Page 8 of Leave Me Not: Nick & Elissa #2 (Badger Creek Duet #8)

8

ELISSA

L unch with the girls is just what I needed and now that things with Nick seem settled and my pregnancy is out in the open, I feel like I can relax a little.

We spent three hours chatting and laughing, talking about having a dual baby shower with Harper and me. It all sounds like a wonderful idea, especially since Harper and I are such great friends and Nick and Max are too. Sammie, of course, suggested we make it princess themed, joining us for our girls’ lunch as if she’s an adult and not a four-year-old. It’s going to be a shock to her little world if Harper has a boy and not the sister Sammie has been hoping for.

As much as I would have loved to have spent the day with the girls, I have tons of paperwork to get through at the ski lodge, behind on placing orders and taking inventory. It’s been nice though to have moved Ana to a management position, giving Gabby a break too. While it has eased some of the responsibilities for me too, I’m still the one who runs the whole damn place.

I’m sitting at my desk signing off on payroll when Ana appears in the doorway to let me know that someone is here to see me.

“Should I tell him to come back?” she asks me when I look up from the computer. “He said he could come back if you don’t have time to meet with him today.”

“Did he say who he is?” I ask, scanning my memory to see if I’ve forgotten a meeting I scheduled for today. Harper did say pregnancy brain is a real thing.

Reaching for my phone, I quickly scan the calendar seeing nothing, but I do have interviews set up for tomorrow to fill Ana’s spot that was left open when I promoted her. He could be someone coming in to drop off a résumé or talk with me about the job opening.

“He didn’t. He just said he’d like to talk to you about some skiing things,” she tells me, and I try hard not to roll my eyes. It’s pretty typical for salespeople to stop by and promote their product, because it’s big money if it ends up in a ski lodge. Rentals account for a huge number of sales after people try out the gear.

We generally only stock Holden and some of the other bigger names, but I guess it might not hurt to hear this guy out and see what he has to offer.

“It’s probably someone trying to get me to stock gear in the lodge,” I reply back, standing up from my desk and walking toward the door. “I’ll meet him out there and see if it’s even worth my time.”

At least if I’m out in the lobby of the ski lodge with all the tourists trying to get their gear on, it might go a little quicker. It’s not exactly the best environment to make a sale in, which is exactly how I want it.

When I walk out of my office, I look around, trying to find a guy with a bag full of gear, but I come up short. It’s just the usual types of people, skiers, snowboarders, families and the people who work for me.

I look over at Ana and she motions to a man standing in the corner of the room, he’s focused on his phone, not realizing I’ve come out to meet him. Walking over, I stop in front of him, waiting for him to notice, but again, he’s more wrapped up in what is on the screen than he is in me.

If he is selling something, I can say it right now, I’m not buying. He has no interest in me and is clearly here in the hopes of making money off a woman he thinks he can con.

This kind of shit has been happening ever since the remodel and most of it is because we’ve grown so quickly and upped the number of skiers on our mountain. Everyone wants a piece of the action, and that includes gear companies looking to cash in on our success.

“Excuse me,” I say, clearing my throat. “I was told you asked to speak to me.” I’m not friendly, I’m not even trying to show interest in the hopes that the conversation ends here. I really have a lot to do and I want to get home and find out how Nick’s meeting with his coach went.

The man looks up, blinking his eyes a few times as he takes me in. “Are you Elissa?” he now asks, a disinterested tone to his voice.

“I am,” I reply, as equally disinterested.

“Is there someplace we can go that’s a little less,” he pauses, looking around, an annoyance present on his face, “loud.”

“What, you don’t like the ski lodge as a location for a sales pitch?” I ask, laughing a little when a kid starts wailing, obviously unhappy about something.

“I’m not here to sell you anything,” the man now says, and that’s when I notice his jacket. There’s a small logo in the right corner and I realize exactly who he is.

I nod, waiting for him to introduce himself, but knowing he must be Nick’s coach. I have no idea why he’s here, but maybe Nick sent him. Nick could have talked me up when they met, and now he’s here to meet with me. I wouldn’t think he would be interested in having a pregnant woman join the US team, but who knows.

“Are you Nick’s coach?” I now ask, but before he can answer, I suggest we go to my office, realizing I don’t want to be out here either.

He follows me, not saying much and when I close the door behind me, he lets out a hard sigh.

“It’s really nice to meet you,” I now say, plastering on a smile since I was not exactly welcoming when we first met. “Nick talks about you all the time. He speaks so highly of you.”

“That’s funny,” the coach says. “This was the first time I’ve heard about you.”

I’m instantly taken aback by this comment, and I’m sure it shows on my face. My mouth nearly falls open and I try to pull myself back together, but it’s too late.

“I see that you’re surprised by that,” the coach replies. “I’m not though. Nick was very focused when he was training with the team. Not really concerned about what was going on at home or what was happening with his ex-girlfriend.”

“I’m not his ex-girlfriend,” I clarify, noticing the way he says the word, a sharpness to his tone, the insinuation heavy.

“Nick does not need any distractions and if you’re concerned about his return to the team, it would be good to remember that,” he now says, and I hate where this conversation is going.

