Frankie opened and closed her mouth. He had a point.
“I didn’t raise you to be a woman who quit when things got tough. I raised you to be a young woman who would do anything to chase her dreams. Nothing would make me happier than to see you finish what you started all those years ago.”
She rubbed her forearms and breathed deeply. “You’re really enjoying guilting me into this.”
“Darn right I am. It’s always worked like a charm with you.”
“Does Suzy make you happy?”
“She does.” His eyes twinkled. “When I’m spending time with her, the years melt away and I’m a young man again.” He covered a yawn with his hand. “The funny thing about life is that nothing stays the same forever. In any case, if Suzy and I decide to marry down the line, remember you won’t be losing me; you’ll be gaining a family.”
I’d never thought about it from that angle before. A family is so much more than just a set of people who happen to be related to one another. A family is a collection of people who love and support one another through the good times and the bad times. Through life’s ups and downs. Through the highs and lows.
Father and daughter spoke a little longer before he fell asleep. Tiptoeing out of his room, Frankie felt lighter and more hopeful for the first time in several days. The large gray clouds of gloom and doom surrounding her had lifted. Now, she could finally put one foot in front of the other, knowing that after every storm came a rainbow. If she followed it, maybe, just maybe, it might guide her toward an elusive pot of gold.
CHAPTER 24
It took Frankie’s father four weeks to fully recover. In that time, his relationship with Suzy continued to blossom. It was a surprise to no one when they announced he would be moving to the cottage on a full-time basis.
For Frankie, however, the change was still startling. Their apartment was too quiet and empty. The environment felt sterile. She’d always wondered how it might be to live on her own, but as she was discovering, she hated it. The apartment was just four walls and the place she slept in. It didn’t have a heart, like the cottage or Charlie’s cabin.
Frankie discussed the situation with Alyssa and Leslie as she sat in a chair at the Mane Event, having her hair colored.
“Charlie keeps hinting that I should seriously consider moving in with him.”
“And what reasons is he giving you?” Alyssa asked.
Frankie counted on her hand. “He says that I won’t have to pay rent; it’s a short commute to the rink, and we could carpool together.”
“Those sounds reasonable to me.” Alyssa massaged the shampoo into her scalp. “What’s stopping you?”
“We’ve only been officially dating for two months. It feels too soon. What if spending all our time together in the same house is too much for us to handle? We might drive one another crazy.”
“I hate to point out the obvious, but you two already spendallyour time in one another’s company.” Leslie laughed. “You train together. You coach together. You eat every meal together. Even your days off are spent together. If he hasn’t driven you crazy yet, you’ll be just fine.”
“Let me ask you this—when are the two of you apart?” Alyssa added.
Frankie thought long and hard. “When we’re asleep?”
“I rest my case,” Leslie said sarcastically.
“Do you think I’ll be able to cope with Charlie’s messiness? I’m a neat freak.”
“Now you’re nitpicking. I’m sure you two will figure out a middle ground. But if it really bothers you that much, when Charlie and I lived together, our agreement was that the communal areas needed to stay clutter free. All his stuff was kept in his room; that way the mess was contained to a single area.”
Alyssa laughed. “That’s a great idea! I’m going to try that with my husband.”
“When my boyfriend is home, I use the same trick. I hate it when he dumps his hockey gear in the hallway.”
Alyssa repositioned Frankie’s chair so it was upright. She faced Leslie. “How long have you and Ron been together, again?”
“We’re coming up on four years.” Leslie smiled.
Alyssa looked at Frankie. “Has Les ever told you how they met?”
She shook her head. It was rare Leslie ever mentioned much about Ron. She’d put together a few bits and pieces of information about him. She knew that he played hockey professionally, and that he was on the road most of the year. When he was home, Leslie disappeared for days at a time, spending every available moment with him.
“It was romantic. We both played on the second line on the Sequoia Valley adult hockey team. One game, I took a hard body check that really rattled me, and Ron jumped right off the bench and defended my honor.”
