Page 29 of Shining Through

If he could give her the space she needed, could she give him the benefit of the doubt? He awakened feelings that no man before him ever had. Feelings she tried to suppress though it was becoming harder all the time. He was handsome and sexy, but also considerate. Caring. And now contrite.

But the scars left by years of disappointment and chaos wouldn’t disappear overnight. The memory of watching her seven-year-old sister run after the father who’d abandoned her, would never go away. Just two days ago, she’d experienced the turmoil of yet another messy breakup.

Still, maybe for this week, or even just tonight, she could loosen her stranglehold on her fears. She could expect something other than shabby treatment and heartbreak, even from the Bad Boy of Figure Skating.

She dropped her gaze to their hands, linked by his finger hooked around hers. It was a tentative connection easy to sever. Yet it was strong enough to hold them together and make everyone else stream around them. It was a place to start.

The rest of the way to the Cauldron, the sun shone brighter. The air was soft, yet crisp and scented with the briny aroma of the sea. LA was near the ocean too, but Tabitha seldom gave it much thought. Here, land and water were inextricably linked, and the natural beauty surrounding the city felt part of it, not separate.

The Cauldron suggested either a mountain, or a large campfire, with four massive beams laid across one another in a loose pyramid. Twenty feet overhead, were four basins where flames had burned during the Vancouver Winter Games. Underneath, a small fountain splashed and gurgled. Daniil stopped a man in a business suit and asked him to take their photo. They squeezed together in the small V cut into the base of the fountain.

After, they walked beneath the arms of the sculpture, which glistened as if covered in ice. “I remember watching these Games on TV and thinking how one day, I would be competing.” Daniil said.

“You knew even back then?” At the time, she had been downgraded to group classes, as Fiona had lacked the funds for private instruction. Competing in the Winter Games seemed about as likely as a trip to Mars. Sometimes, the Grenoble Games felt that way too.

“Even then,” he said. “When we are in Grenoble, we must take another photo under the torch there.”

“I hope we have the chance,” she said, wishing she felt his confidence.

“The restaurant is another block or two. Do you mind walking?”

She didn’t, and they continued along the harbor. At just after five, downtown Vancouver bustled with workers leaving their offices. They stopped to watch a seaplane buzz across the brilliant blue sky. At the end of the walkway was a large modern building that overlooked the harbor. They took the elevator to the second floor.

The restaurant wasn’t crowded, given the early hour, though a few businesspeople sat at the bar. A young woman in a black dress escorted them to a table with a view of the harbor.

“This is one arrangement I was talking about,” Daniil said. “Do you like it?”

“It’s perfect,” Tabitha said, easing down into the chair he held out for her. Daniil ordered sake, she chose a glass of wine.

“No chocolate martini?”

“Definitely not. I’m in training now. Even a glass of wine is an indulgence.”

“A little indulgence can be good, though. When the mind is happy, so is the body. And that passion you seek on the ice will soon follow,” he said. “For dessert, I hope you’ll try the Adzuki bean ice cream. Delicious!”

She laughed and wrinkled her nose. “Ice cream with beans doesn’t sound delicious.”

“This ice cream is. It’s red and tastes like very intense vanilla. Definitely worth the calories. Your mind and body will thank me.”

She glanced around for a menu. Her knowledge of sushi was limited, and she suspected the prices here were exorbitant. Seeing none, she asked, “What are you having?”

“That’s the other part of the arrangement,” he said, as a pair of black-clad sushi chefs approached. They wheeled a cart laden with platters of colorful sliced fish, seafood, fruits and vegetables. “I thought you might enjoy the chef’s choice, prepared especially for us. Indulgent, yes, but…” he lifted the small curved glass of sake. “Here’s to a happy mind.”

She lifted her glass of wine and touched it to the rim of his. “To a happy mind.”

His mouth curved into that cocky little grin he wore so well. “And passion.”

“On the ice.” She narrowed her eyes and glared though she smiled to let him know she was teasing.

His laugh was warm and rich like chocolate. Hearing it was an indulgence she could get used to. “On the ice.”

The food was a delight, not only in taste and smell, but also to see. The chefs wielded razor sharp knives with amazing precision, slicing slabs of fresh fish, colorful vegetables and fruit into rolls and shapes, adding herbs and sauces. There were chilled dishes, fragrant grilled delicacies prepared at their table on a portable hibachi. As the dining room filled, people passing by slowed to watch the chefs’ performance, which was as much a part of the experience as the meal itself.

After six courses, Tabitha would have expected to feel stuffed, but the lightness of the food meant she was just pleasantly full. She even took a spoonful of the red Adzuki bean ice cream Daniil ordered. “Good?” he asked.

She let the sweet frozen cream melt in her mouth. “It is. Kind of rich though. I think I like this better.” She dipped into her own bowl of melon sorbet.

“Remember,” he said, holding up one finger like a schoolmaster. “Indulging the senses is the key to releasing—”

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