“I can’t believe I’m even considering this. It’s madness.” She stared at the ceiling, then back at Charlie.
“It wouldn’t be all that crazy. We’d start small and work up to a full program, step by step over the next couple of months. I can see the easier elements like the spins, the footwork, and death spirals starting to come together in two or three months. But other elements like the jumps, the lifts, and a split double or triple twist would take a lot more time. Before we could start working on them off ice, I’d need a couple months in the gym to build up my physical strength.”
“Who do you envision coaching us?”
“I think we could get away with starting out without a coach. We both have enough experience to at least start in on the basics. When the time comes, if we decide we need one, we can ask our friends or the American Skating Union for recommendations.”
What Charlie said was true. She’d gotten used to coaching herself. Touring with Dreams on Ice had trained her to be ready to skate with different people every night. There were times when someone might be ill or injured. The show always went on.
This is all so much to wrap my head around. He makes it sound so easy, but it seems too good to be true.
He reached for a piece of fried artichoke. “What do you say?”
“I’ll think about it.”
“That’s all I ask.”
CHAPTER 10
“We can’t spend all of dinner talking about work. Leslie made me promise I’d help you relax. There has to be something besides ice skating we can talk about,” Frankie mused. “What is your favorite TV series?”
The appetizer had been eaten and their steaks had been cleared away. The tea light candles on the table had burned to the end of their wicks. There was only one other couple remaining in the red room. They’d spent the last few hours talking about the current state of pairs skating, exchanging stories about crazy skate parents, and discussing the pros and cons of traditional leather skating boots versus carbon-fiber boots.
“I don’t own a TV.” Charlie leaned against the back of his chair.
“Okay, what about your favorite book?”
“I, erm, don’t have time to read much.” His neck flushed red.
She’d forgotten about his dyslexia. She tried to play off her faux pas. “That’s right. You pretty much live at the rink.”
“I do, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoylisteningto books. On my drive home or when out I’m running errands, I’ll stream an audiobook. My favorites are thrillers, especially if there’s a treasure hunt involved.”
She soaked in the information. You could tell a lot about a person’s personality based on the type of books they enjoyed.
“Treasure hunts, huh? Do you mean like an Indiana Jones type of adventure?”
“Is there any other kind?” Charlie laughed. “I live vicariously through the characters just like Indy. If I weren’t a skating coach, I probably would’ve been a middle school science teacher. I love working with kids.”
Frankie made a face. “Science?”
“Uh-huh. It’s the only subject where you can go outside and do hands-on activities. I hated being inside the classroom as a kid. Are you not a fan?”
She giggled. “Science is oh-kay, but I’m more of an art gal. I love sketching and painting.”
“I’ll be sure to let Les know. She’ll be thrilled to have a new person to drag along to craft shopping. Nobody in the family will go with her anymore. She can spend hours going up and down the aisles, looking at every single item that’s new.”
Frankie laughed. “I can see that.”
“It’s gotten to the point of being embarrassing. All the cashiers at Sequoia Valley Hobby Land know her by name and sight.” Charlie groaned. “She’s their best customer. It’s not like she even needs any of the stuff she buys.”
Frankie tilted her head. “She seems like an organized person. Where does she store all her craft supplies?”
“At the rink. I’ll show you her storage closet the next time we’re at work.”
Frankie pictured a room bursting with decorations and other odds and ends for every holiday. She was willing to bet Halloween was Leslie’s favorite.
The friendly waitress approached the table. “Sorry to interrupt, I just wanted to ask if you two would care to have a look at the dessert menu. The kitchen is getting ready to close.”
