Read Online Staying on Course by Ahren Sanders - Free Book Online Page A

bed to reach it. The time reads three-thirty am, which is five-thirty Bryce’s time. We discovered last week that this is the best time to catch each other if we want to talk at all. Otherwise, it’s a series of missed calls, messages, or texts.
    “Hello,” I whisper.
    “Hey, babe. How was your birthday?”
    “Did you see the video I sent?”
    “Oh, yeah.” His voice goes tight.
    “Is something wrong?”
    “Who was that guy?”
    “Eli?”
    “Is that his name?” Bitterness is evident in his tone.
    “Are you jealous of Eli?”
    “Considering he was holding your hand, yes. You couldn’t have missed the way he was looking at you.”
    “He’s a diver from the UK. I told you about meeting him.”
    “I thought you were meeting a woman diver. How’d you get paired up with him?”
    I roll over, curling into a ball. Even though Quinn has been cool about the early morning calls, I try to be as quiet as possible.
    “Bryce, he’s harmless.”
    He grumbles a few seconds and then sighs. “Can’t help it. Was there a need for him to hold your hand? Touch you at all?”
    “I jumped over thirty feet into a pool. Yes, there was a need.”
    He’s silent a few more seconds, and then his tone changes. “Proud of you, Devon. Though, I will tell you, Nate and I both agreed your squeal was a bit dramatic.”
    “Did you hear me say I jumped over thirty feet? That calls for dramatic!”
    He starts laughing, and my heart swells. It’s been weeks since he left for Rhode Island. I miss him tremendously. As promised, I’ve sent him several videos and tried to keep him updated daily.
    “By the way, I love my birthday present.” I thumb the two charms he added to my charm bracelet. One is the Olympic rings and the other an anchor. “I almost cried when Quinn handed me the box this morning.”
    “Thought they were appropriate. Tell me about the rest of your day.”
    I start from the time we arrived at the training pool facility and continue all the way until Shana took us out to dinner to celebrate. She even invited Quinn.
    “Sounds like a cool woman. And she’s brilliant to pick you for her team.”
    “Ha ha. I wish she could have picked me and Quinn.”
    “That’s another reason she’s brilliant. She didn’t.”
    “Bryce!” I try to sound offended but can’t.
    “Remind that Asno I did him a favor by hauling your birthday present into another country and making sure you got it,” Quinn rumbles from her bed, clearly hearing me.
    “I heard her. Asno means jackass, right?” He chuckles. “Tell me more about your schedule. Remember, I’m going to be in specialized training the next eight days.”
    “Don’t remind me. I hate it.”
    “Devon—”
    “I know, I know. I have to be strong. Get used to it. Suck it up. All that bullshit.”
    “Devon, this is our life. Eight days is hardly anything. I warned you about this. What are you going to do when I’m gone for months?”
    Punch to the gut.
    “I’ll hate every minute, but I’ll deal.”
    “Good girl. Now, what’s on the agenda?”
    “Wrestling, beach volleyball, and archery. We have a few trips about an hour away to interview surrounding city officials. Shana was able to pull some strings, and we are doing an economic perspective on the effect of the games. It’s been done before, but she’s planning a new spin.”
    “Jesus, this woman’s a mastermind. Do the other teams get to do anything, or are y’all spearheading the trip?”
    “No, fucking Bill Tames did the unimaginable. He got his team inside the gymnastics training facility. Quinn gets to meet some of the gymnasts. Bitch.”
    A pillow hits the back of my head, and she growls.
    “Not sure what you two are going to do next summer to beat this,” he says.
    “Solve world hunger?” I say playfully.
    “Probably a good goal. I’d better go, babe. Love you.”
    “Love you too. Be safe.”
    He hangs up, and Quinn turns on the light between our beds. She looks at me sleepily but also with