Page 109 of Just Let Go

What was he saying? That it was up toher? Shouldn’t he be eyeballing Judge?

“So, let me get this straight,” Judge said. “You took this young skier under your wing with no coaxing or prodding from anyone else?”

Grady glanced at Quinn. Had she coaxed him? If she had, shehadn’t meant to.“Take my nephew skiing”was not the same as“Become Jaden’s personal trainer.”

“I prodded him,” Jaden said. “I’ve never had a real coach before.”

“I’m not a coach,” Grady corrected. “Just an older skier.”

Judge and that eyebrow again. Looking at Grady with something Quinn almost thought resembled admiration. “Say what you want, son, but you are a coach.”

“Right now, he’s just a slacker,” Jaden said. “We’ve got a trail run.”

“Only if the boss says it’s okay,” Grady said. “I can come back after dark—make sure everything is set up and ready for tomorrow.”

Quinn was still trying to make sense of the way this whole scenario had turned what she thought she knew on its ear. “Uh, sure. Go ahead.”

“Thanks, Aunt Quinn.”

She and Judge watched as the two of them disappeared out the front door.

“Well, that’s interesting,” Judge said. “It would seem Harbor Pointe has had a good effect on him after all.”

She glanced up and found the older man’s eyes tender.

“Why’d you make him stay, Judge?” she asked. “I mean, there’s a chance he won’t make the Olympic team now.”

Judge put a hand on her shoulder. “Sometimes, Quinn, we have to get out of our comfort zone in order to see what else God has for us.”

The words hung there, heavy like a cloud thick with rain too stubborn to fall.

“Grady was used to doing things a certain way. I felt like shaking that up a little might knock some sense into his head. We only find out what we’re really made of when our backs are up against the wall, you know.”

She looked away.

“Sometimes our biggest setbacks turn out to be our greatest blessings.” Judge gave her shoulder a slight squeeze. “Looks great inhere, kiddo. I’m mighty proud of you. We’ll all be here to help you celebrate tomorrow.”

She nodded and watched him go, but his words lingered.

Was it time to see what she was made of?

CHAPTER

26

THE HELPERS HAD ALL GONE,and the shop was quiet, leaving Quinn alone for a few minutes with thoughts she wished wouldn’t come.

She stood in the middle of the neatly packed, perfectly styled shop and snapped a photo. She wanted to remember this day, to mark it fresh in her mind. Maybe even to allow it to replace her old memories of Forget-Me-Not and the woman whose buoyant laugh often invaded her mind.

She was ready. The shop was ready. Why did she still feel so unsure?

She gathered her sketches, her portfolio, her laptop, and stuffed them all in her bag, whispering a gentle prayer that felt more like making a wish on a star.

“Please let this be a success.”

She walked over to the Forget-Me-Not wall of memories. Mimi’s gold and clashing wooden frames had all been replaced, along with their previously haphazard arrangement on the wall. Now the photos were encased in brand-new white frames with thick white mats and hung with great care.

There was one empty frame, which she would fill after tomorrow’s festivities with an image to commemorate her grand reopening.

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