“Cool,” Drew repeated, nodding still.

  Selma looked down and smiled because they were both being so awkward right now. Finally, it felt like, the elevator opened, and Drew walked down the hall to her door, which was apartment 3D. She unlocked it, letting Selma walk in before her.

  “I’m not exactly a clean freak or anything, but I do normally keep it about this clean – in case you were wondering if I had to spend hours cleaning up before you got here.”

  “I wasn’t wondering that. I gathered by the fact that you do your laundry immediately after getting home that you’d probably be on the cleaner side. It’s nice, Drew.”

  Selma looked around at the modest living room, where Drew had a soft-looking cream-colored couch and a chair to match. They both seemed a little too large for the space they were in, but that felt appropriate for an apartment at the same time. There was a small desk in the corner, where a laptop rested and not much else. Then, outside of the mounted TV and the table under it to hold the TV stuff, there was only a coffee table in the room made of dark wood. It looked like it was probably from IKEA, and Selma pictured Drew sitting on the floor in maybe a tank top, with nothing under it, putting the thing together.

  “So?” Drew asked.

  “Huh? What?” she asked back, being pulled into the present instead of her fantasy world.

  “Is it a bachelor pad?”

  “Where are all your trophies and medals? I expected them to be all over the place.”

  “They’re at my parents’ house,” Drew answered. “Their place is much bigger than mine, and there’s a whole room of those in the basement, if you really want to see all of them. I don’t keep much here. I only have the medal I just won, I guess. Mainly, I keep pictures here.”

  “Pictures?”

  Drew nodded at the wall behind the sofa that Selma had overlooked somehow, where there were twelve small black-and-white photos with black frames organized perfectly above the sofa. Some photos were of only courses or a mountain, but others had Drew in them, boarding down either on a turn or in the air. A few had her hugging people who looked like her parents at the finish line.

  “My best races,” Drew said. “Or, best courses. My favorite mountains. Stuff like that. My dad took most of them. I have more than that, too. I replace them every so often when I need a little inspiration or want a change.”

  “That’s really cool, Drew,” she replied.

  “You thought I’d have a whole apartment of trophies, didn’t you?” Drew laughed softly. “Because I was bragging at the hotel.”

  “I guess I thought that, yeah,” she admitted.

  “Not really my thing. I have the wins, and I have the stories that go with them. My parents can show off the trophies and stuff and do their parental bragging. I’m good with pictures and memories.”

  “That’s a pretty good philosophy.”

  “Where are all of yours?”

  “Oh. Technically, in boxes in my closet. I don’t have as many as you do, but my grandma’s house is too small. My parents told me to take everything with me when they moved, and I didn’t want to damage the walls in the hotel by putting up shelves or something. I don’t plan on living there forever. It was always meant to be temporary. While it’s turned into semi-permanent, I don’t want it to be forever, if I can help it. I want them to eventually be able to sell that room. So, I let Gia put stuff on her walls that won’t damage them, if she wants, but I stick to the plain hotel-style mountain painting print over my bed.”

  She turned to Drew, who still had both hands on Selma’s roller bag handle as she looked back at Selma.

  “You just do nothing for yourself, huh?” Drew asked.

  “What?”

  “You won’t even decorate your own bedroom because you want your grandma to be able to sell it when you leave.”

  “Well, yeah. It’s a suite. She’s missing out on a lot of money with us living there.”

  “Ruth does not strike me as the kind of woman who cares much for money. She does strike me as the kind of woman who loves having you and Gia so close. I would imagine that after losing your grandfather and having your parents move away, you and Gia are probably all she has left so close anyway. She loves having you there.”

  Selma nodded.

  “I’m sure she does, yes. I love having her there, too, and not just because she takes care of Gia for me. We’ve always been close.” She pulled off her backpack. “Can I–”

  “Anywhere is fine,” Drew told her. “I can show you to the bedroom and get you something to drink, like a decent host, too.”

