“Have you set the date for when you’re going to take the test? I’ve seen the videos you’ve sent me. You look like you’d pass it with flying colors.”
“No. We’re still aiming to be ready in three or four months. Our plan was to wait and see how the elements came together. We started off-ice lifts last week.”
“I hate seeing you stuck having to wait so long. Have you thought about asking Fernando if he could partner with you? You two could rework one of the show programs and knock the test out of the way in a weekend. I’m sure Charlie would understand. It was kind of him to get the ball rolling, but I thought by now he might be a little further along.”
Frankie had never considered having her Dreams on Ice partner skate with her. If Gemma had suggested the idea to her several months ago, she would’ve jumped at the opportunity, but now the status quo had changed. Fernando was a fantastic skater and brilliant partner, but he wasn’t Charlie. They were in this together. She was willing to wait as long as it took for him to be ready.
“I appreciate the suggestion, Gem, but it’s a hard pass from me. Remember, I never really stopped skating pairs. Charlie, on the other hand, had to start from scratch. I’m so proud of him for how far he’s come in such a short time. He’s the only person I’m willing to take this journey with.”
“Of course, I respect that. I won’t bring it up again.”
Charlie joined them on the ice. “Good morning, ladies; what’s up first on the agenda today?”
“I thought we could do a run-through of the program for Gemma.”
He nodded. “Ok let’s get to work.”
* * *
“You and Charlie didn’t say much to one another today. Are you two normally so focused?” Gemma asked as they entered the Sequoia Valley Hobby Land.
“No. Usually we spend the hour bantering with one another. I think we were just nervous. You’re the first person we’ve ever skated the program in front of.”
“I’m honored.” Gemma grinned.
They walked past the displays of clearance Easter baskets, bunnies, and plastic eggs and headed to the floral department.
Gemma fingered the waxy petals of a yellow banana gladiola. “These are all artificial? They all look so real.” There were flowers of every shape and size in many different colors.
“Yup. A friend . . .” She hesitated. “A friend from the rink introduced me to them.”
She remembered Leslie gushing about the store the very first time she visited.“A lot of people don’t know it, but Hobby Land does a lot to support local artisans. Take the floral department, for instance. All the silk flowers they sell are handmade. And those paintings hanging behind the register? Those were all done by people who live here.”It was too bad Leslie was still mad at her. Frankie would have loved to have her shop with them.
“What do you think?” she asked, picking up a bouquet of blue and purple hydrangeas.
Gemma leaned forward and turned it over in her hand. “Do you have a picture of the costume?”
Reaching into her purse, Frankie retrieved her phone, unlocked the screen, and handed the device to her.
She let out a low whistle. “I’d forgotten how stunning that dress is. Who made it, again?”
“I’m not sure. It was a gift from Dad. You’d have to ask him.”
Gemma stared at the phone a moment longer and passed it back to Frankie. “If you’re going to go through the trouble of making a fascinator to go with the dress, it should match. Or at the very least be black and white.” Gemma’s attention went to the selection of white flowers at the end of the aisle. “These would be perfect for my older sister’s wedding! I have to send her a picture and see if she wants me to pick these up for her.”
The excitement Frankie had felt a few minutes before disappeared, replaced by feelings of sadness. She slowly put the bouquet back in its place. “I wonder if my sister likes hydrangeas.”
Gemma slapped her hand over her mouth. “Frankie, I’m sorry. I didn’t think about what I was saying until just now.”
“It’s fine. Go call your sister.”
“Frankie.”
“Really, Gem. I’m okay. I’ll be outside. I need some air.”
Why was she getting so worked up about her sister? She’d thought she’d pushed those thoughts aside. Without paying attention to where she was going, she found herself walking into the drugstore next to Hobby Land.
Her dad had made a suggestion to her last night.“I’ve done a little research. If you ever decided to try searching for your sister, your best option would be to use one of those ancestry sites. The testing kits would take a sample of your DNA and run it through their database. It looks like there’s been a decent number of adoptees who’ve had some success. The kits are even sold at the drugstore.”
