CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Lexi skated around the ice, stretching one way, then the other to get her body prepared for the skating that was to come.
Mik had texted her the previous night to let her know they’d arrived and were at their hotel. Perhaps she should have gone over to meet with them, but she was really determined to keep their interactions strictly at the rink and on the ice. No personal interactions, only professional ones.
Nerves fluttered in her stomach, but Lexi was confident she could keep them from showing. She’d learned how to do that early on in her competition career. In the past, she hadn’t tried to hide what she was feeling from Mik and her coaches, but everything had changed.
She had to hide what she was feeling because she wasn’t going to let these people hurt her again. They were together for one reason, and one reason only.
Ever since her conversation with Mik, she’d been praying that this skate would give her clarity about moving forward with him and the coaches. She’d never really sought God’s guidance for her career, but this time around, she knew it was important that she at least try.
She was at a crossroads unlike any she’d ever been at before. More than anything, she needed to be able to walk away if this wasn’t what God wanted for her. If it didn’t go well that day, it was imperative that she not compromise.
At the sound of the rink’s door opening, her stomach clenched. She turned on the ice to see Wilder walk in. Though she’d told him what time she and Mik were practicing, she hadn’t thought he’d show up. Seeing him there bolstered her confidence, and suddenly she was glad he was going to be nearby for this.
“Do you mind that I’m here?” Wilder asked as he came to stand at the boards.
Lexi skated closer. “No. I don’t mind.”
“Will they?”
“I don’t really care if they do,” she said. “As long as you don’t interrupt, they can’t object. You’re the resort manager’s brother, so I think you have the right to be here if you want.”
“I won’t interfere,” Wilder said. “I promise.”
Since he didn’t have his duffle bag this time, she knew he wasn’t there to skate. He had on a pair of jeans, and when he removed his jacket, she saw he was wearing a sweatshirt featuring the resort logo.
“Are you nervous?” he asked.
“A little bit, but nerves don’t do me any good when I need to perform, so I’m trying to keep calm.”
“I think you’re going to do great. I’ve watched you practice, and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen you fall.”
“Oh, I’ve fallen.” She propped her arms up on the boards. “I’ll probably fall today as we try to get back into the swing of things. Pretty sure the first few throw jumps are going to end up with me on the ice.”
Before Wilder could reply, the door to the rink opened again. They both turned to see Mik walk in with Irina.
Lexi waited for some sort of rush of emotions to overcome her as she saw her ex-partner—her ex-fiancé—again. However, there was nothing. No anger. No joy. Nothing.
“I’ll go sit over there,” Wilder said, pointing to a table on the far side of the rink.
She gave him a smile, then turned her attention to Mik and Irina as they neared the ice. Mik was as tall, dark, and handsome as he’d ever been. He was dressed in a pair of workout pants and a jacket. Meanwhile, Irina wore her signature fur coat—totally uncaring of the fact it might offend some people.
“Hello, Alexandra,” Irina said, her Russian accent heavy in the words.
“Irina. How are you?”
“I’m fine. And you?”
“I’m also fine.”
The words were stilted, but that was to be expected. She looked at Mik and gave him a nod. “Mikhail.”
“Alexandra.”
“If you want to put your skates on, you can do it there,” Lexi said as she pointed to the bench. “I’m ready whenever you are.”
Irina nodded at Mik, who then went to sit on the bench. Turning her attention back to Lexi, she said, “Show me your jumps.”
And just like that, they were back to coach and skater.
Lexi pushed away from the boards and circled the ice. She started with her easiest and favorite triple jump, then worked her way up to the Axel. She kept her feet under her for each landing, and she felt a sense of triumph that she’d proven that she still had her individual jumps.
Of course, it wouldn’t have been Irina if she hadn’t had a critique for each jump. Nothing was ever enough for the woman, but that was how she’d always been. She pushed and pushed for whatever elusive level of perfection she had in her mind.
“Who’s that?” she said when Lexi skated to a stop in front of where she stood on the ice right by the entrance, trying to catch her breath. “Boyfriend?”
Knowing she was gesturing to Wilder without looking in that direction, Lexi said, “Not my boyfriend. He’s the brother of the manager, and he knows the owner of the resort. He’s just here to observe.”
Irina’s frown deepened. “Why?”
“Curiosity? The owner had this rink built recently and probably wants to know how it’s being used.”
