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He got dressed and headed over to the main building where Amber told him she'd meet him. He found her, along with Lisa and Blake, in the games room, which had everything from pool tables to big-screen TVs, to table tennis to air hockey to video game machines. There was also plenty of seating to just sit back and chill with friends. It was like the arcade of Will's dreams, and much more.
He made his way to the table where they were sitting and slid into the chair next to Amber.
When she saw him, she smiled.
"Will." She put her hand behind his neck and pulled him close for a kiss. "Great game today."
"Yeah, we really enjoyed it," Lisa said. "Thanks for not sucking."
"Good game, buddy," Blake said.
"Thanks. It was tight. Russia was a good opponent, but we hung in there."
Lisa sat back in her chair. "They were okay. You haven't played Canada yet. We're formidable."
Will grinned at her. "We'll see."
"So now what?" Blake asked. "You move to the next round?"
Will nodded. "We're in the quarterfinals. We wait for the qualification round, where the teams that have lost play each other again. That'll happen tomorrow. Then we play one of those teams and once we beat them, we'll move on to the semifinals."
Amber rubbed her hand over his arm. "I like that confidence."
"Gotta be confident that we'll win."
"Canada's in the same position," Lisa said. "Maybe you'll meet up with them in the semis."
"Or the finals," Will said.
Lisa put her hand to her chest. "Oh, God, I don't know if my heart could handle that."
"Mine, either," Amber said. "But it would be the best thing, wouldn't it? Your country and ours, in the hockey finals?"
"It would be. Let's wish for that."
"Hey," Will said. "No wishing. Talent will get us there. Or at least it'll get the US team there. I don't know about your losers."
Lisa laughed. "Some of my 'losers,' as you call them, are your teammates."
"True. Like I said . . . losers."
"I'm telling McCaffery you said that," Lisa said.
"Go ahead."
Amber looked over at Lisa. "Boys."
"Right?"
"When do you compete, Lisa?" Will asked.
"Tomorrow."
"I'll be there, for sure."
"Me, too," Amber said. "I can't wait to watch you."
"We should meet up so we can all sit together," Blake said.
Lisa told them what time she was slotted to compete, so they made plans to get together an hour before.
"I don't know about the rest of you," Will said, "but skating my ass off works up an appetite. Let's grab some food."
Blake was skiing later, which meant they needed to stay close to the slopes, so they headed into the dining room to eat.
Will was craving something substantial, and even though it was still early, he ordered a sirloin with potatoes and asparagus, along with apple pie and ice cream.
When he met everyone back at their table, Lisa looked over at his plate. "Burn some calories today?"
"By the end of the game it felt like a million calories. I was out of juice."
"It never showed," Blake said, as he sliced into his chicken breast. "You carved it up like a beast out there."
"Or a mad dog." Amber gave him a knowing smile.
Will shot her a grin as he was chewing. After he swallowed, he said, "Now you're getting it."
"Hey, you gotta give it your all when you're competing," Blake said. "You leave nothing at the end. If you do, you'll live with regrets."
Will took a sip of his iced tea and nodded at Blake. "Exactly. I play every game as if it's our last one. We have to push hard to make it to the next game. Otherwise, how will we make it to the last one?"
"I've never pushed as hard in my life as I've done here," Blake said. "Knowing how good my competition is, I know I have to give it more than I ever have before. You train and train for this for years, and then you stand there and wait for your turn and you watch your competitors, and goddamn, they're good. Like, really fucking good."
Lisa wrapped her fingers around Blake's upper arm. "You're just as good, better in fact. You have to believe that."
"Yeah." Blake nodded, then looked down at his plate and continued to eat.
Will knew it was competition jitters talking, that Blake had that mindset they all sometimes got before a game or a competition, especially when you knew you were facing an uphill battle against a competitor who might be better than you.
There wasn't anything Will or any of them could say to Blake to pump him up. That fire to win had to come from within. You either had it or you didn't.
Will didn't know Blake well enough to know if he had it within himself. He hoped so. He liked the guy. He really liked Lisa, and Lisa was a strong competitor. He knew she'd give it her all. He hoped she'd found someone who had that same fire.
