“I like the sound of that,” Corey said, and started to climb back down the bleacher railing.
“No,” Holly and Paolo both shouted from below.
Two Olympic officials ran toward her, and one of them offered her hand. “Ms. LaCroix, would you mind using the stairs this time?”
Corey nodded and let herself be pulled over the rail onto the metal walkway, then taking Elise’s hand, gave her a little tug and said, “Come on. If we’re going to do this the easy way, you’re coming too.”
Chapter 21
They’d threaded their way through the crowd and back to the finish line before Corey finally had to let go, but even as the ceremonies and celebrations raged on, she never got too far away. There had been hugs from Holly and Paolo. Then she’d picked up Tigger and twirled her around in a happy little dance before a few other competitors offered high fives or handshakes. Official and amateur photographers were everywhere, and Olympic officials scrambled to certify results all while arranging people for photographs.
“Were things this crazy when you won?” Holly said, sliding over to stand next to Elise.
She shook her head slowly. “Not at all.”
“Snowboarders do things their own way.”
“They do,” she admitted, “but it was more than that. As soon as I crossed the line, I knew I’d gotten what I wanted, but it wasn’t worth the price I paid.”
“Good,” Holly said.
Elise cocked her head to look at her. Her stubborn streak might have some family ties, because the set of her jaw and the glint in her eyes seemed eerily familiar.
“You know you hurt her, right?” Holly said.
“I do,” Elise sighed. “I also know saying sorry isn’t enough to undo that pain.”
“It’s a start,” Holly said. “It also helps that you did well in your TV interview.”
“Oh my God, did everyone on the mountain see that damn interview?”
Holly laughed. “No. I didn’t see it.”
“Then how do you know about it?”
“I’m the one who pointed you out to the reporter.”
Elise eyed her again, unsure of what to make of that information.
Holly shrugged. “Corey said you’d been willing to make a statement before and she wouldn’t let you because she wanted to protect you. I disagreed with that decision. I wanted to know if you were willing to go to bat for her the way she had for you.”
“But how did you know what I’d say?”
“I didn’t,” Holly admitted. “I had my suspicions, but when push came to shove, I didn’t know what you’d do. Honestly, I still don’t know exactly what you said to make her come flying down the mountain like her ass was on fire, but it must’ve been good.”
Elise smiled ruefully. “You’re good at your jobs, all of them. Any chance you’d accept a new client, full time?”
Holly pursed her lips as if considering the questions as her eyes scanned the people in their immediate vicinity. “That depends.”
“On what?”
“On what Corey says next.” Holly tapped the young NBC reporter on the shoulder. “Would you like an interview with Corey?”
The woman gave her a “duh” sort of expression and said, “She’s not an easy person to pin down.”
“Tell me about it,” Elise mumbled.
Holly didn’t have any problem, though. She put her thumb and forefinger in the corners of her mouth and let out a sharp whistle.
Corey’s head immediately lifted, and she jogged right over.
“Interview time, champ.”
Corey’s eyes fell on the reporter and her smile widened. “For you? Any time.”
Within seconds Holly had arranged them with Corey’s back to the finish line and Elise beside the camera operator’s shoulder as she signaled to the reporter they were live.
“I’m here with our women’s Snowboard-X gold medalist, Corey LaCroix. Congratulations on your win.”
“Thanks, it was a meaningful one for me.”
“Why’s that?”
“A lot of reasons. Most importantly because I had someone special to share it with,” Corey said, flashing one of those grins that drove Elise crazy, but then her smile grew softer and more relaxed as she said, “but also because this is my last season.”
A murmur went through the crowd around them, but as Elise quickly turned to Holly, she saw none of her own shock reflected there.
“You’re retiring?” the reporter asked.
“Why do you sound surprised?” Corey asked. “Reporters have been asking me about retirement all year.”
“But you just won a gold medal.” The reporter stated the obvious. “You proved all the naysayers wrong. Doesn’t that make you want to keep racing?”
Corey shook her head. “I’ve never done anything because other people expected me to.”
A few people around them laughed at the comment, but Elise’s heart beat too rapidly for her to find levity in the situation. She silently prayed Corey wasn’t doing this for her. As flattering as a sacrifice of that nature would be on the surface, she couldn’t live with herself if she derailed her career or, even worse, if Corey had taken to heart her wretched comments about her not having a future.
“Well, then,” the reporter started, but Corey cut her off.
“Sorry,” she said, “but I see a frowny face next to your camera person, so I need to elaborate. I’m not throwing in the towel because I don’t have anything left to give. I’m moving on to the next adventure because I’ve gotten everything I could want out of this one. I’m going out on top, on my terms. I’m excited about what comes next.”
“Any idea of what the next adventure might include?”
Corey looked over her shoulder. “Hey, Tigger?”
Nikki looked up, and Corey nodded for her to join them, then throwing her arm around the kid’s shoulder, she stared right into the camera and said, “America, here’s your new silver medalist and the future of boardercross.”
Nikki beamed and gave a little wave.
“Now to answer your question.” Corey turned back to the reporter. “I honestly don’t have any set plans for the future, but I’m going to follow this one’s career with great excitement. I’m going to offer my special brand of insight to the youth team if the coaches will let me anywhere near them, and probably I’m going to watch a lot more skiing.”
The reporter smiled. “Sounds like a good plan. Congratulations again on your win.”
“Thanks,” Corey said and flashed one more trademark grin at the camera before they signed off.
“Are you really retiring?” Nikki asked.
“Yeah, but don’t sweat it. I’m probably going to drive you nuts with more advice than you want.”
The kid shook her head so hard her little braids flopped over her shoulder. “I’ll always want your advice.”
“Good,” Corey said. “Then here’s the first piece. Go find Nate and make him a job offer. Do it right now before someone else does.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh, yeah, great idea. I’m on it.”
