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Jasperand I finished the final rotation and glided to a stop as our extended legs lowered to the ice in tandem. Our blades hit the ice perfectly in sync, and I couldn’t restrain a broad grin.
Niko let out a whistle from where he was watching by the boards and gave an enthusiastic round of applause before skating over to join us. “You two are really killing it. That last spin was breathtaking. You’ve come a long way, you know—both of you.”
The warmth of his smile sparked with my own joy, sending a deeper flood of triumph through my chest. But when I glanced at Jasper, he simply shrugged, his mouth slanted in a direction that had more in common with a frown.
Geez, was thereanythingthat would perk this guy up?
Or was he still peeved that he had to put up with my constant presence?
The thorn of insecurity didn’t have time to dig deep before Niko’s eyes lit with a sly glint I was coming to recognize. “Considering how much you two have evolved since we first gave pairs a try, I think it’s time you got the chance to show off for a wider audience.”
My gaze shot to the stands. “You want to invite people from town to watch us practice?”
Jasper sighed. “He’s talking about some kind of competition. He wants us to perform someplace else—right, Niko?” He didn’t sound happy about it.
The shorter man chuckled without any sign of noticing Jasper’s lack of enthusiasm. “That’s exactly what I’m getting at. Now before you say anything, it’s just a small local competition. An event in Dellville—a city a couple of hours from here. No official criteria for competing, so it’s fine that Lou is a newcomer and not registered anywhere yet. It’d give you the chance to get used to having more spectators and to get some objective feedback from judges without too much pressure.”
“Judges,” I murmured. The memory of Coach Balakin’s disappointed tone when he pointed out my flaws echoed up from my memory.
I squared my shoulders against the recollection. The guy coaching menow, who absolutely knew what good skating looked like, thought I could handle this.
Luciana Cordova didn’t let anyone else decide what chances she took a shot at.
Niko nodded, studying my reaction with a slight softening of his expression. “I can tell you how good you are all day long, but I know Jasper here will never believe me. This will give you objective proof of how far you’ve come.”
He nudged Jasper teasingly with his elbow, but his gaze stayed on me. He could probably tell my confidence wasn’t on the most stable ground either.
“I’ve never competed before,” I said. “So starting with something small sounds just right to me. What’s the point of doing any of this if I’m not going to put myself out there properly?”
I paused, taking in Jasper’s uncertain expression. “Unless you think it’s too small to be worth bothering with foryou.” Which was a stance I could totally understand after he’d made it as far as the Olympics in the past.
Before Jasper could reply, another thought struck me with a jolt of panic. I turned back to Niko.
“How much publicity would a little local competition like this even get? It’s not, like, broadcast outside the city or anything?”
Jasper snorted. “If you’re looking to get on TV, I don’t think a backwoods competition like that’s going to do it for you.”
I exhaled silently, not wanting him to realize I was incredibly relieved rather than disheartened by the fact. Thank the Lord.
I was supposed to be in hiding. I couldn’t risk blowing my cover with any competition where someone who recognized me might spot me. But if it was only a small one in a city I’d never even heard of before—so no doubt Mom hadn’t either—that should be safe.
A giddy shiver passed through me. I could finally get out there and make a spectacle on the ice like I’d always dreamed.
But Jasper still didn’t look convinced.
“We just show up and skate?” he asked Niko.
“There’s a qualifying round,” Niko said. “But I have no doubt you’ll be in the top ten pairs who’re approved for the official competition day. I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t even have more than ten pairs and it’s just a formality.”
Jasper rolled his eyes. “Such a vote of confidence.”
Why did he always have to have such a stick up his ass? Couldn’t he give this a chance?
I might have voiced those snarky questions, but Niko stepped in with a much more diplomatic attitude than came naturally to me. “I’m only putting the idea out there. You don’t have to answer now. Just think about it.”
Jasper hummed to himself noncommittally, his gaze veering back to the ice. I waited for the wordnoto roll off his tongue, but instead, he tilted his chin back upward, a steely expression on his face.
“I’ll think about it—alone.”
