Chapter 13
Sitting across thetable from each other, like a couple on a date, Krista watched Shane sprinkle salt on his fries. Never in a million years had she thought they’d get along so well, and that wasn’t just her raging hormones talking. Shane really was a breath of fresh Rocky Mountain air—no, a big gust of cliff top wind, swooshing in out of nowhere to blow the cobwebs away and make everything shiny and new and exciting again. She was so glad to have him as a friend.
But then, for the gazillionth time, the position they’d ended up in last night sprang to mind again. Her libido jumped up like an excitable puppy. Down, girl! You’re barking up the wrong tree with Shane. Yeah, they were friends, but he was also clearly one of those guys who didn’t do long-term relationships and commitment. The kind of guy she’d never been attracted to.
But maybe, when she got back to Vancouver, Krista could try out the dating scene to find just the kind of guy she’d always wanted. Maybe she’d go out for cocktails with Lisa and get back into the swing of meeting men.
Hmm. Cocktails and nightclubs weren’t really Krista’s style, but how else did couples meet? She’d already had her college romance with sweet, dependable—and okay, let’s face it, boring—Eric. And she’d also had a workplace romance that never was with Ryan...which had now become a red flag waving never to go down that route again.
Dating a co-worker was risky.
She was already dreading returning to work and coming across Ryan and Zoey, holding hands or canoodling in the gym’s café bar area. Awkward. Krista’s co-workers must’ve known about her crush on Ryan, but at least now with Shane’s photos and rumors that they’d hooked up, she wouldn’t be getting sympathetic looks from everyone. Even more awkward.
“Hey, you’re not still feeling sorry for yourself, are you?”
Realizing she’d been quiet for some time, Krista started. “No, no, I was just thinking about work. I wish I could stay out here for another week, or several months.”
“Me too.”
She picked up a fry and dunked it in ketchup. “So, tell me when you discovered your love for swimming.”
“Probably around the time I found front crawl and breaststroke came a lot easier than writing or reading,” he said. “That was before anyone realized I was dyslexic.”
“How old were you when you were diagnosed?”
“Ten or eleven, I think. I don’t really remember. But when I got to high school, things seemed to click in that department. I had all the tools to help me in the classroom. Then, my dad eventually gave me this stern lecture that basically said I couldn’t use dyslexia as an excuse not to study and spend all my time in the pool.”
“And were you using it as excuse?”
“I was a thirteen-year-old boy.” Shane snorted. “I was using everything as an excuse not to study. In the end, I just got on with it. My grades were good enough for uni. I actually enjoyed learning stuff then, but swimming was my true passion.”
“Was?”
“Is. Was.” Shane shrugged. “I’m not getting any younger. Every day I feel a new crick, a new ache.”
“You’ve pushed your body hard for twenty years,” Krista said. The majority of her patients were athletes whose bodies were showing signs of wear and tear from their sport. “Is that why you’re retiring?”
“Partly. The love’s also gone a bit, if I’m honest.”
“Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt?”
“Yeah, something like that.” His lips quirked. “What about you? What’s your goal?”
“Currently, I’m hoping to travel with Team Canada to the next Olympics. My manager says I have a good shot at it.” She nibbled a leaf of salad that had fallen out of her burger. “But ultimately, I’d like my own clinic one day. Working for myself, building a business around family. I dunno. It’s so down the line, I haven’t really looked into it much yet.”
“You will, when the time’s right, just like I did.”
“You’re setting up your own clinic?”
“Not quite. It’s sports consultancy and training. I’m planning to lecture at universities back home.”
“I bet they’d fall over themselves to have a real Olympian like you working for them.”
“Maybe.”
“So, tell me what’s it like to win gold.”
