Being part of an Olympic skating pair should be excitement enough for one life, but for Erika that's only the beginning. Her skating partner, Tom Alan, is her ex-husband, who fell in love with former British ice dancer Milo, and all three of them live together and raise her daughter, whose father is Erika's ex-boyfriend, Bill, a rabid hockey fan who is old friends with Milo. Whew! As if that's not enough, Erika still loves Bill, loves Tom Alan, and might just love Milo, too. Add a couple of troubled teenagers to the pile, and suddenly training for the Olympics is the easy part. But Erika's never been a fan of the conventional, and one way or another the four of them will find a way to make their strange tangle of love, sex, and family work.

Transitions

“I have decided to turn you over to Irina full-time now that she is closer. You need her—every day. That is obvious. I shall go back to Japan.”


“Oh.” Erika looked to Tom Alan, who seemed to have nothing to add.


“She is better for you than I am. You should be farther ahead of where you are even after your time away. Irina agrees. More structure is necessary…less upheaval. One coach. A steady routine.”


“A while. I will miss you all and my baby Etsuko, but you will be over for NHK and shows. Back and forth. Take care of the home—the three of you.” She looked to Billy. “Maybe four. Where are the cats?”


It all sounded so permanent—and so sudden. If Kyoko had time to tell Irina Mischen, however, some of it must have been thought out ahead of time.


“It is not a sad occasion, Tom Alan,” Kyoko promised. “We are on planes all the time.”


Chapter 44