I release Daphne. “Feel free. You did all this work; the world should see it.”
“And Vicki—let me tell you, she has a real eye for design. I told her if she’s ever looking for a career change, I’d be happy to hire her.”
“No offense, but I hope she turned you down.” I laugh nervously. I just offered the temp vet tech a permanent position and made an offer to have Laura join the practice. The last thing I want to worry about is filling another vacancy. The receptionist is one of the most important people here.
“Don’t worry, she did. She said you are, quote, ‘the best boss lady she’s ever had’ and she wouldn’t go anywhere without talking to you about it first.”
“That’s a relief. I need her too much.”
After dropping my sister off, I decide to take a detour to the Sequoia Valley Ice Sports Complex. I’m deeply curious to see what Fernando’s second home looks like. And have some questions for his friends. I have a few ideas about Christmas floating around in the back of my head that I’d like to run by them.
I walk up to the entrance just as a light dusting of snow begins to fall. There’s a queue about thirty people long waiting to enter the building. I wonder if I’d be better off coming back another time when it’s not so crowded, but then I remember Christmas is only two weeks away. The rink is going to continue being crowded until the end of the year.
I join the end of the line. To my relief, it moves quickly. Ten minutes later, I’ve reached the cashier’s window.
“Hello, how can I help you? Are you here to skate or here for the holiday show?” a woman wearing a Santa hat asks.
“Hi. Um, the holiday show?”
She nods and punches a series of buttons on her computer. “It’ll be five dollars, please, unless you brought an unwrapped toy to donate.”
“No, I didn’t.” I reach for my wallet. “Do you take cards?”
“We sure do.” She processes the payment and directs me to rink number two.
“Just out of curiosity, how much is the public skate?”
“Ten dollars for adults or twenty dollars per family no limit on kids. Both include skate rental and a locker. Did you want to purchase a ticket for that too?”
“Thanks, but not today.”
I enter the lobby into what looks like a winter carnival. There are five towering Christmas trees, a games area, an arts and craft area, a photo booth, and a Santa meet and greet. It gives me a very different vibe than the rink in Madrid. It’s more relaxed and focused on catering to families, not just on making money.
All in, I paid twenty-five euros in Madrid to skate, plus five euros for a locker. I can’t imagine a family of four, like Daphne’s, paying over a hundred euros for the same experience. It makes it easy for me to see why Fernando might enjoy working here so much—he gets to be a big kid.
Rink two is freezing. But with the number of people packed in the stands, about two hundred, it doesn’t take long for me to warm up. I find a seat on one of the highest rows, not certain what to expect. Everyone around me is chatting excitedly.
“Do you think Coach Frankie will skate with Mr. C?” a girl to my left asks her dad.
“She will, dummy, didn’t you see her practicing during the freestyle session yesterday?” her brother says, poking her shoulder and sticking his tongue out at her.
“Robbie, don’t call your sister a dummy. And what have I told you about how you should behave in public.”
I focus my attention back on the ice as the lights go down.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to this year’s Sequoia Valley Figure Skating Club Holiday Show. All contributions from tonight will be donated to the Laka Wakahanra Children’s Hospital.” The crowd applauds. “For our opening act tonight, please welcome to theice your reigning World Champions, Francesca Tomlinson and Charlie Welch, or as you know them, Coach Frankie and Mr. C!”
The show lasts an hour and a half. I’m a novice when it comes to these types of things, but after watching some of the coaches and advanced students perform, I’ll admit that I’ve never been more inspired to pop over to the rink’s pro shop and purchase myself a pair of skates.
Making my way down to the ice, I approach the blond skater with thick curls I recognize from the food truck at the antique market. “Hi, Gemma,” I call out, feeling awkward. She’s a woman I’ve spoken to for less than two minutes, and here I am addressing her as if we’re old friends. “Um, you may not remember me, but I’m a... friend of Fernando’s.”
Her face lights up with recognition. “Dr. Brown! I remember you! I’m so glad you made it tonight! Fernando is going to be so disappointed he missed you! He’s on holiday in Spain right now.”
“You can call me Ava, if you want.” I shift my weight from one leg to another. “And yes, I know. We crossed paths. I just got back from there.” I swallow hard. “If you have a minute, I wanted to just ask your advice on something.”
“Of course!” Her large blue eyes sparkle. I can see why she would’ve made a perfect Cinderella. She looks and sounds like a real-life princess, especially with the Scottish accent.
“I need to get him a Christmas present and have a few ideas, but want to run them by one of the people who knows him best before I do anything.”
