Wildest Dreams (Thunder Point #9)(48)

Someday he might tell them.

* * *

Charlie was sitting at Winnie’s dining room table with his laptop open. He had it plugged in because it was going to be a long day. It was Saturday and he’d been there on and off all day. It wasn’t easy to follow the race via computer because it wasn’t live, but there were regular updates complete with pictures and some video streaming that was pretty reliable. Finally, while Lin Su was in the kitchen trying to put together a chicken divan recipe that Winnie wanted her to try, Charlie erupted.

“You are not going to believe this! He won! At least, I think he won! They’re doing the awards tomorrow, but there’s a live video stream of... Yeah! That’s him! That’s Blake! First one over the finish line. Nine hours! He raced for over nine hours!”

“Dear God,” Winnie said. “Who does something like that?”

Lin Su was just making her way around the breakfast bar when she noticed that Winnie was reaching for her walker and struggling to stand. Before Lin Su could rush to her to help, Mikhail was beside her.

“You worked very hard when you were competing,” he reminded her.

“I practiced, and yes, it was hard, but in competition I skated a two-minute program,” she said. “Let me be! Let me do this!” She wrestled the walker away from him and moved steadily toward Charlie. “I hate this god-awful thing, but at least I can get around without always needing help!”

“If you don’t go slowly you will need help getting off floor,” Mikhail said. “But do as you please. You can always get new nose after you fall on your face.”

“Charlie, push out that chair for me,” she said. She sat down beside him. “Let me see what you see there,” she said, leaning toward the laptop.

“Yep, that’s it, he has the best time,” Charlie said. “When’s the news come on? This should be on the news, right? Or ESPN? Let me look it up? Where are Ironman triathlon results reported? Aw, come on,” he said impatiently to the computer. “When did he say he’s coming home?”

“Certainly not immediately,” Lin Su said. “Charlie, he can’t be in any shape to drive from Lake Tahoe tomorrow! It’s a long drive. Maybe eight hours.”

“Eureka is only four hours away but he’ll go straight up 5,” Charlie insisted. “But Tahoe... I’m going to text him.”

“Honey, don’t bother Mr. Smiley,” Lin Su said. “He just raced for over nine hours! And you know he doesn’t have his phone with him!”

“Text him,” Winnie said. “He’ll catch up with his phone.”

Lin Su sighed heavily. “Did it ever occur to you to be a good influence?”

“I am. I’m training Charlie to trust his instincts. He should text. After all, the rooting section is right here and we’ve been waiting all day.”

Charlie’s thumbs started clicking away wildly. Lin Su found herself thinking that if he learned to do his homework as rapidly, he would be president one day. But the clicking went on...and on...and on...

“Charlie, what are you saying to him? For heaven’s sake, don’t you think he’ll be a little tired after today?”

“I think he won’t look at his texts until he’s recovered a little,” Winnie answered for Charlie. “What did you text?” she then asked Charlie.

“Asking if he really won, saying we’re all watching and tracking the race, waiting to hear the official results, that we hope he feels okay and was it a good race and when is he coming home and does he want me to fly down to Tahoe and drive him so he can rest.” And at that last, he grinned his best boyish grin.

* * *

Lin Su finally coaxed Charlie home just before eight. She suggested a movie and popcorn, but he wasn’t interested. He wanted to read one of his training books and keep his phone and laptop open in case there was any news from Blake. Feeling like a movie for herself, she told Charlie to go to her bed with his book and electronics and she would keep the volume down.

Grace had introduced Lin Su to her stash of chick flicks and she had selected two. Troy had added two DVDs that Charlie might find tolerable—one action, one spy drama. Since Charlie was into his training program, Lin Su popped in The Holiday and pretended to be Cameron Diaz falling in love with Jude Law. At about the time she was going to make a commitment to Jude, she heard Charlie’s phone chime with an incoming text. She waited and listened but didn’t hear anything. Then the phone, in the other room, chimed again. She put the movie on pause and got off the couch.

Poor Charlie. He was sprawled over his book, his glasses all wonky, his laptop sleeping as soundly as he. So she picked up the phone and read the text.

Just got your text. Yep, I took it—surprised me as much as anyone. I want to come home tomorrow, but we’ll see how I feel after awards in the morning.

She picked up the phone and took it to the couch. She began to text.

Congratulations. Lin Su here—Charlie fell asleep but he was waiting to hear from you. I’ll tell him about your text in the morning.

She was barely finished when her cell phone began to ring and she answered in surprise. “Hello?”

“What’s a fourteen-year-old kid doing asleep at ten o’clock on a Saturday night?” Blake asked.

“I think following your race, the excitement of it and all, just wore him out. He’s sprawled on my bed, his training book under his head and his laptop... Wait a minute. What’s a triathlete who just completed a nine-hour race doing up?”