Eric, Kenny, Crystal, and Shana are all in position, watching me. Eric has a video camera, waiting for me to give him the signal.
A hand reaches over to grab mine, and I jump slightly. Eli smiles at me warmly, encouraging me to step forward. “Anytime you’re ready, love.” The smooth accent does nothing to stop the ringing in my ears.
“How did you talk me into this again?” I ask the British diver nervously.
“I’d like to think it was my charm.” He winks, making me smile.
A sense of calmness washes over me, and I squeeze his hand and motion that I’m ready. I breathe in deep, committing this feeling so I can write about it later.
Eli gives me a chin jerk. I nod, and then we jump together.
“EEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!” I scream as soon as we’re airborne. In less than two seconds, we’re submerged in the water and kicking to the top.
The small crowd claps and screams when my head surfaces. Eli’s beside me, treading water and whistling as well.
“How’d it feel?” he asks through a smile.
“Exhilarating. Terrifying. Amazing!” I shout.
“Ready to try it again and actually dive?”
His sexy accent gives me a slight tremble. Quinn is going to die when I tell her this story.
“Yes!” I agree and swim to the ladder.
“Face those fears, Harris!” Shana slaps me on the shoulder as I pass her.
This time, as I climb to the platform, I’m not nearly as nervous. Eli stands with me again, and we dive into the water below. Well, he dives graciously. Mine is more like a flop.
Once we do this twice more, we join the group waiting for us. I dry off while Eli answers questions regarding his training and routine to prepare for qualifiers. When he’s done, I thank him and go to the area designated to change.
Shana’s waiting on me when I step out of the stall.
“I’m proud of you, Devon.”
“That means the world to me. Thank you.”
“You’re quite impressive. All of you are, but you especially. Twenty years old and so ambitious. When I was twenty, my summer was spent as a cart girl at the local country club, trying to get the attention of the cute boys.”
“No, you didn’t. You were rallying students to protest against the mistreatment of children in—” I snap my mouth shut, realizing I sound like a stalker.
She throws her head back and laughs. “That was when I was twenty-one, but I’m honored you’ve done your research.”
Blush creeps up my cheeks. “Please don’t think I’m a crazy fan girl. I really admire your work. My best friend, Quinn, does, too.”
“Quinn Jackson, right?”
I nod.
“Well, I admire your work as well. When Henry–Professor Grant —asked me to take on a group, I only agreed if I could hand pick my team.”
“You picked me?” my voice squeaks.
“Sure did.”
“W-w-why?”
“Several reasons.” She doesn’t elaborate further. “So let’s wrap this up and have a birthday celebration.”
I follow her out and send a quick text to Bryce.
Can’t wait to tell you about my day. Love you!
*****
The phone rings, and I scramble over the bed to reach it. The time reads three-thirty am, which is five-thirty Bryce’s time. We discovered last week that this is the best time to catch each other if we want to talk at all. Otherwise, it’s a series of missed calls, messages, or texts.
“Hello,” I whisper.
“Hey, babe. How was your birthday?”
“Did you see the video I sent?”
“Oh, yeah.” His voice goes tight.
“Is something wrong?”
“Who was that guy?”
“Eli?”
“Is that his name?” Bitterness is evident in his tone.
“Are you jealous of Eli?”
“Considering he was holding your hand, yes. You couldn’t have missed the way he was looking at you.”
“He’s a diver from the UK. I told you about meeting him.”
“I thought you were meeting a woman diver. How’d you get paired up with him?”
I roll over, curling into a ball. Even though Quinn has been cool about the early morning calls, I try to be as quiet as possible.
“Bryce, he’s harmless.”
He grumbles a few seconds and then sighs. “Can’t help it. Was there a need for him to hold your hand? Touch you at all?”
“I jumped over thirty feet into a pool. Yes, there was a need.”
He’s silent a few more seconds, and then his tone changes. “Proud of you, Devon. Though, I will tell you, Nate and I both agreed your squeal was a bit dramatic.”
“Did you hear me say I jumped over thirty feet? That calls for dramatic!”
He starts laughing, and my heart swells. It’s been weeks since he left for Rhode Island. I miss him tremendously. As promised, I’ve sent him several videos and tried to keep him updated daily.
“By the way, I love my birthday present.” I thumb the two charms he added to my charm bracelet. One is the Olympic rings and the other an anchor. “I almost cried when Quinn handed me the box this morning.”
“Thought they were appropriate. Tell me about the rest of your day.”
I start from the time we arrived at the training pool facility and continue all the way until Shana took us out to dinner to celebrate. She even invited Quinn.
“Sounds like a cool woman. And she’s brilliant to pick you for her team.”
“Ha ha. I wish she could have picked me and Quinn.”
“That’s another reason she’s brilliant. She didn’t.”
“Bryce!” I try to sound offended but can’t.
“Remind that Asno I did him a favor by hauling your birthday present into another country and making sure you got it,” Quinn rumbles from her bed, clearly hearing me.
“I heard her. Asno means jackass, right?” He chuckles. “Tell me more about your schedule. Remember, I’m going to be in specialized training the next eight days.”
