“Hey,” Dani says from the door, her eyes clearly catching the suitcase but ignoring it, “can I come in?”
“Sure,” Emma says, shrugging.
“You are, you know. You’re just as strong as me,” Dani says.
“I’m not,” Emma protests.
Dani moves into the room and glances to me. “Audrey, could you excuse us for a sec?”
“Sure,” I say, but before I leave, I reach for Emma and pull her into a hug. “You are strong and you’re my best friend and I love you. No matter what you decide, all of that is still true.”
Dani closes the door behind me, and I try not to let it gnaw at my gut that when she needs me most, I don’t know how to help my best friend.
Chelsea is on the couch, spreading food over the coffee table while Mrs. Jackson and Janet dig into their white Styrofoam cartons with chopsticks. They must have run out for dinner before Emma started packing.
“Here,” Chelsea says, handing me one of my own. “Fresh sushi made right in front of us.”
“Perks of a Tokyo Olympics,” I say. We haven’t seen much of the city and probably won’t until the competition is over—if at all—but at least we can enjoy the food.
The minutes tick by, and we try to distract ourselves with watching the swimming competition, but aside from admiring how good the guys look slicing through the water, my attention is still focused on whatever is going on behind my bedroom door.
“I assume my son found you?” Janet asks, drawing my focus away.
“He did. Thanks for, you know …” I shift in my seat under her steady gaze. For what? Letting me distract myself by hooking up with her son? No, it’s more than that. “Thanks for being there this whole time. I know I fought you on some stuff, but you taught me a lot. Mostly that what I’d thought was good coaching my whole life was … not.”
“You’re welcome, though he and I will definitely be having a chat about how he perhaps didn’t stay away from you as much as he swore he did,” Janet says with a smile, pushing beyond the awkwardness and then changing tracks before it comes back. “He told me, you know, about his training plans. You helped my son find his dreams again, somehow, and I’m sorry we tried to dictate your relationship.”
I’m still not really sure I deserve the credit Leo gave me for that decision. It’s his Olympic dream, not mine. And the apology? I have no idea what to say to that.
Mrs. Jackson saves me from having to respond. “Leo’s going to train for 2022?” she asks, her eyes sliding over me with calculation. “That’s interesting.”
“Tamara,” Janet starts to say, but she’s interrupted by the door opening behind her.
Dani emerges first, but Emma is right behind her. Their eyes are pink and a little bit swollen, but other than that they don’t look any worse for wear.
“I’ve decided to stay,” Emma says, breaking the silence.
My shoulders relax instantly, and I leap from my seat to hug her. We just stand there, rocking back and forth, squeezing tightly. No one says anything, but whatever tension was left in the room is gone.
“Is that sushi?” Emma asks, with her chin propped on my shoulder. “Can I have some?”
“Yes,” I say, pulling away and nearly tripping over myself to give her a plate and a set of chopsticks.
“Thanks,” she says as she sits down on the couch.
Janet and Mrs. Jackson look over us, their eyes narrowed. I clear my throat. “Would you guys mind … Could I have the room for a second? I need to talk to my team.”
Mrs. Jackson quirks an eyebrow at me. “Absolutely,” she says, and Janet agrees with a short nod. They take their cartons with them, and then they’re gone and it’s just us.
“I …” I begin slowly, turning to face the other girls. “I have to tell you all something.”
The group stops immediately, chopsticks halfway to mouths, a clump of rice falling from Chelsea’s lips back into her lap.
“Sorry,” I say, shaking my head. “Not that, at least not exactly. It’s about when Sierra tried to—”
“Blackmail you?” Chelsea fills in for me, popping the rice back into her mouth.
Nodding, I take a deep breath and then exhale, steadying myself. This is important. “I was going to give up my spot because Gibby was grooming me, or at least the FBI thought so, and I felt like …” I hesitate, trying to keep my cool, breathing in and out slowly and straightening my shoulders. This is a time to be strong, not fall apart. Not again. “I didn’t just do it because it was the right thing to do. I did it because I felt like I owed it to Dani for coming forward. I felt guilty that it happened to you instead of me.” I nod to her. “And grateful that you came forward when you did. You saved me.”
