Game For Love: Winter Heat (Kindle Worlds Novella) (6 page)

C
hristopher was worried about Becca
. He was worried about her in spite of his awful qualifying round and his finals tomorrow.

Becca could be moody. She had always been the quiet one.

If she had come back to their room and curled up in the corner, hugging her knees to her chest like she had when they were kids, he would know how to help her. He could snuggle up to her and tell her jokes and trash talk whoever had made her feel that way, and she would come around.

But Becca was not curling up in the corner. She was answering Christopher's fan emails. She was putting liniments on his knee. She was straightening up the room.

But he knew her better than he knew himself. She was hurting inside.

"Becca, why don't you sit down for a minute, you're making me nervous."

She looked up and froze.

"Oh, sorry. I just don't know what to do with myself."

"Do you want to talk about it? I admit I haven't been a great listener but I'll do my best."

"I'm fine."

"You're not fine. I don't want to call Mom but I will if I have to."

A horrified look crossed his sister's face. He tried not to laugh, but failed. A little snort escaped.

Becca couldn't resist and she giggled too. Her familiar green eyes echoed their former sparkle.

"We've both had a pretty crummy week, haven't we?"

She nodded. Now he could see the tears brimming in her eyes.

"Did you really care about him, or was it just the idea of him?"

She looked surprised.

"I really care about him."

"I didn't care about Sasha or Tanya," Christopher admitted.

"But it still hurt your feelings."

It wasn't a question.

Christopher knew a lot of guys would have been fine with being used if it meant a threesome with girls that looked like Sasha and Tanya. His training schedule didn't allow him a lot of time to date. And there was this underlying assumption that guys who figure skate don't like girls.

"Actually, I started texting with Sasha before the Games. And... I thought something there. I know all guys are supposed to want a threesome, but if I'm being honest, when she showed up with Tanya I was a little disappointed."

Becca looked at him with a mixture of surprise and respect.

"Not that I was about to turn them away or anything. I'm only human." He raised his eyebrows at her.

She laughed, thank goodness.

"So, it didn't work out with you and the snowboarder. What do you want to do to get your mind off it for a while? Should we go out?"

"You know, I was working on a project when I was at Samir's place. I think I'd like to keep working on it."

That sounded about right.

"A drawing?"

"No - a snowboarding gear design. With or without Samir, I think it's really cool. And I'm going to finish it. For me."

She wore the happy look she always had when she was in the middle of a project.

Becca was back.

T
he evening passed quietly
. Christopher was being really nice. He helped her hold the fabric as she measured and cut.

After a while they put on the TV and watched IW Games coverage while they worked. Of course the doping scandal was all over the news. There was video of Sasha, Tanya and Pyotr being taken away in handcuffs. There was video of Samir spiriting Becca away.

"And there we see the red-headed twin sister of figure skater Christopher McCall being escorted away by snowboarder Samir Andrews. Andrews had a busy day. After rescuing this damsel in distress he put any rumors of a romantic connection to rest with this shot."

A pic of Becca walking away form Samir in the hallway flashed onto the screen. The look on her face was definitely worth a thousand words.

"Don't worry though, Samir didn't waste any time getting back on the scene. Here is a shot from this evening of the Gold medal hopeful in one of the athlete lounges, canoodling with British snowboarder Sindhu Patel. Looks like things are heating up outside of the half pipe for these two."

Becca froze at the picture of Samir feeding something to the black haired beauty. He was smiling at her happily and she was smiling back into his eyes.

Sindhu Patel was not only amazingly beautiful, she was also known to be super cool. She was a team player, she volunteered for kids' charities.
Everyone
loved her – the athletes, the press, the sponsors. She had already been on a Wheaties box and rumor had it that Cover Girl was trying to get her to do a campaign. And she looked just right with Samir, both of them so tan and slim and glamorous.

Both of them so unlike pale, curvy Becca.

Christopher hopped up and turned the TV off.

"Let's go for a walk," he said.

"Your finals are tomorrow. You need to rest."

