Crashing Waves Read online

  "Great, I have everything noted here and I'll make all of the changes effective immediately."

  "Thank you and Alex…please make sure this stays between you and me. I don't need everyone on my back asking to go along with me on trips. Martie is enough to handle all by herself."

  Alex smiled. "Yes ma'am."

  ~ ~ ~

  Rory waited until after lunch to call Austin. Everything was still a go and Austin seemed genuinely excited about the trip. Her mind drifted to Martie. She knew she had waited long enough and now was as good a time as any to start the fight she knew would happen. She pressed the intercom button.

  "Hey, you got a second?" Rory asked.

  "Yeah, what's up?" Martie sat back in her desk chair.

  "Come down to my office. I need to talk to you about something."

  Martie clicked off the intercom and walked down the hall. Alex was busy typing away on her computer, paying her no attention as she passed by.

  "Good Morning," Rory said cheerfully.

  "Excuse me?" Martie raised an eyebrow, sitting in the same seat Alex had occupied.

  Rory burst out in laughter.

  "What the hell is going on, Rory? You've been acting really strange for the past week."

  "Nothing really. I just thought I'd let you know that I'm not going to Sweden alone."

  "Huh….why not? Who's going and what the hell for?"

  "Calm down. It's no big deal. I've asked a friend to come along with me."

  "Who is this 'friend'?"

  "No one in particular. I just thought I'd tell you before someone else did."

  "I don't understand, Rory. Who is it? This isn't like you to keep things from me."

  "I'll tell you but you have to promise to calm down and let me explain."

  "Fine…"

  "It's Austin Tinsley."

  "What!" Martie shouted loud enough for the entire floor to hear her."Are you crazy, Rory? What the hell are you thinking taking her with you? Why the fuck are you even talking to her?"

  "It's okay, Martie. I'm friends with her."

  "How the hell did this happen? Oh my God, you slept with her!"

  "What? No. It's nothing like that. I…well…I'm sort of training her."

  "What did you just say?" Martie whispered.

  "You heard me. I'm helping her out. The only reason I'm taking her with me is to get to know her better."

  "You mean to tell me you're training her to surf? Isn't that what she kept coming around here for?"

  "Yes, she finally got to me, I guess. Martie she's good…damn good. I've never seen a style so unique."

  "You don't have the time or the heart, Rory. It kills you to even work around it anymore and now you mean to tell me you've gone and watched her surf?"

  "Yes…but…."

  "But nothing…what the hell has gotten into you? I thought you've been acting funny. What's really going on with her?"

  "There's nothing 'going on'. She's a baby, that's more your style isn't it?"

  "Very nice, don't try and turn this fucked up mess around on me, Rory Eden. I can't believe you've gotten yourself mixed up with that girl. She's trouble. We both knew that from the beginning."

  "She's a nice girl, Martie, and she just needs someone to give her a chance. I'm that someone."

  "So why in the hell do you have to take her to the fucking Olympics with you? I'm your best friend and the vice president of this company. If anyone else should be going, it should be me! I think I've earned that right!"

  "Calm down, Martie. Look, before I even start training her I need to get to know her better. I figured with my hectic schedule around here this is the best way. She has nothing to do with this company. This is something personal that I decided to do on my own."

  "I think you let your Uncle Mick talk you into this. What was his opinion?"

  "He told me to do what I felt was right. I think training her is a good idea. Yes, it's going to be hard and I've told her before that I'm a washed up old sock. I even offered to set her up with someone, but what I see in her, I don't think anyone else will see. I'm not asking for your permission, I'm asking you to understand…as a friend…my best friend."

  "I can't back you up on this…I just can't. I think she's going after something and using her surfing skills to get to you. I don't trust her…not at all."

  "Okay fine, if that's how you want to be about it, then there's nothing I can do to change your mind."

  "Is that all?"

  "Yes."