  Selma followed Drew into her bedroom and found it to be about what she’d expected. There were more of those photos on the wall above the bed, a TV mounted to the wall in front of it, with the dresser beneath it, and two bedside tables complete with matching lamps – which was better than she’d expected, actually.

  “This is yours while you’re here. So, make yourself at home. I have extra pillows and stuff in the closet, if you need.” Drew pointed to a closed door next to another closed door. “The bathroom is in here, though, so don’t be scared if I have to come in here to pee in the middle of the night.”

  “Okay. I won’t,” Selma replied.

  “Do you want something to drink?”

  “I’m okay. I had a bottle of water with me on the plane.”

  “I can let you get settled in. Are you hungry, though? There’s a Mexican place we can walk to, if you want to stretch your legs. It’s real Mexican food and amazing, if you’re interested.”

  “Sure,” she said. “Can I get changed first?”

  “No problem,” Drew replied and let go of the roller bag. “I’ll wait out there.”

  “I’ll only be a minute.”

  “Take your time,” Drew said and left the room.

  Selma felt strange closing Drew’s bedroom door behind her, but she did so because she needed a minute to herself, not just to change. She did change, though, tossing her airplane hoodie onto the bed and putting on a clean Henley instead. Since it was cold outside, she also pulled out her lightweight but still warm Patagonia jacket, which had been stuffed into her backpack, hoping it hadn’t wrinkled too much. Then, she went into the bathroom, which seemed very clean and had only a few things on the counter, like Drew’s electric toothbrush, which was charging, toothpaste, and a hairbrush. Selma took care of what she needed and walked back out to meet Drew, carrying her small purse, which had been shoved inside her backpack as well so that she didn’t have to check a bag.

  “Okay. I’m ready,” she said.

  Drew practically jumped up from the sofa.

  “Let’s go. Are you okay to walk? It’s not too cold. We can drive, though. It’s a few blocks.”

  “Walking sounds good to me,” she replied.

  About a minute later, they were on the sidewalk, heading toward the first meal they’d share together without her daughter being nearby. While it didn’t have many of the date markers because neither of them had picked the other one up, they hadn’t talked about it being a date, and they were walking down a recently shoveled and salted sidewalk with their hands tucked into their respective pockets instead of looking for chances to touch, strangely, it still felt a little like two nervous people going on their first date together, which it wasn’t, and it couldn’t be.

  Selma lived in Vancouver and had a daughter. Drew lived here, likely didn’t want any kids of her own, and seemed more focused on snowboarding than anything else. Besides, Selma had seen Drew with Andy Weinman before, and if that was Drew’s type, Selma was nowhere near in her league. Andy was beautiful in all the typical ways a woman was often defined as beautiful, and Selma was just… Selma. She’d had a kid way too young, and while she was a professional athlete who had been able to get her body back, as they say, she still felt like she showed the obvious signs of a woman who had had a child. She wore those things as badges of honor most of the time, but when it came to dating, she’d always struggled with her baggage.

  “So, you and Ruth have always been close?” Drew asked after a few minutes of silence between them.

  “Since I was born, yeah. She really is the best grandma in the world. When I found out I was pregnant, I was terrified of telling my parents. I told her first. And I knew she wasn’t exactly proud that it had happened, but she told me she was proud that I’d made my decision.”

  “To have Gia?”

  “Yes, but she’d said it differently. It wasn’t that she was proud that I’d decided to have her – she would’ve supported me no matter the decision I made. It was that I’d made the decision on my own and had been prepared to deal with the consequences, even though Gia’s dad had made his opinion clear.”

  “I always knew I liked that Ruth. She’s a good egg.”

  Selma laughed softly.

  “She is, yes. I’m so lucky to have her because I don’t know where Gia and I would’ve been without her.”

  “I’m pretty sure you and Gia would’ve been fine,” Drew said. “You’re a good egg, too, Selma.”

