Page 58 of A Cozy Kind of Christmas
“This is good, Meg. Really good.” Johanna handed her the laptop and gave her a double thumbs-up. “No notes. Send it.”
Johanna knew Meg was scared to venture out on her own and freelance. It was understandable. These were tenuous times for any writer, and carving out a path as a freelancer came with inherent risks, but Meg was a rare talent.
Johanna felt like a mama bird. She needed to nudge—or maybe fling—Meg out of the nest. If she didn’t do it soon, she never would.
The powers that be didn’t deserve either of their skills or dedication to the craft. Maybe Johanna needed to leap out of the nest, too.
“How was it?” she asked on the drive back to the lodge, happy for the heat blasting from the vents and to be out of the cold. “You and Matt seemed pretty chummy out there on the slope.”
“Chummy?” Meg stuck out her tongue. “What? Are you an old lady who sips tea and eats afternoon crumpets now?”
Johanna pretended to be injured. “Apologies for meeting you where you’re at with your own vocabulary, Mary Margaret Reed.” Johanna snapped her fingers twice. “Now, stop deflecting and tell me everything. I tried to make myself scarce to give you two some space to catch up.”
“While I was on assignment.” A touch of exasperation crept into Meg’s tone. “It’s not your fault, but it’s hard to catch up with snowmobiles speeding by at sixty miles an hour, burying me in snow.” Meg tugged off her pink hat. Her damp hair was plastered to her head, and her cheeks were flushed with color. “Look at me. I’m a sweaty, gross, wet mess. I kept picturing what Lucinda would look like covering the race. Why is it that women like her can look like they’ve just spent a day at the spa when I look like a drowned rat?”
“Stop,” Johanna scolded. “From what I could see, Matt didn’t seem to mind. He only had eyes for you.”
“Ha! Hardly. Plus, he told me Lucinda’s dad is making a big announcement at the party tonight. You know what that means.” She flicked her hand and tapped her ring finger. “Engagement. It’s happening tonight—trust me. Or probably it’s already happened and they’re going to make it official at the party.”
“Hold up. We don’t even know that they are engaged.” Johanna was used to her friend jumping to the worst-case scenario immediately. Meg was an odd mix. A walking contradiction.
Fiercely positive and unyieldingly optimistic. She went after her dreams—hard.
Meg could manifest like no one’s business.
Yet, on the other hand, she tended to leap to the worst possible outcome at a moment’s notice. She could be riddled with crippling anxiety out of nowhere and prone to bouts of self-doubt.
Given her past with her dad, Johanna couldn’t blame her.
“They probably are,” Meg replied with a touch of melancholy. “I bet he did something sweet and romantic, just the two of them, and they’re saving the big announcement for tonight.”
“But you said he was going to propose last night, and I have to tell you, Meg, my gut says that he’s having second thoughts. They’ve barely spent more than a few minutes with each other. Matt seems hyper-focused on you. He didn’t say anything about Lucinda. For a guy who recently proposed or is planning to, that’s weird, don’t you think?”
“No.” Meg ran her fingers through her damp hair with exaggerated force, like she was trying to fluff it back to life. “That’s why I’m saying it’s probably going to be announced tonight.” She sighed and stared out the window. “Let’s change the subject. Any more news from Connor?”
Johana bristled at the mention of his name. “Nope. Nothing,” she lied.
Connor texted about an hour ago to tell her he had landed and was on his way to the lodge.
“God, it’s seriously romantic. I want someone to fly across the country to surprise me.”
“Someone who went afteryour job?” Johanna countered. She wondered if this was the time to be the bearer of bad news and tell Meg the truth.
But Meg had enough on her plate.
It could wait.
Meg tipped her head from one side to the other. “True. Fair point. Fair point. But you’re at least going to hear his side of thestory, aren’t you? You have to give him a chance. Maybe there’s an explanation.”
“Take those words right back out of your pink little lips. Nothing justifies his actions. Nothing. Got it?” Johanna gasped and punched Meg gently in the arm. Then she pretended to use her hand like a mirror. “Does someone want to take their own advice? Projecting much?”
Meg bit her lip and gave Johanna a sheepish grin. “You got me there, but at least hear him out. I like Connor. I like Connor for you. I can’t believe I didn’t put it together sooner, but the two of you are sort of perfect for each other.”
Johanna shook her head as the rugged, snowy landscape zoomed past them. “Kind of like you and Matt?”
“Ouch.” Meg wrinkled her face and clenched her teeth. “You got me. I’ll drop it.”
They shifted the conversation to talk of the party for the remainder of the drive.
