.
Chapter Five
Gabe
The bank’sfront door felt heavier on the way out than it had walking in, as if the weight of rejection had been added over the course of my meeting with the loan officer.
Loan denied.
This was the fifth bank I’d tried since returning to Philly two weeks ago. A month and a half at selection camp had passed in a blink, and Noah was officially on the USA Olympic boxing team. I wasn’t sure I’d ever felt so proud.
Or as solid in my decision to open my own gym. I wasn’t competing anymore, but I still had plenty to offer this sport. Achievements I could strive for as a coach—like fostering a new generation of fighters and building the foundation for them to carve their own paths in the ring.
Now, it was a matter of finding a bank that would give me the loan to buy Coach Lou’s gym. The same gym where I’d first learned to fight. Where boxing became more than a sport for me but a way of life.
I’d known going into the loan process that it might be a challenge, given I’d never owned a business. Hell, I’d never owned a car. Before retiring from fighting, I’d only spent money on things directly related to boxing—training gear, equipment, housing, my team. I didn’t even have my own suit to wear to the loan interview—I’d borrowed my dad’s.
Today’s bank, at least, hadn’t rejected me outright. They were willing to give me the loan despite my lack of business credit if I paid 40 percent down instead of the usual twenty. It was great news, except that I didn’t have that much saved. I had a fair amount—a little more than half—but without the rest, it did me no good. Since I couldn’t start training clients until I had a gym and the only other way I’d ever made money was by fighting, I had no clue how I was going to get it.
I’d figure something out. Time was one thing I had plenty of.
Halfway to the bus stop, my phone rang.
“No way,” I joked when I answered, smiling against the cold breeze. “IstheDiego Bosques really calling me?”
Diego laughed. “The one and only. It’s been a long time, man. How’ve you been?”
“Oh, you know.” I hadn’t heard from him in five years at least. We’d trained together as kids, the two of us giving Coach Lou more than one headache. While I went pro, Diego went into the business side of the sport, getting his promoter license and putting together events.
“I heard you’re back, slumming it in Philly,” he said.
“Yeah, well, I figured it was time you and Charlie had someone to keep you in line. You still revolutionizing the sport for the better?” He was the youngest boxing promoter in the US, and he and his business partner’s company, RedGloves, had singlehandedly revived the local boxing scene in Philadelphia and throughout the Northeast.
“Sure trying. We’re actually putting together an event a few months from now I thought your boy Noah might be good for. It’s a tournament—all fighters with some tie to Philly. Winner gets a hefty prize, and it’ll be televised across the East Coast. It’d be good promo for him if he’s thinking of going pro.”
“Sounds like it. If he weren’t about to be too tied up training for the Olympics, I’d be all for it.”
“Hold up, really?”
I grinned ear to ear. “We just got back from selection.”
“Dude, congrats! Good for him.”
“Thanks. And hey, when he does go pro, you’ll be the first I let know.”
“I better be. I call dibs. Do me a favor and let me know if you hear of anyone else who might want into the tournament. I’ve still got a few open spots.”