"Nope, we need to go for a walk. I'm going stir crazy in here, let's go."

She sighed and put down the helmet with the rest of the gear. She had worked faster than she thought was possible. This was the last piece. She should have it finished by tomorrow.

What was she going to do with it?

Right about now she wanted to knock on his door and set it on fire in front of his face. But it would be dreadful if he were in there with Sindhu.

Becca's stomach clenched and she blocked the thought from her head before the jealousy consumed her.

Yes, Christopher was right, a walk was a good idea.

They quietly put on jackets and boots and headed out. The frosty air felt good to Becca's lungs.

Christopher took her hand in his. They had often held hands in childhood when they were afraid or in a new place. It tugged at something in Becca.

Her brother was her first love – and for better or for worse - it was forever. She wasn't alone. She began to feel like she might find her footing again.

Just then she heard her brother gasp.

Samir and Sindhu stepped out of the nearest lounge. They were holding hands too. And they were accompanied by a laughing hoard of happy snowboarders.

They looked like royalty. Sindhu's shining black hair framed her cheekbones in an elegant way and she looked like she was dressed for a gala, even in jeans and a snowboarding t-shirt.

And Samir looked...well, he looked amazing, like he always did. His hair brushed the collar of his black leather jacket. The white t-shirt underneath was pulled tight as usual over his pecs.

Becca tore her eyes away just as Christopher began to steer her in the opposite direction.

But it was too late.

"Becca!" Samir called in a strangled voice.

"No," Christopher said quietly. "Enough is enough."

"I just need to talk to her for five minutes."

"She's not blind – there's nothing you need to say to my sister that she can't see for herself. Don't ever speak to her again. Don't ever speak to me again."

A hush fell over the crowd.

Becca stole a look at Samir. He looked devastated. Pretty ridiculous considering he was
literally holding hands
with another woman.

Sindhu's beautiful face was filled with concern. Suddenly, Becca had the urge to grab Everybody's Sweetheart by the hair and claw her eyes out.

Christopher was right.

It was over.

"I want to go back to the room," she said.

"Agreed."

They turned and walked in silence.

The snow-capped mountains were beautiful and the sky shimmered with stars.

Becca wished she could lose herself in them.

B
ecca woke at dawn
.

She felt like she hadn't slept at all. Her dreams were filled with blue-eyed beasts and black haired girls.

Christopher was already in the shower. Next he'd be stretching. She only had a few minutes.

"Christopher, I'm heading out to get you some ice, okay?"

"Hang on, we'll go together!"

"Nah, I need some fresh air! See you in a minute. Big day!"

She slipped out before he could argue.

The walk to Samir's building seemed long. She tried to climb the steps as quietly as possible. As she walked to his door she tried not to even breathe.

She deposited the box at his door and slipped away, wondering what he would think when he read her note.

Samir,

I'm doing this for me – not to help you.

Becca

If he wore the gear, she would have the satisfaction of knowing that two pieces she had worked on were likely to be worn in the finals – the one she'd sewn from the designer's pattern for Christopher, and the one she had designed herself for Samir.

And, if she was being honest with herself, no matter what she said, she did care about what happened to Samir.

But hopefully in time she would learn to correct that.

C
hristopher was riding high
. He sat on the bench, clenching his sister's hand and trying not to pant while he waited for his score. The TV cameras caught every detail.

Don't look upset if the score isn't what you think it's going to be.

But he had landed a quadruple axel without a wobble to end his free skate after a flawless short program, so it had to be good, right?

He looked over at his twin. Suddenly her face went slack.

Christopher's heart dropped to his stomach. The score must be terrible.

The world seemed to be in slow motion as he turned back to see the score.

His total was 211.5 points. He was going to win the gold.

It had to be a dream.

He looked to Becca again.

Her face glowed with happiness.

There were lightning flashes of cameras everywhere but for once Christopher didn't let himself worry about smiling or looking handsome. Instead he grabbed his sister in his arms and gave her a bear hug as both their eyes brimmed with tears.

