Page 27 of Shining Through

Tabitha sat down on the bed and stared at the collage she’d taken off the wall. Samara had made it from trash she collected at skating competitions, framed it, and given it to Tabitha for her fourteenth birthday. “You’ve spent your entire life coming in second to my skating. I don’t want to rob you of the chance to do something that you want.”

Samara offered a rueful laugh and wiped her sleeve across her eyes. “Hey, if Fiona hadn’t dragged me along to all of your boring competitions, I probably would have gotten into worse trouble. Look, I’ve got this. Trust me to take care of things. You go to Vancouver, have fun with your bad boy and make me proud.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

HE’D PROMISED TO PICK HERup at the airport. Forty-five minutes she’d been on the ground and he still wasn’t here. Damn. She should have known.

Tabitha scanned the lanes of traffic streaming past the arrival terminal. There were taxis, hotel shuttle vans, including one for the Hilton Bayfront, where she was staying. The hell with him. She could get downtown on her own. She raised her hand to signal the shuttle, but it blew right past. The driver didn’t even look her way.

Maybe Daniil had called to say he was running late. She took out her phone. There were no calls or texts.

It figured.

What was she doing here, anyway? Coming to Vancouver had been a mistake. She ought to be back in LA, helping with the move, rather than here, doing God knows what, waiting for someone who obviously didn’t give a damn. She should grab the next flight back and forget all about this idiotic —

Daniil pulled up to the curb, driving a shiny black convertible. “Ei.”

His irksome grin made it seem like he’d enjoyed making her stand here and wait. And wonder. She had no use for people who thought annoying others was funny.”Where the hell have you been? I’ve been waiting for almost an hour!”

He seemed taken back. “Stuck in traffic, just like I said in my message.”

“What message?” She looked at her phone again.

“The one I sent half-hour ago, while cars were stopped.” He popped the trunk and came around to grab her wheeled suitcase. “Is your phone still in airplane mode?”

Was it? She looked at the screen again. The little airplane icon was still highlighted. The moment she tapped it away, his message appeared. Her cheeks burned. “There it is. Sorry.”

“Ne za chto.” He stashed the suitcase in the trunk and returned for her skate bag. “I’ve got this. Hop in.”

The idling car’s powerful engine made a low rumble that vibrated through the leather seat. She assumed this was a rental, but it was definitely a cut above the economy sedan she would have chosen. She remembered what Brett had said about his father, the shady billionaire. “Nice car,” she said, as he slid into the drivers’ seat.

“It’ll do.” He fastened his seatbelt and gunned the engine. The rumble accelerated into a roar. He flashed the cocky grin once again. “Buckle up. I drive fast.”

He wasn’t kidding. The tires squealed as he pulled away from the curb. Tabitha’s heart was in her throat as he cruised across three lanes of speeding traffic, to settle into the furthest left. Her hair blew wildly, and she tried to gather it into her fist. But holding it all down was impossible. She loosened her grip and let it go.

The open car made conversation difficult, so she took in the city streaming past. She’d been to Vancouver once before but had been too focused on her competition to pay much attention. The highway took them over a tall bridge and through the neighborhoods of South Vancouver, past the cluster of buildings that had been the athlete’s village for the Vancouver Games. They crossed another bridge, this one over False Creek, which was much bigger than any creek she’d ever seen, and onto the island that contained the city’s downtown. Then Daniil left the highway and drove into a chic neighborhood of apartments, lofts, restaurants and bars. “Is the hotel around here?”

“No. Further north. But I wanted to show you the practice rink. Very convenient to where we’re staying.”

We’re staying. The way he’d phrased it sounded so intimate, even with multiple floors between them. Was he expecting there would be sexy times? The way they’d left things in Chicago, he very well might be. Especially given the way she’d kissed him.

But now that sanity had returned, she knew she wasn’t ready for that. If coming here had sent the wrong signal, she’d soon know. And if it had, she needed to set things straight right away.

The ice rink was housed in an unassuming community center, next to a park with athletic fields and a playground. “I like to go over there in the morning before my ice time,” he said.

“To play on the slides?” she teased.

“Of course not. I prefer the swings,” he said, grinning. “Actually, there’s a good trail for jogging that goes through woods. If you run, we could go together.”

“No thanks. I usually work out indoors.”

He drove her next to the hotel, and because check-in time wasn’t for another hour yet he offered to wait in the car with her luggage. “And then, I will take you to dinner.”

“That isn’t necessary,” she said.

“It is,” he countered. “Your coach called mine this morning and insisted we take good care of you. How would it look for me to drop you here with no room available and nothing to eat? Besides, I’ve made reservations at an excellent restaurant.”

When she protested, he was ready. “Early reservations,” he said. “That way, you can have a good meal and good sleep, to be ready for training tomorrow. Peter Flanagan demands nothing less than the best for his favorite student.”

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