“I sucked.” Sam shrugged. “And got an earful from Dad.”
Leo nodded. “Don’t let him get to you, Sam. You have what it takes.”
“Thanks,” Sam said. “But shouldn’t you be rooting for Becky?”
“I am rooting for Becks.” Leo smiled. “Doesn’t mean I can’t root for you too—you’re my only sister, and I know what it’s like to have Dad come down on you so hard.”
“It’s like he’s angry with me, or something.” Sam sighed. “I mean, Valestré?”
“Becky was shocked to get it. And she’s a little afraid to talk to you now.”
“What?” Sam shook her head. “She shouldn’t be. It’s not her fault.”
“No, it’s not.” Leo nodded. “But you’ve not been as friendly with her lately, and she—we—figured that was why.”
Sam gaped. “No! Well, yeah, I was put out by it, but Leo, I blame Dad. Not Becky.”
Leo shrugged, his gaze distant as he adjusted his weight, the old hurt in his eyes flashing briefly. “Kinda hard to know that, Sam, when you weren’t talking to us.”
Sam’s chest tightened. She hadn’t realized how distant she’d been.
“I felt like everything was slipping out of my control, Leo. Between Dad pushing me, and then Becky getting the deal—” She cut herself off, hurt bubbling up inside her like a hot spring. “It was like he was trying to replace me, you know.”
Leo stopped walking, his jaw clenching. “You think that’s bad? Imagine how it felt whenyoustarted taking my place. When everything I’d worked for was … just gone.” His voice was low, almost a whisper. It hit Sam like a sudden wipeout on the slopes. Hard, sudden and painful. Guilt flooded her chest.
“What do you mean?”
Leo swallowed hard. “I told myself never to tell you this … but God, Sam … the car accident, and my leg—it ruined my life. I had my shot—my dream. And then just like that it was over—and he turned to you almost immediately. I’d barely had time to recover before he was talking about you and your chances, your training sessions, your talent.” He gestured vaguely, his voice cracking. “And it killed me a little, you know. I was supposed to be the one. I wasn’tsupposed to be sitting on the sidelines. And he never ever, not once, said sorry for that day—the accident shouldn’t have happened.” He swiped at his nose, his eyes glistening with tears. “He was supposed to be driving, and I should’ve said no when he told me to, but I didn’t. I couldn’t. And then Mom …”
“Leo. It wasn’t your fault. I know that,” Sam choked out, tears welling in her eyes. Watching her brother fall apart like this made her feel sick. She wanted to apologize, to say something to make it better. “And I didn’t want to take your place—you must know that. But I felt like Dad … he made it clear that I had to carry the torch.” She paused, meeting his gaze. “I never wanted to replace you, Leo. I just didn’t know what to do when everything changed.”
Leo’s face softened, but there was still an edge to his voice. “I know, Sam. But sometimes it feels like that’s exactly what happened. I don’t blame you—no more than you blame Becky. Dad has always had his own agenda, and I guess that now we’ve both been on the end of his ambitions.”
Sam looked down at her boots. They started walking again, slower this time, as if they didn’t want to reach the hotel too quickly. “Do you ever wish it had been different? That Dad hadn’t pushed us so hard? That we could’ve just … skied and boarded because we loved it?”
Leo gave a quiet laugh. “All the time. I used to sneak away to glade ski with Ryan, and it was heaven—no Dad yelling at me like it was life or death.”
“You never said that before.”
“Didn’t feel like I could.” He hesitated. “And after the accident … I didn’t know who I was anymore. It was toopainful to get back out there, and after a while I didn’t want to. You were on the rise, and I’d faded away like a ghost.”
Horrified, Sam wiped tears away from her cheeks. “You’re not a ghost. You’re my big brother. And I miss you—I missus.”
“I miss us too.” Leo’s voice was gentler. “Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t want to dump this on you—that wasn’t my intention. I just wanted to say good luck tomorrow.”
Sam nodded, a small breath of relief catching in her throat. “Thanks, brother.”
“Anytime, sister.” Leo smiled.
“You coming in?” Sam nodded as the hotel came into view.
Leo shook his head. “Trying to soak in as much of the atmosphere as I can, seeing as I can stay out as late as I like.”
Sam laughed. “Now that’s what I call looking on the bright side.”
“That’s me! Mr. Brightside.” Leo looked sheepish. “Thanks, Sam. For talking. See you tomorrow.”
Sam climbed the hotel steps, pausing to look back at Leo as he walked away. Her eyes stung in the cold, her cheeks too, where her tears were still damp. That was a conversation she’d never imagined happening. She rubbed at her cheeks, hoping she didn’t look as emotionally shattered as she felt. The hotel doors slid open, and a blast of heat greeted her. Pausing to check her face in a lobby mirror, Sam spied Gabriel behind her in the reflection. He was sitting alone at the hotel bar. She turned around. His lanyard swung lightly around his neck:Gabriel Hawke, Global Sports Network. He raised his glass at her, and she nodded back at him, thenglanced behind her as his eyes flicked past her.What on earth…ah, she smiled. He was looking for Maya—he had to be. Why else would he look behind her like that? The only answer was for Maya, especially as she was usually at Sam’s side. Her phone buzzed with a text from Maya.