Mik came over to where they stood, then removed his skate guards and stepped out onto the ice with them.
“Warm up,” Irina said to Mik, shooing him away with a flick of her hand.
Lexi didn’t bother to watch him head off across the ice. She was nervous about the partner elements. While she’d definitely kept up with her jumps, there had been no way to practice the throws and lifts. That could only be done with a partner, and she hadn’t had one.
“Spin,” Irina demanded, then told her which ones she wanted to see.
By the time Lexi was done, Mik was back, waiting at the boards. Lexi glanced at him, but then focused on Irina. It was time. After a year and a half, she was about to take the hand of the man who’d abandoned her at the most vulnerable point in her life.
She glanced over to where Wilder sat. When their gazes met, he gave her a quick smile and a nod, offering her the encouragement she needed.
“I’m going to call Lev so he can watch,” Irina said, pulling her phone from the pocket of her coat. “Skate together, then do a throw triple toe.”
Lexi took a deep breath, then grasped the hand Mik held out to her. Familiarity washed over her as they skated across the ice, preparing for their first throw jump.
With a countdown, Mik got them into position, skating backwards with his hands on her hips. Her hands rested on his, then he picked her up and flung her into the air.
Unfortunately, Lexi felt the lean in the air and knew she was going to have to fight to stay on her feet. It wasn’t the first time she’d had to fight for a landing, but this one felt more important than any of those.
She had to show Irina and Mik that she hadn’t let herself go since she’d last skated with Mik.
Tightening her core, Lexi tried to keep from two-footing the landing and ended up having to put her hand down. Right on cue, she heard a shout from Irina to do it again.
Without argument, they circled around to try once more. They didn’t have to communicate much, as the many, many times they’d performed that jump came back to them.
This time, they had a more balanced launch, and she was able to hold on to the landing, even though she had to sink low into her knee. She managed to keep her free leg straight as she followed through on the landing. It was by no means perfect, but it was closer.
Not close enough for Irina, however.
After they’d run through all the throw jumps and pairs’ lifts, Irina declared it was time to do a program run-through. They had a bit of a debate on which one to try. Mik was still pushing to do the one they had been working on for the Olympics, but Irina cut that suggestion down without any sort of discussion.
Lexi was most willing to do their Romeo and Juliet program because it seemed somewhat appropriate. A doomed love story. That’s what hers and Mik’s had been.
She was tired, but not as exhausted as she would have been if she hadn’t continued to work out and train, practicing all her jumps and spins. But no matter how tired she was, she would complete this program.
“Okay,” Irina declared. “Romeo and Juliet. Go.”
Lexi cued up the music on her phone which was connected to the BlueTooth sound system in the rink, then waved for Wilder to come over.
“What’s up?” he asked, giving her a warm smile.
She handed him her phone. “Can you start the music for us?”
When he nodded, she showed him what button to tap on her command. She could have given it to Irina, but Lexi didn’t trust her with her phone.
“You’re going to do great,” he said, giving her a smile that bolstered her confidence.
As Lexi skated to join Mik for their starting position, she took several deep breaths. She could do this. She believed in herself. Wilder believed in her. It was amazing how much energy that thought gave her.
Rather than gaze into Mik’s eyes at their starting position, Lexi looked at his left ear and waited for the music to start. Like she’d told Wilder, the moves came back as soon as the music began.
This had been one of their highest scored programs, and it had been one she’d enjoyed skating.
The surprising thing that revealed itself as they skated was that Mik struggled more than Lexi. When they reached their ending pose, each stretched out on ice, Irina began shouting her critiques, which, thankfully, were mainly directed at Mik.
Even Lev could be heard yelling through the phone, as he’d watched their program courtesy of Irina’s phone.
“I’m not used to skating with Lexi anymore,” Mik told Irina angrily. “Her jump speeds are different from Amberlyn’s. Her height and weight are different from Amberlyn’s.”
“Shouldn’t have mattered,” Irina retorted. “Even if your jumps weren’t the same speed, you should have stayed on your feet. Do the jump five times.”
Previously, Mik would have just set off to do it, but this time, he was grumbling as he went.
Lexi wasn’t immune from criticism, however. Irina had some thoughts for her as well, and soon she was out there working on two of the jumps that she’d been wobbly on.
Finally, they came back to Irina, and she looked back and forth between them, her gray gaze hard. “Thoughts.”
