Tim replied to Gemma’s message a couple hours later.
Tim:Hi, Gemma, nice to meet you. Suzy mentioned to me that a friend of her grandson who was new to the area might be reaching out to me. Under normal circumstances, I’d love to grab a coffee with you, but unfortunately, I’m not free until Saturday. Maybe we can make it a rain check? In the meantime, feel free to save my number and text me anytime.
Gemma: Thanks for texting me back. I’m sorry this week doesn’t work for either of us. I’ll definitely save your number for the future.
Frankie glanced back at Gemma from the back seat of Charlie’s car. “Did you hear back from Tim?”
“Yeah.” She let out a deep sigh. “He’s busy until the weekend. The coffee date is going to be a no go.”
“What a bummer,” Frankie lamented. “I can’t believe you went oh for three on the dating front. Jack was moving, Tim is busy, and Brandon?.?.?.” She hesitated. “Remind me what was wrong with him again?”
“Brandon was supposed to meet me for dinner, but he kept texting me to let me know that he was running late. After an hour, I gave up and left the restaurant.” Gemma rolled her eyes. “Suzy heard that he has a girlfriend. What I don’t understand is why he didn’t just tell me.”
Frankie frowned. “Me either. It doesn’t make any sense.”
“Anyway, it looks like finding a guy during this visit wasn’t meant to be,” Gemma mused, returning her mobile to her wristlet. “When I’m back in January, I’ll give the dating thing another shot. I’m sure Mr. T and Suzy will have an entirely new list for me.”
Charlie glanced at Gemma through the rearview mirror. “Then you’ve made up your mind? Are you going to let your Dreams on Ice contract expire in December?”
“I’m about seventy-five percent decided on it, but yeah, I think I am. I’ve been thinking a lot about the future recently, and I’m finally in a place where I’m ready to find a permanent home.”
“And you’re considering making Grizzly Springs or Sequoia Valley that home base?” Frankie asked in a hopeful tone.
“Yes. Leslie and I had a long talk yesterday. She hinted that the rink is always in need of good coaches and gave me an open-ended offer. Knowing that I’d have a job lined up if I moved here takes a big weight off my shoulders.”
Frankie squealed in delight. “This is the best news ever! I’ve missed having you close by. It’s going to be just like old times. Frankie and Gemma together again.”
Charlie cleared his throat.
“Okay, you, me, and Mr. C here.”
“That’s more like it,” he said.
As excited as Gemma was to hear Frankie’s words, she wasn’t naive enough to believe everything would be exactly as it had been a year ago. Both their lives had changed dramatically.
Frankie had found Charlie and had come out of retirement from competitive skating. They were on their way to becoming one of the top pairs teams in the US, and arguably, the world. Gemma truly believed her friends had a real shot at making their Olympic dreams a reality.
As exciting as their lives were, Gemma was traveling in the opposite direction and down a different path. She’d been skating since she was three, more than three-quarters of her life, and now, she was trying to get a better idea of what life after skating looked like. She’d always known what she wanted, until now. Not knowing what was next frightened her.
This is going to be one of the first real adult decisions I end up making.
“What would it take to move from seventy-five percent to one hundred percent?” Charlie asked.
Gemma considered his question. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “I guess I just need a sign that I’m really done with DOI.”
“Who knows, maybe you’ll end up getting a call from theCupid’s Arrowteam,” Frankie joked. “That would make it a no-brainer, then.”
Gemma laughed to herself. “That’s true.”
“I wanted to ask you too, how is the video coming along?” Frankie continued. “Do you have everything you need?”
“Just about. I have a couple more final edits to make. I’ll show it to you when we get back to your place and you can let me know what you think.”
“Awesome.”
Turning into the ice rink parking lot, Charlie parked the car in his normal spot and turned off the engine. “I hope the kids don’t make too much of a mess at our surprise party. I’d like to be able to leave at a decent time tonight. We have an early flight in the morning.”
“Charlie, you and I are excused from the cleanup. That’s Leslie’s department.” Frankie climbed out of the car. “Don’t worry, we’ll be out by eight so you can get a full night’s beauty sleep. I don’t want to skate with a grump. Been there. Done that.”
