Sweet Victory Read online

  Sweet

  Victory

  by

  Melanie Shawn

  Cover Design by Hot Damn Designs

  Published by Red Hot Reads Publishing

  Copyright 2013 Melanie Shawn

  All rights reserved. This copy is intended for the original purchaser of this book. No part of this may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without permission in writing from Melanie Shawn. Exceptions are limited to reviewers who may use brief quotations in connection with reviews. No part of this book can be transmitted, scanned, reproduced, or distributed in any written or electronic form without written permission from Melanie Shawn.

  This book is a work of fiction. Places, names, characters and events are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locations, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  First Chapter Of Home Sweet Home

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  Sam listened to the squeak of rubber soles against the shiny wood floor of the Rec Center basketball court and, even though basketball was nothing like snowboarding, struggled just a tiny bit to not feel nostalgia for her former competitive life. It seemed lately that any kind of competition – hell, even board games – made her a little homesick for the adrenaline rush of world class competition.

  But then, she looked around at where she was. Sitting in the rec center gym in Hope Falls, her hometown, with her three closest friends, Lauren, Amanda, and Karina. Watching the guys Ryan, Justin, Jake and Eric play basketball. She was surrounded by love and friendship.

  She smiled. This made her feel infinitely better. What she had to keep reminding herself was that, for every split second of blood-pounding, heart-racing thrill of competition that Snowboarding gave to her, it also stole years from her life. Years that she spent in training, in isolation, never making her own decisions, and – most importantly – never being around the people she loved.

  People like her friends here, the Fabulous Four. She looked at them each in turn, feeling grateful for their unique qualities. There was Amanda, the adorable little blonde kewpie doll. She was the nurturer, she had brought them all back together again. There was raven-haired Karina, the pop superstar on a hiatus from fame. She was the funny one. She had the most biting, sarcastic, and hilarious sense of humor of anyone Sam had ever known. Sam shifted her attention next to Lauren, whose tall, willowy blonde elegance would have shined through even if she hadn't always been dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, her hair and makeup flawless regardless of time of day or circumstance. She was the pragmatist, the organizer, the consummate business woman.

  She looked next to herself, and here she drew a blank. Oh, sure, the physical was no problem. She was short and had a strong, athletic body. She had deep auburn hair, emerald green eyes, and a spray of freckles across her nose. That part was easy. But what about the other part? The part where someone would say, oh yeah, that's Sam, she's the fill-in-the-blank one. What went in that blank? What was there about her, aside from snowboarding, that made her unique? What made her a person, for God's sake? How was it possible that, by 27 years old, she couldn't answer that question?

  She sat up and straightened her shoulders. Well, that was the point of coming back to Hope Falls, wasn't it? Maybe she didn't know who she was right now, but by God, she was going to figure that out.

  Her attention was snatched from introspection then by the appearance of the guys at their little bleacher encampment. They had taken a short break from their game of two-on-two and had come over to grab water and take a quick breather.

  Justin, Amanda's fiancé, and Ryan, Karina's boyfriend, made big shows of trying to grab Amanda and Karina, smothering them with kisses and hugs, even though they were dripping with sweat. Amanda and Karina shrieked and pushed them away, but they were laughing as they did it, and it was clear on both of their faces that they loved the playful game.

  Sam felt a small jolt of...envy? No. She didn't begrudge her friends their relationships or their happiness. She wanted them to have every drop of joy that life had to offer. So what was it? Loneliness? Yes. That was it. It wasn't that she didn't want her friends to have happiness or love. She just wanted some of her own.

  Sam glanced over at Lauren to see if she could catch some glimpse, some small sign, that maybe Lauren felt as bereft as she did not to have someone in her life. At least then she wouldn't feel so alone. Misery loves company and all that. But when she looked at Lauren, Lauren's head was bent over her smart phone, and her thumbs were expertly tapping out a message.

  Sam sighed. Of course. Ever since Lauren had made the decision to move back to Hope Falls from New York and got her California real estate license, business had been booming. Lauren specialized in high end real estate, and was finding a great market in Hope Falls and the surrounding mountains, helping people to sell and buy spectacular vacation homes – vacation mansions, really – perched high on the mountaintops, with views that could fool you into thinking you were standing in the middle of the sky.

  She had started by helping Sam and Karina find their homes, which were right across the street from each other, and referrals had started to roll in from there. Never one to passively accept just what came across her desk, however, Lauren was in the process of sculpting an aggressive branding and marketing campaign. Not satisfied to be just ONE of the high-end realtors here in the mountains, she would not rest until she was the absolute quintessential high-end real estate pro in the Sierra Nevadas.

  Sam smiled a little to herself. Even though she was the former Olympic athlete among the Fabulous Four, she certainly wasn't the only one who had more than a little competitive fire in her bones.

  The guys got back to their game, and Lauren looked up from her text messaging. She looked around at the faces of the other three, who were staring at her.

  “What?” she asked defensively.

