He folded his hands on the desk. “Your former coach, John Franks, was one of the best in the business before he retired. I remember him well. I have no doubt some of his wisdom has rubbed off on you.”
So far so good. Jack was impressed with her qualifications.
“With that being said, unfortunately, I’m afraid the only skating job openings I have right now are for part-time public-session ice patrol or for a part-time skating school coach. Are you interested in either of those?”
She crossed one leg over the other. “I’d love to coach.”
“Great. Right now, since school is in session, most classes are taught after five during the week. On Saturdays, we offer classes from toddler to adult all day long.”
Frankie could see that working to her advantage. It would give her more flexibility if she had to take her dad to a medical appointment in Fresno. Most of his appointments were in the late morning or early afternoon.
Jack ran through a few more details such as the starting hourly pay, which was way less than she had hoped, but it did include health and dental benefits and free ice time. Ice time was worth its weight in gold to Frankie. The ice complex normally charged the public fifteen dollars per session for it.
“If all of that works with what you had in mind, I’ll have our skating director e-mail you the new-hire paperwork and staff handbook. You’ll just need to read it over and complete the forms by your first day on the job.”
Frankie’s stomach muscles clenched. “That’s awesome. I’m free to start as early as next week.”
“Then I guess that settles it.” He tapped his computer mouse, and the screen glowed to life. He pulled up the calendar and made a note to himself. “Do you have any questions for me?”
“Yes, you mentioned that most of the skating classes are at night. What about the daytime? Are there any morning freestyle sessions available to skate in?”
Jack blinked twice. “The morning ice belongs solely to Charlie Welch and his private lesson students. You’ll have to take it up with him, but otherwise, feel free to use the ice anytime between ten and twelve, before the public session.”
Frankie’s mouth made the shape of an O. “Charlie Welch?”
She gulped. Everyone in the skating community knew that name. Only five years ago, Charlie had been one of the most desirable pairs skaters in the country and a legend for his partnering skills. Charlie made his female partners appear as if they floated across the ice. He was a national champion and a world silver medalist.
Why he retired had always remained a mystery. Frankie had never been one to speculate, but found it odd that just like her, it had been right before the Olympics.
“Yes. He’s the skating director. Sorry, I thought I’d mentioned that. You’ll meet him soon enough.”
She managed a small nod. Her pulse raced.I’m going to meet skating royalty.
After promising to look out for the paperwork from Charlie, Frankie stepped out of the rink and into the parking lot. She took a deep breath, and the brisk winter air filled her lungs. That had gone about as well as she could’ve hoped. She’d found a job.
CHAPTER 2
A few days later, Frankie finally received the email she’d been waiting for.
From:[email protected]
Dear New Hire *blank*,
On behalf of the Sequoia Valley Ice Sport Center staff, we’re thrilled to welcome you to the team. It’s our valuable staff like you that bring the joy of skating to the community. Attached to this email, you will find the New Hire Handbook.
Please read it in full and return the last page stating you’ve read and agreed to the rink’s rules and regulations on your first day, in addition to any other paperwork attached to this email. You are scheduled to begin on *blank*. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. Again, welcome to the team.
Sincerely,
*blank*
Frankie stared in confusion at the message sitting in her inbox. “There are so many things wrong with this email.”
Her dad glanced over the top of his crossword puzzle book. “Like what?”
She crossed one leg over the other. “It looks as if Charlie copied and pasted this email from a template and couldn’t be bothered to fill in the details.” She shook her head. “I’m supposed to have a handbook, a start date, and some basic forms, but none of that has been included with the message. It all says ‘blank.’”
