Better Than First: Olympic Hopefuls: Book 1

by Trumbo, Kari

  “Not in the slightest. Well, maybe when you get so down on yourself. You try really hard, and a success is a success. Many other people in your shoes would be happy to be able to do what you do.”

  “They aren’t me. I’m allowed to have my own goals, my own dreams. Isn’t that what your whole bucket list challenge is all about?”

  “No.” He sighed and parked the car, then faced her. “I think you’ve missed the point completely. I want you to think about life outside the track. There are some really great, wonderful, meaningful things that you’ll remember your whole life, if you just take the time to do them.”

  The parking lot felt cramped and there was only one handicapped spot left. Isla pulled her hang tag from her purse and slipped it over his rearview mirror. “I get that, but what I want is memorable too, and just as important. I’ll do your list and I’ll have a good time, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to give up on my dreams.”

  Duncan climbed out of the car and came around to her side, opening her door and helping her into her chair. Mama and Papi waited by the door and waved as she and Duncan approached. Mama was bundled up in a pretty, bright yellow coat, and Papi, tall and handsome as always, had his arm draped easily around Mama’s waist.

  “Isla!” They both hugged her and laid their cheeks against hers, with an air kiss as a greeting. Affection had never been lacking in her home. Papi slapped Duncan on the back, then clasped hands with him, pulling him into a man hug, then thanked him for the invitation.

  Duncan turned her chair and gestured for her parents to lead the way. “We’re right on time. Our table should be ready, or it will be soon.”

  Papi glanced over his shoulder. “Yes, the hostess said it would be just a few minutes. You have perfect timing.”

  Her parents were very easygoing with people, unless they were given a reason not to be. Many people didn’t realize her parents had come from Mexico when they were in their early twenties, had studied in the United States under student visas, then had gone through all the steps to become citizens. Yet, they still spoke Spanish to each other in their home. When Isla brought friends over, most hadn’t cared, but some made rude comments once they were out of her parents’ hearing range. Mere surprise didn’t bother them, but rude behavior did. Those friends were not invited back. Duncan was one they would always welcome.

  When Duncan had been homeless, switching from halfway house to foster care and back again, her parents had offered to take him in. They had the space, they could afford it, and they saw promise in him. But the county hadn’t allowed it and he’d gone back into foster care. Instead, they’d picked him up every Sunday, no matter where he lived, and taken him to church. They’d spent so much time together growing up, her parents looking out for him almost like one of their own, that Isla sometimes wondered if she should think of him more like a brother. But she never had. Her feelings for Duncan were decidedly unbrotherly.

  The building was painted a pretty rust color, with green-and-white awnings over the windows. They could hear the cool jazz music playing even before they got inside. Papi opened the door and held it for Mama and then Duncan and Isla as he pushed her chair through. It was darker inside than she expected, and a little loud. The red-checked tablecloths lent a feeling of home even though she’d never had such a tablecloth in her life. The pictures on the wall ranged from the famous to the bawdy. A woman led them to a round table with three chairs and four menus. Duncan really had planned ahead and it brought a smile to her lips.

  He pushed her up to the table, then stood next to her, waiting until her parents sat before he sat himself. There was a nervous, twitchy energy about him that wasn’t usually there.

  “I hope we can find a few things on the menu that we’ll all enjoy. This is my treat, tonight.” Duncan smiled across the table at her parents, then at her.

  Something popped between them with his glance, an impulse. She’d known him almost her whole life, and had cared about him for so long―but never had she felt such a jolt when he’d looked at her. It was like having her eyes opened for the first time, and she wanted to reach out, hold his hand, and ask him if he felt it too.

  He scanned the menu, leaving it where it lay on the table. After only a minute, he met her gaze again and his brow furrowed. “Doesn’t anything look good to you?”

  She’d been so preoccupied watching him, she hadn’t even looked down at her menu. “I…was too distracted by the ambiance.” She flourished her hands to indicate the room.