  “No text messaging during hang time. We're not here to converse with the top of your head!” Amanda said accusingly.

  Lauren smiled, “I only started text messaging after you started playing grab-ass. I guess we're both done now.”

  Amanda blushed.

  Karina chortled, “So, how are things going with you and Justin, Mand?”

  Amanda sighed dreamily, “It's so great, you guys. We're so happy it's almost sickening.”

  The other three replied in unison, and without hesitation, “It IS sickening!”

  Amanda laughed along with them, not bothered by the good-natured ribbing, “OK, so how about the other happy couple? How are you and Ryan doing, Karina?”

  Karina beamed. It was clear that she was happier than she had ever been.

  “Oh, man, you guys, it's so great,” she gushed, “I'm finishing up my album, and Ryan and I have decided to move in together, since he's basica
lly always there anyway. He's still helping Sue Ann out in the cafe quite a bit, but he's also been working on his own material. Which is brilliant, if I do say so. And I don't think I'm biased at all!”

  She stopped to take a breath, then continued, “We've basically either been in bed or in the studio for a solid month. Things couldn't be going better! I'm so happy!”

  They all congratulated her, happy that their friend had found someone so wonderful to share her life with, and also happy that it had been someone who didn't want to whisk her away from Hope Falls! They liked having her around.

  Sam said, “OK, that's that for relationships, what about professional lives? We need to catch up there, too. Lauren, I know you're killing it in the real estate world, and we heard about Karina's album progress. What about you, Amanda? How is Mountain Ridge Outdoor Adventures doing?”

  Mountain Ridge Outdoor Adventures was the outdoor mountain activities theme park that Amanda and Justin had inherited when Amanda's father, Parker Jacobs, had died. It was her father's legacy, and the girls knew how seriously Amanda took the responsibility of running the place, and making sure that it stayed the vibrant and thriving business that it had been when Parker was still alive.

  “Oh, things are going really well at the resort!” Amanda exclaimed, “We've even decided to expand.”

  “Wow, that's fantastic!” Lauren said.

  “Yeah,” Amanda said, with a melancholy smile, “The only thing that would make it perfect was if my Dad was here to see it.”

  “He's here in spirit,” Karina assured her, “He'd be proud of you.”

  The rest of the girls agreed.

  Amanda smiled, “Well, what about you Sam? When are you hopping back on a snowboard?”

  Sam took a deep breath and then said, “Funny you should ask, actually. I have a pretty monumental announcement to make. I'm taking a year off from competitive snowboarding.”

  The three girls' jaws dropped, and Sam rushed to explain, “It's just that I want to have a real life, a normal life. I've never had normal before. In fact, I'm not even sure if I ever want to go back to it, not at that level.”

  The girls continued to just stare at her, speechless.

  She went on to explain, “Don't get me wrong, I love competition. I just feel that it may have stunted my growth. You know, on a personal level. And now is the time to make up for that.”

  Karina slapped her palm to her forehead in sudden revelation.

  “Oh, I get it!” she exclaimed, “You don't want to be a virgin anymore!”

  “Karina! Shut up!” Sam rage-whispered, mortified, as Lauren and Amanda both smacked her upside the head.

  “What?” She asked innocently, “I was just trying to clarify precisely what her ‘stunted personal growth’ was.”

  “Fine but you didn’t have to announce to the whole gym the extent of my sexual experience or lack thereof,” Sam grumbled quietly, hiding her face in her hands.

  “Oh, no one heard anything.” Karina said dismissively.

  The girls shifted their eyes to the court where they saw all four guys standing still and smiling over at them. Eric waved jauntily, and Jake winked at them as the four men started playing again.

  “OK,” Karina conceded, “Maybe some people heard. Soooo what do you think about Jake?”

  Amanda and Lauren perked up, interested in the possibilities suggested by this question, and turned their attention to Sam.

  Sensing the sudden quiet shift of attention directed at her, Sam slowly lowered her hands and saw all three of her friends staring intently, waiting for her answer.

  “Um he’s...nice...?” Sam said cautiously, “Why?”

  “No, I know he’s nice but I mean what do THINK about Jake?” Karina repeated, “I mean he’s really good looking. And he's a firefighter. Are there any sparks? Pun intended.”

  “And he’s so funny and sweet.” Amanda added excitedly.

  “Not to mention, he owns his home and, from what I hear, may make Captain soon. He seems pretty financially secure,” Lauren added, pragmatic as always.

  After seeing where this was going Sam blurted out, “Eww, gross! I mean...not gross cause HE'S gross, just gross because I've known him my whole life. I feel like we’re related. I think growing up in a town as small as Hope Falls it’s like everyone is extended family or something.”

  Seeing the hurt look on Amanda's face at this assessment, Sam hurried to add, “I mean not like you and Justin or anything, Manda, that’s totally different. You were in love with him since the first day you saw him.” Sam quickly added.

