Page 78 of Shining Through

Misha smiled. “Actually, Daniil knows nothing about this yet, though I suspect he’ll like the idea. It’s this. Next season, would you like to come and work with me at the University of Delaware Training Center as my assistant choreographer?”

Tabitha gasped and brought her hand to her mouth. All this time that she’d been searching the far reaches of her mind for the perfect next step, the obvious one had been right in front of her. “Oh my gosh, Misha! Do you mean it?”

“Even if I can’t pay much, it will be a chance for you to explore this new passion of yours. But that’s just part of our idea.”

“Oh?” Tabitha couldn’t imagine how it could get any better.

Then Olga spoke. “Just as you are helping your sister, we want you to also have the chance to pursue an education. Even if it’s not pre-medicine at Harvard,” she said, with a subtle roll of her ice-blue eyes. “You will work near university. If you would like to enroll as student, I will be happy to cover the cost.”

Tabitha’s eyes flooded with tears. She’d always known Olga cared about her as a skater, but this was more than she’d ever expected. “Olga, I don’t know what to say. You’ve already done so much. Yes, yes. I want to learn to choreograph, and go school. Thank you both.” She turned to hug Misha, then Olga, too.

“You are most deserving, even if Brinkman’s Breakfast Cereal disagrees. Well done, my dear.”

An hour later, Tabitha’s thoughts and emotions were still reeling, as she waited rink side, watching her teammates and friends perform in the Games’ final skating exhibition. Brett’s tap-dance step sequences hadn’t put him on the podium, but they brought down the house. Mia gave a saucy performance to a Taylor Swift song. Daniil’s 1940s inspired program to “Zoot-Suit Riot” was also a crowd-pleaser. As he came off the ice, their eyes met, and he grinned, though he didn’t stop to talk. He only had a few minutes to change his costume.

When Tabitha took the ice as the Gala’s final skater, the audience applauded loudly, and chanted U-S-A. Out here, whatever tarnish she’d acquired made no difference. She skated to center ice, and struck a seductive pose, arms wrapped around her body.

Then came Jeff Beck’s bluesy guitar solo. As Joss Stone began to sing, Tabitha spun into her opening move.

There was something magical about skating under spotlights. It felt different from brightly lit competitive skating and for this dark, seductive program, it was perfect. She glided across the ice, casting a spell over the crowd, with bewitching moves and powerful jumps. The rush of cold air and the weightless feeling of a perfect take off were like nothing else. Her heart filled with joy, knowing that even if Grenoble was over, skating wasn’t.

The program was very much like the one she’d choreographed in Vancouver, but with one major difference. The first half of this program was all freestyle, with solo elements and jumps, but after the second guitar solo, a rise in the music ushered in something completely unexpected. Daniil, in black clothes and rock-star eyes, skated out to join her.

The crowd went wild.

They came together in hold and skated the dance sequence she’d taught him. He now led with confidence, their moves smooth and fluid as they leaned into deep and supremely sexy edges.

Skating with Daniil was as wonderful as she’d imagined it would be. Maybe it was because of how they’d come together as a couple, but every move he made affected her, and every move she made affected him. Exactly the way it was supposed to.

They separated for the twizzles, which could have been more in sync, but pleased the crowd anyway. They came out of the spins at center ice and circled one another; then came together in a passionate embrace. While in one way this was farewell, it was also a hint of marvelous things to come.

Over the thunder of applause, Tabitha heard the final lyric, and spoke it into Daniil’s ear.

“Because you’re mine.”

EPILOGUE

BZZZT! BZZZT!

At the sound of the doorbell, Tabitha looked up from the box of dishes she was unpacking. Daniil, Misha and Anton had left only a few minutes ago to fetch the bookcase and barstools the Zaikovs had offered for the new apartment. They couldn’t be back yet, but maybe Daniil forgot something. She buzzed them in.

“Oh my gosh, what a cute place!” said Carrie, as she and a young woman with curly dark brown hair, came through the open front door.

“Thank you!” Tabitha set aside a stack of plates and rushed forward to take the large potted plant from Carrie’s arms. One of the plant’s sharp pale green leaves poked her hand. “This is lovely, but really you shouldn’t have. I’m not too good with plants.”

“It’s a spider plant, they’ll live through anything,” Carrie said. “Mine has survived sunless Moscow winters and extended periods of neglect. Delaware’s nothin’.”

Tabitha placed the plant in the front window on the short wooden table she and Daniil had purchased yesterday. The flea market Amy and Misha suggested had led to a few choice finds—-this table and the 1960’s sunburst clock that Carrie’s friend was admiring.

The woman turned and smiled. “Hi, I’m Hannah. My husband and I are friends of Carrie and Anton’s, and we drove down from New York for the weekend. I hope you don’t mind us crashing your moving day.”

“Not at all,” Tabitha said. Hannah looked like a New Yorker, in chic, artsy clothes that made her stand out in this jeans-and-t-shirt college town. “Were you a skater?”

“No, I work in publishing, but my husband Vladimir was a long time ago.”

“I’m sure they’ve recruited him to help move furniture,” Tabitha said, then turned to Carrie. “Did Amy come with you?”

“I’m right here.” She came in carrying her infant daughter; three-year-old Eli was close behind. Misha’s wife worked as an athletic trainer at the figure skating training center and had been an enormous help as Tabitha and Daniil searched for their first apartment. “The guys have loaded up the furniture and stopped to pick up some pizzas.”

---