She ran off, and Corey watched her go before turning back to Elise, who folded her arms across her chest. “Will someone else offer him a job in the next ten minutes?”
“Maybe. I doubt he’d accept one from anyone but her though,” Corey admitted. “But I had to get rid of her somehow so I could see what you thought of my big announcement.”
Elise did her best to act aloof. “Which part? The one where you retired without talking to me, or the part where you said you didn’t have any set plan?”
“What about the part where I said I’d be watching more skiing?”
The corner of her mouth snuck up of its own accord. “What makes you think the ski team wants a snowboarder hanging around?”
“Oh, I’m sure they don’t,” Corey said with mock seriousness, then stepping closer, added, “but I have great faith in my ability to win them over.”
“I don’t know. Skiers can b
e a standoffish breed.”
“And snobby and cold and elitist.”
Elise rolled her eyes. “What makes you think you stand a chance with someone like that?”
“I’m very charming,” Corey said, then cupped Elise’s cheek in her hand.
She sighed and leaned into the touch. “Yes, you are.”
Corey kissed her lightly on the lips before giving her another one of those cocky grins. “And I like a challenge.”
Acknowledgments
As I sit down to write the acknowledgements for my eleventh full-length novel, I’d like to first and foremost thank my readers, who have given me the opportunity to keep doing the job I love for this long. To everyone who has ever bought one of my books, written a review, or reached out to give feedback, without you none of this would be possible. I hope this book lives up to whatever standards you’ve come to expect from a Rachel Spangler romance because as the Olympic motto says, “Faster, higher, stronger,” and that is what I strive to give you with each new book I write.
Next, to my Bywater team, thank you for doing everything you have to make sure my words are polished, presented, and published in a way we can all be proud of. Salem, MKM, Radar, and Kelly, most readers will never understand all of the work you put into each of our books, but I do, and you have my deepest gratitude. You continue to raise the bar in all aspects of lesbian fiction, and I am proud to be a small part of that process. And speaking of raising the bar, Ann McMan continues to soar over every hurdle I’ve set in the realm of cover design, and this time I set a few of them.
Toni Whitaker and Barb Dallinger are my beloved friends and beta readers. I continue to be amazed by their tact and insight as they always ask insightful questions that help me see my characters in new light. From them I send my baby on to Lynda Sandoval, who is part surgeon, part comic relief, part guru, and 100% the best friend any author could have. Despite nearly giving me a heart attack with this one, in a single porch therapy session she revealed more about precision in conflict than I thought existed. Lastly, my sharp eyes proof readers on this novel were a wonderful mix of friends and colleagues including, Cara Gould, Rebecca Cuthbert, Ann Etter, and Marcie Lukach.
And as always is the case, I am grateful for the daily emotional and professional support of friends and colleagues like Georgia Beers, Melissa Brayden, and Nikki Smalls. I might write faster without our constant chats, but I wouldn’t write better, and I wouldn’t be happier, so what’s the point in that? I’d also like to thank my fellow Bywater Books authors, whose collective energy to learn more and do better has rejuvenated me in ways I didn’t know I needed.
With this book I stepped into worlds I could only see the fringes of from my spot high up in the cheap seats. Thankfully I had wonderful guides who shared experiences I wouldn’t have dreamed I’d ever have access to. My boardercross expert was none other than Olympian Jacqueline Hernandez. Despite the fact that I basically cold-called her with nothing more than “I’m writing about a snowboarder and I know nothing,” she graciously answered a myriad of questions about training, schedules, rules, and diet. I can’t thank her enough for taking time out of her extremely busy life to do so. Corey is both stronger and cooler for her influence.
On the skiing side of things, I put out a call for help on Facebook, and a friend, Heather McEntarfer, put me in touch with legendary ski writer Hank McKee, who happened to be from Fredonia, New York, where I currently live. Hank enthusiastically jumped on board with the project, giving me not only answers to my questions, but an abundance of stories that came from decades of traveling the world with professional alpine skiers. He got to see an early draft of the book, and we spent a morning chatting about the great personalities of the sport. I will always cherish those hours with him, and the insights he shared touched every aspect of this book. Sadly, Hank never got to see the final version of the story, as he passed away November 5, 2016. I like to think he would have been proud of this book, because I am certainly proud of the role he played in it.
And, as usual, no acknowledgement would be complete without thanking the people who make it possible for me to chase my dreams daily. Jackson makes my life fun, grounds me to what matters most, and helps me look at the world with joy and wonder. He also helped me research this book by joining me in a mother/son snowboarding lesson, and not surprisingly, he’s way better than me. Susan is more than my favorite ski partner. She is my strength, my fortitude, and my anchor. She lets me fly wherever my imagination takes me, secure in the knowledge I will always have a safe place to land. There’s no way I can thank her enough, but I strive to keep trying every day, come what may.
And finally, every blessing I have comes not from my own hand or by my own merit, but from the God who is love incarnate. Soli deo gloria.
About the Author
Rachel Spangler is the author of eleven lesbian romance novels and novellas. She has won both the Golden Crown Literary Society Award and the Rainbow Award for her work. She lives with her wife and son in Western New York.
You can follow Rachel on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram, or learn more at www.RachelSpangler.com.
Previous Novels by Rachel Spangler
Perfect Pairing
Heart of The Game
Does She Love You
Spanish Heart
LoveLife
Trails Merge
Learning Curve
Darlington Romances:
The Long Way Home
Timeless
Close To Home
Bywater Books
Copyright © 2017 Rachel Spangler
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Ebook ISBN: 978-1-61294-110-3
Bywater Books First Edition: October 2017
Cover designer: Ann McMan, TreeHouse Studio
Back cover photo credit: Will Banks
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