Page 47 of Side By Side

“After.”

“After what?”

“After lunch. We’ll take it easy today, get to know each other on the ice, see what you can do and how we can work together. Then, dinner. After dinner is your time. If you want to have a late skate, you’re welcome to the ice. I usually have a bath after dinner and read a book before bed. They clean the ice in the mornings before I go out there. Usually, around four.”

“You make them get up and clean the ice that early?”

“I don’t make them, no. The grounds crew makes their own schedule. It’s a large estate, Belle.”

“How large?”

“About fifty acres.”

“What? Jesus. What do your parents do?”

“Come from money,” Chandler replied and set the newspaper she hadn’t been reading since Belle showed up down on the table. “My dad, mostly. My mom’s family has some, too. That’s how they met. But my dad’s family got in on real estate in the eighteen hundreds. He’s expanded the family empire by moving into other areas like tech and even weed.”

“Sorry. What?”

“CBD,” she said. “He got in on the market before it became legal. He knew some people who told him it was about to happen, so he bought something. I don’t know what, exactly. Anyway, he’s in aviation and biotech stuff, too. I don’t even know how many companies he owns at this point.”

“You don’t know how many companies your dad owns? We have very different lives.” She then picked up Chandler’s coffee cup, took a sip, and said, “Wow! Is there even coffee in this?”

Chandler smiled at her and said, “No, I don’t know how many companies he owns. I don’t even know how many houses he owns. I technically own two. Did you know that?”

Belle shook her head and leaned back in the chair, holding the coffee cup in both of her hands.

“They bought me one when I graduated from high school.”

“You were a kid.”

“Yeah, it was a weird graduation present. It’s in New York, by the way. Upper West Side place. I’ve been there a handful of times, and only when there are competitions close by. The other place is in the south of France. It was a college graduation present.”

“You went to college? I didn’t know that.” Belle took another drink of her borrowed coffee.

“Online. It was more for something to do outside of skating. I only finished a couple of years ago, but I got a house out of it.”

“Have you actually been to that house?”

“No,” Chandler replied. “I figured I could go after the Games. It’s over then, right? Whether I make it or not, I’m not likely to make the team in four years. I could finally travel or do something else if I wanted to.”

“Where are your parents, exactly?”

“I don’t know.” Chandler shrugged a shoulder. “Usually, in Europe somewhere, but they go from house to house, city to city a lot. My dad likes to jet around for work instead of just working from home, even though he could, easily, and my mom goes with him. She shops, mostly, and we’re all very stereotypical rich people.” She laughed, but Belle could tell it was a forced laugh to cover something up.

“When was the last time you saw them?”

“It’s been a while. A few years, I think.”

“Years?”

Chandler nodded and asked, “Why all the family questions this morning? I haven’t even finished the coffee you stole, and you’re giving me the third degree.”

“You’d know if it was the third degree,” she replied, leaned forward, and set the cup down in front of Chandler. “Do you miss them?”

“Not really,” Chandler said, obviously lying. “They give me everything I need, you know?”

“Money? A house?”

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