“I don’t want to keep you from shopping,” Davide said. He spun her around. “And this … this you must buy.È perfetto su di te.” His warm eyes crinkled as he smiled again, making Sam’s heart happy. It really was good to see him. He waited for her to nod before pulling Valentina back into his arms. “Amore mio, come see me for lunch. I cannot bear to be apart from you.”
“Of course, but you must leave in order for me to do that!” Valentina kissed him on the cheek and ushered him out the door. Davide waved in the window as he passed by, blowing kisses too. Sam laughed.
“You guys are so sweet,” she said to Valentina as the woman blew kisses back to Davide. Valentina shrugged. “He’s cute. How could I resist him?”
Sam looked at the enraptured expression on Valentina’s face. She was lit up and humming as she tidied the rails. Sam went into the changing room and picked up her clothes. She couldn’t stop thinking about Davide and Valentina. Cutewasn’t how she’d describe Davide. Rugged, charming, no nonsense, straight talker, kind, outdoorsy, and yes maybe dashing—those were the kind of words she’d have chosen. Cute didn’t quite match up with his broad shoulders, height and general papa bear image but if Valentina thought he was cute then maybe he was—maybe there was a soft and snuggly side to Davide that she’d never seen. The thought of him being in love cheered her up. It was as if he’d won the lottery. His obvious joy was infectious. Sam grinned as she closed a button on the jacket. There was nothing quite like an Italian man in love. They were so in the moment. She should take a leaf out of his book. With a grin, she decided to buy both the pants and the jacket. They made her feel good and might make Finn smile when he saw them. And they were a bargain price too, so it really wouldn’t hurt her bank account too much.
“Ah, you made a wise choice.” Valentina rang up her purchases. “Can I wrap them up for you?”
Sam smiled. “No, I’m going to wear them now. Live in the moment.”
Valentina clapped her hands. “Yes! You will look amazing out there in these.”
“Thank you!” Sam tapped her phone to pay as Valentina carefully snipped the tags from the clothes. She crossed her fingers and hoped that Finn would think the same thing. The outfit was loud and very different to the loose, dark and somewhat somber snowboarding clothing that most of her peers wore. Wearing neon pink and green would attract a lot of attention. Attention that Maya was sure to make the most of. Swinging the bag that Valentina had packed herown clothes in, Sam hurried toward her hotel, a huge smile on her face.
In the hallway outside her room, she noticed Becky’s door was ajar. Sam rolled her eyes. Leo had moved over to Becky’s room as soon as their engagement had been made official, and Becky’s roommate had happily moved in with another athlete. Sam sighed. It had happened so fast it was almost indecent, but who was she to judge. They were happy and not hurting anyone. It was about time her brother had some fun and happiness in his life. If only she didn’t have to listen to them banging each other hour after hour as if it was training for an Olympic sport.
With a huge grin, Sam opened her room door and flung her bag on her bed. She pulled the engagement gift she’d bought them from her suitcase. If they were both in the room, and not riding Olympic rings around each other, then this was the perfect time to give it to them, especially as she and Leo seemed to be on better terms than ever. With a happy dance, Sam hurried out to the hallway.
Through the half-open doorway, the TV blared. Sam paused. Gabriel’s voice came across the airwaves, smooth and calm. He really did know what he was talking about—he had that going for him. Sam rolled her neck to try relieving the tension that was building up in her shoulders.
She thought about the trick she’d in mind to do later. It would be a tough one to pull off, but she’d done it once before. Surely, she’d be able to do it again. She went through the motions she’d have to take to hit the sweet spot on the ramp as she walked toward Becky’s room. She’d have to make sure that … the TV went quiet and Leo’s voice brokeher concentration, and she stopped inches away from the door.
“Look, there, that’s the moment she messed up.”
“Oh, yes, I see. You’re right.” Becky’s softer tone was a little harder to hear, but in the silence, Sam heard every word. Her mouth dropped open.What was going on?
“Look, one more time.”
The TV came back on, and Sam heard Gabriel’s commentary again. His voice loud and clear.
“… this could be the triple we’ve all been waiting…No! What was that? Sam Harrington has followed her teammate, Becky Stanford. A double cork 1080—what a statement.”
Sam’s hand flew to her mouth. They were rewatching yesterday’s qualies. More specifically, they were rewatchingherperformance at yesterday’s qualies. Bile rose in her throat.
“She’s off her game,” Leo said.
“Uh, no …” Becky sounded confused.
Leo continued. “Look at her face even before she set off. She’s not feeling it—”
“Listen to your fiancé.” Jake Harrington’s booming deep voice cut Leo off and made Sam jump. “This is your chance to step up.”
Her dad was there too? Shredding her reputation to pieces with her brother and her teammate? A throbbing in her temple made her reach for the doorjamb to stop herself from staggering back. After all he’d said to her, not just at the Games but over the years … about how this was her chance, and how she was born to do this, that she had to work harder to be better because he knew she could do better. She’d better not let him down, his reputation was on the line … He’d said these things to her at every single competition she’d gone to. And she’d listened to him, she’d done her best—well it looked like her best wasn’t enough. And it never would be.
Choking back her tears, Sam quietly went back to her room. She threw the matching His and Hers towels onto the suitcase, and changed into her team gear, flinging her new vintage ski wear to one side. The final was just hours away, but she couldn’t stay in her room—not next door to where her dad and brother were talking badly about her. She needed to walk, to clear her mind. Her stomach lurched as she zipped up her jacket. What was the point of even trying when she clearly wasn’t meant to win?
13
Finn
The stars were hidden, and the sky the darkest blue as Finn stared up the ramp, hoping to spot Sam among the other finalists. She was at the back, facing away from the event. Not a good sign. He twisted his old orange beanie in his hands, the spotlights dazzling him a little.
The announcer’s voice echoed over the slopes as the big air final kicked off. Each rider launched down the massive ramp, the crowd roaring with every gravity-defying trick. Finn barely registered the scores—until Becky appeared at the top of the run.
Becky. Sam’s future sister-in-law, her teammate and also her competition. Becky oozed confidence as she dropped, her body fluid and in control. She soared off the ramp with a smooth backside double cork 1080, grabbing her board with precision. The crowd erupted as she struck the landing perfectly, raising her arms in triumph.
“Strong run from Becky Stanford!” The loudspeakers blared as Gabriel’s voice rang out across the snowy terrain.Becky’s score flashed on the screen—solid, but not unbeatable. Finn swallowed hard as Becky grinned and waved to the crowd. She was top of the leader board, for now, and it looked like she was going to enjoy every single second of it.
