Page 98 of Wilder

The fight had just been stupid and, yes, a waste of time. She had told Mik and Irina that her time off for the fundraiser was non-negotiable. And yet, Mik persisted in bugging her about it. All because it meant a shortened training day followed by a day completely off the ice.

There was nothing that could be done about it, even if she’d wanted to. Which she didn’t.

In about an hour, people would be arriving to begin decorating the space in preparation for the fundraiser the next day.

Lexi didn’t have a lot to do with that part of things, but she’d let Mik and Irina believe she did. Otherwise, they would have insisted on meeting at the rink in town for more training. She hadn’t wanted that. She’d wanted a break.

From the training. From Irina. And most definitely, from Mik.

“We’re going.”

Irina’s harsh voice drew her attention. Lexi looked up and nodded.

“Be at the rink Sunday at two.”

For a moment, Lexi hesitated, then she gave Irina a firm look. “You need to talk to Mik and make sure he understands that I am giving what I can. If that’s not enough, he can walk away. And if his attitude doesn’t improve, we’re not going to be able to pull together enough to medal, let alone win.”

The fact that Irina nodded and didn’t argue was telling. She agreed with Lexi. At least to a certain extent.

“I’ll talk to him.” Irina turned and walked out the door without looking back.

Lexi blew out a long breath, her shoulders slumping. Not for the first time, she wondered if this had been a mistake. Where was the joy in winning if she did it with someone she couldn’t stand?

Sure, the gold medal might give her the redemption she needed to attain the future she wanted. However, at moments like she’d just endured, she felt like the price might be too high.

Leaning forward, Lexi unlaced her skates and slipped them off, wiggling her toes as she recalled the time Wilder had rubbed her feet. She knew it had been a spur-of-the-moment thing and meant nothing more than someone realizing that she’d been on her feet all day.

However, she’d been careful not to let it happen again, regardless of how much she’d enjoyed it. She’d known it would be far too easy to get addicted to those foot rubs. And something told her it was best not to get addicted to anything tied to Wilder.

When she heard the door to the rink open, followed by the muffled sound of conversation, Lexi got up and slipped her feet into her comfortable shoes. As she left the office, she spotted a few familiar faces.

“Hey there,” Charli said when she spotted Lexi. Behind her, Amelia and Janessa were removing their outerwear.

“Hi.” She saw the little girl had her skate bag. “Are you planning to skate?”

“Is it okay if she does?” Charli asked.

“Yep. That’s not a problem. I won’t be joining her, though. I just took my skates off a little while ago, and I’m not keen to put them back on just yet.”

“I’m sure that’s true,” Charli said as Lexi led them over to where a couple of tables had been pushed together so they could set the boxes and bags they carried.

Whoever the resort had hired to decorate the buildings for Christmas had done a great job. It was a very rustic décor, with lots of greenery, buffalo print ribbon, and pinecones, which suited the look of the resort very well.

Soon, jackets were piled up on a nearby chair, and the women were pulling stuff out of the boxes and bags. In another chair, Amelia took her skates out and shoved her feet into them. Lexi went to her and helped her tighten and tie them.

“How’s the training been going?” Janessa asked.

“Good. How’s the pregnancy going?” Lexi asked as she quickly finished the first skate.

It seemed that Janessa didn’t care who knew about her pregnancy. In fact, according to Wilder, she had done everything but take an ad out in the paper to let people know.

“Wretched,” Janessa said with a grimace. “At least until about two in the afternoon. Like, right about now, I finally start to feel better. They don’t tell you that morning sickness can last well past morning.”

Lexi got to her feet, watching as Amelia made her way over to the entrance to the ice. She slipped off her guards, then stepped on the ice, pushing away from the boards with more confidence than she’d had when she’d first started skating with Lexi.

“Oh sure we do,” Charli said. “I remember telling you about that a lot.”

“I know, but I didn’t believe you.”

---