Kiss & Cry, Where Passion Awaits Page 8

  Wine and Cheese Party

  Ryan and Dhalia spent several weeks in Toronto before flying back to Calgary. They hardly spoke. Her spirits were still low after what happened between them, so to lift them Dhalia treated herself to a complete makeover. She wanted to look more professional so her appearance would match her newfound position at the Association.

  Being completely honest with herself, she wanted to look drop dead gorgeous to show Ryan exactly what he was missing since he wrote her off in the airplane. She did a Google search for stylists when she landed in Calgary and made an appointment with the top one for early that morning. When she arrived, she met Gerard the stylist who asked her what she wanted done. She bravely gave him free rein.

  He left her color as it was but he ponytailed her hair and cut the length from the middle of her back to an inch below her chin. She cringed when she felt the cold scissors touching the nape of her neck. Her hair was thick and the friction against the scissors created a tugging sensation. Gerard thinned out her hair with thinning shears and then cut what was left into wisps. To pull off her hairstyle she had to have perfectly straight hair. It was a complete change. Dhalia was delightfully surprised.

  The makeup artist at the salon went to work on her face. She brought out Dhalia's eyes and made her lips look more full. Between the makeup artist and the new cut, Dhalia looked ten years younger. She could easily be confused for one of the competitors at the camp instead of someone running it.

  They had everyone's flights arrive in Calgary, Alberta on the same day. Ryan met the guests and set them up with a limo to the Village and a welcome goodie bag. The camera crew recorded the contestants disembarking while studio staff was planting cameras throughout the Village, including the arena. Skating sessions would be televised with the same method used for competitions.

  At last, the guests arrived at the Village. Dhalia’s excitement for this moment hardly felt containable. She showed the hopefuls to their rooms and informed them of the meeting in the boardroom at 9:00 p.m., followed by a wine and cheese party. Bradley instructed Ryan and Dhalia to observe how the competitors and coaches interacted and report back to him.

  When 8:45 p.m. rolled around, Dhalia knew Ryan and the last coach would be arriving. She hightailed it to her room to get ready for the evening events. She chose to wear a cute sailor dress she picked up in Yorkville the previous summer. She sprayed on perfume and freshened her makeup.

  Dhalia grabbed her handbag and speech and headed down to the lounge next to the boardroom at 9:00. The lounge was set up with couches scattered throughout the room and framed pictures of the athletes from last year's photos on the walls. Wine bottles and long-stemmed wine glasses were set up on a table and a volunteer was posted to serve the coaches and athletes. A cracker and cheese table was also set up. Everything they requested was ready and looked good. Dhalia decided it was time to go to the boardroom and turned to leave.

  Ryan stood in the doorway. “Everyone is present. You can start whenever you want.” He must have been watching her. When she heard his voice it startled her.

  She looked into his eyes; they were devoid of emotion. He wore a black Hugo Boss suit with a navy tie. His hand was in the front pocket of his pants and the other hung at his side. She scanned his physique. He happened to be in a model-like pose with his jacket left open, looking exquisite, which made seeing him, and knowing he wasn’t hers, even more painful.

  “Thanks,” she said. She started for the boardroom. Ryan turned sideways and allowed her to pass. She savored his familiar scent as their bodies touched for the first time in weeks. Ryan followed her in. The seats at both ends of the table were earmarked for Ryan and Dhalia. The coaches stood and the athletes sat on either side of the table.

  "So glad everyone could make it. Thanks for coming. This is truly an exciting undertaking. I am Dhalia Kennedy. You may recall me as your go-to person from the initial invitation. With me today is your other go-to guy, Ryan Kennedy. You, however, are the real stars, so I'd like each of you to introduce yourselves. Tell us a little bit of your background and why you decided to come. We'll hear from the skaters first and then the coaches."

  After everyone had a chance to speak, Dhalia was able to provide more of the day-to-day basics.

