Mara almost stopped in her tracks just to map the sound.
“God, I don’t know why I love it so much when you’re bitchy,” Kirby said, starting to breathe harder from exertion.
Mara’s body suddenly felt like a pinball machine, pinging all over the place in warning.
They had nearly reached their cluster of teammates. Coach Wu was at the back of the pack, and she slowed down to wait for them.
“I intend to do what’s been asked of me,” Mara said. The end. She was done.
“Slow it down, ladies. That’s not low tempo,” Coach Wu said mildly. “You’re all caught up.”
Mara nodded. “Yeah. Sorry, Coach.”
Coach Wu patted her shoulder as Mara skied by.
She heard Coach Wu say, “You okay, KB?”
She heard Kirby say, “Not really, no.”
But Mara didn’t stop. Kirby Bonham wasn’t her business. And she wasn’t Kirby’s.
CHAPTER
FOUR
Janette Collins looked airbrushed.Her skin was perfection. No pores or blemishes even under the harsh lights. It was impressive.
“Once this interview is over, I’m going to have to ask for your skin care routine,” Kirby said, making small talk as they waited for Mara to arrive. “I’ll take notes.”
“Oh, his name is Dr. Tejura. He regrows me a new face every few months.”
Kirby grinned. “I love a miracle worker. Usually celebrities say, ‘Oh, I don’t have a routine, I just use SPF.’”
Janette laughed, and it was such a friendly, infectious laugh that Kirby’s shields immediately went up. It would be so easy to let her guard down around the journalist.
Kirby got more comfortable in her chair, trying to project confidence she didn’t really feel.
Mara walked in and froze when she saw them. Her hair was down, which was unusual, and Kirby stared at her for too long. Mara was a beautiful woman. She could have been as disarming as Janette if she would lose the stick up her ass.
They got Mara set up in the chair beside Kirby. She smelled fancy, and it kind of pissed Kirby off.
The cameras started to roll, and they were on.
“Mara, let’s begin with simple shop talk,” Janette said.
Because of course they would start with Mara.
“Okay,” Mara said.
“For your entire career, you have competed in almost all Olympic cross-country ski events and disciplines. You’ve done freestyle and classic. You’ve done sprints and distance races. But there are whispers that that will not be the case this time.”
Mara looked at Janette blankly.
Kirby got antsy after too many seconds of silence and jumped in. “That’s hardly a rumor. Mara didn’t compete in the sprint events at the last World Championships.”
“Your events,” Janette said.
Kirby shrugged. “I plan to compete in four events, a mix of sprint and distance races.” She did better without huge breaks between starts, so racing in as many events as possible was the optimal strategy for her. “I’m not just a sprinter anymore. I proved that four years ago.”