  "Good." Martie stood up and walked out of the office, making sure to shut the door a lot harder than anticipated, causing a loud thud to echo through the hallway. Damn you, Rory, you're in trouble and you don't even see it. I could kick this girl's ass. I swear I don't know how she did it, but she got to you.

  ~ ~ ~

  The car service that Rory had hired to take her and Austin to the airport arrived on time. She handed the driver her suitcase, and slid into the backseat with her briefcase, giving him Austin's address before he closed her door.

  When they arrived at Austin's apartment, she was already outside, holding her suitcase. The driver helped her with her bag and held the door.

  "I'm so excited I could barely sleep last night," Austin said, sliding in next to Rory.

  "We have a long flight, so there will be plenty of time for that."

  ~ ~ ~

  "Good afternoon, ladies. May I get you a soda, coffee, or a mixed drink?"

  Rory looked over at Austin, who had her face glued to the plane window. "Do you want anything?" she asked.

  "Uh…no, I'm fine thanks," Austin replied without looking away. She'd flown a few times since she'd moved to California, but this was the first time that her view wasn't obstructed by the wing of the aircraft.

  "I'll take an ice water, please," Rory said.

  The flight attendant smiled and walked away. Rory just shook her head at the young blond sitting next to her as she opened the novel that she'd brought with her.

  The women had eaten dinner and then breakfast on the long sixteen hour, overnight flight to Stockholm. Luckily, they were in first class and had plenty of room to stretch out and sleep. When they arrived, the temperature was in the low teens and bitter and the ground was completely snow covered. They retrieved their bags at the baggage claim area after going through customs and Rory led Austin out of the airport, to a waiting Mercedes SUV. The driver loaded their baggage and then held the door for them.

  "I believe you are heading to Dalarna, yes?"

  "Yes, that is correct. We're staying at the Kläppen Resort," Rory replied.

  Austin was surprised that the man spoke and understood English. The drive through town and up the mountain had been quick. Austin was amazed at the beautiful structure as the ski resort came into view.

  "This ski park is where all of the snowboarding events will be taking place," Rory exclaimed.

  "It's huge," Austin said, taking in the large building and surrounding mountain tops. Everything was covered in bright white snow and glistening in the sun.

  The concierge made it a point to run out and introduce himself to the women and help with their luggage. Their rooms weren't much bigger than a full-sized hotel room with a kitchenette, a small living space and a king sized bed, but they were considered suites. The two rooms were connected by a double door in the middle of the wall. Rory went into her room and set her briefcase on the table by the couch and placed her suitcase on the bed, before knocking on the double door.

  "It feels like the middle of the night to me and I thought I slept a lot on the plane," Austin yawned.

  "Yeah, it's a nine hour time difference, so it is the middle of the night in LA. I need to go take care of a few things. Why don't you get some sleep if you're tired and we can have dinner later?"

  "That sounds fine with me."

  ~ ~ ~

  Rory went down to the lobby to take care of the car service arrangements with the concierge and then stopped in the restaurant, where she ate
a sweet salmon dish called Gravlax for lunch and ordered a small salad to take up to Austin. She had been surprised to see that Austin had left the separating door on her side unlocked. Rory knocked, walking in when there was no answer. Austin was stretched out in the king size bed under the comforter. She looked incredibly young and innocent, sleeping quietly with a tiny smile on her face. Rory placed the salad and various packages of dressing into the small refrigerator and went back to her room. She made a few calls to the Olympic Village, speaking with different riders and making arrangements to meet with Adler for dinner. Then, she sat down on the couch with her laptop.

  Austin woke up an hour later, finding a note on the counter in the small kitchenette. She smiled as she read it.

  Austin,

  There's a salad in the fridge for you. I wasn't sure which dressing you'd want, so I got as many as I could carry. I'm going to a meeting in an hour, so if I'm not here when you get up I'll be back later for dinner. I would take you with me, but you look peaceful. I hope you slept well. See you soon.

  Rory

  P.S.

  If you need anything call the concierge at the front desk. His name is Mathias. He knows who you are and he has been instructed to get you anything you ask for.