  He smiled and reached over, patting her on the knee. “It’s a fun place, take your time.”

  How often had he done that, a little touch of friendship, and it had never really affected her. But here, with her parents in this strange and unique restaurant on what could almost be called a date, she felt his touch. Not in the way someone else would, but right to her heart.

  She picked up her menu to hide as tears filled her eyes. Her crush had turned serious in a matter of minutes and what could be done? Duncan was her only friend. She couldn’t lose him over attraction.

  Mama reached over from her seat next to Isla and tugged the menu down to the table. She pointed at the stuffed shells on the pasta menu. “Papi and I will share this. Why don’t you and Duncan get something you can share?”

  The way her parents leaned together to look at the menu and laugh over dishes they would never eat, or debate the best choice, was endearing, intimate, exactly what she wanted with Duncan. He either pretended he didn’t hear, or didn’t want to force her to agree with her mother, so she leaned closer to him. Her nose had been stuffed with the aroma of garlic since they’d walked through the door, but as she leaned into him, his familiar, comforting scent calmed her. He tilted his head closer to her.

  “See anything?” His voice was low, only for her.

  “I hoped you had a favorite, and maybe we could share it?” She tried not to fidget, but it was so difficult. Each word seemed to bring her feelings into tighter focus.

  “I’ve only been here a few times, but the meatballs are good. A little spice and the marinara on the spaghetti is pretty good.”

  Spaghetti was an easy choice. Even though it was Italian, it was a staple in many Minnesota homes, including her own. Mama had made it quite a few times. “That sounds like something we would both like.”

  The side of Duncan’s lip rose in a playful grin. “I think I’ll get some calamari as an appetizer for us to all share.”

  “Mama makes a wonderful calamari with a tomato sauce,” she told him. “But only for special holidays. It gets overdone very quickly.”

  “Aw, I hoped it would be something new for you.” He leaned against the table, his hands folded leisurely in front of him. The height of her chair was too short for her to mimic him.

  “Well, that wasn’t on my list, so you don’t need to worry about that.”

  “List?” Papi piped up from across the table. “What list?”

  Duncan smiled and glanced at her. “I asked Isla to slow down her training just a little and to think of twelve things she’d like to do before Christmas. A bucket list, sort of. I want her to see that there’s more to life than the track.”

  The longer she sat next to Duncan, the more she saw the truth of those words, list or not. What would she do without him?

  Papi got comfortable in his seat. “I like that idea. A life was meant for living. Every day. Not just on practice days or race days. Your body will age and you still have to live with it, the medals will lose their luster, but you will never forget time spent with friends and family over a good meal.” He lifted his glass of water in cheers.

  Mama smiled next to him and clinked her glass to his. “Hear, hear. I’m so proud of you, Isla. You’ve done so much. More than we ever dreamed. I’m so glad you are chasing after your goals. We will support you as long as you want to continue, but we also support you if you are ready to step back.”

  “But I’m not!” Her heart raced as if she were on the track. “I’d like to do
one more year. I only put this list together for Duncan, and it’s only for the next three weeks, then training will go right back to normal after Christmas.”

  Papi glanced at the table for just a moment and Mama took his hand and squeezed, then nodded her head. “We support you.” Though it certainly seemed like her father’s support was more for Mama, than what he felt.

  “Papi? What do you say?” She had to hear it from him; she needed his support, too.

  He glanced across the room and leaned back in his chair, untangling his fingers from Mama’s as he crossed his arms over his lean chest. “Mi Corazon, I’ve worried about you, prayed for you so you wouldn’t be injured or worse, for years. With sport, comes risk. Forgive me, Isla, for wanting to be done with that. I do support you, and I will keep praying, but you know the risks.”

  The waiter stopped at the table, interrupting the deep conversation. Duncan ordered for everyone, then took a deep breath. “The St. Paul Winter Carnival starts in about two months―do you go out and do anything? I used to go watch the Vulcanus Rex parade on Washington.”

