His face burned red. “My . . . ugh, my computer is running slow.”
“Is it updating? Or is it frozen?”
He sat there for several long moments, squinting at the screen. “Uh . . . I’m not good with computers. I don’t know what it needs. Would you mind taking a look?”
He stood and walked over to the window overlooking the parking lot, his back turned to her. He slid his hands into his pockets.
She plopped herself into the vacant chair. The ASU site was open. A message on the page read:The number of log-in attempts has been exceeded. Please enter your email to reset your password.
“What’s your email address tied to the ASU page?” She glanced over the top of the monitor at him.
He spun around. “My email? It’s, uh . . . my name.”
“Which is?”
Frankie’s eyes narrowed. “You spelled your email wrong in the log-in box.”
“I did?”
“Yes, you did.”
His shoulders hunched, and his entire neck was now red. He rubbed his temples. “How could I make such a stupid mistake?”
Her expression softened.I’ll cut him some slack. He obviously isn’t sleeping well. I know when I haven’t slept, I can’t think straight. It must be tied to that accident Leslie alluded to yesterday.
“I’ll tell you what. I’ll take over the computer side of things if you tell me what needs to be done. It’ll give your eyes a chance to rest.”
He looked her up and down with uncertainty. “Are you sure?”
“Positive.” She cleared the log-in box and typed in Charlie’s email correctly this time. It populated a saved password. “What do you need from the site?”
“We need to print the forms from the forms library and manually add each test the kids are taking to their member profiles.”
Frankie nodded. “Okay, let’s sort out how many kids are taking each test and go from there.”
* * *
Frankie’s stomach growled loudly just as they’d about finished two and a half hours later. “I’m sorry.” She placed a hand on her stomach. It growled again. “Do you mind if I run to the pros’ room? I have a granola bar in my bag.”
Charlie covered a yawn with his hand. “When was the last time you ate?”
“Right before I left for the rink? Two-thirty?”
“That was hours ago. It’s eleven.” His eyes widened. “You haven’t eaten dinner? Why didn’t yousayanything?”
“I usually eat when I get home.”
“Come on.” He stood and stretched. “The least I can do is make you something to eat in the café. Are you okay with pizza?” He picked up his keys.
Frankie licked her lips. “I’ll eat anything, but pizza sounds amazing.”
They walked down the hall. Seeing the ice complex at night was eerie. Through the glass, the two rinks were inky black. The only sound was the electric hum of the vending machines. Charlie led them through the door next to the skate rental room and tapped the switch, leaving his keys on the counter. Fluorescent light flooded the room.
Opening an industrial-sized stainless-steel refrigerator, he poked his head inside and removed a bowl of dough, as well as tomato sauce and cheese. “We can fight over the toppings in a minute.” He preheated the oven, then searched for a pan and rolling pin.
“I’m not picky, but my favorite type of pizza is Hawaiian if you’re asking.”
