On his way to realizing his Olympic dream, Tom Alan Baranowski finds himself in the midst of a dilemma. His traditional Japanese coach is insisting upon an arranged marriage between his biological daughter Erika and adopted son Tom Alan, who are partners on the ice. Tom Alan loves Erika, and his coach literally saved his life, rescuing him from an abusive home. How can he say no?<br><br>Somewhat resigned to his “not so bad” fate, everything changes when Tom Alan meets British ice dancer Milo Fisher. The spark between them is almost hot enough to melt the ice beneath their blades, and the two fall into an affair.<br><br>What about Erika? What about loyalty? What about gold? For Tom Alan, the impossible throw quadruple jump is suddenly the least difficult thing in his life.

Quadruple Flip

The morning seemed to drag on forever. Mrs. Mischen tried to make small talk between instruction. Tom Alan only had to come back with “Uh-huh” or “I don’t know,” which luckily didn’t really tax what he considered his limited charms and vocabulary. Mostly, they worked. They concentrated on his arch, leg position, and the finishing moves that were supposed to improve his side-by-side jumps. “Put some dance in your landings,” Irina Mischen kept saying. Tom Alan did the jumps alone. His timing on side-by-sides was such that he feared doing them with a new partner, even temporarily, might screw up the synchronicity he’d developed over many years with Erika. Therefore, he believed alone was much better.


They watched a video of Tom Alan and Erika at Skate America. Irina Mischen complimented Erika’s landing technique. She liked what she saw. What Tom Alan saw made him miss his home—and his Kiki.


Chapter 21