  “Yes I was, and still am,” Amanda said dreamily, glancing over at Justin, all traces of hurt feelings instantly evaporating as thoughts of her handsome man filled her mind.

  “OK, Amanda, if you’d like to come down from Cloud 9 for a moment, we are talking about Sam here,” Lauren said, snapping her fingers in front of Amanda’s face to break the love spell that she was lost in.

  “Right, sorry,” said Amanda, snapping back to earth and focusing on the task at hand, “OK, Sam. So I guess if Jake is out then Eric is out too, what with them being brothers and all?”

  “Yes! Definitely out!” Sam said in a tone that left no room for questions.

  “Too bad, really.” Karina sighed regretfully, “Cause those are two fine, fine men that would probably know JUST what to do about your ‘stunted personal growth’ problem.”

  All four women turned to look at the courts, enjoying the view of Justin, Ryan, Eric, and Jake.

  Breaking the silence, Sam blurted, “I’m not taking a break from competing just to get some nookie.”

  Karina laughed, “Keep calling it 'nookie' – that's a good way to keep not getting any.”

  “I didn't mean I don't want any, smart ass, I just meant I want more than that,” Sam clarified, “I want more of this – more time with friends, more time to figure out who I am away from snowboarding. I mean, let’s be honest. I'm pushing 30, I don’t have that many more years left, even if I WANTED more years. This hiatus is most likely going to end in me announcing my retirement.

  In fact, I would have already made my announcement, but my coach, Stephan, abso-fricking-lutely LOST IT when I told him. He begged me to give it a year and see how I felt at the end. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that it was a moot point. Year or no year, I have already made my decision.

  He's just put so much into my career, you know? If this is an easier way for him to get adjusted to my decision, then I figure it’s the least I can do for him.”

  “Least you can do for him?” Lauren spat disdainfully, “Please! Sam, you have made Mr. Stephan Humphrey a pretty penny over the course of the last decade. I mean, hasn’t he acted as your coach and your manager? Which means he makes a double commission? Personally, I think it was unethical for him to even do that, but don't get me started. The point is, I think you have done plenty for him, Sam.

  I am not trying to push you into anything, but if you are absolutely sure that you want to retire, you should announce it. You don’t need to compromise for anyone,” Lauren finished with conviction in her voice.

  “It’s fine. Don’t worry Gloria Steinem, I won’t let some man make me compromise myself,” Sam teased the normally reserved Lauren.

  “Spoken like a true smartass.” Karina said in a southern accent, imitating Olympia Dukakis in Steel Magnolias.

  Amanda smiled, “Oh Steel Magnolias! How many times do you think we watched that movie?”

  Lauren shifted her attention back to her Blackberry while answering, “Had to be close to 100 times. Remember those weekends when we would get snowed in up at your place, Manda? And we would watch it, rewind it, watch it, rewind it, watch it, rewind it....”

  “And without fail we would always start crying when Sally Field loses it at the funeral,” Sam said.

  “Those were good times,” Amanda reminisced thoughtfully.

  “In all seriousness, though,” Sam assured Lauren, “I think it will be better
for me, as well, if I can take a year to get adjusted to such a huge change in my life.”

  “OK, if you’re sure that’s the case, I will back off,” Lauren put her Blackberry back in her purse, “I just want to make sure that you're taking care of you first. So what’s the plan Sam, what do you want to do now?”

  “I have no idea.” Sam said, flooded with equal parts excitement and terror.

  “Well then, I have a proposition for you,” Amanda said, sitting up straighter, her voice suddenly all business, “I didn’t want to ask you at first because I didn’t want you to be distracted from your training schedule. Since that's no longer in the equation, though, I feel like I might have a good opportunity for you.”

  Sam looked interested.

  “I mentioned that Justin and I are going to be expanding Mountain Ridge. Well, here's the plan. We have always used the little hill for tubing, and we are going to continue with that. But we want to make use of the acreage that we have...you know, that goes up the face of the mountain? Dad never wanted to convert it to slopes because he thought it wasn't worth the headache to compete with the big boys. Justin and I want to give it a go, though.

  We have already passed inspection on the lift, and it is operational again. We are going to separate the area into 4 distinct slopes: two for beginner levels, one for intermediate and one for advanced skiers. We want to bring on two pro instructors to give lessons and run the ski-slash-snowboard program.

  I would love it if you would consider taking a position as one of the pros,” Amanda said, and then, adopting a wheedling tone and batting her eyelashes comically, she added, “We could discuss pay and benefits, and I’d be a really nice boss.”

  Then, reverting back to her regular business voice, she concluded, “But seriously it might be fun, and you wouldn’t have to commit to more than just this season if you didn’t want to.”

  “I’m in!” Sam immediately replied. “That sounds perfect! It would give me a chance to figure out exactly what I want to do, and keep me busy so I'm not going stir crazy. Plus I love Mountain Ridge. There's not another place in the world I would rather spend my days.”

  “Hallelujah, does this mean no more early morning drop ins?” Karina asked emphatically.