W
hen the reporters
were finished grilling Christopher, when they had finished a tearful phone call with their mother, when the skates were cleaned and the costumes hung away, there was nothing left to do but celebrate.

"What do you want to do?" Becca asked.

"EAT."

"Sounds good to me," Becca laughed. "Where should we go?"

Suddenly, Christopher got a look on his face. Oh no.

"No, no, no, you listen to me. This is
our
night. The
only
man I care about right now is you. I don't care how many women that stupid snowboarder has out with him. I'm happy tonight, Christopher McCall!"

He rewarded her with a huge smile and an arm around the shoulders.

"Then let's go to that lounge with the ice cream bar!"

They grabbed a corner table for a little privacy, but didn't have much luck.

After a huge plate of sweet potato fries, but before their steaks came, their meal was interrupted for the fifth time.

"Hey, man, congratulations!"

Becca whipped around, that was a familiar voice.

It was Taylor. He looked cautious but eager to see them. Becca knew Samir's piggish behavior wasn't his fault. And her joy at her brother's win made her benevolent.

"Hi, Taylor. This is my brother, Christopher. Christopher, Taylor is on the American snowboarding team."

Christopher got a look on his face like he'd just stepped in dog poop.

Taylor gamely turned his gaze to Becca.

"Your gear is
amazing
, Becca. It looks
so
rad! I can't believe you made it yourself."

"Oh, wow, he wore it."

"Yeah, he's been shredding in it all day. He said it wears even better than it looks! Everyone thinks it's hella cool!"

Christopher glared at Becca and she smiled back sweetly.

"I'm glad he's enjoying it."

"Hey, um, I called my parents and they said they would pay for gear for me. If...if you're interested in selling more than the one set?"

"You want me to design gear just for you?"

"Well, I was thinking of the same as what you made for Samir. But if you had a different idea, that would be cool too."

"Wow, Taylor, I'm flattered. Right now I want to focus on my brother. But let's talk about it later."

"Okay, give me your phone."

Taylor pushed a few buttons.

"There. I've got your number now. I'll text you!"

"Okay, fine."

"Congrats again, man! That was epic!"

"Thank you." Christopher smiled politely.

Taylor took off through the crowd.

"You gave him that gear?"

"Look what happened! Did you hear that? Taylor wanted gear too – he would
pay
for my gear." Becca was really excited. Even if she only sold one set to Taylor, it was exciting to feel like a
real
designer.

T
he next morning
, Christopher woke Becca early.

"I just want to sleep," she groaned.

"Nope, up and and 'em, party girl! Let's get you in the shower. You never know what might happen today!"

"Ugh. You win one little gold medal and now you're bossing me around."

He laughed and Becca let herself be coaxed out of her bed by the prospect of a hot shower.

Once again, her mother had been right.

After dinner she and Christopher had indulged in seemingly endless orders of ice cream and rum & Cokes. A terrible idea, in retrospect – though at the time they were convinced it was de rigueur.

After the water had washed away a little bit of her headache, she began to think of Samir. She had promised herself that she wouldn't ruin the rest of the games mooning over him. But it was impossible not to wonder what he was doing, or whether she might run into him again today.

She wrenched her mind away for about the hundredth time, and got out of the shower. Christopher had laid out her toiletries on the counter. She smiled and towel dried her hair.

It was nice to see her brother cater to her for once. Though it was also weird.

When she came out, she saw that he had also laid out clothes for her. Instead of the jeans and t-shirts she'd been wearing all week, he had chosen the flame colored dress she'd brought along for the closing ceremonies.

She turned to him with a questioning look.

"Don't ask, Becca, just get dressed."

"But I was going to wear this--"

"And now you're going to wear it today. Just trust me, will you?"

Becca shrugged and began to dress.

What on earth could Christopher be planning?

Maybe he wanted to go out to a fancy breakfast to celebrate his win.

"Let's go see what's for breakfast," Christopher said when she was dressed.