“Don’t remind me. I hate it.”
“Devon—”
“I know, I know. I have to be strong. Get used to it. Suck it up. All that bullshit.”
“Devon, this is our life. Eight days is hardly anything. I warned you about this. What are you going to do when I’m gone for months?”
Punch to the gut.
“I’ll hate every minute, but I’ll deal.”
“Good girl. Now, what’s on the agenda?”
“Wrestling, beach volleyball, and archery. We have a few trips about an hour away to interview surrounding city officials. Shana was able to pull some strings, and we are doing an economic perspective on the effect of the games. It’s been done before, but she’s planning a new spin.”
“Jesus, this woman’s a mastermind. Do the other teams get to do anything, or are y’all spearheading the trip?”
“No, fucking Bill Tames did the unimaginable. He got his team inside the gymnastics training facility. Quinn gets to meet some of the gymnasts. Bitch.”
A pillow hits the back of my head, and she growls.
“Not sure what you two are going to do next summer to beat this,” he says.
“Solve world hunger?” I say playfully.
“Probably a good goal. I’d better go, babe. Love you.”
“Love you too. Be safe.”
He hangs up, and Quinn turns on the light between our beds. She looks at me sleepily but also with worry.
“Dev, I hate to bring it up, but what are you going to do when he’s gone for long lengths of time?”
“I’m going to rely on you, as I always do, to get me through.”
She nods and gives me a small smile. “And I will get you through.”
“Love you, Quinn.”
“You better because I got permission to bring you
to the gymnastics arena Thursday.”
And that is why she’s my best friend.
Chapter 8
My palms are slick with sweat when I knock on the door. Shana’s voice rings out for me to come in, and I inhale deeply, trying to calm my nerves. She’s on the phone, standing by the window, and gives me a sign to hold on. I try to hide my smirk, taking in the mess in her room. Besides the bed being unmade and covered in clothes, the desk in the corner looks like an explosion of electronics, wires, and loose papers. Her tablet is set up on top of a portable printer that is currently spouting out paper.
She catches my look and rolls her eyes, causing me to giggle. Finally, the knot in my stomach starts to unravel.
Shana emailed me an hour ago, asking if I could meet with her privately before the party. Tonight is our last night in Rio, and after we land in Miami tomorrow, everyone will be going back to their lives for the rest of the summer. Quinn was out with her group, and Bryce and Nate both were unavailable to help me through my freak out, so I called my mom.
She spent thirty minutes being her normal sense of reason and convincing me this was another chance for me to shine with Shana. I left my room with confidence. Now, that confidence has vanished.
Shana barks orders into her phone and yanks the printed pages out, reciting some statistics. Finally, she sighs loudly and tells the person she’ll call them back. Her phone lands on the bed, and she gives me a wiry look.
“Let me guess, you’re a neat freak?”
I bite my lip, trying to think of what to say.
“Don’t hold back. Tell me what you’re thinking.”
“Um, you don’t have to be a neat freak to be more organized.”
She looks at me and throws her head back laughing. “It may look like a disaster, but I’ve organized it in my own way. I can find anything in a second.”
I nod, not wanting to insult her.
“You don’t believe me. My boss didn’t at first either. She’s like you—OCD, neat, organized. Color codes her files, notebooks, and even production schedules. Her office looks like a rainbow threw up, but hey—whatever works.”
I wring my hands and shift in place. My eyes look around the room one more time then lock with Shana’s. She’s still smiling widely. I shrug and admit, “Nothing wrong with color coding. It helps with project organization, and it’s also been proven that color stimulates the brain.”
“Ha! I knew it. You’re exactly like her.” She points, wagging her finger jokingly.
Finally, I fully relax and laugh along with her. “Well, it can’t be all that bad. She is your boss after all.”
“Yes, that’s exactly right. And I adore her. She’s actually the reason I asked you to come meet with me.”
“Really?”
“Yes, have a seat.” She motions to the only empty chair in the room. I sit and watch in horror as she scoops up loose papers and shoves them to the side with no regard to organization.
“Tell me about him.” Her question takes me off guard.
“Who?”
“The boy… the guy… the man in your life. The person who you’ve been texting for six weeks. I’m perceptive, Devon, and good at my job. You’re easy to read, too. For weeks, you’ve been surrounded by some good-looking men, both athletes and peers. Not one has even turned your head. But the second that phone in your pocket dings, your face lights up in anticipation. I know a woman in love. So tell me, who is he?”
“He’s my fiancé. His name is Bryce Randolph. He’s in the Navy and the most thoughtful, wonder—” I stop my gushing and inwardly curse myself.
“It’s true. You do have it bad. From what I heard, he’s got it bad, too.”
“Wait? What?”
“I knew who he was but had to hear it from your mouth.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I like you, Devon. Not until I joined the network was I ever challenged with peers. No one had the ambition I do. That may sound cocky and arrogant, but it’s true. When my mind is set on something, nothing stops me. Like you mentioned in the locker room that day, I was twenty-one when I led my first rally. We were young and misled, but the feeling of making a difference set my course for life. Nothing and no one would get in my way.”
