“There’s green tea in the cooler,” Troy said. “I’ll get you one.”
“Can I have one, too?” Grace asked. “I’ll drink along with the preggers, here.”
Grace was greeted by a number of people as she and Becca went out on the deck, where it was still cool enough that they had to stay wrapped in their sweaters. The men stayed inside. Cooper brought the women some chips. He leaned down to whisper in Grace’s ear.
“You doing okay, Gracie?”
“I’m fine, Coop. Thanks.”
“If you need Troy next week, all you have to do is say so. We back each other up out here on the water.”
“Thanks,” she said. “I forget sometimes how great people are here.”
“Never forget,” he said, giving her hand a pat.
When he left, Becca was smiling. “This reminds me a little of Virgin River,” she said. “Everyone is so bonded. I can see they all love you, Grace.”
“I think I took that for granted. But tell me how you knew who I was?”
“Seriously? You were always my favorite. I watched you compete in all the big events!”
“How could I be your favorite?” Grace asked. “I didn’t think I was anyone’s favorite!”
“You were everyone’s favorite!”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I had the worst reputation in the business. People called me rich and snotty. My scores always suffered most because of my facial expressions! I never smiled enough for the judges.”
“Really?”
“I thought everyone was rooting for Fiona Temple.”
“She was the underdog. Underdogs always get attention, in all sports. But you? You were gifted, people said so all the time. A natural on the ice. And scared. You were just a scared kid. But in the Vancouver Games, you nailed it. You owned that competition—there was no contest. There hasn’t been a competition like that since. Every newcomer is compared to you. Fiona was a good skater, but a total poser. They caught shots of her cursing or scowling all the time, showing she wasn’t the sweet darling she pretended to be for interviews. I bet she was mean.”
Grace was stunned. “As a snake,” she said. “People knew?”
Becca shrugged. “I bet they did. Don’t you remember what people said about you? Your reviews? Kiddo, you stole the show.”
She had to shake herself. She only remembered the very critical comments.
“Why did you quit?” Becca asked.
“It’s a long story, but it boils down to this—I couldn’t take the pressure anymore. I’d gone as high as I could go and I was exhausted. I like my life better now, hard as that might be to understand.”
“Not hard at all,” she said with a laugh. “A good life, a good man like Troy? That’s more than a lot of people have.”
“Tell me about you and Denny,” Grace said.
“Talk about a long story!” she said. She launched happily into her tale of on-again, off-again romance that finally stuck after she chased Denny to Virgin River and captured him with a broken ankle. She was getting to the wedding and her decision to stay in the mountains with the love of her life when Denny and Troy joined them on the deck, adding bits and pieces to her story. The sun was sinking in the sky when Troy announced that he’d made reservations at Cliffhanger’s for dinner.
“Think about what you’d like to see and do while you’re here,” Troy said. “The weather is supposed to be good all weekend and the coast is beautiful.”
“I can think of one thing I’d absolutely die to do,” Becca said. “I’d so love to see you skate, Izzy...I mean Grace!”
Troy put an arm around Grace’s shoulders. “Gracie doesn’t skate anymore,” he said.
“Actually, I do,” Grace said. “There’s a rink in North Bend where the owner lets me skate before they open in the morning. It’s early, though.”
“Oh, my God, that would be so awesome,” Becca said excitedly.
Troy put a thumb and finger on Grace’s chin, turning her face toward him. “You’re skating again?”
“Now and then. Secretly. Just because, you know...”
“I don’t know.”
“Because I’ve been skating my whole life, but for the past five years not for an audience. Except the owner of the rink.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he whispered.
“Because I don’t want to coach or compete and I wanted you to believe that.”
“Gracie, I believe everything you tell me. So, you’ll skate for me now?”
“Would you like that?”
“Only if it feels right to you.”
“I think I’d like to. If you promise you can love a flower girl.”
He just smiled at her.
* * *
That Friday night was more fun than Grace had had in years. Seth and Iris were at Cliff’s, sitting up at the bar eating crab cakes, so they picked up their plates and joined them. Cliff teasingly asked Grace if she was packing tonight and the story of the Taser came out to the hysterical laughter of everyone but Grace. After Denny and Becca were dropped back at Troy’s apartment, Grace and Troy went to her loft, to bed. But there was no sleeping. They cuddled close and talked late into the night.
Grace was enchanted by Troy’s friends; she loved what they seemed to have together. “Do we have anything close to that?” she asked him.
“Close,” he said. “If I’m not kidding myself, I think we’re building something that could be solid.”
“You don’t talk about the future with me,” she said. “Do you want something like what your friends have? A marriage? Children?”
“Of course I do. But, Gracie, we’ve been together three months and change. That’s not long enough. There are a few things we still have to sort out.”
“Like what?”
“Well, let’s start with how many more secrets you’re keeping.”
“Troy, I’m not keeping secrets!”
“I didn’t know you were skating. Couldn’t you trust me with that?”
“Oh, Troy, that’s not a secret. I’ve only been on the ice a few times since right after Christmas. There hasn’t been time! You’ve kept me too busy. And besides, I only do a little skating now and then to keep in shape.”
