She picked up the cool tone in his voice. He wasn’t interested in chit-chat and they both knew she knew he’d been doing slopestyle runs all day, training for Modena.

‘Listen, about last night—’

He shifted his weight on the board abruptly.

‘I’m sorry. I don’t want you to think I just ran out.’

‘No? What am I supposed to think, then?’

She shrugged, feeling mortified she was going to have to admit this. ‘. . . I was throwing my guts up. Matty had to take me back. Really, I was in no fit state. I pretty much passed out . . . I’m really sorry.’

He was quiet for a moment, watching her as if trying to read her for lies. ‘. . . That last shot really got ya, huh?’

‘’Fraid so. It wasn’t pretty.’

He nodded, looking away and watching as someone spiralled into the sky off the big air kicker. ‘Well, that’s a damn shame. It was shaping up into a great night.’ She saw the warmth come back into his eyes a little.

She grinned, tucking her hair behind her ear. ‘Yeah, it really was.’

‘You all right now?’

‘Oh yeah! Nothing three baguettes and twenty-five coffees couldn’t sort out.’

He grinned back finally. ‘This is twenty-six?’

‘I don’t know how you do it – partying like that, then throwing yourself around here all day. I’ve found it hard enough just to get by and I’ve been keeping my feet on the ground.’

‘It’s the life,’ he shrugged. ‘I’m used to it.’

She nodded, wondering what that translated into in real terms: how many different parties, how many different girls? Not that it mattered.

‘We’re flying out tonight,’ he muttered, looking away.

‘Tonight? You mean you’re not staying for the last night?’

He looked back at her, hearing the disappointment in her voice. ‘Olympics team sponsor duties.’ He rolled his eyes.

‘Oh,’ she said, realizing the reason for his frustration as he’d barrelled up behind her just now. They’d lost their only chance last night. Time was up.

They watched another rider grind over some rails, Mikey giving a whistle of appreciation for his routine. He looked back at her. ‘Y’know, I could see you from where I was over there. I watched you all day. You looked busy.’

‘I wanted to get over to you to explain, but we had to make the most of the last day. We’ve missed so much time already and there won’t be any other opportunities to talk to the pros before St Moritz now.’

His eyebrow twitched slightly. ‘You’ll be at that?’

‘Yes.’

‘Me too.’ His grin widened, his message clear. Maybe they weren’t fully out of time then, after all?

A wincing ‘oooh’ rippled through the onlookers as a rider on the pipe fell.