“Somehow, I can’t see Leslie letting you get away with that.”
“You’re right. She made sure my ego was cut down to size when it needed to be.”
Frankie crossed her legs. “She doesn’t take crap from anyone, does she?”
“Nope,” he agreed. “It’s one of the reasons why Les is an outstanding hockey player. Our rink back home near Vancouver, Washington, didn’t have any hockey teams for girls, so growing up, she played with the guys. It toughened her up.”
“Uh-huh. So you two both have type-A personalities.” She looked him up and down. It felt like she were assembling the pieces of a puzzle. “I’m just speculating, but did you and Leslie happen to get into some sort of disagreement?”
“You’ve hit the nail on the head. We’re both too stubborn to try and figure things out.”
The timer went off. Charlie excused himself to check on their pizza.
As he walked away, she wondered what type of disagreement the siblings could have had with one another. Had it been over something work related? Or more personal? How long had it been going on?
Charlie returned momentarily with a piping-hot pizza and set it on a cooling rack. She soaked in the sight of the golden-brown crust, and the perfectly curled pepperonis. The cheese had melted, now soft and gooey. Her mouth watered and her mind went blank. All she could focus on was eating their culinary confection.
He sliced the pizza and plated two pieces for each of them. “Don’t forget to add your pineapple.”
She snapped her fingers together. “I almost forgot.” Grabbing the container from the counter, she popped off the lid and sprinkled them over the pizza.
“So good!” she said, biting into it.
“Eat up. There’s plenty more.”
“I haven’t been able to have pizza in a long time.”
“Why?” Charlie chuckled. “You don’t skate competitively anymore. Having a slice or two every now and again won’t hurt you.”
“It’s not that.” She shook her head. “It’s my dad. I try not to have pizza in the house. It’s too tempting. His doctor wants him to try and eat healthier while he recovers. If it were up to Dad, he would live on frozen entrees and takeout.”
Charlie’s face sobered. “I’m sorry to hear he hasn’t been well.”
“Thanks.” She sighed. “He’s doing better now. He fell and broke his hip recently.”
“Is it just you two, then?”
She nodded.
He took a bite of his pizza and chewed slowly. “Thank you again for all your help tonight. You really don’t know how much it means to me. I know I’m not the world’s easiest person to work with.”
“You’re welcome.” She patted her face with a napkin. “Just promise me one thing . . . You’ll try not to be so grumpy the next time we see one another.”
“It’s a deal.”
They ate the remainder of the pizza in thoughtful silence.
CHAPTER 6
Frankie’s dad sipped his decaffeinated coffee and sighed over breakfast the next morning. “Not strong enough.”
“It tastes identical to your old favorite blend from Norma’s Cafe.” Frankie popped open the box of cereal and poured her honey flakes into a white ceramic bowl.
“I survived on coffee for fifty years. I can tell a light roast from a dark. A blonde roast from a french roast. It doesn’t taste anything like it should.” He pushed the cup aside. “Maybe I should just switch to tea.”
She rolled her eyes. “Drama king.”
He ignored her comment and changed subjects. “You got in late last night. Was it a date? Any young men I need to give ‘the talk’ to?”
