Page 35 of Just Let Go

“Anyway, we aren’t talking about me here,” Quinn said, steering the conversation away from uncharted waters. “Jaden came to the diner yesterday morning. And that’s when he met Grady. When I dropped him off at school, honestly, Car, it was weird. He walked in like the Invisible Man. It was—”

A tear streamed down her sister’s face.

“I’m sorry.”

“No. I understand. It was sad, right? Jaden made you sad.”

“No, he didn’t make me sad. He justseemedsad. Something about the whole scene—yeah, I guess it was sad.”

“You have to talk to Grady.”

“What? Why?” Quinn felt her face contort. She hoped it was enough to convey her horror at the thought.

“I know it’s not fair, but if he said he’d take Jaden skiing, we have to make sure that happens for him.”

Quinn shook her head. “I don’t want to get in the middle of that. Grady Benson is a thorn in my side that I will only deal with in order to pull off this carnival. I don’t want to talk to him otherwise.”

“Please, Quinn. For Jaden. Doesn’t he deserve one sliver of happiness?”

“I thought you wanted him to focus on school? To let go of these silly skiing dreams?”

“Did he tell you that?”

“Yes.”

“He wasn’t listening to me.” She sighed. “I told him he had to focus on school, but I never said he had to quit skiing. I can’t get through to him.” Another sigh—this one heavier than the last. “If he’s passionate about this, shouldn’t I at least try and support him?”

“Of course. But, Car, do you really think Grady Benson is just going to take some fifteen-year-old kid skiing for fun?”

Carly shrugged. “Do you think he has a bunch of better offers while he’s here?”

Given how Ashley Perkins was throwing herself at him last night, Quinn would say that was a definite yes.

“I’ll pay. I have some money saved up.” Carly took a step closer to Quinn. “You’re right—Jaden’s had his heart broken so many times. Josh hasn’t done anything but let that kid down. But I’m losing him, Q. If we can make this happen for him, maybe it’ll turn things around?”

Quinn’s mind was spinning. How was she going to convince Grady to make good on his promise? She’d have to speak to him,and while that didn’t appeal to her at all, asking him for a favor appealed to her even less.

Still, if Quinn couldn’t swallow her pride for two of the people she loved most, what kind of person was she?

But as she left her sister’s house, a knot had formed in her stomach at the thought of seeing Grady again. Because she’d rather have a root canal than put herself at his mercy.

Cedar Grove was the kind of place Grady imagined people loved to vacation in the summer. The cottage was remarkable, really, and when he and Ryan were working yesterday, he’d learned that Ryan was responsible for renovating the whole thing by himself.

Grady couldn’t imagine doing something like that. He’d never been much for manual labor—he’d never had to be. He’d always been a skier, for as long as he could remember.

But Ryan? He never stopped moving. Never sat down. Never took a break. He was always working—and cottages like this one were the result. Lois had wide-planked wood floors, which Ryan had refinished himself. Apparently Lane had decorated the place in her “signature style,” which he would call cozy, though he was sure there was an actual name for the white woodwork, distressed white furniture, and neutral colors with the occasional visual grab from a teal pillow or a red vase. The whole place felt a lot more like home than anywhere Grady had stayed the last few years, but it was quiet. And sometimes, quiet was his greatest enemy.

Wednesday morning, he got up, checked his phone—no messages—and decided to get down to Hazel’s a little early. Ryan said they only had about a day left of work. But that wouldn’t sway the judge when it came to his sentence. Instead, he’d move from helping out at Hazel’s to helping out with this Winter Carnival thing.

He showered, then pulled on a pair of jeans and a gray hoodiewith the Olympic logo on it. Was it foolish to wear it given that nobody thought he’d make the team this year?

Why had everyone counted him out? Did they all see something he didn’t? Was his ego so intertwined with his abilities that he couldn’t pull them apart?

It was a ridiculous thought. He was Grady Benson. That meant something where he was from. He was a world champion. He set the standard.

Surely all of that wasn’t behind him.

Not the kind of thoughts he wanted to dwell on. The road into town ran parallel with the lake, a view he was pretty sure he could never get tired of. He’d grown up landlocked in Colorado, which is where he started skiing—so he’d never known the benefits of living near the water. He wondered if the people who lived in Harbor Pointe knew what they had in that view or in the peace it seemed to bring to an otherwise turbulent mind.

---