Gemma:They want me to send them a short video answering three questions they gave me.
Frankie: I’m so excited for you. You’ve got this. We can brainstorm your answers when we video chat tomorrow if you’d like.
Gemma: Sounds good. I’m excited just to have gotten this far, but I know it probably doesn’t mean much.
Frankie: Don’t give up yet. Gotta run. Talk to you later.
* * *
Suzy: I saw your young man Tim this past weekend. He was helping out at his father’s hardware shop. I needed some new brackets for a bookshelf Rich and I are putting up in the den.
Gemma: He’s not my Tim. We’re just getting to know one another.
Suzy: Uh-huh. Well, whatever you want to call it, he remembered that my first husband was Scottish and was asking an awful lot of questions about Scotland.
Gemma: Maybe he was just curious?
Suzy:Or maybe he wants to find a way to impress you. *Winking emoji*
Gemma: *Blushing emoji*
Suzy: You’ve turned that boy’s head. About time too. His mother and I are tired of seeing him come up with excuses.
Gemma: Excuses for what?
Suzy: *Zipper mouth emoji* That’s for you to discover.
* * *
Later that evening, Gemma stepped onto the ice, and the cool surface beneath her skates sent a shiver of excitement through her. Although it was darkened, she could tell that the arena was filled to capacity. The audience buzzed with anticipation. As she took her starting position, the spotlight suddenly found her, casting a radiant glow that made her feel like a true Cinderella.
The opening notes of the music filled the air, setting the tone for the performance. Gemma’s heart raced. The first few glides were like a dream, her skates carving graceful arcs on the ice. She mouthed the lyrics to “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” as the crowd watched with rapt attention. Suddenly, the ensemble skaters dressed as mice appeared.
I have a little leeway in this section. Should I do a flying camel or a layback spin?She contemplated the issue.I still have the transformation scene, the ball, and the finale with Fernando. I’d better keep it simple. I felt good today. I need it to stay that way.
As the performance neared its climax, Gemma executed a series of spirals that left the crowd applauding wildly. With a final set of back crossovers, she wound up and stepped into a fast-forward scratch spin. She held her ending pose for a few seconds, catching her breath. Hearing the “ohhs” and “awws” of the audience never grew old.
An hour later, it was over. Removing her makeup and stowing her costume away, she transformed from Cinderella back into Gemma. A knock sounded on her door. “It’s open,” she called out.
“Special delivery for you,” her frequent skating partner Fernando called out. “Do you want it in here?”
A skater from Spain, Fernando stood about six feet tall, and had dark-brown hair and large, expressive brown eyes. He’d been a pairs skater for most of his career and was well-known for his partnering skills. Since Frankie had left DOI, he had been asked to skate with Gemma. She appreciated having a partner who was self-assured and confident in all his moves.
She turned her head, spying a massive box in his hands. “Um, sure.” Twisting her hair up into a messy bun, she quickly wrapped a hair tie around it and walked over to the box. “What on earth is that? I didn’t order anything.”
“The delivery guy was asking for a Gemma-rella. I knew it had to be for you, so I risked my life and signed for it.” Fernando rubbed his hands together. “Are you going to open it?”
Gemma rolled her eyes. Fernando was like an excited child. His eyes were as wide as saucers. “I suppose.”
She leaned forward to inspect the box. It had several red-and-white “Fragile” stickers pasted to the side and an arrow pointing to which side was up. As Fernando had mentioned, it was addressed to Gemma-rella. There was no return address.
“You don’t happen to have—”
“A box knife? I do.” He whipped the item out of his pocket with surprising speed.
Gemma gestured to the top of the box. “Have at it. Just open it carefully, please.”
Fernando made quick and efficient work of opening the box. As he peeled the top flaps of the box open, he retrieved a black envelope, with white block letters that readFor the Fairest One of All.“You’d better read this first.”
