Page 49 of A Cozy Kind of Christmas
End of story.
“True, but it could be for the company.”
“What did the company do for your birthday?” Meg retorted, tamping down the idea before she let it take hold. “I got a Costco cake and an ESPN hoodie for mine.”
“Right, but this is a family business, and they want Matt to take on a management role. They could be trying to woo him.”
“Woo him?” Meg choked on a bite of the granola bar. “What? Are we suddenly in a Jane Austen novel?”
“Hey, you’re the one who brought up Darcy.” Johanna winked. “Although, it’s starting to feel like that, or maybe Shakespeare would be more apropos.”
“Either way, I have a singular focus—the assignment. Let’s make a promise to stop talking or even thinking about men and get to work to figure out some way to make this snocross race the coziest Christmas event we ever did see.”
Easier said than done, Meg, but nice try.
THIRTY-ONE
JOHANNA
Johanna was finding it next to impossible to concentrate on anything aside from Connor’s imminent arrival. Not even the blur and dizzying lights and sounds of the snocross course could tear her attention away from the speech she was reciting over and over in her head.
She should have studied debate in college. When it came to clever one-liners and zings, she was an expert, at least mentally. Her internal fights were the stuff of legend, but when it came to face-to-face confrontations, her witty comebacks vanished, evaporating in the thin mountain air.
“Miss, miss, you’re too close to the track,” a voice warned her. She turned to see a race official frantically flagging her down. Her thoughts had taken her to the edge of the course marked with red-and-green bunting. For the holidays, the event management team had leaned heavily into the Christmas theme. Hip-hop holiday tunes thumped from speakers attached to a stage. Bleachers had been constructed for fans and the press to watch the spine-tingling action up close. Signage alerted spectators to steer clear of the marked raceway and to expect to be sprayed with snow as the vehicles flew by at sixty miles per hour, sending a wake of powder in their trail.
“Sorry.” Johanna held her press pass. “Trying to scope out the best view.”
“The best view is the marked press area, miss.” The organizer pointed to the stands.
“Yep. On my way now,” Johanna called over the sound of revving engines and the beat of the music. The energy on the course was electric. An estimated one thousand fans were expected to attend, but early birds had already arrived, staking their claim at the best seats and hanging around in hopes of snagging an autograph or selfie with one of the racers.
Meg was off interviewing racers and capturing soundbites and short video clips for social media. It had been a long time since Johanna had been out on assignment, and she’d forgotten the natural endorphin high that came with any sporting event, but particularly with an extreme sport like this. It was almost as if everyone could taste the danger laced in the crisp alpine air. The pent-up energy built as the morning wore on and the sun grew brighter overhead.
Johanna dutifully trudged back to the press area. Young volunteers greeted her with a cup of hot cocoa piled high with whipping cream and sprinkled with bits of chopped candy cane. “Happy holidays and happy race day,” a bright-faced teen said, handing her the hot chocolate. They wore sweatshirts with the local high school’s mascot plastered on the front. Most of the students had made the uniform their own with holiday embellishments like flashing Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer lights and Santa hats.
“Are you in the band? Cheer squad?” she asked, gladly taking the hot chocolate.
“Ski team,” the kid with the Rudolph lights strung around her neck replied. “We’re putting in our volunteer hours and selling concessions. There are hot apple cider donuts and a tonof delicious baked goods over in that tent.” She gestured to a red tent with aConcessionsbanner hanging from the eaves.
“Let me pay you for the hot chocolate.” Johanna reached for her phone. She never carried cash. “Can I pay you with an app?”
“No, the hot chocolate is free, but we are taking donations. We’re trying to raise funds for teen Special Olympics,” the young skier replied. “We’re handing them out to everyone. I’m Olivia, by the way.”
“I’ll be sure to swing by concessions and support your cause.” An idea sparked. This was just the sort of sweet story she could pitch to another network. “Hey, since I have you here, I’d love it if you could tell more about the teen Special Olympics.”
“Yeah, sure,” Olivia replied eagerly, nearly spilling the tray of hot chocolate. “What do you want to know?”
“Everything,” Johanna replied. “I work for ESPN, and one of the initiatives I’m working on for the new year is highlighting our future sports stars. We’re building out a dedicated section of the site to feature young athletes, and this is the kind of story I’ve been looking for.”
Johanna’s wheels were spinning. She wasn’t sure she was giving ESPN this story, but this was like a gift from the sports gods—or goddesses—handed to her on a silver platter. This was the kind of story she could leverage for her next step.
“ESPN, yeah, cool,” Olivia responded, calling her friends over.
Johanna spent the next half hour chatting with the young skiers, taking their photos, and jotting down contact information she would need to send them photo releases before she posted anything. Then she asked Olivia for a few extra minutes of her time. If Johanna was here, she might as well take advantage of an opportunity like this.
Part of her pitch for any new position would be rolling out new ways of engaging with sports fans. “I’d love to interview youif you’re up for it,” Johanna said, tapping into her old reporter days.
Olivia beamed with delight. “Totally. I can tell you anything you want to know about high school skiing. It’s huge here and fairly competitive. Some of our team members are training for the Junior Olympics. Did you know the national ski team practices here at Mount Bachelor? That’s why we are so passionate about fundraising for the Special Olympics team, too. We want the sport to be inclusive, and there are some amazing Special Olympic champions in the area.”
