He muttered that he needed to change his torn skate pants while Leslie finished patching her up.
“Is it weird that I fell hard enough to open the skin, but my tights didn’t rip?”
Leslie shrugged. “I wouldn’t know. Only figure skaters wear tights.”
When Charlie returned and they took the ice to warm up a second time, she knew that this skate would be different. As she gazed into her partner’s eyes, she saw love. No matter what the future held, she knew Charlie would be the only one who would forever be able to lift her up.
Who needs a prince to skate with when you have your very own Professor Higgins?
CHAPTER 26
A few weeks later, Frankie heard the front door open and close.
“I’m back.” Charlie shrugged off his jacket and hung it on a peg by the door. “Guess what . . . Richelle landed a triple toe today! That kid really has the potential to go places if her mom would let her focus on skating.”
“That’s good.” Her voice came out crackly, sounding like a frog.
“I can’t believe how many of the coaching staff have gone down with the same nasty cold. Funny how I happen to be the only one who seems to have avoided it.” Charlie entered the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water. “I finally had to turn my phone off. Les isstillsending me messages every ten minutes asking me to update her on how the skating academy is running. Sorry if I didn’t respond to any messages you might’ve sent.”
“I didn’t send anything.”
Charlie sat down on the couch and placed the back of his hand on her forehead. “Your temperature’s down. That’s good. You feeling any better?”
“So-so.” Picking up her laptop computer, she opened it and tapped on the mouse. “It came.”
“The test results? Excellent. About time.” He rubbed his hands together. “I bet you passed with honors. How should we celebrate? Do you want to order something for me to run and pick up from Millie’s for dinner?”
“Not the results from the skate test.” Frankie dry swallowed. “The results from the DNA sample I submitted.”
“Oh.”
“I was too afraid to open it on my own.” She bit her lip.
“My Frankie is a world-class figure skater who lets me toss her around the ice doing things that shouldn’t humanly be possible. If you can do that, youcanopen that email.” Charlie wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her body closer to his. He kissed the top of her head. “Just remember that no matter what, you still have a family and a boyfriend that love you for being you.”
“I love you so much.” She rested her head against his chest and listened to the sound of his heart beating. “Will you help me?”
He stroked her arm. “If that’s what you want.”
“I do.”
“We’ll click on it together.”
Frankie repositioned herself so she sat in front of Charlie. With shaky hands, she pulled up the email. Her hand hovered on the mouse pad. Charlie placed his hand on top of hers. It was warm and so much larger than her own. She knew his hands well. They were strong and able to suspend her high into the air. And now, when she was nervous with anticipation, they brought her comfort.
“On the count of three, we’ll click the button,” he said.
Frankie managed a nod. Her pulse increased.
“Ready? One. Two. Three.”
The button clicked. The screen reloaded. Her eyes darted back and forth over the page. She inhaled sharply.
“Well?”
“It says I have a close match. Not a fourth or fifth cousin, but an actual close match!” She sank into the back of the couch and shook her head. She set her computer to the side, taking it all in. A swirl of emotions flooded her body. Fear. Excitement. Nervousness.
“Congratulations, Frankie.” Charlie hugged her. “You’ve found her. Now what?”