“I’ve never once tried to hold Nick back,” I defend. “I was the one who told him to go to college when he wanted to stay here with me.”

“And look how far he’s gotten.” He crosses his arms and leans back in the chair, watching me, waiting for me to respond.

I don’t know what to say. I knew we’d eventually come to this road and crossing it would be difficult. I’ve told him to go back to the team when he’s able to but finding out I’m pregnant changes everything.

I go back to the conversation I had with my mom when I first found out I was pregnant, and she said that people make things like this work. There are Olympic athletes who are parents, and they make it work. It’s their job just like my job is here at Badger Creek. It’s just a job and if this is what Nick wants then I support it.

He can visit when he has free time, and the baby and I can fly out and visit with him. I would never want to be the reason he doesn’t go back to skiing. And right now, it feels like the coach is blaming me for the way things are playing out.

“Elissa, I’m sure Nick hasn’t shared this with you, but he’s under contract with us. He received a signing bonus and unfortunately that will need to be paid back if he doesn’t return to the team,” the coach informs me, and I feel my heart begin to beat faster.

Money.

Money we don’t have.

I run my hands over my thighs, trying to get rid of the sweat that has begun to form as I worry about where this is going, even if in the back of my mind I know.

“Breaking the contract will cost him half a million,” the coach says, dropping it on me and it feels like I’ve been slapped across the face. “We’ve put a lot of time and money into making Nick an Olympic athlete and that doesn’t come cheap.”

“I’m sure it doesn’t,” I mutter, my heart racing and I can feel the sting of tears begin to burn my nose. I can’t cry in front of this guy. He already thinks I’m ruining Nick’s career.

“That’s just for breaking the contract,” he continues. “He received a signing bonus and there are clauses in the contract about that needing to be paid back. And there’s also his sponsorships too.”

I’m quick to jump in with a response, knowing there’s no way Jeff and Pam would hold Nick to his Holden contract, if he even has one with them. They’ve always been like family and signing Nick to a sponsorship with Holden was really just something to show him how proud they were of him.

“Holden would never—” I start, but he cuts me off quickly, shaking his head and holding up a hand.

“He has more than just a sponsorship with Holden. There are others, and Nick knows that,” the coach tells me, and again, I find myself nodding, no idea how to respond. “Here’s the thing, Elissa, the team wants Nick back.”

“And I fully support that. As long as his doctor clears him to return to jumping, I’m all for it.” I swallow hard, a feeling of dread pooling in my stomach.

“The team doctor has cleared Nick, and we’d like to get him back out to Park City in the next few weeks.”

“But I don’t think his doctor has cleared him,” I interject, aware that if anything, his physical therapist and his treating physician have not cleared him.

“Elissa,” he says, my name a condescending word on his lips, “do you think we’d put our best jumper on the line?”

“I would hope not, but with you here telling me about breaking contracts and how Nick has never mentioned me, and calling him your best jumper, it all feels very desperate.”

I want to hold back and not ruin this for Nick, but his coach is treating me like I’m the reason Nick is back here at Badger Creek.

He lets out a soft chuckle, shaking his head. “Desperate feels like accidently getting pregnant.” He air-quotes the word ‘accidently’ and that’s what pushes me over the edge.

“I have no idea why you’re here, but if it’s to make me feel guilty or worse, to try to push me out of Nick’s life, you need to think again. I will always support Nick’s career, but I will not let you ruin it. Forcing him to go back to jumping before he’s cleared is not a risk either of us are willing to take, Nick or me.”

“I’m not sure we got off on the right foot,” the coach now says, still never introducing himself, but it doesn’t matter anyway. I can see what the coach wants, and it has nothing to do with Nick’s best interests but everything to do with money.

“Really? I thought you coming in here and trying to bully me went great. That’s what you were trying to do, right, or did I just misread the whole thing?” I hiss, hating that this guy thinks he can pressure me into telling Nick to go back to the team.

“Why don’t you and Nick come and meet with the team doctor? I think he’ll put your mind at ease, and you’ll realize that Nick is ready for this.”

“Nick might think he’s ready. He’s been on the slopes since he was four years old. I think this is the most time he’s ever taken off, but that doesn’t mean his body is ready,” I shoot back. I’m sure the doctor is just as smarmy as the coach.

“Just hear us out, okay?”

“I think it would be best if I talked with Nick first,” I say, and I can tell this comment pisses him off. “I’m not committing to anything. He was meeting with you today and I’d like to hear from him how it went.”

“It went great,” the coach says. “Nick was thrilled to hear that we want him back. Just imagine the amount of money he’ll be bringing in. A baby on the way…” he trails off, looking around my office.

He doesn’t have to say it out loud. He sees my job as a joke, as a hobby, and while I would never tell the coach this, we do need the money.

“I’ll have Nick get in touch with you,’ I say, needing this whole conversation to be over.

“Please do. Thanks, Elissa,” he says, leaving my office and that’s when I break down.

Nothing about this feels right, but I have no idea how Nick is feeling about it all. This coach is only concerned with making a name for himself, and I don’t think I can tell Nick to risk his future for this asshole.

I pick up my phone and shoot Nick a text.

Me: Leaving work in 10. Let’s talk about the meeting with your coach when I get home.