“That’s what makes you one of the most respected women in journalism. People aspire to walk in your shoes and carry the influence and responsibility.”
“Maybe, but that’s not why we’re here. This is completely overstepping my bounds, but, Devon, I see so much of myself in you.”
The words sink in slowly. Did I hear her correctly? “You do?”
“Oh, yeah.”
“Wow, I don’t know what to say. That could be the best compliment I’ve ever received in my life.”
She tilts her head and looks deep into my eyes before speaking again. “I’ve given up a lot to be here. Not here in a hotel in Rio De Jeneiro, but here at the top of my profession. There are always going to be those more professional than me, more edgy, more intelligent, more risky. But I’ve done okay.
“Shit. This is harder than I thought.” She rubs her hands down her face.
“I’m lost.”
“This is my feeble and screwed up attempt to give you career advice.”
“What kind of advice?”
“You’re humble, and I like that. But you’re also passionate, and that’s what’s going to lead you in this industry. Let’s be honest. Your resume and accomplishments alone are going to boost you into the MFA program. If you can keep up the grades and continue to stay out of trouble, this is a given.”
“Aren’t these good things?”
“Yes, but they aren’t going to sleep beside you at night. They aren’t going to warm your heart with love and passion. The travel, the stories, the people and progress… they’ll scratch an itch, but it won’t be enough.”
Her words swirl around my mind, and I’m still confused. The last thing I want to look is totally incompetent, so instead, I stare, waiting for her to continue.
“Fuck!” She lowers her head and wrings her hands, refusing to return my stare.
“I’m trusting you here, Devon. Please don’t make me regret it.”
I swallow down the lump forming in my throat.
“Henry— I mean Professor Grant, called me when your fiancé called him. We all agreed from the beginning that Israel wasn’t right for this summer. But none of us shied away. When the parents started calling in, the ‘powers that be’ got busy. But it was Bryce Randolph’s call that stayed with Henry. Did you know that your fiancé had his commanding officer, or soon to be CO, call too?”
I drop my head, trying to hide the flush creeping up my cheeks.
“Don’t get embarrassed. That is true love.” She pauses.
“After the chips fell, so to speak, Henry called me again. I lied to you earlier. I didn’t agree to this if I could hand-pick my team. I begged for you.”
I inhale deeply, unbelieving.
“Yeah, I’d seen your stuff. Henry sends portfolios to all of his contacts. But he knew you’d catch my eye. You’re talented… very young… but still talented. He knows what he’s talking about.”
“Shana,” I say shakily. “I’m not sure where you’re going with this.”
She slides a folder to the end of the bed. When I open it, I gasp loudly. “Holy Shit! Is that? It can’t be…”
“That’s Henry and me. That particular picture was our first day in the Master’s Program at William & Mary.”
“He’s totally HOT!” I say before I can stop myself then slam my hand over my mouth.
She grins and nods in agreement. “Totally.”
“Y’all were a ‘thing’?” I air quote.
“Oh, so much more. We were ‘The Thing’,” she air quotes back.
“Wow! This completely raises his coolness factor. You guys look amazing together. What happened?”
Her face falls immediatel
y, and I know…. know in my heart what happened.
“You chose the career?” I ask tenderly.
“Yes, and we were young and stupid. He was supportive, but I was stubborn. I eventually broke it off after a job offer took me to Oregon. He was always there for me, but I broke his heart. Then he moved on. I never did. It fucking killed me when he married and had a child.
“We were at a convention about two years ago. He was so proud of me, praised my success repeatedly. He harbored no hard feelings, but I was livid. I missed him so much.” Her eyes fill with big, bold tears, and I reach for her hand.
“I told him I was mad. MAD! The careers we both wanted broke us a part. He looked at me with sympathy when I told him I’d give it up to have him back.”
“Holy shit.”
She nods and goes on. “Well, he was stunned and also hurt. I’d left him, ventured into the world to make a new start. Then his wife walked up. She took one look at me and said, ‘He never let you go, either’. I was mortified and left the reception, never looking back. How could I be so selfish? He’s married!”
“Oh my God,” I whisper.
“Yeah, I’ve replayed that moment a thousand times in my mind. The way his eyes widened, looking over my shoulder. His back went straight, his shoulders squared, and he opened his mouth to interrupt. But there she was, hearing that his college lover basically wanted him back.”
“What happened next?”
“Henry called me six months later. He asked me to participate in ‘think tanks’ with other professionals in the industry. He never mentioned that night again. Our relationship is professional now. For the last year and half, I’ve consulted on a few things, but mostly dedicated my time to these summer programs.”
“You never talked about what happened?”
“Not really. Well, not really, until he called me about you.”
“He wanted you to talk to me about your failed relationship?”
“No, he wanted me to talk to you about being in love and having it all. Nowadays, you don’t have to choose. No matter what others may say, you’re in control of your future.”
“I know that.”
Her head shakes slowly. “No, Devon, you don’t understand. People are going to make you feel that certain choices are your only options if you want to succeed. That’s not true. Your love and loyalty are going be tested strongly. YOU make the decisions to guide your future.”
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