“Thanks.” She drank from her glass and set it on the table, then stretched her legs across his lap. “Did I tell you I mailed my ancestry test kit today?”
“No.” He ran a hand through his hair. “It’s been sitting on the kitchen table for a few weeks. What made you decide to finally pull the trigger?”
“I want some closure. I’m tired of not having any answers. My sister is always lingering in the back of my mind.” Charlie wrapped his arms around her, and she rested her head on his chest, her personal pillow. “If the test comes back with nothing, fine. I’ll know it wasn’t meant to be, but it isn’t for lack of trying. However, if thereisa match, then I’d like to reach out to her just to let her know if she ever wants to establish contact, I’m here.”
“I’m so proud of you. It couldn’t have been easy to reach that decision.” He kissed her on the cheek.
“It wasn’t, but I’m glad I did it.” Frankie sighed in contentment, and snuggled further into Charlie, thinking about the coming days ahead.
CHAPTER 25
“Do you guys need some more time to warm up?” Leslie called out from her perch behind the boards, near the middle of the ice. She wore a thick parka-style jacket, leg warmers, and hockey skates.
“I think we’re good,” Charlie replied.
The glowing red numbers of the clock on the rink’s scoreboard showed the time as 4:12 in the morning.
“This is just like another run-through,” Charlie said, putting his hands on Frankie’s shoulders. “Remember, there’s no pressure. I cleared our lessons for today. The rink is ours until ten. We can take as long as we need to do this. Got it?”
She nodded and gave him a fist bump with shaky hands. Every muscle in her body hummed with adrenaline. She pounded her legs with her hands, hoping they wouldn’t feel so hollow.
Their off-ice warm-up had gone like normal. But when she’d stepped onto the ice in her costume, everything had suddenly become real. The last six months of preparation had led to this moment.
I haven’t had to skate a long program under pressure in years. I forgot about the nerves that come with it. I wish I had my Peter Rabbit with me instead of in my locker. Should I go get it? Would it make a difference?
She unzipped her jacket. Her dress was cherry-blossom pink, with a square neckline and chiffon skirt. Although the silhouette was simple, it was adorned with hundreds of shimmering silver Swarovski crystals. She touched the top of her head; the pink fascinator she’d created was still in place. Charlie’s costume was a black tailcoat, white shirt, black tie, and black trousers. He appeared every inch the upper-class gentleman Henry Higgins fromMy Fair Lady.
After checking the laces on her skate boots were tied securely one last time, she took Charlie’s hand, and they glided out to the center of the ice. Once in position, Frankie gave Leslie a thumbs-up.
Leslie held up her phone to her watch to record the time and date stamps. “This is Francesca Tomlinson from the Sequoia Valley Figure Skating Club testing Senior Pairs Free Skate.”
Frankie and Charlie knelt down on the ice. Her pulse was pounding relentlessly against her ribs.
“Don’t forget to smile. This is your moment to shine,” he whispered.
The opening notes of their music filled the rink. She laced her fingers through Charlie’s, and they came to a stand and started across the ice diagonally. Their first test would be the split double twist. It was a skill that had started off tricky, but over the last few weeks, they’d found a rhythm to it.
Facing backward, she placed her toe pick into the ice as Charlie’s arms pushed her up. Coming down, she could feel him cleanly catch her and set her down. She stretched her left leg behind her and let out a deep sigh.
That’s one down. Let’s hope the rest of the skate goes as well as that double twist.
Next came their first set of two side-by-side jumps on the opposite side of the rink. The triple Salchow was the trickiest element for Charlie. He’d only just begun to land it consistently. It had been a toss-up if they’d stick with a clean double or upgrade to the triple for the test. After the morning warm-up, they’d jointly decided to attempt the triple.
They entered the jump in unison, but coming down to land the jump, she saw Charlie stumble out of the corner of her eye.
“Keep going,” she said through her teeth.
Their second side-by-side jump, the double loop, was coming up in rapid succession. She could hear him grunt in acknowledgment.
Maybe we could change the triple Sals to doubles and go for triple loops on the next run-through. He seems to trust himself more on it than the Sal.
Under normal circumstances, she would’ve wanted to stop and restart, but because she was the one taking the test, Charlie’s messy landing wouldn’t necessarily affect whether she passed or not. They’d be judged on the unison. Frankie just wanted to get one skate under their belt. Once they had one full run-through recorded, she knew she’d be able to relax. Under the ASU virtual test rules, they could record their program as many times as they wanted and pick the best one to submit.
At the one-minute and forty-five second mark, the music changed. Both Frankie and Charlie used the slow notes to catch their breath. The jumps might be out of the way, but they still had two throws and three lifts to get through.
We’re halfway there.
The music changed to “I Could’ve Danced All Night.”
