The Favorites: A Novel(30)

“Stop calling me ‘Katie.’?”

“Our parents are buried here.”

“And you’ve never even visited their graves, Leland.”

“What do you care?” he said. “You left. You left me here all alone.”

It was the closest my brother would ever come to saying he missed me.

The line went silent.

“Lee?” I dug my nails into the phone, scratching the satin finish. “Lee.”

He’d hung up on me.

With a frustrated scream, I snapped the phone shut.

“Everything all right?”

I looked up to find the locker room door open, and Garrett Lin on the threshold. Great.

Another thing I’d learned at the Lin Ice Academy: how to appear calm and composed when I was anything but. I took a deep breath, willing my pulse to slow. Gold medalists don’t scream, and they only cry pretty, photogenic tears.

“I’m fine,” I told him. “Just got some…bad news.”

Garrett’s brows knitted with concern. “I’m sorry. Anything I can help with?”

“No, no. It was more of a miscommunication. My older brother spent some money that was supposed to be for next month’s training fees.”

And last month’s, and every damn month from now until Nationals.

“I didn’t know you had a brother.” Garrett leaned against the doorframe. I could’ve sworn he was taller every time I saw him; he had almost a foot on Bella. “He lives in Illinois?”

I nodded. Despite the increasing amount of time I’d been spending with the Lins, we rarely talked about anything besides skating. No one at the Academy knew anything about my past life. The only part of it worth bringing with me was Heath.

“Well, I’d be happy to talk to my mom,” Garrett said. “I’m sure she’ll have no problem with you paying a little later.”

I didn’t want to tell him his mother had already allowed us several generous extensions. The Grand Prix money might be enough to get out of that hole, but without the inheritance, we’d fall right back into debt. There was little chance of repeating our victory at the next competition, where we’d be facing off against both the Lins and the Russians.

“That’s okay,” I said. “I’ll handle it.”

“Maybe I can help,” Garrett said.

“That’s really nice, Garrett.” If he’d pitied me, I could have hated him, but Garrett was so goddamn sweet and earnest. I wondered what it would have been like to have a brother like him, instead of the deadbeat I’d been stuck with. “But I can’t take money from you.”

“That’s not what I meant.” He stepped forward, letting the door swing shut behind him. “What are you doing next Saturday? I might be able to hook you up with a job.”

An ad campaign photo shoot, Garrett explained, for an athleisure brand. Bella would be there too. The company was on the smaller side, popular mostly in Asian markets, but they were always looking for spokesmodels who could move well in front of the camera.

“It doesn’t pay that much,” he said. “The designer’s an old acquaintance of my mother, though, and if he likes you, he might book you again in the future.”

“I appreciate the offer.” I hesitated, chewing on my lip.

“But?” Garrett prompted.

“I mean, I’m not exactly…a model.”

“What are you talking about?” He smiled. “You’re gorgeous.”

He’s just trying to be nice. That’s what I’d said to Heath at the Fourth of July party, and as I stood in that locker room with Garrett Lin gazing into my eyes, I told myself the same thing.

Heath wouldn’t like this. But Heath didn’t have to know—about the modeling job, the missing inheritance money, any of it. I’d take care of everything myself, and we would keep going, on to the next gold medal.

“Thank you,” I told Garrett. “I’ll be there.”





Garrett Lin: I won’t pretend my sister and I didn’t grow up with certain advantages. We also had a lot to live up to.

Kirk Lockwood: The Lins had a stellar season. Shaw and Rocha did well too, but their Skate America gold was definitely the high point.

At the 2002 U.S. National Championships in Los Angeles, Bella and Garrett Lin receive silver medals for the third year in a row. Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha are on the podium as well, in the fourth-place pewter medal spot.

Garrett Lin: We were basically still kids, but because we were Sheila Lin’s kids, it wasn’t enough to compete. We were expected to win.

Jane Currer: Some people thought we made a mistake, making the Lins alternates for Salt Lake instead of putting them on the Olympic team.

Garrett Lin: I was fine with being an alternate. It wasn’t our time yet. My sister, on the other hand…

Kirk Lockwood: Right after the Games is the perfect time for a new generation of skaters to step it up and stake their claim for the next Olympic cycle.

Jane Currer: The World Championships take place a few weeks after the Olympics, so many skaters who competed at the Games sit out Worlds. Or they announce plans to retire.

At the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, previous top American ice dance team Elizabeth Parry and Brian Alcona give a disappointing, error-riddled performance. At a post-Olympics press conference, they confirm their immediate retirement.