Because the one thing he did know was you couldn't make a relationship work with someone who didn't understand that constant edge you lived on, where competition was fierce and some days you were so tight with nerves that even the slightest nudge could send you over. Someone who competed at that same high level would know to leave you the hell alone because you needed time to think, to get yourself mentally prepared for a game.
Amber was one of those people who understood. They'd been together last night, but she'd left his room early, kissed him and told him he had a game today, that he needed his sleep, and he needed prep time this morning to get game ready. He'd actually been the one to argue with her. He'd wanted to keep her in his bed last night.
She'd been the one to know better.
She'd been right. As soon as she'd left he'd conked out and slept well.
After Blake finished eating, he had to leave to get ready.
"Good luck, man," Will said.
"We'll be there to cheer you on," Amber said.
"Thanks."
"I'll be right back," Lisa said. She got up and walked out with Blake.
"He's nervous," Amber said.
"Yeah. A little bit of healthy anxiety isn't a bad thing, as long as it doesn't affect his ability to get the job done as he heads down the slopes."
*
AMBER FINISHED THE LAST OF HER SALAD, THEN LAID her plate on top of everyone else's. "I worry he's fixated more on his competitors."
"I thought about that, too. Let's just hope he's got his eye on them, knowing they're the ones to beat, rather than being intimidated by them."
Amber couldn't agree more.
Lisa rejoined them and took a sip of her water.
"Is he okay?" Amber asked.
Lisa nodded. "He's going to be fine. He's nervous. The giant slalom is going to be tough for him. He said he's the least confident in this event. He's never placed well in it before, but I know he can handle it. He's practiced hard and he's done very well the past year in competitions. The thing is, there are two Austrians who are just killer at it, along with one of his friends from Norway who won the gold last time."
"Then we'll just have to make sure to cheer extra loud for him," Amber said.
"All he can do is his best out there," Will said. "If he does that, he should be satisfied."
Lisa nodded, then leaned back in the chair. "I just want him to do well. And, like you said, I want him to be satisfied with his standing at the end."
Will squeezed her hand. "Honey, he won't be satisfied unless he's standing at the podium with a gold medal. You're a competitive athlete. You know how it is."
She sighed. "I know. We're either in first or we suck."
Amber laughed. "This is true. Though I've learned to love my bronze and silver medals."
"Hey, I have a few of those myself," Lisa said. "But there's nothing like gold."
Will lifted his glass of water. "To gold."
They both lifted their glasses and clinked with his. "To gold."
TWENTY-ONE
AMBER FINISHED
HER PRACTICE FEELING SOLID ABOUT her performance tonight. She wasn't nervous, she knew her short program routine was solid. She lingered long enough to watch Tia go through her practice.
Tia's jumps were on the mark. She would do well as long as she kept her nervousness in check.
Amber checked her phone. She had just enough time to change and head over to the other ice arena for Will's game.
It had been nonstop competitions the past few days, and she'd loved every minute of it. After Blake had won bronze in the slalom, surprising even himself, they'd celebrated late into the night. Fortunately, her practice hadn't been until ten the next morning, because she'd been exhausted. Blake had been so shocked to medal he'd cried, then Lisa had cried. Then Amber had teared up, and Will had laughed at them. But she knew Will had been stoked for Blake, because he'd fist pumped and shouted as loud as anyone when Blake's time had come up on the boards.
The next day, Lisa competed in the slopestyle event. She'd won the bronze and one of her Canadian teammates had won the gold. It had been another crazy celebration, but at least Lisa had competed in the afternoon. It had been a bright sunny day and they'd thrown snowballs at each other outside.
It had been a fun couple of days, and Amber was having the time of her life.
Now she hurried over to the other ice arena. She was meeting Lisa there, along with Sergei, Brandon, Telisa and Robbie, who had also finished their skating practices.
She got a text from Telisa, who told her they'd already gotten seats at the arena and where they were located. She sent a quick text back to let Telisa know she was on her way.
Her phone buzzed. It was her mother. As she walked, she punched the button.
"Hi, Mom."
"Amber, how are you feeling about your performance tonight?"
"I'm feeling great."
"Are you resting? Where are you right now? We should have lunch together."
