Chapter 5 #2
“I do.” Davide looked down the mountainside toward the town where he had a ski store that sold everything a ski bum could ever want.
“I don’t miss it; I have to tell you that.
Now life is different. I do ski touring now.
You should join me sometime before you go home.
Stop by the store. Valentina can show you the timetable. ”
“Sounds great.” Finn smiled. “I’d love to. I’ll do that.”
Davide looked around. “Heading down?”
“Thinking of going through the trees,” Finn said pulling a face as Davide frowned at him.
“Alone?”
Finn shrugged.
“Bad idea,” Davide said. “You know this. Was there no one else to … ah, I see.”
Finn shifted his weight from one leg to the other, feeling Davide’s scrutiny.
“You’re in a dilemma.” Davide nodded.
“Not quite in a dilemma,” Finn said, smiling at the Italian’s choice of words. “But yes, I do have a lot on my mind.”
“Come on,” Davide said. “I’ll go with you. Let’s see if we can ease your worries.”
Finn’s shoulders relaxed, releasing a tension he hadn’t been aware he’d been carrying.
Davide was right. It was dangerous to ski through the trees on your own, and he knew that.
Hell, he’d even made sure others didn’t do it.
After fixing his goggles on more comfortably, he followed Davide to their starting point and off they went.
The cold air rushed past them as they skied through the forest, dodging branches and tree wells.
Finn kept his eyes firmly on his line, anticipating anything and everything that might happen.
Concentrating on the immediate future felt good, it felt manageable, like he was in control.
Like he didn’t have to make any decisions other than which way to turn and to just enjoy the ride.
Sam would’ve loved this route. She’d have had a blast. He must ask her to do it with him, that’s if Davide would take them.
From the confidant way he moved, Davide obviously knew the area well and was ahead of him, and Finn was glad to have come across his old friend.
Breathless and exhilarated, he followed Davide more fully as they wound down the mountainside, and back out onto the piste as they came closer to the end of the run. Seamlessly they joined the other skiers and came to a stop near the cabin.
“I needed that.” Finn puffed as he clicked out of his bindings and picked up his skis. “Thanks, Davide, for not letting me go alone.”
“No problem. Next time you want some thinking time just call me, okay?”
“I will.”
“And, Finn, if you need to talk, I’m here. I know the pressure you’re under.”
Finn shifted his skis to his shoulders. “I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks.”
“And go in to see Valentina,” Davide called as he slid away. “She’ll be angry if you don’t!”
Finn waved and laughed before turning toward the cabin where everyone was hanging out.
Sam broke from a crowd of friends and hurried toward him, her hair, usually in a braid, hung long and free down her back.
Dark circles under her eyes made him stop smiling.
She shouldn’t look so exhausted on the day of a qualifier.
“Where’ve you been?” she said as they reached each other.
“Hey,” he said. “You look …”
“I know, but don’t you say it too,” she said. “I didn’t sleep much—Becky’s room is next to mine and well … she and Leo … I’ll leave the rest of that up to your imagination.”
“But you and Becky have the qualie this evening.” Finn took his skis from his shoulders and put them away. He caught a flush creeping over Sam’s cheeks at the mention of sex. “She’s going to be tired.”
“Tired?” Sam rubbed her nose, which had turned pink from the cold. “They’re still at it!”
Finn rolled his eyes. “Boy has stamina.”
“Euw! Finn! Stop it!” Sam groaned. “Anyway, when he takes a break from … um … getting it on with Becky, he’s texting with me over my disappearing from the celebrations last night and not going out with them.”
“Well, that’s childish.”
“And he’s over in my hotel now. Still with Becky.
” Sam blew a strand of hair from her face.
“And the qualies are tonight. It’s a big deal and instead of preparing for it, Becky is hung-over and in bed with Leo.
They haven’t stopped riding since they fell in the door last night.
Dad is calling all my family to tell them the ‘good news’ and I …
I …” She broke off as a tear rolled down her cheek.
“I can’t take it anymore, Finn. I heard Leo and Dad talking this morning in the hallway outside our rooms, about Becky and how things are going to change for her in the future.
And I get it, I do. Things have to change but … ”
Finn nodded. “It’s hard.”
“It is hard.” Sam sniffled.
“As my mother is fond of saying: change comes from within.” Finn offered.
Sam rubbed her nose again. “I hate change. And now I have to think about everything, and I don’t want to. Why should I? Why should things change? Can’t we just go along the way we were? What’s wrong with that?”