“Can I have one, too?” Grace asked. “I’ll drink along with the preggers, here.”
Grace was greeted by a number of people as she and Becca went out on the deck, where it was still cool enough that they had to stay wrapped in their sweaters. The men stayed inside. Cooper brought the women some chips. He leaned down to whisper in Grace’s ear.
“You doing okay, Gracie?”
“I’m fine, Coop. Thanks.”
“If you need Troy next week, all you have to do is say so. We back each other up out here on the water.”
“Thanks,” she said. “I forget sometimes how great people are here.”
“Never forget,” he said, giving her hand a pat.
When he left, Becca was smiling. “This reminds me a little of Virgin River,” she said. “Everyone is so bonded. I can see they all love you, Grace.”
“I think I took that for granted. But tell me how you knew who I was?”
“Seriously? You were always my favorite. I watched you compete in all the big events!”
“How could I be your favorite?” Grace asked. “I didn’t think I was anyone’s favorite!”
“You were everyone’s favorite!”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I had the worst reputation in the business. People called me rich and snotty. My scores always suffered most because of my facial expressions! I never smiled enough for the judges.”
“Really?”
“I thought everyone was rooting for Fiona Temple.”
“She was the underdog. Underdogs always get attention, in all sports. But you? You were gifted, people said so all the time. A natural on the ice. And scared. You were just a scared kid. But in the Vancouver Games, you nailed it. You owned that competition—there was no contest. There hasn’t been a competition like that since. Every newcomer is compared to you. Fiona was a good skater, but a total poser. They caught shots of her cursing or scowling all the time, showing she wasn’t the sweet darling she pretended to be for interviews. I bet she was mean.”
Grace was stunned. “As a snake,” she said. “People knew?”
Becca shrugged. “I bet they did. Don’t you remember what people said about you? Your reviews? Kiddo, you stole the show.”
She had to shake herself. She only remembered the very critical comments.
“Why did you quit?” Becca asked.
“It’s a long story, but it boils down to this—I couldn’t take the pressure anymore. I’d gone as high as I could go and I was exhausted. I like my life better now, hard as that might be to understand.”
“Not hard at all,” she said with a laugh. “A good life, a good man like Troy? That’s more than a lot of people have.”
“Tell me about you and Denny,” Grace said.
“Talk about a long story!” she said. She launched happily into her tale of on-again, off-again romance that finally stuck after she chased Denny to Virgin River and captured him with a broken ankle. She was getting to the wedding and her decision to stay in the mountains with the love of her life when Denny and Troy joined them on the deck, adding bits and pieces to her story. The sun was sinking in the sky when Troy announced that he’d made reservations at Cliffhanger’s for dinner.
“Think about what you’d like to see and do while you’re here,” Troy said. “The weather is supposed to be good all weekend and the coast is beautiful.”
“I can think of one thing I’d absolutely die to do,” Becca said. “I’d so love to see you skate, Izzy...I mean Grace!”
Troy put an arm around Grace’s shoulders. “Gracie doesn’t skate anymore,” he said.
“Actually, I do,” Grace said. “There’s a rink in North Bend where the owner lets me skate before they open in the morning. It’s early, though.”
“Oh, my God, that would be so awesome,” Becca said excitedly.
Troy put a thumb and finger on Grace’s chin, turning her face toward him. “You’re skating again?”
“Now and then. Secretly. Just because, you know...”
“I don’t know.”
“Because I’ve been skating my whole life, but for the past five years not for an audience. Except the owner of the rink.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he whispered.
“Because I don’t want to coach or compete and I wanted you to believe that.”
“Gracie, I believe everything you tell me. So, you’ll skate for me now?”
“Would you like that?”
“Only if it feels right to you.”
“I think I’d like to. If you promise you can love a flower girl.”
He just smiled at her.
* * *
That Friday night was more fun than Grace had had in years. Seth and Iris were at Cliff’s, sitting up at the bar eating crab cakes, so they picked up their plates and joined them. Cliff teasingly asked Grace if she was packing tonight and the story of the Taser came out to the hysterical laughter of everyone but Grace. After Denny and Becca were dropped back at Troy’s apartment, Grace and Troy went to her loft, to bed. But there was no sleeping. They cuddled close and talked late into the night.
Grace was enchanted by Troy’s friends; she loved what they seemed to have together. “Do we have anything close to that?” she asked him.
“Close,” he said. “If I’m not kidding myself, I think we’re building something that could be solid.”
“You don’t talk about the future with me,” she said. “Do you want something like what your friends have? A marriage? Children?”
“Of course I do. But, Gracie, we’ve been together three months and change. That’s not long enough. There are a few things we still have to sort out.”
“Like what?”
“Well, let’s start with how many more secrets you’re keeping.”
“Troy, I’m not keeping secrets!”
“I didn’t know you were skating. Couldn’t you trust me with that?”
“Oh, Troy, that’s not a secret. I’ve only been on the ice a few times since right after Christmas. There hasn’t been time! You’ve kept me too busy. And besides, I only do a little skating now and then to keep in shape.”
