Page 113 of Fly Boy
He raises a hand. “What happened to focusing only on getting to the Olympics?” he asks, sounding genuinely worried. “On winning gold? This relationship isn’t distracting you from that?”
“No. It’s still the goal. It’s never not been the goal,” I say emphatically. “And Wyatt’s aware of that.”
With a deep inhale, he nods, seemingly satisfied. “And the fact that he is nearly twenty years older than you isn’t an issue?”
I scoff, leveling him with a deadpan look. “Really? Pot, kettle, Dad? Or did you forget about Cindi? You were old enough to be her grandfather.”
“Watch it,” he clips, but the corners of his mouth twitch. Sighing, he runs his hands over his face. “Pippa, I—”
“I don’t expect you to like it,” I interrupt him. “But he makes me really happy.”
He pushes back from his desk, walking around it to stand in front of me. “And that’s all I want for you, Pippa.” Pulling me into a hug, I rest my head against him. “But right now, you should be focusing on the World Championships next week. And once it’s over, I’d like to speak to the both of you.”
“Why does that sound ominous?”
“Because meeting the girlfriend's parents always is.”
I laugh, the sound slightly hollow as the initial anger and fury have dissipated, replaced by guilt. I can’t get his job back, the job he loves. The job I got him fired from.
Wyatt just told me he loves me, but what if it’s not enough? What if he ends up resenting me?
Chapter Thirty-Nine
“Welcome back for thefinal competition of the figure skating season—the World Championships, here in Montreal. All eyes are on the superstar pairing of Pippa Cartwright and Evan Thomson as they take the ice for day one of the competition.”
“It’s been a pleasure watching them this season, watching them become better athletes, better skaters over the past few months. And what a ride they’ve had. Coming third place in France at the Grand Prix final and then a victorious win in California at the U.S. Championships and now, they’ll be looking to secure a place as favorites for being chosen to represent the USA at the Olympics on this world stage tonight.”
“I couldn’t agree more, Jessica. Not only are they competing with several other top pairs in Team USA for that coveted spot to represent their country at the biggest sporting event in theworld, but they also have to compete against some of the best skaters from all over just to get on that podium this week.”
"It’s a lot of pressure, Luke. You can see it in their faces as they walk out into the arena.”
“I’d say Evan looks a little more composed than Pippa, if I’m honest with you, Jessica. She seems to be a bit distracted.”
“Well, we do know that this year, she’s had to have felt the weight of people’s scrutiny, especially with so many doubting if she really deserved her place on the team when there were other athletes, more established athletes, that should have made the team instead. But if anything, with such a strong season, she’s proved all the doubters wrong.”
“It's tough, especially at this level, and we’ve already seen that Pippa is a perfectionist. Even the smallest mistake can throw off her confidence.”
“But they've faced that pressure several times now, Luke. They've shown us they can handle it and still deliver greatness.”
“Yes, but this is theWorld’s,Jessica. Greatness at this level is completely different from anything else, and with how Pippa’s looking today, maybe the pressure is getting to be a bit too much for her.”
“You forget that she’s already competed against other country's top skaters. Granted, the Grand Prix is a much smaller scale, but that’s where having chemistry, dynamic teamwork, a partner you can trust, really comes into play. Evan Thomson has proven that he’s the guy for her.”
“In case you’ve missed it, folks, you’ve joined us for the World Championships, where the question on everyone's lips is: can Pippa Cartwright and Evan Thomson give everything they’ve got into their performance to secure a podium finish?”
“Babe, tell me what’s wrong,” Evan says, grabbing my arm and tugging me away from the other athletes who are due to take to the ice and perform. “Something’s not right. You’ve been distracted since we arrived.”
“I’m fine,” I murmur, lost in thought.
“You’re not. You’re unfocused, your jumps haven’t been as strong, you’re missing cues, and you’re—”
Every word is like a sledgehammer, breaking cracks in the wall that keeps my insecurities locked behind.
“Okay, I get it,” I snap. “I fucking suck. I’m the worst partner you’ve ever had.”
“Hey,” Evan clips, his fingers digging into my shoulders. “Cut that out right now. I didnotsay that. Just tell me where they fuck your heads at, Pippa.”
I scrub a hand down my face, uncaring if I smudge my makeup. “Wyatt told me he loves me.”
