Chapter Thirty
Charlotte
“So how does this work?” Charlotte asked, scanning the crowd for Luke. “I know there’s a bunch of heats to figure out who goes on to tomorrow, but what’s the deal?”
Evangeline stopped suddenly. “Holy shit.”
“What?” Charlotte craned her head, trying to figure out what Evangeline was looking at.
Evangeline grabbed Charlotte’s arm and dragged to her a spot along the observer area and pointed up at the scoreboard. “Those are the qualifying times.”
Charlotte peered at the board, and her eyes flew wide when she saw Luke’s name below Kit’s. “Holy shit is right.”
“I know!” Evangeline jumped up and down. “They’re first and second. That’s amazing!”
Luke’s time was so close to Kit’s, they’d practically tied, at least in Charlotte’s mind. Sure, that didn’t mean anything in a sport measured by tenths of a second, but still. “You said they’d take it easy today, not to freak out as long as Luke was in the top ten somewhere.”
“Well, yeah, but if this is taking it easy, this is going to be one helluva show.” Evangeline pointed to the top of the course, where four guys were moving into the starting gate. “Kit’s up there.”
“So what are we hoping for?” Charlotte asked. She’d Googled the rules, but she didn’t have them straight yet. “First?”
“First or second, but he’s riding against the lower end of the board.” Evangeline let out a shaky breath. “Still…”
“Uh-huh.” Charlotte took her hand. “He’ll be fine.”
The clock on the scoreboard at the bottom started running, and the guys at the top, who she could barely see, were sliding back and forth, holding on to the rails. This course was much bigger than the practice course at Snowmass. It twisted and turned, with bumps in the flat sections, and ramps that would send the guys flying.
The clock hit zero, and a horn sounded. The guys shot out of the gate. Kit was in green with a white jersey with the number one on the front. They each had different colors, so it was easy to pick him out as he swerved around turns and sailed through the air. Evangeline was screaming, while Charlotte kept one eye on the jumbotron feed from a camera overlooking the course.
Kit made it look so easy. The other three guys fell behind at a quick rate, and Kit crossed the finish line almost half a second faster than his time trial in the morning.
“Kit!” Evangeline shouted, and he turned his head to blow her a kiss. She returned it.
“Damn, he was fast,” Charlotte said.
“That’s what she said.” Evangeline laughed. “I mean I said.”
“I hope to hell he’s not that fast in bed, or you need another man in your life.”
Evangeline shook her head. “I wouldn’t know—yet. I’m hoping that we have something to celebrate tomorrow night, though.”
Charlotte secretly hoped that the celebration included a second-place finish for Kit, but that wasn’t really to be expected. Luke trouncing Tucker and coming in a close second would be enough to send him to nationals. How could it not be?
They watched the rest of the heats. Evangeline critiqued everyone, really into the competition, but Charlotte was antsy. Tucker won his heat without issue, which was a pity, but not unexpected. Luke would go last this round, and the wait was driving her crazy. At one point, she thought she saw Luke headed to the lift, but she didn’t want to bug him.
Finally, Luke’s heat was called. Based on the video feed, he was wearing blue and his bib was green. He looked relaxed, smiling and joking around with the guy in the gate next to him. When the clock started, though, his expression shifted to focused and…
Charlotte fanned herself. Alpha. He looks like the alpha up there.
Evangeline gave her the eye. “It’s thirty degrees out here, and you’re too young for a hot flash. What’s the deal?”
Charlotte laughed under her breath. “Just nervous.”
Evangeline continued to stare, a sly grin sliding across her face. “So why are you blushing like I told a dirty joke in my outside voice? Getting a little hot and bothered by a certain guy on the mountain, are we?”
Charlotte was saved from answering by the starting horn. Like Kit, Luke was on fire, streaking ahead of the pack early and staying there. His jumps were perfect, and he didn’t waver once. When he slid to a stop at the bottom to look at the board, his jaw dropped.
Charlotte looked up.
Luke had beaten Kit’s time by one-tenth of a second.
Guys were bouncy when they won. It didn’t matter what they won, either. Kit and Luke were talking with their hands, over each other, laughing and bragging and jumping up to demonstrate some move. They’d come to the café to have a quiet dinner, just the four of them, but quiet didn’t seem to be on the menu.
Charlotte watched with a huge smile on her face. They’d run two additional heats—with Kit beating Luke’s time in the second—to set up the semis for first thing in the morning. Tucker, of course, had come in third. Not that anyone was talking about him. Kit and Luke had been mobbed for autographs and sound bites at the end of the day, and Tucker had skulked off like a shunned schoolboy.
Charlotte wanted to say it warmed her heart, but she couldn’t. Tucker wouldn’t let this stand, and he was in Luke’s heat for the semifinals. If he gave Luke another concussion, there’d be hell to pay where she was concerned.
She didn’t want to spoil the mood with dire warnings, though, not with the way Luke looked at her from time to time. He was on fire, and she was sure he wanted to share the feeling.
Evangeline set down plates of swiss steak, fried new potatoes, and salad. “You two are like a couple of little girls after a dance recital.”
Kit grabbed her and pulled her into his lap. “I take that as a compliment.”
She laughed and tried to squirm away—but not too hard. “You’re so weird.”
Luke took Charlotte’s hand, leaving Kit and Evangeline to talk smack in between long kisses. “What’d you think, really? About SBX?”
“It was amazing,” she said. “You were amazing.”
He ducked his head—it was so cute. For such a swaggering, confident guy, it was funny how a little praise did him in. “My family is coming tomorrow. Not Dad, of course, but Parker, Mom, and Zoey. I’m hoping they feel the same way.”
“They will. There’s no way they couldn’t.” Charlotte kissed him. “I’m so proud of you.”
He smiled up at her. “Thanks.”
Charlotte glanced at Kit and Evangeline. They weren’t coming up for air anytime soon. “Let’s eat upstairs. It’s getting late, and you need a good night’s sleep. Want to stay here?”
His smile turned wicked. “Do you honestly think we’ll get any sleep if I stay over?”
“You might,” she said, kissing him on the forehead. “Or might not.”
He pulled her closer. “That’s a chance I’m willing to take.”