She shrugged and they headed down to the lobby.

Right before they turned the corner, Christopher spun and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Please don't be mad at me, but I knew if I warned you you'd freak out and bail. Just be yourself and try not to say 'um'!"

Before she could react, he pulled her around the corner.

A reporter stood by the nearest sofa. She was accompanied by a cameraman and guys with lights and booms.

"Hi Rebecca, I'm Mia Morton, with LPS Sports Network. Thank you for agreeing to talk with us today!"

Of course Becca knew who Mia was – she was covering a lot of the Games. Mia was tall and glamorous – the skaters all thought she looked like Michelle Obama. Mia extended her hand to Becca with a delighted smile on her face.

Even in her nicest dress, Becca felt totally frumpy. She blushed and tried to smile back as she shook Mia's hand.

"Just Becca."

A young woman in black pinned a mic to Becca's dress.

"Sorry about that, Becca. Please come sit down and we'll get started. Larry are we ready for Becca McCall?"

"Yep."

"All right then, let's go!"

"In 3, 2..."

"I'm here at the IW Games village with designer Becca McCall. Becca how are you feeling today?"

Becca took a deep breath and prayed not to make a fool of herself.

"I'm on top of the world today, Mia, my brother won a gold medal yesterday!"

"It must be a great feeling for your whole family. But we're here today to talk about
your
accomplishment. Half-pipe favorite Samir Andrews went gaga for your original gear. Larry, we'll break here to show a clip of Andrews with the gear."

"Yep. Back to it in 3, 2..."

"Of course the other snowboarders are now clamoring for custom pieces," Mia continued.

Becca flashed a glance at Christopher, who held up her cell phone. It was alerting her to 23 new text messages.

"Do you think you'll need to hire help before the X Games?"

"I, uh, hadn't thought that far ahead, Mia."

"I see. Andrews tells us that the gear doesn't just look cool, it is built for maximum movement without sacrificing warmth. He said he's never worn anything like it. Can you tell us how you came up with your signature style?"

"I've been helping to build and alter my brother's costumes for years. I learned a lot about building for movement from Ellen Silver, his designer, just by working on her pieces."

"But you made Samir look like a yeti!"

Becca laughed.

"The figure skaters often wear costumes that make them look like swans or other animals Why shouldn't the snowboarders be just as playful? Samir is so tall and muscular – the yeti just seemed like a natural choice."

"I hope this doesn't upset you, but we saw a lot of you with Samir in the first part of this week. Now we've seen Samir spending a lot of time with Sindhu Patel. Any comment about that?"

Becca swallowed past the lump in her throat.

"As you know, I needed to spend time with Samir to design his gear. But he's definitely a free agent."

"With Kandor as his sponsor, I'm not surprised to hear that!"

Becca smiled and shrugged.

"What are your plans when you get back to California?"

"Taylor Jensen has commissioned a custom design. I'm excited to get to work on that."

"An auspicious beginning to a career I think we're going to be following closely. There you have it – snowboard couture with the very talented Becca McCall."

The lights went off and the girl in black was removing Becca's mic.

"Thanks, Becca, that was great!" Mia said.

"Um, you're welcome. Thank
you.
"

"Dammit, Mia, I told you her relationship with Samir was off-limits." Christopher said.

"Sorry, McCall, the public wants to know."

"Your exclusive with me is off."

Mia shrugged.

"This wasn't really tit for tat. Becca is legit news. You just gave me the scoop."

Christopher scowled and Becca smiled.

"Do people really want to know about me?"

"Are you kidding? That gear is fantastic. And it doesn't hurt that you look like the chick from
Brave
. Hot girl, hot gear – what's not to love?"

Christopher snickered as Becca blushed.

"Well, we're off to catch the half-pipe, right Larry?"

"Yep."

"Will I see you there?" she asked with a significant look at Becca.

Becca shrugged.

Mia grabbed her by the shoulder and whispered in her ear.

"My advice is: go with your head up, this is your moment too."