I mean. I know we still have a few more months to train for the ultra. I should look at the positives, and I do, most of the time. But I guess I just don’t know what I’d do if we failed. What does life look like afterward if we can’t do this and do it well?”
A tiny pinprick of burning nipped at her scalp where she pulled on her hair. She released the strand. “I don’t even know what I want beyond all of this. I can’t let myself look that far down the road. So I focus on the next thing, and right now, that’s the marathon. I think our training is going well enough, though, don’t you?”
Oh man, she’d rambled good and long that time. But once she’d started talking, her thoughts had just boiled over like water left too long on the burner.
Victory! It wasn’t much, but it was something. An opening.
Before Eva could ask Angela what she enjoyed about it, Lilly careened down the path. “Mom! Aunt Eva! Food’s ready!”
“Thanks, baby. We’ll be right there.” Angela stood and turned to follow her daughter, who was already scampering back toward the neighbors’ yard.
Then she stopped for a moment, pivoted, and offered Eva a hand up.
16
Today was going to be a New Year’s Eve to remember.
“You guys excited?” Eva squeezed Lilly’s shoulders. Her young niece stood between Eva and Kylee, springing on her tiptoes and trying to see around the people in front of them in line for the Queenstown Skyline Gondola. They’d been waiting for thirty minutes already at the base of Bob’s Peak, but that wasn’t surprising for one in the afternoon on a holiday.
Lilly tucked her hand inside Kylee’s. “Yeah!”
Kylee stared at the mountains rising around them, a tiny grin flickering across her lips. It warmed Eva’s heart to see her niece taking a little pleasure in her surroundings after moping around for weeks. In fact, she’d been pleasant all day during their trek into Queenstown—first for breakfast, then while they wandered the shops. Tonight they planned to stay for a New Year’s Eve bash with live music, food, and fireworks along the lakefront.
But before the party, Eva had arranged for a fun adventure at the top of Bob’s Peak, and her lips nearly burst at holding in the secret. It would be a nice reward for making it through the holidays intact. Distracted as they were by new surroundings, Christmas Day hadn’t been as difficult as last year, but they’d all struggled through the week in some form or another. Would the holidays ever feel truly happy again after losing people they loved?
Finally, they stepped into the building where they’d load onto the gondola—one step closer to Eva’s surprise. She hoped it would be the perfect way to ring in a new year as a stronger, more joyful family unit. It was just too bad Sherry wasn’t here, but she hadn’t slept well the last few nights and had opted to stay home alone and enjoy the quiet.
“I’ve read that the Skyline Gondola is the steepest cable car lift in the whole Southern Hemisphere.” Zach pulled on the sleeves of his jacket, which Eva had insisted he wear. According to the woman at the information center she’d spoken with yesterday, warm outerwear was a must since they were headed to the peak of a small mountain, where the climate was a bit unpredictable.
“My little encyclopedia.” Angela ruffled Zach’s hair and laughed as he ducked from her grasp.
It was good to see her sister-in-law smile, since she’d been pretty quiet all week. Eva had hoped their training sessions would be a bit livelier after their chat on the dock, but Angela seemed to be more determined than ever to keep to herself.
Or maybe she was just finally dealing with her emotions and didn’t have the words to express them.
“I read that there’s a two-hundred-and-twenty-degree panoramic view of Coronet Peak, Queenstown, and . . . what’s the other one?” Marc stroked his short beard in an exaggerated display, slapping on an over-the-top confused look.
“The Remarkables! Oh, and Walter and Cecil Peaks too.” Zach grinned at knowing more than Marc.
Marc winked at Eva over her nephew’s head. Her stomach flipped.
The last week and a half with Marc had been wonderful. In between the hours he spent working, they’d talked about ideas for the business, toured the countryside, and taken selfie videos dedicated to