“It’s called growing up, I believe.” Finn pulled Sam in for a hug. She leaned against him, sending his pulse racing as she wrapped her arms around him. Relishing her touch, he leaned his chin on the top of her head. “You’ll get the hang of it soon enough.”
Sam mumbled, her face buried in his jacket: “Do I want to?”
“You have to.” Finn squeezed her. “Come on, I need a drink.”
“Me too.” Sam leaned back to look at him.
She blinked away some tears. “Do you know what really scares me? It’s the change that I can’t control that upsets me the most. Being ruled by my dad forever—that seems to be out of my control and it’s driving me insane.
I can’t seem to get away from him. He pays for everything, coaches me, does all the paperwork …
I mean, take Becky for example. He’s been Becky’s coach since she could walk.
Now he’ll be her father-in-law, and then she’ll have kids, probably.
And he’ll be a grandfather, and the kids will learn to ski before they can walk too!
Argh! There’s no getting away from him.”
“He’s not a bad man,” Finn said. “He means well, you know.”
“Well, that’s debatable.” Sam’s jaw set.
Finn could’ve kicked himself. Sam had never forgiven her father for walking out on her and her mother after the car crash.
Rightly so. The man had left his wife struggling to adapt to her paralysis, with two kids—even if Sam had been eighteen and Leo was twenty-four, the same age as Finn was now—while he shacked up with the receptionist at the gym. Sam kept walking as if she was fine.
“And you, you’re ready for change too,” she said quietly as they went inside and joined the queue for food. “Or at least that’s what it sounded like last night.”
“Ah I was just having a midlife crisis.” Finn nudged her, unwilling to burden her any further.
“Feeling the pressure. You know how it is—are you feeling okay for the qualie later?” He picked up a tray and passed it to her.
Sam threw him a side glance, and he crossed his fingers that she believed him, then grabbed a tray for himself.
“Yeah, I think so. There’s nothing more I can do to prepare, so I’m trying to keep my mind off it until I’m up there ready to go.”
He nodded. There was nothing like the day of a heat. It was always a strange mixture of calm and nerves, of feeling like it was your moment while also hoping you didn’t wipe out. “At least the forecast is good. Great visibility.”
“Did you see Maya’s Instagram posts?” Sam said as if she was dying to change the subject.
He silently kicked himself for momentarily forgetting that waiting around to compete was Sam’s weak point.
How could he have brought it up? Swiftly he ordered food and drinks for them both while Sam waited.
Then she grinned at him, her phone gripped tight in her hand as the server called back the order to Finn.
“I didn’t see the post.” Finn turned to her. “Is it important?”
“Well, yes, if you think that Montalier and Salvaro commenting is important. Finn, it sounds like they’re both interested in sponsoring us, or something!”
“Are you serious?” Finn tugged his gloves off and pulled out his phone. Sam snorted and laughed.
“You still have that old thing? It must be …” She counted on her fingers. “A bajillion years old.”
Ignoring her, Finn opened the app and scrolled until he found the post. The photo of him and Sam was breathtaking.
They looked so good, side by side, together.
Raising his eyebrows at Sam who was watching him, he pushed a smile on his face.
Did she like the photo? Was this the reason she was so concerned about change?
His eyes scanned the comments until he found the ones from two of their favorite brands.
His mouth dropped open as he read them. Looking up he locked eyes with Sam who was dancing on her toes now, all worries seemingly forgotten.
“Wow,” he said. “This is … is this? Do you think this is a real offer?”
“Sounds like it.” Sam scrunched her nose up. “Doesn’t it?”
“Do you think we should reply?”
“Oh my God, that’s a great idea.” Sam hopped up and down as her food was placed on her tray. “But we should do it together, at the same time. That way everyone will see it.”
Finn took his food and moved down the line. “What should we say?”
Paying for both trays, Sam shrugged and brushed Finn away as he tried to pay. “You can Revolut me, or can you? That phone …”
“I can Revolut you,” he said. “Give me a minute.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Sam said. She slid into an empty seat and nodded for him to sit down. “We have work to do first. We need to craft the perfect reply—”
Finn added salt to his already salted fries. He dipped into the mayonnaise and popped the fry into his mouth. “God this is delicious.”
“Pay attention!” Sam mock-frowned at him.
Finn absent-mindedly ate another fry. He watched Sam as she took a huge bite of her chicken, chewed it and swallowed.