(rivals to lovers, small town, sports) [WATTYS 2024 SHORTLIST] (Season 3 coming soon) After a devastating Olympic loss puts her career in a downward spiral, an aging skier returns to her laid-back mountain hometown to rediscover her love of her spor...
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Eddie had started a list.
Thoughtful, she scrawled at the top. Under it: Gets along with everyone and Gives compliments and Wonderful cook.
It wasn't a list of what she liked about Holly. Like, it was, but that was a starting point.
If it was just about Holly, she would've put The sweetest person I've ever met.
It was silly to be thirty-two years old and crushing on someone who was off-limits. It was also a relief. For a while, even the idea of a relationship had been so off-putting that she'd wondered if dating could ever be fun again. With Holly, though, it was easy.
Maybe easy wasn't the word. They weren't dating, only playing at it. But if she'd met them under other circumstances- If they had been open to it-
She tried not to think about that. There was no if. There was only the reality that they weren't interested in giving it a real shot with her.
Instead, she did the next best thing: thought about why she liked them so that when this was over, she knew what to look for in the next person.
Her therapist had suggested the list, or something like it, a while back when she'd worried about being able to fall in love again.
"We've talked a lot about Danica," Dr. Allen had said. "But I'd like you to spend some time thinking about what you do want in a partner. What makes you happy? What makes you feel loved? Knowing that is as important as knowing the red flags to avoid."
At the time, Eddie hadn't been able to think of a single thing to write. Her past relationships had all been so different. Her first boyfriend had started as a friend. The second had been a long distance runner, passionate but almost too intense. At the height of her fame, she'd dated a guy who had paid more for his bong than his car because he'd been a calm oasis to come home to after the big emotions of competition. And Danica had said the right words at the right time to make Eddie want to spend the rest of her life with her.
There was no common line. Someone just made sense in her life or they didn't. How was she supposed to know what kind of person would fit into her future when that future itself didn't have a shape yet?
How lucky for this fake relationship so she could start figuring it out.
Footsteps made her look up. Uncle Frank had just come back from the outhouse, Billie Jean trotting on his heels.
"This dog needs a run," he said.
Of course she did. Eddie had taken her half the usual distance that morning, worried her ankle couldn't handle more.
She gave her foot a twist now. It didn't feel great. The runs by the lake were gorgeous, but cycling would have been easier on her.
The light was getting thin and grey, though, and Billie was still antsy, dashing up to her side then back to Uncle Frank at the tent, on repeat.