  Isla flinched. Papi and Mama followed the Winter Carnival activities closely, but they chose sides.

  “Aye!” Papi smiled and his hands started flourishing just as hers did when she was nervous or excited. “We only watch King Boreas.”

  Every year it was the same. A new King Boreas was crowned and there was much fanfare and celebration of the frigid winter as they paraded down the streets of St. Paul with family and friends. However, later, Vulcanus Rex would light up the streets with his own brand of fun, and trouble. It seemed that those who got into the Winter Carnival always chose sides: the pageantry, or the fun. It was always chilly, but where else could you celebrate the frozen north, other than Minnesota?

  “Now, queriño, it’s all in good fun.” She patted Mateo’s arm. “Maybe this year we can go to both.”

  Her father raised a dark eyebrow, almost in challenge directed at Duncan. “I guess mi gringo will have to give us a reason.”

  8

  As Duncan turned out onto Burnhaven Drive and headed south, he heard Isla gasp from the passenger seat.

  “Wait! This isn’t the way to my parents’ house.” Isla pointed out the window and fixed him with her wide, dark eyes.

  “I know.” He tapped his finger against the steering wheel to the beat of the music. She’d known he would be keeping things from her a bit with the list, and she would be happy once he revealed where they were headed, but he hated the skepticism written all over her face.

  “So, where are you taking me?”

  “Maybe I didn’t want to wait until Saturday to start on your list. Maybe I planned a supper all the way out in Burnsville so you wouldn’t suspect the real reason we’re here.”

  Isla squealed. “Buck Hill! But wait, I don’t have any snow gear and it hasn’t snowed yet.” She went from bouncing slightly in her seat to melancholy in the span of a second.

  “Don’t you know me by now? I plan. I call ahead. They’ll be all ready for us.”

  “Oh, I could just kiss you.” Her eyes danced and he forced himself to watch the road as he made his way through the roundabout and onto Crystal Lake Road, despite her words. His heart sure thought it was wasted focus.

  “Well, that would be okay too.” He chanced a glance at her and she burst into laughter. Not quite the reaction he’d been looking for, but she probably wouldn’t be ready for that yet, not after all the years of setting boundaries between them. Hopefully soon. He couldn’t wait to tell her just how often he thought about her, thought about ways to help her and make her life better. He prayed she felt the same.

  “Or not.” He raised his brows, hoping it came across as a joke, even though it was anything but.

  “We’ll just have to see. I might be a horrible kisser and then it wouldn’t be a treat at all. It isn’t like I’ve had a lot of opportunity.”

  Though he could feel her expectation of a laugh from him, he couldn’t do it. “Well, I’ve coached you through some of the toughest things you’ve had to face, I could probably tackle that, too.” He pulled into the Buck Hill parking lot and found a spot. He wanted to talk to her, explain just how he felt, but she already had her door open and lifted her legs out of the car. He rushed to get out and around before she tried to pull her chair out. The awkward way she had to twist to do it always looked like she might fall face-first out of his car. That wasn’t happening on his watch.

  He slid the chair out from his side, preventing her from even trying, then came around and opened it. Isla glanced up at him as a nervous smile quivered over her lips. He bent slightly and lifted her. As he stood and pivoted to set her into her chair, she gave him a quick peck on the cheek then made herself busy arranging her legs comfortably.

  His heart soared higher than the hill. Never had she done anything more than hug him after a win. Though they were friends, and they often joked around, she’d never been overtly affectionate with him. Perhaps when he’d been very young, his mother had kissed his cheek; he couldn’t remember. But Isla was the first woman to kiss him and he wanted her to be the last.

  He grabbed her pack and handed it to her. The unrepentant grin on her face ignited his own. “Let’s get you ready for a trip down the slope.”

  “But what about you?” she asked, staring up at him. “This is my bag, but don’t you have gear, too? I don’t want to do this without you.”