  “Your schedules, itineraries, and contracts that were drawn up have been placed in the desks in your individual rooms. We will give you the full day tomorrow to review the paperwork before signing. Please read it carefully. They can be returned either to Ryan or me by 9:00 tomorrow night.” She looked around the room into the faces of their guests. “As I mentioned, Ryan is your go-to guy for any concerns or problems you come across during your stay at our training camp.

  "I will be running the show and working closely with Universal Television. The first two weeks of the camp are slated for creating promotions and rest for the athletes before training starts two weeks from today. Ryan and I will be around the Village all day tomorrow to answer any questions you may have.”

  Dhalia looked over at Ryan and asked, “Did you have anything you wanted to add?” There was an awkward silence in the room as everyone gawked at their interactions with each other. The skating world was small, and the Kennedy's divorce was common knowledge.

  Ryan smiled back at her and said with hidden bitterness, “Nope, you said and did it all. Let’s start the wine and cheese party!” Ryan rose from the table and everyone followed him to the lounge.

  There was music playing in the lounge-Celine Dion’s "My Heart Will Go On," which Ryan knew she loved. They used to skate to it for pleasure. It was such a romantic song. Dhalia was reminiscing, Brandy and Brett were at the wine table. Athletes were giving each other hugs and talking excitedly amongst themselves in intimate groups.

  The coaches were in their own group getting to know one another. Dhalia took a drink from wine table and when she turned around she noticed that Ryan was no longer in her sight, so she joined the group of coaches.

  “No, you can’t be serious!” Sandy questioned Michael. There was a fraction of a second when Dhalia sensed discomfort but she thought she was imagining it. Sandy was the first to notice Ryan reenter the room. She glanced in his direction and said, “If you’ll excuse me,” to the rest of them. She combed her fingers through her already perfect hair and headed towards Ryan. She was a natural beauty with a high forehead, wavy blond hair past her shoulders, blue eyes and statuesque, probably about five foot nine. Being the insecure woman she was, Dhalia was jealous of her on sight and wished her invitation got lost in the mail.

  Sandy walked over to Ryan and embraced him warmly. He hugged her back and lifted her in the air at the same time. He smiled at her and the two sat down on a couch by themselves. They were close, and if Dhalia was seeing correctly, she thought she spied her hand on his leg. She wasn’t sure though, because she couldn’t get a good look at them without being too obvious in front of the other coaches.

  Dhalia tried to focus on the coaches' conversation. Matt greeted her, “How are you, Dhalia? It’s been a few years since I’ve seen you. How are you doing? We were just talking about what a privilege it is to be invited to this camp.” Matt was the off-ice trainer. He had short brown hair, stood six feet tall, and was the only man in the room who was larger than Ryan and full of pure muscle.

  “I couldn’t agree with you more,” Jay seconded the sentiment. He was the complete opposite of Matt. He was flamboyantly gay. He had long blond hair down to his shoulders and stood no taller than five foot six. He had a great sense of humor and was a fantastic coach, extremely supportive. All his students loved him. “The skaters who are here are so strong. They really have a shot of winning Worlds this year.”

  Michael was quiet, listening, then he looked at Dhalia and asked, “I thought Bradley would be here on the opening day, no?”

  “No, he couldn’t make it. He’s going to visit us periodically when his schedule allows.”

  “I heard the bad news; I’m sorry about you and Ryan,” Michael sa
id with sincerity. “It must be hard to work so closely with Ryan when you aren’t together anymore,” he added.

  “You don’t know the half of it, crazy hard,” she assured him.

  Michael turned to Jay and Matt and said, “If you don’t mind, I’m going to steal this lovely woman for a few minutes...” He took her by the hand and led her to a vacant couch. "I’ll get you another glass of wine. You wait for me here.” Dhalia did as she was asked and took the last sip of her merlot. She placed it on the table and looked again at Ryan. He was still sitting with Sandy, and she could see that they were definitely holding hands. Her face felt warm. She wanted to go over to them, stop what was happening in its tracks. Michael got back to her just in time.

