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I’d flown to Atlanta last night after my game to be here for Evie’s qualifier. We’d been pretty much inseparable the last six months, since the day I’d kicked her ass and won a date. Well, as inseparable as two professional athletes who spent twelve hours a day training could be. My team had already qualified, so Evie was carrying an added pressure. I had to fly back this afternoon, but I felt like she needed me here, especially since her mother was here, too. A not-too-successful former competitive ice skater herself, the woman was the mother of all controlling stage-mothers. She was also a raging alcoholic and religious zealot—a combination that wasn’t fun.
But speak of the devil.
Paula Dwyer marched over to the waiting area where Evie and I stood. I’d hoped she might oversleep this morning, after finding her in the bar three sheets to the wind when I arrived late last night. But no such luck.
“There you are. How’s the leg this morning? Did you use the massage gun like your trainer told you to do? You know I didn’t make the state competition years ago because I ignored my trainer’s advice. You’re twenty-five, a dinosaur in figure skating years. This is it for you. You screwed up all your other chances. It’s now or never so you—”
Who the hell tells their kid theyscrewed upright before the biggest competition of their life? I put my hand up, interrupting. “Paula.”
“What?”
“She’s trying to stay calm.”
Her mother frowned. “So now you’re the figure-skating expert, are you? What do you know about pressure? You qualified with ateam.”
“Fox is right, Mom.” Evie sighed. “I don’t need to be reminded that this is my last chance.”
“I was only trying to give you a pep talk.” Paula dug into her purse and pulled out a flask. She twisted off the cap and took a long swig.
I kept my mouth shut and whispered to Evie, “Why don’t you put your earbuds in and get in the zone?”
She nodded. For the next fifteen minutes, I watched the big screen while Evie quietly stretched and listened to music. Her coach was busy inside with one of his other skaters—a woman I’d met a few times at Evie’s practices. My neck was a knot of tension as the woman took her place and started her routine. Everything seemed to be going great, until it wasn’t.
She fell. I hadn’t thought Evie was paying attention, but when I looked over, her eyes were glued to the screen. She swallowed. A few minutes later, Brian, her coach, emerged. He tamped down the look of disappointment on his face as he walked over to us.
“How you feeling, Evie?”
She plucked an earbud out. “Okay. Is it time?”
“Two more. But we should go inside and wait on deck.”
Evie blew out a deep breath and nodded, looking to me.
I smiled and put my hands on her shoulders. “You got this. No hesitations. Leave it all on the ice. Balls out. You hear me?”
She nodded.
Her mother shouldered between us. “The Lord blessed us with these talents. Let’s honor Him.”
Evie bowed her head as her mother said some prayer. I believed in God and had said my share of pre-competition supplications, but breathing in alcohol fumes from the woman reciting the words just didn’t sit right with me.
The next twenty minutes were torture as we waited. Thankfully, I managed to shake off Paula and sit by myself. When Evie opened the half door to skate onto the ice, I found myself tapping the bench next to me three times for luck.
The music started, sending my heart racing like someone had put paddles to my chest and fired up a shock. Evie’s routine had some early tricks, so there wasn’t even a chance to be lulled into a calm. My hands folded into fists, and my leg came off the seat each time she jumped. She was killing it so far, but her hardest trick was in the last pass. I held my breath as she got into position for the long trek across the ice. This was it. It was the playoffs, and the teams were tied up, with one shot on goal before the buzzer sounded.
Shoot and…
Evie flew up in the air and started to twist.
And twist.
And twist.
It looked like she had it, until she landed the tiniest bit off.
And crashed to the ground with a loudcrack.
***