  Selma looked over at her and noticed that Drew’s beanie, which the woman had put on before they left, was riding up over her ears. Without thinking, she reached for it and pulled it down over Drew’s right ear. Drew pulled down on the other side.

  “Thanks,” she said.

  “Yeah,” Selma replied and looked straight ahead.

  CHAPTER 19

  “Okay. If you need anything, I’m just on the couch, so yell or something. Oh, and remember the thing about the bathroom. If I walk in, I’m not trying to rob the place. I just need to pee.”

  “That’s the second time you’re bringing that up. Did someone think you were a robber before or something?”

  “Not here, no, but… Well, when Andy and I lived together, it was a similar bathroom situation, and we were fighting, so I was on the couch one night and had to pee. She forgot, I guess, or was just too asleep to remember, so she kind of threw her phone at my head. I’m trying to avoid another bruise.”

  Selma laughed and said, “She didn’t…”

  “No, she did. And it wasn’t funny; trust me. I had a cut above my eye, which didn’t need stitches or anything, but head wounds gush blood. Then, the bruise formed, and I had this massive lump. She’s a pro athlete, so she’s strong. It was a hard throw.”

  “Jesus, Drew!”

  “She didn’t mean to,” Drew explained. “She felt awful after and helped me bandage it up and stuff, but, yeah… Just try not to throw anything at me if I come in.”

  “I wouldn’t throw my phone at you anyway. I’d need that to call 911 if someone really was breaking in.”

  “Yes!” Drew exclaimed. “That was exactly what I told her when we’d gotten the bleeding under control.”

  Selma shook her head and said, “You still have it.”

  “What?”

  “There’s a little scar at your eyebrow,” Selma noted and reached a finger out to touch it.

  “Yeah, it’s gotten smaller, but it’ll probably always be there. That scar has outlasted my relationship,” she said, trying to laugh it off. “Anyway, do you need anything else?”

  “No, you’ve given me, like, six pillows and three blankets, so I think I’m okay,” Selma replied with a kind smile.

  “Right. Okay. Well, good night.”

  “Night, Drew,” Selma replied.

  Drew turned to go back to her living room, where she decided against pulling the sofa out since that was a hassle, and she could easily fall asleep without it turning into a bed with a bar in the middle of it hurting her back.

  She lay down and stared up at her ceiling, wondering how she’d gotten here. Selma was beautiful, funny, kind, smart, and talented on a board. They’d had fun at dinner ordering one of those big margaritas and sharing it since neither of them had to drive. Drew hadn’t ever seen Selma drink, and it was clear that the woman didn’t do it very often because she was a lightweight. As a result, it had been a very enjoyable experience for Drew to watch Selma metaphorically let her hair down. They’d talked about boarding, yes, but also Gia, their upbringings and families, and then, Drew had taken care of the check. Since she’d been the soberer of the two of them, she’d also kept an eye on Selma as they walked back, making sure she didn’t fall into the snow or slip on ice that hadn’t yet melted.

  It had been an amazing night, and one of her best in recent memory, but she knew that inviting Selma to stay with her for a few days had been a mistake because it was only making her like Selma more, and she couldn’t like Selma more. Even if Selma were into women, Drew had dated another snowboarder twice in her career. Once had been someone not on the national team, and she’d been a half-pipe competitor. That had been a very brief relationship and had been mostly about sex more than actual feelings. The other time had been with Andy. That hadn’t ended well, and she’d been on Drew’s national team. Sure, they were competitors, too, but they were both adults and had handled that part okay. They didn’t also have to deal with being long-distance and from different countries. Drew knew that was pretty common for athletes because they spent more time with other athletes from different countries than they spent at home with people from their own, so dating another boarder from Canada wouldn’t be a big deal, but it would be to Drew who couldn’t even make it work with the woman she lived with. She’d once believed it was smart to date another snowboarder because they’d understand her schedule and dedication to the sport, but she didn’t know that for sure anymore.