Lexi thought Mik was going to jump right in, but he didn’t. She glanced at him, then said, “I’m fine with moving forward, but only if we can do our training here. I’m not leaving Serenity.”
“Where can we live?” Irina asked.
“There are rentals in the area. I’m sure I can get someone to help find you places to live.”
“Is this where we’ll train?” Mik asked, waving a hand at the rink.
“We can only practice here when it’s closed, like now. The rink opens at one on weekdays and eleven on the weekends. There’s a rink in town that’s used for hockey practice and games, but that usually only happens in the evenings since those involved go to work or school during the day.”
“We can use that one all day?”
“During the week.” Lexi was glad she’d made the call to the rink to ask about that. “But I’ll still need for us to practice early in the day because I have to be at work by one.”
“You’re going to keep working while we train?” Mik asked.
“I told you I would,” Lexi said. “I need the money, especially since we’ll have to pay if we use the rink in town.”
“Can we perfect this in time for Nationals?” Irina asked. “Are you prepared to work for it?”
“Nationals?” Lexi asked.
“Yes. We need to go to Nationals.” Irina frowned. “We must prove that you are worthy of a spot on the Olympic team.”
That was about a month before the Olympics. Would they have time to polish everything to a high enough level to make the podium? Especially since she didn’t have unlimited hours in a day to train.
“I have a life here, and I can’t practice as many hours as I used to.” Lexi knew it probably sounded harsh, but they had hurt her, and she wasn’t going to give them the opportunity to do it again. “And I won’t have time to hang out with you either.”
“That’s fine,” Irina agreed quickly, making Lexi think that she wasn’t any more anxious to spend time with Lexi than Lexi was with her.
“Mik?” She turned to look at him.
He was frowning at her, but he gave a sharp nod.
“We’ll fly back to Maine tomorrow,” Irina said. “And we’ll return next week to start training.”
Lexi hoped she hadn’t bitten off more than she could chew. But she was determined to make it work. She just hoped that Mik was coming into it with a similar mindset because they were going to have to work hard. They were not at their peak as a pairs team anymore.
Wilder had left earlier, setting her phone on the top of the boards, then gesturing toward the door. She wondered what he’d thought of the program, but she’d have to ask him later.
They continued to practice until it was time for the rink to open, then Mik and Irina left. She wouldn’t have to practice with them for a few more days, but then it was going to be all out.
It was time to get back on track with her eating too, making sure to fuel her body with the nutrients it needed to perform at its highest level. She was going to need some help with that, and she hoped that if Wilder didn’t know someone who could help her, maybe Kayleigh would.
She was tempted to take off her skates, but she was sure her feet would protest if she tried to put them back on. There was no one who had booked one-on-one time with her for the afternoon, but that could change at any time.
As she sat on the bench, Lexi finally allowed herself to think about the one person she hadn’t told about what was happening with Mik. Now that the reconnection was a reality, she had to tell her mom.
Could it wait, though?
Maybe she’d tell her during their call the next day. If she called right then, they might get into a fight, and she couldn’t deal with that when she was supposed to be working.
“Want some tea?”
She looked up to see Luke from the café coming toward her with a steaming cup. “Thank you.”
“Looks like you were really put through the works.”
Lexi nodded. “It’s going to get worse.”
The guy shook his head. “Don’t think I could do it.”
Lexi took a sip of her tea and let out a sigh of appreciation. “Do you know if there’s any way to get some food brought down here? I’m starving, but I don’t have the time to go up to the restaurants.”
“Let me take care of that,” Luke said. “What do you want?”
She thought about it for a moment, then said, “The steak salad, please.”
“Anything else?”
“Nope. That’ll be good. Thank you.”
Lexi shifted over to one of the tables near her office, then propped her skates up on the chair across from her. Was she going to be able to endure the intense training that was to come? When push came to shove, it didn’t matter. She’d committed to it, so she had no choice.
She’d do it, though. One day at a time, she’d do it.
She had to. She had to prove that she could still rise to the top and skate with the best of them. That even though they’d abandoned and ostracized her, she still had much to offer the skating world. Starting with one or two more competitions.
And hopefully, she’d walk away from the Olympics with a podium finish.
Maybe even a gold medal. Which, if she got one, she’d bring back to Serenity and pack away with her other medals.