Page 116 of Just Let Go

Jaden gave him a nod, his expression serious, then closed his eyes. Hewaspraying. Grady felt like he should look away—but Jaden didn’t seem to mind anyone watching him connect with his Creator.

“Let’s do it.” Jaden pulled his goggles down with a grin. “Any words of wisdom, Coach?”

“Yeah, don’t fall.”

And with that, he took off like a shot, certain the kid wouldn’t be able to catch him. Jaden might have youth on his side, but he didn’t have the power Grady had. That power was what had won world championships.

It was the little mistakes that seemed to cost Grady. Turning too soon. Overcompensating. Wanting it too much.

The thought startled him.

Wanting it too much? Was there such a thing?

He shot around a curve, body as close to the powder as he could get, then up over a rise, and for a brief moment he felt like he was floating. The sun shone behind him, making his visibility nearly perfect. His speed wasn’t there yet, but it would be after he knew the slope a little better. One, maybe two times down, and he’d have it.

Jaden’s words rushed back at him as the rest of the world fell away. Another jump—air between his skis and the ground.

How would it feel to really give up control? To trust that he could be carried by something greater than him? To believe that there was a God who cared enough to answer when Grady called?

But then, Grady never called. Not since he was fourteen.

He picked up speed as he zipped around to the right. He’d turned seconds too soon, but he corrected the error and kept going. He couldn’t afford to make mistakes like that.

Another jump—this one bigger than the others—sent Grady into the air. Weightless. Free.

As he came back down, he realized he’d never been in control up here. Not really. Sure, he could do all the things he knew how to do. He could cut and carve. He could practically fly, but he had no control over what happened. Not winning or losing. Not falling or failing. Why had he spent so many years thinking he did?

He shot through to the end of the run, then came to a stop. He was out of breath—out of practice.

The rest of the day, he worked. Tirelessly and like he never had before. When he wanted to quit, he thought of Quinn, Benji, andthat spot on the team. Maybe he did want it too much, but if he could find a way to take that desire and turn it into something positive instead of something crippling, he was going to do it.

By the end of the day, he had a feel for the course. He’d practically memorized it, so now it was time to prove he still had enough gas in his tank to compete with guys ten years younger than him.

He stood at the top of the hill just as he had that morning, and Jaden showed up beside him. “There’s a crowd down there.”

Grady kept his eyes on the course, still imagining it in his head.Cut left. Jump. Turn right. Jump.

“Someone found out it was you up here,” Jaden said. “I think they could tell by the way you ski.”

Time was, that compliment would’ve affected Grady. Today, he saw it as a distraction. “Not doing this for them.”

Jaden smiled. “Yeah, I get it. You’ve got something to prove to yourself.”

Grady pulled his goggles over his eyes.

“Get it done, man. Give up control.”

Grady stood, perched on the precipice not unlike the mountains he’d conquered so many times before, but this one felt different somehow. It felt important.

For the briefest moment, he closed his eyes.

Okay, God. I’ll try it your way. You take control.

As his arms propelled him forward and he crouched in the stance he’d been perfecting for years, he heard Jaden’s words loud and clear echoing in the back of his mind.

“Give up control.”

Cut left. Jump.

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