She inhaled deeply through her nose and exhaled through her mouth, then swallowed hard and pushed all her negative feelings aside. Reaching over to the passenger seat, Frankie retrieved a brown paper bag and made a dash from the car to her front door.
She shrugged off her wet coat as she entered the apartment. “Dad, I’m home. I brought us something nice and hot for dinner tonight.” She shook the slightly soggy bag.
She heard the crinkle of her dad lowering the local newspaper and then saw him sniff the air. “Soft tacos?”
Frankie smiled brightly. “Lucky guess.”
He folded the sports section of the paper and placed it on the side table. “There’s only one place in town we order takeout from on Fridays. It’s our tradition.”
She walked around the ancient coffee table and kissed him on the cheek, feeling the scratch from the neat beard that matched his close-cropped salt-and-pepper hair. “I’ll warm this up. Did you do your physical therapy exercises today?”
Frown lines appeared on his forehead. Picking up the remote control, he clicked on the TV and turned on the news. The sound of the news anchor filled the living room.
Frankie filled a glass of water from the tap and handed it to him “Dad?”
“No. I haven’t,” he murmured.
“Okay.” She breathed deeply. “After we eat, we’ll work on them together. The sooner you build up the muscles around your hip, the sooner you’ll be able to ditch the cane you hate so much.”
She padded into the kitchen and retrieved two plates from the cabinet above the dishwasher. It seemed difficult to believe that only a few months ago, she was in Europe. She wondered what Gemma, Fernando, and her other skating friends would be up to this evening. Their next set of stops would be in Australia and New Zealand. Those were two places she had always wanted to visit.
“How was your interview today?” Dad grunted, changing the subject.
Like salt being rubbed into an invisible wound, but I can’t tell you that. I have to stay positive.
“It went fine. Better than the one for Henry’s Hardware.” She popped two tacos into the microwave and set it for one minute. It buzzed to life. “The woman interviewing me said they’d make a decision over the weekend. If I’m shortlisted for a second interview, I’ll hear back by mid-week.” Her voice oozed with false cheer.
“And what position did you interview for today?” He crossed his arms over his chest.
“The evening hostess role at Lou’s Diner,” she said, low enough she hoped he wouldn’t hear her.
He removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “Frankie.”
“Dad.”
“Frankie.”
“Dad.”
“Honey, don’t do this.” He pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Do what?” She bit her lip, knowing full well the words that were about to leave his mouth.
“Frankie, we both know you’d never be happy as a hostess. I love having you home; you’re my only child. My pride and joy—”
Here it comes.
“—but you should be doing what you love, not stuck here taking care of an old man. I promise I can manage. If you call the management team at Dreams on Ice, I bet it’s not too late to ask about getting a new contract.”
The microwave beeped. Frankie pushed the button to open the door and retrieved the tacos. “Dad, we’ve been through this. Iwantto be here with you. I know I’m not stuck. I amchoosingto be here. Dreams on Ice will forever be the best job I’ll ever have had, but I can’t skate on tour forever. As I grow older, my priorities are changing.”
When her father fell and broke his hip, nobody found him for over twenty-four hours. She wouldn’t ever let that happen again. He was the only family she had. He was her number-one priority. She only had one dad.
“Frankie . . .” His voice trailed off.
“There is no point in arguing with me. I’ve made up my mind and I won’t change it. I’m stubborn, just like you.” She placed a steaming taco on his plate and carried it into the living room. “We’ve both experienced a lot of changes recently. It’s going to be an adjustment period for both of us.”
He accepted the plate. “I know.”