  When she woke up the following morning, it was to the sound of someone talking. She wasn’t sure where it was coming from until she remembered that Selma was in her bedroom. Drew sat up and checked her phone, which was on the coffee table in front of her, noticing that it was after eight in the morning, which was late for her. She had to pee, but she didn’t want to interrupt Selma’s call, so she got up and started coffee for both of them, setting the two cups on the table and trying not to eavesdrop, but the door was open a crack, so it was hard not to hear everything.

  “Grandma said you got an A,” Selma said and paused. “That’s great, baby. Good job.”

  Drew smiled because Selma was talking to Gia, who had already been asleep by the time they’d gotten home the previous night, resulting in Selma being slightly upset that she’d missed a chance at a goodnight call with her daughter.

  “Okay. I have to go now, but I’m going to call you tonight. Be good for Grandma. I love you.”

  Seconds later, the bedroom door opened, and Selma stood there in a pair of dark-gray sweats and a black T-shirt with the brand name of a snowboard company on it.

  “Morning,” Selma said.

  “Morning,” Drew replied. “I made coffee. I didn’t know what you’d want in it, but there’s milk in the fridge and sugar if you want.”

  “Thank you.” Selma walked over to the table.

  “Gia?”

  “Yeah.”

  “She’s good?”

  “She’s fine, yeah. I just wanted to check in since I didn’t get to talk to her last night. I realized, though, that you might need to get to the bathroom and probably weren’t going because I was on the phone, so… Sorry about that.”

  “I’m okay,” she lied. “You can call her whenever you want, you know? You don’t have to apologize for talking to your daughter, Selma.”

  Selma rubbed her hands together and said, “So, I make a mean breakfast. Can I fix us something?”

  “Sure. I have things. I didn’t know what you’d like, so I bought eggs, bacon, and stuff. It’s all in the fridge. Mind if I brush my teeth and all that, though?”

  “No, go for it. How do you like your eggs?”

  Drew cleared her throat. She was used to hearing that question from a woman the following morning after they’d had sex.

  “Uh… However. I’m not picky.”

  “Okay. I’ll get started, then.”

  Drew headed into her room and found her bed unmade, wishing it was because they’d slept in it together, but she also wondered if her sheets and pillow now smelled like Selma.

  “Stop that,” she whispered to herself as she washed her face and ran wet hands through her hair to slick it back a bit.

  After she finished in the bathroom, she headed out to the main part of the space and found Selma pulling a bowl down from a cabinet, like she’d done that a hundred times. Drew smiled.

  “Cheese in your eggs? I was thinking about doing scrambled or an omelet.”

  “Whatever you’re having is fine.”

  “What do you want? I’ll just make that and have that,” Selma stated.

  “No, you’ll make whatever you want,” Drew insisted, picking her coffee cup up off the table and walking into the tunnel-style kitchen. “How does Gia like her eggs?”

  “Scrambled.”

  “And how do you like yours?”

  “Over-easy.”

  “How often do you make scrambled eggs at home and just eat those?”

  Selma laughed and said, “All the time.”

  “So, make over-easy eggs, Selma.”

  “Do you like them over-easy?”

  “Yes, I do. If I were making them for myself right now, that’s what I’d eat.”

  “Are you just saying that to get me to make them that way?”

  Drew shook her head before she took a sip of her coffee.

  “What do you want to do today?” she asked.

  “Whatever. I assume you want to get on a board at some point,” Selma replied and went about making them breakfast.

  “I was actually thinking about not doing that.”

  “Huh?”

  “I don’t know… We board all the time. This is supposed to be us hanging out and you taking some time off. If you want to, we can, but I’m good with skipping it today.”

  “Are you sure? I don’t want you to miss anything because I’m here.”

  “I’m sure. I was actually going to see if someone could come to lunch with us, if you’re interested.”

  “Someone?” Selma asked as she cracked an egg into a hot pan.

  “It’s a friend of a friend,” Drew said and sat down at the table with her coffee. “She’s technically Andy’s older sister, if I’m being honest.”