Page 51 of Fly Boy
He chuckles. “Not exactly. Two days in Paris, three in Orléans. And don’t worry, Nancy and I don’t expect you to be with us the entire time. Think of this as an extended night stop. When you’re not flying, that’s your downtime to do as you please.”
“Sir…” I say, my voice strained. Five whole days in France. With Pippa.
Not with Pippa, you dumbass. She’s competing, focused on her job. Like she said she’d be.
“Wyatt, this is a perk of the job. Just say yes.”
He’s quiet on the other end of the line, waiting for my reply. I inhale, looking at his daughter standing in my kitchen, sipping coffee from my mug.
“Yes.”
Pippa blinks at me, her mouth opening in surprise, but she quickly schools her expression.
“Great, Liam’s onboard with my idea too,” Mr. Cartwright says, and I can hear what sounds like papers shuffling on a desk.“So, I’ll get my assistant to arrange the accommodations for us all. Thanks again, Wyatt.”
“No problem, sir,” I say, a little stunned. “Goodbye.”
Holding my phone in my hand, I stare at it like I’ve never seen one before.
“So,” Pippa drawls, setting her mug on my counter, snapping me out of my daze. “On that note, I should probably be off.”
“Ye—yes,” I say, then clear my throat. Pocketing my cell, I leave a hand alongside it as I follow her into the hallway, watching awkwardly as she puts on her shoes and coat.
Her smile is tight as she looks at me from across the space, our remaining tension a thick block of ice between us. What do we do now? Do I kiss her goodbye? Wave like a total fool?
“I would shake your hand and say thanks for a lovely evening, but I’m pretty sure you wrecked my vagina.”
“Pippa,” I caution. “No one can know about…”
“Why?” she asks with a raised eyebrow.
I glare, my blood pressure spiking until she smirks.
“Relax, Wyatt. No one is going to find out.” Stepping forward, she leans up and brushes her lips against my cheek. The simple touch has me tingling. “Thanks for making me come.”
She opens the door and steps outside, still smirking as she slowly closes it behind her.
“Fucking brat.”
Chapter Eighteen
December
"Welcome back for yet another exciting day here at the Grand Prix Final in the beautiful French city of Orléans, for the free skate portion of the competition. Yesterday, we witnessed a stunning display of athleticism from all skaters in the short program.”
“We did indeed, Luke. And for those of you who are new to the sport, the short program is where our fantastic athletes perform their set routines, ensuring they’ve completed all the required elements outlined in this season's guidelines by the ISU.”
Casting my eyes around the arena, I tug at the hem of my skirt before reaching up to check my hair for the fourth time since walking out of the changing rooms.
“Breathe, Pippa,” Evan whispers. He walks forward so we stand toe-to-toe, his hand cupping the back of my neck, forehead resting against mine. “We’ve got this.”
I nod and close my eyes, picturing our four-and-a-half-minute routine in my head.
“And can we take a moment to talk about Pippa and Evan’s performance so far? What a season they’ve kicked off. First place in Tokyo last month following that narrow second-place finish at Skate America...”
“Jessica, I’ll be the first to say I was skeptical when it was announced that Evan, a seasoned skater, was going to be partnered with a girl more known because of her father’s business rather than her own skating skills. But her debut with Team USA has really proved she’s something else.”
“Absolutely. She might be a newcomer to the senior international circuit, but she has definitely held her own against some of the best competitors we’ve seen from around the globe.”
