an email. It only took me a second to realize her mistake.
“You mistyped my name in the email address.”
“What? I copied it directly from the packet the USGA sent.”
She seemed truly upset about her mistake, but I picked up the mug of coffee from the porch ledge and turned for the door.
“You can wait out here until the rest of your team arrives.”
“What? Are you kidding me?! That’ll be hours from now.”
Her words caught me off guard. With those fragile features and dainty build, I would have painted her as meek, but her assertive tone proved otherwise.
I clutched the newspaper in my hand and whipped the screen door open hard enough that it clapped against the hard siding. She yelled out after me, but I shook my head and continued inside without her. I was too hungover for this.
Chapter Two
Brie
As of that morning, I had $203.52 to my name. I’d checked my balance as I’d brushed my teeth, refreshing my phone screen twice before realizing the decimal wouldn’t move to the right two spaces no matter how long I stared at it. My mom had put some cash into my hand on my way out of our small one-bedroom apartment, even though she probably needed it more than I did. I’d sworn to her I had more than enough money to get by on until I returned from Rio, but I was banking on the hope that they would have some sort of meal plan for us at Coach Winter’s house. If not, well, I might just become the first Olympic gymnast to compete on an empty stomach.
I was overwhelmed, tired, and hungry when I first locked eyes with Erik standing shirtless on his porch. His greeting was cold, his smile was nonexistent, and his body language suggested I should crawl back into the SUV and try again later.
I’d almost been relieved when he’d turned, pulled the screen door open, and disappeared back inside his house. I didn’t see what some USGA intern’s mistake had to do with me, but I wouldn’t hold his cold greeting against him. He probably just needed a cup of coffee. Or five.
“Ma’am,” my driver said, interrupting my thoughts. “Should I take the bags inside?”
I waved my hand. “No, no. Just drop them there. I can carry them to—”
To where? I had no clue where I was supposed to go. Would Erik have us stay inside his house or would he relegate us to the woods surrounding the property? Going off our first impression, I’d be sleeping on a rock for the next month.
The driver fidgeted on his feet, as if he didn’t want to leave me with Erik, but I shot him a flat smile and held out the tip I’d finally settled on. I’d debated on it for the last thirty minutes of the car ride and had decided on $5. It wasn’t nearly what he was owed, but enough that it nearly made me break out in a cold sweat as I handed the cash over to him. He basically had to pry the bill out of my hand.
“Thanks again for the ride,” I offered with a tight smile.
He dipped his hat in a small salute. “Good luck in Rio. My family and I will be rooting for you.”
My stomach twisted as he hopped back into his SUV. His tires kicked up gravel as he drove away and I glanced around the property, less than convinced that this was a good idea. Had the Association toured Erik’s property before making their decision to send us here? From what I could see, it looked like there was only a small cabin tucked into a pocket of woods. Where will we stay? Where will we train?
The screen door creaked open again and I turned to watch Erik make his second appearance of the morning, this time wearing a shirt. It didn’t matter; I’d seen his chest already. It was broad and tan and muscled, and objectively speaking, most women would have found it very appealing. I was too busy mourning the loss of my Abe Lincoln to care.
He didn’t say anything as he walked down his porch stairs toward me, but I took the chance to study him. He was going to be my coach for the next two months and I wanted to get a feel for what I was up against. The small headshot I’d seen on my computer back home hadn’t done him justice. Not at all. He was tall and