“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 herfather 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 Finnaway as he tried to pay. “You can Revolut me, or can you? That phone …”