  Dhalia felt she could tell Michael anything because he coached Ryan and her for the greater part of eight years. She wasn’t sure of his age but he had to be the same as Bradley, give or take a year or two. He was an attractive man with a good build. He had short brown hair and puppy dog brown eyes with laugh lines at the corners.

  Dhalia would have to say the greatest downfall that kept him single had to be that he was a workaholic. Anything she said to him she knew he would keep private. Discretion was something she could easily give him credit for, along with busting her ass on the ice every day for as long as she could remember. The only opinions he gave were honest ones and most importantly she trusted him.

  “What happened with the two of you?” Michael asked out of curiosity.

  “Skating was our glue. When our journey ended we fell apart.”

  “Did you try to fix it?”

  “I tried getting him to talk so many times, and he just shut me out. Honestly, he wasn’t ready to fix things until about four months ago. I only found out then, that he still loved me.” The salt from the tears that were welling in her eyes started to burn. She struggled to hold them back. “I was confused, and I fell for Bradley, from the CSA. I felt a passion with Bradley I hadn’t felt with Ryan since we quit skating. I have feelings for Bradley. I slept with him, and Ryan found out.”

  “So was Bradley a mistake?” Michael asked.

  “I’m not sure. It’s easy to say he is when he’s not here. When he is here I turn into spaghetti legs,” Dhalia admitted honestly.

  Michael moved closer and put his arm around her. She put her head on his shoulder. “Things have ways of working themselves out,” he reassured. “So, are you still with Bradley?”

  “Yes,” she responded, "the only problem is it doesn’t make losing Ryan any easier. I still find myself thinking about him.”

  “Are you still in love with Ryan?”

  “Yes, I am. I never thought a person could be in love with two men at the same time until it happened to me. You see it on television all the time, but it happens in real life. It’s very real,” Dhalia confessed.

  “You need to tell him, before you lose him for good,” Michael advised. “This Bradley, please tell me it’s not Bradley Hotman? Head of the Association? Your boss and Ryan's!”

  “The one and only.”

  “Not wise dating a superior. You upset him and you and Ryan might find yourselves out of jobs! He’s twenty years your senior! You’re okay with the age difference?”

  She smiled. “I love it.”

  “Hotman's okay with you living in the same Village with Ryan for an entire year, without him?”

  “I guess so, he doesn’t have much of a choice. He approved me to run the camp. Our relationship is fairly new,” Dhalia explained. “Look at Ryan, he’s getting pretty damn cozy with that, that woman. I’ve never seen Ryan interested in anyone before, so this is very upsetting for me to watch.” She pointed them out. She didn’t feel the necessity to hide her frustration from Michael.

  “Ignore that. Focus on the camp and the skaters. Whatever you do, don’t let him know it bothers you seeing him with Sandy. That’ll push them together.”

  Michael took a drink of his Chianti and changed the topic. He played with the tips of her hair and said, “I love the new 'do. Despite everything, you look fantastic.”

  “I don’t feel fantastic. What is supposed to be a high point in my life is disappointingly feeling pretty damn low."

  Dhalia gave Michael a kiss on the cheek and turned in to hug him. “Thanks for listening," she said. "I’m feeling a bit better.”

  “You’re welcome.” He took his arm away from her shoulders and grabbed her hand to guide her from the couch. “Let’s go mingle with the skaters.”

  Mustering up as much dignity as possible they walked past Ryan and Sandy before approaching a group of female skaters. Sheena, Paris, and Sally were standing by the table of cheeses. They welcomed them into their group and fired off a barrage of questions about camp.

  “What are we going to be doing for the next two weeks before training starts?” Sheena asked.

  “Do we get to shop and do whatever we want?” Sally piped in.

  “Are we all getting makeovers?" Paris inquired.

  Michael chuckled and said, “One at a time...”

  “We prefer you that you don't make any changes to your appearance; the makeovers will be done in about a month. For the next two weeks, if we aren’t taping you for commercials you are allowed to shop until you drop. You will be doing commercials, commercials, and more commercials. When you aren’t doing promos, you will be doing more commercials! I’m just kidding, you are free to rest and do whatever you want as long as it doesn’t break any rules.”