  Anything I want…hmm…I could sure think of a few things I'd like to have right now. Austin grinned, shaking her head. She quickly grabbed her salad and walked through the separating door. Rory was sitting on the couch, typing on her computer. Austin was surprised to see her wearing thin-framed glasses.

  "Hey," Rory said, smiling.

  "Hi, I uh…I didn't know you wore glasses," Austin said, sitting down next to her.

  "Yeah, after the accid—uh over the years my vision has become a little worse, but I only need them for reading, driving at night, things like that. I basically wear them all day around the office though. Are you sure you've never seen me in them? I'm usually wearing them, because I forget to take them off most of the time. I had them on while I was reading on the plane."

  "Nope. I must have missed that. I guess I was sleeping. I've never seen them before, but I like them. Do you wear contacts too?"

  "Well, thanks I guess, and no. I can't deal with sticking something in my eye. That creeps me out."

  "Me too. By the way, I got your note. Thanks for the salad and any kind of vinaigrette dressing is fine." Austin smiled. "I figured I'd see if you had left yet, that's why I came over." I'm glad to hear that those gorgeous baby blue eyes are natural. I always thought they were.

  "Nope, but I am leaving in a few minutes. Did you want to stay here or go with me?"

  "I don't want to get in your way, I'll …"

  "You're not in the way, Austin. If you were I wouldn't have brought you with me. I'm meeting with my riders in the Olympic Village where they're staying. This is just a simple meeting to go over their schedules. They're here with team USA, but they're also representing my company, so there are separate photo shoots and other things they need to attend. I also want to see how their equipment is doing. We sent a crate full of extra equipment in case anyone needed anything." Rory closed her computer. "One of my riders is joining us for dinner tonight. She may have her girlfriend with her. I forgot to ask her if she'd arrived yet. Anyway, I hope that doesn't bother you."

  "No, not at all."

  "The food here is a little strange, but I figured out the menu pretty quickly."

  "Sounds good."

  "Great! The meeting shouldn't be too long and then we're taking a tour of the venue and snow park with one of the officials. We'll back here in time to scrub up for dinner."

  ~ ~ ~

  The meeting went by quickly and both women had been happy to get back to their rooms and out of the bone chilling cold. Austin walked out onto her balcony, facing a large portion of the snow-covered mountain. Rory was also outside, lounging in a chair, drinking hot chocolate.

  "Hey, thanks for the hot chocolate," Austin said, holding up the steaming mug. She'd been surprised when there was a knock on her door and a waiter standing on the other side with the mug.

  Rory looked towards the direction of the voice. The moonlight was bright enough for her to make out Austin's silhouette by the rail.

  "You're welcome. I had them leave some of the packs behind so that we can make it ourselves next time."

  "Good thinking. It's absolutely beautiful here. I never noticed how pretty those mountains were when we arrived this afternoon."

  "Yeah, it feels like time's standing still when you look out. I noticed the same thing when I was in Aspen a few weeks ago. The mountain view there is breathtaking too."

  They sat in silence, starring out into the moonlit darkness. Each woman wondering what the other was thinking. Rory stood, brushing the snow flurries from her pants.

  "I guess we should get going. The driver is probably already here."

  Rory stepped into the hall, closing her door. She was surprised to see how much older and grown-up Austin looked when she saw her holding the elevator. She was dressed in jeans with a white sweater and black scarf under a thick leather jacket and snow boots. Her beautiful, honey colored hair hung down in loose waves, all one length and stopping just below her shoulders. She had a few slightly shorter pieces tucked behind one ear. Rory blinked her eyes as her chest tightened and her heart skipped a beat. The more time she spent with Austin, the more her body began to betray her. She'd never felt some of the feelings that had begun to stir deep inside her. It thrilled her and scared the hell out of her at the same time. She wondered for the hundredth time if she was making a huge mistake by getting close to Austin.

