Page 76 of Wilder

Even Lev could be heard yelling through the phone, as he’d watched their program courtesy of Irina’s phone.

“I’m not used to skating with Lexi anymore,” Mik told Irina angrily. “Her jump speeds are different from Amberlyn’s. Her height and weight are different from Amberlyn’s.”

“Shouldn’t have mattered,” Irina retorted. “Even if your jumps weren’t the same speed, you should have stayed on your feet. Do the jump five times.”

Previously, Mik would have just set off to do it, but this time, he was grumbling as he went.

Lexi wasn’t immune from criticism, however. Irina had some thoughts for her as well, and soon she was out there working on two of the jumps that she’d been wobbly on.

Finally, they came back to Irina, and she looked back and forth between them, her gray gaze hard. “Thoughts.”

Lexi thought Mik was going to jump right in, but he didn’t. She glanced at him, then said, “I’m fine with moving forward, but only if we can do our training here. I’m not leaving Serenity.”

“Where can we live?” Irina asked.

“There are rentals in the area. I’m sure I can get someone to help find you places to live.”

“Is this where we’ll train?” Mik asked, waving a hand at the rink.

“We can only practice here when it’s closed, like now. The rink opens at one on weekdays and eleven on the weekends. There’s a rink in town that’s used for hockey practice and games, but that usually only happens in the evenings since those involved go to work or school during the day.”

“We can use that one all day?”

“During the week.” Lexi was glad she’d made the call to the rink to ask about that. “But I’ll still need for us to practice early in the day because I have to be at work by one.”

“You’re going to keep working while we train?” Mik asked.

“I told you I would,” Lexi said. “I need the money, especially since we’ll have to pay if we use the rink in town.”

“Can we perfect this in time for Nationals?” Irina asked. “Are you prepared to work for it?”

“Nationals?” Lexi asked.

“Yes. We need to go to Nationals.” Irina frowned. “We must prove that you are worthy of a spot on the Olympic team.”

That was about a month before the Olympics. Would they have time to polish everything to a high enough level to make the podium? Especially since she didn’t have unlimited hours in a day to train.

“I have a life here, and I can’t practice as many hours as I used to.” Lexi knew it probably sounded harsh, but they had hurt her, and she wasn’t going to give them the opportunity to do it again. “And I won’t have time to hang out with you either.”

“That’s fine,” Irina agreed quickly, making Lexi think that she wasn’t any more anxious to spend time with Lexi than Lexi was with her.

“Mik?” She turned to look at him.

He was frowning at her, but he gave a sharp nod.

“We’ll fly back to Maine tomorrow,” Irina said. “And we’ll return next week to start training.”

Lexi hoped she hadn’t bitten off more than she could chew. But she was determined to make it work. She just hoped that Mik was coming into it with a similar mindset because they were going to have to work hard. They were not at their peak as a pairs team anymore.

Wilder had left earlier, setting her phone on the top of the boards, then gesturing toward the door. She wondered what he’d thought of the program, but she’d have to ask him later.

They continued to practice until it was time for the rink to open, then Mik and Irina left. She wouldn’t have to practice with them for a few more days, but then it was going to be all out.

It was time to get back on track with her eating too, making sure to fuel her body with the nutrients it needed to perform at its highest level. She was going to need some help with that, and she hoped that if Wilder didn’t know someone who could help her, maybe Kayleigh would.

She was tempted to take off her skates, but she was sure her feet would protest if she tried to put them back on. There was no one who had booked one-on-one time with her for the afternoon, but that could change at any time.

As she sat on the bench, Lexi finally allowed herself to think about the one person she hadn’t told about what was happeningwith Mik. Now that the reconnection was a reality, she had to tell her mom.

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