  Though he’d talked to some organizers at Buck Hill and they’d recommended that he come an hour before close so that the hill would have less people, he wasn’t sure he would be able to go down with her.

  “I have a few things in the back, but it will be up to the staff at the top if I’m allowed to ride down with you. I don’t know that there’s a safe way to do it.”

  Isla faced pain, fatigue, and all sorts of other trials in her everyday life. He hadn’t wanted his list to bring her more. That would completely ruin the purpose.

  “I’m sure I can manage. If kids can ride down, I’m sure I can.”

  He got his own bag from the trunk and slung it over his shoulder. All their questions would be answered in the ticket area.

  * * *

  Isla slid forward in her chair, balancing herself with her arms, which had to be just as strong as everyone else’s legs. Duncan knelt in front of her with snow pants she didn’t even remember owning. Maybe he’d bought or rented them, she wasn’t going to ask and tarnish the sweet excitement coursing through her. Strictly speaking, they were about to do something that wasn’t allowed on the hill—ride two on a tube. But the hill was almost silent with a whisper of flakes falling and only a few people tubing on one end. It was up to Duncan to drag his feet behind so they couldn’t race pell-mell down the hill. That’s what the man who’d given them their tube had told them.

  “Are you nervous?” He caught her eye and gave her one of his smiles. How could she be nervous with him in the lead?

  “No, more excited.” He slid her coat back over her shoulders and zipped it as she sat back in her seat.

  “I’ll pull you out on the tube, then the lift will take us to the top. We only have one hour, so if one time down is plenty, that’s fine.”

  She reached over and gripped his arm, hoping to sooth his concern for her. “I trust you, Duncan. We’ll go up the hill, have fun riding down, and maybe try it again.” She smiled, holding his beautiful blue-eyed gaze until he smiled back.

  He lifted her from her chair and brought her outside where their tube waited. It only had two handles, which was why it was dangerous to ride with two people. Duncan would lay almost on top of her, holding her in place as they slid down. He positioned her legs, then went back in to move her chair out of the way, giving her a moment to get comfortable. When he returned, he pulled the tube over to the lift in an awkward, bent-over position. It would’ve been so much easier on him if she didn’t have to be pulled.

  Seeming to see her thoughts, he stopped and dropped to his knees in front of h
er and held her shoulders. “Hey, this is all about you. I want you to have all the fun Minnesota can offer in the next three weeks.”

  She laughed. “Minnesota is the land of ten thousand lakes, wouldn’t summer have been a better time?”

  He squeezed her shoulders. “Would you have listened to me during prime racing season?”

  He had a point. If he’d even mentioned taking days off during the summer, she would’ve thought he was insane and wouldn’t have agreed. “You’ve got me there.”

  “Plus, summer is also the time of ten thousand mosquitoes.” He stood back up and continued pulling. Buck Hill didn’t allow ropes or chains on their tubes for safety reasons, so there was no other way for him to get her to the lift aside from good old fashioned muscle. He finally reached the lift, got the tube ready and got on at the last second. His weight only covered her left side as he wrapped one arm around her waist to hold her and she held tight to one handle. He held onto the other, facing her, his warm breath just inches from her cheek.

  “This is going to be great. I’m glad you put this on your list,” he murmured, as if it were a deep, intimate secret.

  “I am too. I didn’t get to go when our class went in seventh grade for the math field trip. Everyone else got to have fun while they figured out angles and trajectory. I had to do a paper on it.”

  He heaved a dry chuckle and shook his head. “It wasn’t much fun without you, and you probably learned more than we did. I don’t even remember how to do all that.”

  “At least you had the option. The teacher took me aside and said she was sorry, but there was no way for me to go. Buck Hill was something every class looked forward to and she couldn’t let my whole class down because of me.” It still hurt, so many years later. She understood why, but the exclusion still stung. She hadn’t even been allowed to come with and just sit in the chalet to work on her report. It had been just another school day for her with an arranged study hall during math.