Several moments of silence passed between them.
“It’s dumb. I’m sure that every skater who makes it to the senior level says the same thing. I was never ever even all that great of a skater. Forget I ever mentioned it. Anyway, how would this co-coaching thing work?”
“It’s your dream,” he said slowly. “It’s not dumb. It was somethingIwanted once upon a time too.” She watched his Adam’s apple bob up and down. “What if I told you that at least one of those items on your list could be accomplished?”
Her cheeks warmed. “I’d be tempted to say, tell me what to do and I’ll do it.’
“What if you could take your senior test?”
“I’d say I’m interested but . . .” Her pulse began to race. “Let’s be realistic. Who’s going to skate with me, knowing full well that the partnership wouldn’t go anywhere? And even if I did find a partner, at this point in my life, I’m not willing to relocate.”
As the words left her mouth, she knew as well-meaning as Charlie was, what he was suggesting wasn’t logical. Why was she even contemplating this? She had her dad to think about. He was her priority. Not skating. She was an adult with responsibilities. Not a teenager who could shove everything to the side and hope things magically worked out.
“I know a guy who lives locally, and I can say with full confidence that he’d skate with you if asked.” He sat up taller. “I can’t promise you’d get a trip to nationals out of it, but you could at the very least earn the distinction of being an American Skating Union gold medalist.”
Goosebumps appeared on her arm. “Who?”
“Someone I know can be trusted to get the job done.”
“Who?” she repeated.
“Me.”
“You?” Frankie sputtered. Her eyes looked him up and down.
“Me,” he confirmed.
“This isn’t a joke to me.” She stood, her legs shaking, and slammed her napkin onto the table. “I can’t believe I was stupid enough to tell you about all those things.” She fumbled with her purse. “Tonight was a mistake. I should’ve just gone home.”
Charlie jumped to his feet. His arm reached for hers, and he stared directly into her eyes. “Iambeing serious. I’dneverjoke about something like this with you. I’m willing to skate with you and help you take your test.”
“Now you’re just rubbing salt into the wound.” She ripped her hands away from him and clenched her fists by her side. “I had to talk you into doing a single split twist. You haven’t skated since you retired.”
“I won’t lie. What you’re saying is true. Ihaven’tskated in years. Until yesterday, I didn’t have a reason to.” He took a step closer to her. “But when we started stroking around the ice together yesterday, it was like you flipped a switch in my body. I felt something that’s been missing for a long time. That spark. That excitement. That energy that used to make me hungry to skate.
“Answer me this. Did you feel it too?” His green eyes glowed like a cat’s, watching something with intense focus in the dark. “When you went up into the air, you can’t tell me you didn’t feel as if we’d been skating together for a lot longer than a couple minutes.”
She buried her head in her hands. Her chest heaved. “I felt it too.”
“You have to know that it was a challenge for me to keep coaching after that. All I wanted to do was grab your hand and keep skating with you. You were on my mind all day yesterday. Even last night, I couldn’t stop thinking stop thinking about us as a team. I dreamed about us skating together.”
She swallowed hard and took a deep breath. Her hands slipped down by her sides. She studied Charlie, noticing that today he appeared better rested than she’d ever seen him. He almost looked happy. There was no sign of the grump she’d met a couple weeks ago. Had he really been thinking about them as a pair?
“In your dream, what did we skate to?” she asked.
His lips twisted. “My Fair Lady.”
Her legs felt weak. She sank down into her chair again. How could he have known that was the music she’d dreamed about skating to? She’d always loved the music, the story, and the costumes.
For her twenty-first birthday, her dad even had a pink skating dress made up for her inspired by the movie. It was the only costume she still owned.
“You’re a busy man. You wouldn’t have the time for me,” she said weakly.
Charlie sat down too. “For you, I’d make the time. I can figure something out.”
Frankie knew she was fighting a losing battle. “What would you get out of all this?”
“My own closure.” He tugged at his shirt collar. “Having unfinished business is the worst feeling in the world. I never got to end my career on my terms.”