  Paris ran her fingers through her hair and commented, “I can’t wait for the makeovers!”

  “Me too!” Sally agreed. “You guys can do whatever you want to me. I’m sure it’s going to look great! I adore your new cut!”

  “Thanks.” Dhalia smiled. “We have plans for all of you!” she said to create intrigue.

  Michael took her hand, and then looking at the girls, said, “We will leave you to enjoy yourselves.”

  He led Dhalia over to another group of skaters. Rick, Brett, and Scott were standing together. She looked over at each of the three men and her admiration for their talents came bubbling out of her. “You guys were fantastic this year! I’m so glad all of you agreed to come to the camp!”

  All the men smiled at her and Brett responded on behalf of the trio, “Thanks.”

  The competitors they approached asked similar questions and Dhalia tried to answer as many as she could. She noticed Ryan was circulating, too. He always seemed to be on the opposite side of the room and his eyes never traveled in her direction. Michael, being the supportive friend he was, never left Dhalia's side. The party was nearing the end when her worst fear came to fruition.

  Michael excused himself to go to the bathroom and not a minute later Dhalia felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see who it was, and to her horror, it was Sandy. Dhalia smiled in her direction. There was nothing in her smile that was sincere.

  “I was just speaking to Ryan. I’m sorry for your loss. He told me everything that happened.” She glowed.

  Dhalia couldn’t let Sandy get to her. It would make things worse. She had to give her the impression that Sandy couldn’t touch her.

  “Two sides to every story,” Dhalia shot back.

  “I’m only interested in his,” Sandy said dismissing Dhalia. “So, I assume the two of you are finished then?”

  Dhalia was having trouble controlling herself. Her response slipped out before her filter engaged, “What business is it of yours?”

  “It became my business when Ryan told me everything you did, and I mean everything. Let me assure you that if he needs comfort or support and he comes to me, my door will be wide open. He will get the respect he deserves from me.”

  Michael couldn’t have returned at a more opportune time. He put his arm around Dhalia and said, “Ladies.” Dhalia never been so happy to see anyone more. Ryan came over to them and took Sandy’s hand while looking into Dhalia’s eyes. It left a paradoxical message. Michael, who was quickly becoming Dhalia’s knight in shining ar
mor, looked at Ryan and said, “I’m going to take Dhalia back to her room. She’s not feeling well. Wrap up this party for Dhalia,” he ordered. Once a coach, always a coach, she guessed. “I look forward to catching up with you later, Ryan.” Michael took Dhalia's hand and led her away.

  Michael escorted Dhalia to her room. He hugged her and left. She put some music on, turned off the lights, and collapsed into bed. She felt this new urgency, if she didn’t do something soon, she knew she was going to lose Ryan for a second time, but this time for good.

  The New Idea

  Dhalia woke up and her mood felt a little bit brighter. Michael was right. She had to focus on why she was there and not on her relationships. She brainstormed most of the morning as to how they were going to approach these two upcoming weeks. She had an idea she thought would ensure the success of the show. She called Bradley who picked up on the second ring.

  “Hi, Bradley, how are you?”

  “Missing you,” he replied. His voice was deep and sensuous over the phone. “How did the party go last night? Did all the athletes show? I haven’t gone through the tapes yet.”

  “They did, and it went well. We gave everyone a day to go over their contracts and ask any questions they might have before signing. We’ve been going over promotional ideas and I wanted to run one past you before implementing it.”

  “Sure, go ahead.” He fell quiet and listened.

  “I decided we could give the athletes forty-eight hour access to the arena and then begin the commercials with a skate-off. We chose the most fascinating skaters with the best jumps and spins. The coaches, Ryan and I will decide who the four worst skaters are, and then send the bottom two home immediately. The other two will be saved and go on to compete as a pairs team. The camp will be left with a total of eight skaters, three males, three females, and one pairs team.”

  “Will they be doing jumps or perform their long programs they used last year for this skate-off?” he asked.