Frankie was taken aback. “How late is late?”
“I’ll try not to keep you more than an hour. I screwed up and I know Leslie can’t stay tonight. I thought maybe I might be able to ask you.”
“What do you need help with?” She was puzzled.
“Paperwork. I read my calendar wrong. There’s a test session scheduled for the Sequoia Valley Figure Skating Club’s members this weekend. I thought it was next weekend.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “All the kids have to be registered on the computer by tomorrow morning. I thought since you have a background in competitive skating, you might be more useful to me than one of the teenage coaches.”
She winced. She knew he probably didn’t mean it as an insult, but that was how it sounded to her. She was tired and hungry, but as much as she wanted to go home, grab dinner, and lounge on the couch, seeing Charlie in such a pitiful state tugged at her heartstrings. He might be a royal grump, but she couldn’t say no to a person in trouble.
“I’ll stay.”
“Thank you.” He inclined his head to her. “I better let you go before the lioness comes to protect her cub.”
Frankie tilted her head to the side. “Lioness?”
“Leslie,” he grunted.
“Oh.”
“I’ll be in my office. Come on up when you’re done coaching.”
Frankie returned to where Leslie stood. Her fellow coach’s eyes locked on to her, like a sharp-eyed falcon. “What did he want?”
Frankie shrugged. She had nothing to hide. “Help with paperwork.”
“He could’ve asked me.” Leslie grimaced.
Frankie cocked her head to the side. “He said you couldn’t stay.”
“I wasn’t planning on it, but I can. My boyfriend is in town for a short visit. I haven’t seen him in a couple weeks. He’ll understand if I tell him my bro needs me to stay.”
“It’s no biggie. I can do it.” Frankie brushed her off. “Besides, it might give us a chance to clear the air.”
“Are you positive?”
“Yes.”
“I promise, in spite of all his flaws, he’s a good guy. When we finish this class, go straight to his office. I’ll take care of the cleanup.”
The ten-minute buffer between classes was over. Children from the final class of the night began to enter the ice.
“If you’re sure,” Frankie said.
Picking up the clipboard to begin marking their students as present, Leslie said in a hushed tone, “A word of warning: Charlie is one of the most disorganized guys you’ll ever meet. Be prepared for stacks of random papers and nothing to be where he claims it is. Don’t let him keep you until midnight, and try to be patient with him.”
Frankie couldn’t help but wonder, what was she getting herself into?
Plastering a big smile on her face, Leslie clapped her hands together. Eight sets of curious eyes focused on the two teachers.
“How are we doing tonight?”
“Goooooooooood.”
“Are we ready to work on bunny hops tonight?”
“Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees!”
CHAPTER 5