  Austin smiled, taking in the woman standing in front of her. Rory was also in jeans and snow boots, but she had a black turtleneck on under a gray sweater that had made her eyes even brighter. She had her leather jacket in her hand, slipping into it as she entered the elevator next to Austin.

  Her eyes are unbelievable. Austin, you need to get your thoughts in line, girl. She's way too hot for you, and she's straight! Get that one through your thick head before you let the heat spread to places that should remain frozen.

  They arrived at the village within a few minutes. Adler came out of the village, escorted by security. She was similarly dressed in jeans and a sweater under a ski jacket with her long curly hair spread out over her shoulders.

  "Wow," Austin muttered.

  "She's stunning isn't she?" Rory smiled.

  "Yeah, and she has a girlfriend?" Austin asked, surprised the beautiful woman walking towards them was a lesbian. She looked like she'd stepped off the cover of a magazine.

  "Yes, and she's also one of, if not the, best snowboarders in the world, male or female."

  "I've heard her name, Adler something, right?"

  "Troy. Adler Troy. She's the new face of my company and a friend of mine," Rory said as she got out. "Is it cold enough for you?" Rory teased.

  "Is there snow on the ground?" Adler laughed, half hugging Rory before getting into the vehicle.

  Rory climbed in behind her, introducing the women.

  "Where's Cason?"

  "She's not here yet. She missed her flight because she was held up with an emergency. Hopefully, she will catch the last flight out this evening and arrive in time to see the qualifying tomorrow afternoon."

  "Yeah, that sucks."

  Adler shrugged. "That's one of the drawbacks of dating a trauma surgeon I guess." She smiled. "I want her with me, but I also love the fact that if she isn't with me, she's saving someone's life."

  "That's a good way to look at it," Rory replied.

  "So, Austin, do you work at Eden Boards?" Adler asked, thinking Rory had brought one of the reps with her.

  "No." Austin said, shaking her head.

  "Austin's one of my mates. She's actually a surfer that is looking to join the tour," Rory exclaimed.

  "Cool." Adler nodded. "I surf a little bit when I'm not chasing the snow around the globe, but it's only a hobby. Have you ever been snowboarding?"
/>   "Oh yeah. I'm from North Carolina. We used to go skiing and snowboarding when I was a kid in Sugar Mountain."

  "I've been there a couple of times. Our friend here has never been on a snowboard," she said referring to Rory.

  "Really?" Austin asked, looking at Rory.

  "Yep."

  "I think we can rectify that situation while we're here. Don't you?" Austin looked at Adler.

  "Oh, sure. Definitely. You can even drop in on the half-pipe if you want," Adler teased.

  Rory smiled and shook her head. She had a feeling getting these two together wasn't going to be a good idea.

  ~ ~ ~

  Adler and Austin led the conversation all through dinner, talking about everything from snowboarding and surfing to life and the environment, leaving out the two taboo topics, politics and religion. After dinner, they dropped Adler off at the Olympic Village. Rory climbed out with her.

  "A car will be here in the morning to get you and the rest of the riders for the photo shoot for On The Edge magazine. There will also be a photographer at the first practice session of the day, shooting pictures for our website and a few other promotional options."

  "Sounds good."

  "I'll see you at qualifying or right after that depending on the crowd. Tell Cason I said hello when she gets here."

  Adler nodded. "I like her," she winked, nodding in Austin's direction.

  "Me too." Rory smiled and got back into the SUV.

  As they headed back to the hotel, Austin starred out the window at the snow-covered city streets, wondering why Mathias had been with them the entire evening. He'd sat at a nearby table at dinner and got in and out of the vehicle with them at every stop. She turned towards Rory who was sitting across from her.

  "Is he going to be with us the entire time we're here?" Austin asked, tilting her head in Mathias's direction.

  Rory smiled. "I had him tag along for security since I was taking one of the Olympians out of the village. Security is tight around team USA."

  "I see. Thank you for a wonderful day. I really enjoyed seeing the Olympic Park today, and Adler Troy is pretty cool too."