Page 78 of Just Let Go

“You downplay the things that mean something to you.”

“I do not,” she said. He hardly knew her well enough to make such a broad claim. And why was everyone ganging up on her today? First Carly, now him?

“Is it your design for the carnival?”

She nodded. “Florists all over the state enter their best designs. Judges go around to score them. The Winter Carnival design will be my entry.” There. Nothing but the details. He didn’t have to know all the reasons why it mattered.

“Well, I think it’s great the contest is so important to you, and I think your design is going to win.”

He said it with such assurance, she almost believed him. She would’ve thought he’d make fun of her. Her little flower contest seemed so small next to his Olympic tryout.

“But right now, we need to conquer this hill,” he said.

“I’m going to fall.”

“That’s the spirit.” His sarcasm wasn’t lost on her. “Just remember what I taught you. Don’t lean backward, and let your legs do the work.”

“And at the end? What if I can’t stop?”

“We worked on stopping,” he said.

“Going down a hill and stopping is way different than moving across the flat land and stopping.”

“Will you quit stalling?”

She groaned. Her heart was racing, her stomach knotted. She wasn’t sure what made her more uneasy—the thought of getting hurt or the knowledge that she was about to make a fool of herself in front of Grady and everyone else out there.

“You gonna go, Aunt Quinn?” Jaden skied up behind her, turning to stop like it was the easiest thing in the world. Seconds later, Carly appeared at his side. Even she seemed comfortable on her skis.

“She’s gonna go!” Grady called out, then leaned closer to her. “I’ll be right beside you.”

Was that supposed to make her feel better?

“All right,” she finally said. “I’m gonna go.” Her nerves kicked up instantly. “This must seem so silly to you.”

“Why?”

She kept her eyes forward. “The bunny hill? How stupid to be scared of the bunny hill.”

“Hey, we all start somewhere,” he said.

He had no idea how true that was.

“We’ll go together,” he said. “On the count of three.”

“Oh my gosh.” The anticipation of it was getting unbearable now. “Okay, fine. But hurry up before I lose my nerve.”

“Okay, one—” he pulled the goggles over his eyes—“two—” one more look at her—“and three!”

Almost without thinking, she pushed herself over the edge, the sounds of Jaden and Carly cheering behind her. At her side, Grady coasted along as easily as if he were walking across the street. Quinn floundered for a second, glancing at Grady, who reminded her of her posture, which was definitelynotwhat he’d taught her. She leaned forward and picked up a bit of speed, and she turned back and forth to keep from going too fast. He stayed right beside her the whole time.

She coasted along, and for a brief few seconds, she didn’t feellike she was going to crash to the ground. She was staying upright, moving well, even. In fact, she felt almost giddy, like the laugh that bubbled up from inside her wasn’t going to stay inside. The cool wind blew across her face, and while she couldn’t believe it, she actually thought this might be a little bit fun.

But she started to panic when she realized she had two options: 1. Stop or 2. Crash. Stopping, her old nemesis, laughed at her now.

Grady must’ve sensed her fear because he inched closer. “Just turn your toes in,” he reminded her. She knew this wasn’t the way he would stop—he’d do something fancy that would flick snow up at whoever was standing nearby. But she had to stick with the basics, so as they cruised to the bottom of the hill, she did as she was told, and somehow, remarkably, she started to slow down until she wasn’t moving anymore.

Her eyes widened as she stared down at her skis. She’d made it all the way down the hill without falling. Now the laughter escaped. “I did it.”

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