Chapter Twenty-Four

Back in the studio, Raquel had some thoughts about their performance. “Look, I love your enthusiasm and we got plenty of footage for the segment...”

“But?” Natalie could hear it coming a mile away.

Raquel sighed. “But maybe you two could have given up on that ridiculous race before we hit twenty minutes?” Natalie heard the hint of a laugh bubbling beneath Raquel’s stern words.

“You wanted us to be competitive, right?” Natalie looked over at Darcy. “Besides, I would have stopped if she did.”

Darcy shot Natalie a look. “We hear you. We can tone down the competition.”

“Can you though?” Raquel raised a single, perfectly arched eyebrow, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

Natalie laughed. “No. You saw us out there. We can’t turn it off. But we can use it.” Natalie said it without thinking through how. Raquel waited for her to continue. “You hired us, at least in part, because we’re Olympians, right? Why not use that instead of making us behave like every other boring TV host?”

“Carpenter, shut up.” Darcy glared at her. “Raquel, we can be whatever kind of hosts you want us to be. You hired us to do the job and we’ll do it however you like. You’re the boss.” She shot Natalie another look.

Natalie rolled her eyes. “Fine. You want us to be just like every other show you’ve ever done, we’ll do it. But you’d be missing out on the exact thing that makes this show better and more interesting than every other morning news show. And you’d be making a huge mistake to try to take something amazing and make it just like everyone else.”

“Jesus Christ, Carpenter. You’ve been here five minutes and you’re trying to tell everyone how to do their jobs.” Darcy rolled her eyes. “You haven’t changed a bit.

“Maybe not,” Natalie said. “But you have.”

“What?”

“You heard me,” Natalie said, leaning back in her chair. “I don’t know what happened to you over the last three years but you’re nothing like the player you used to be.”

Smack. Raquel’s palm slapped against the desk. “Enough. Are you two done bickering like a couple of little kids?”

Natalie shrugged, not looking at Darcy. Darcy seethed. Not only had Natalie pissed her off but she’d been cut off before she could defend herself because she wasn’t about to yell over Raquel. She liked her job too much to risk losing it now. Maybe she had changed, but not so much that she couldn’t hold on to a grudge for later.

“Darcy, what do you think of Natalie’s suggestion?” Raquel asked.

Darcy sat up, her elbows resting on her thighs. “I don’t know what exactly Carpenter is proposing.”

Natalie sat up, her posture matching Darcy’s. “I think you hired us because we’re a couple of former professional athletes who have competed in the Games. We played against each other for gold. I don’t think it would be smart to put that aside and ask us to do whatever your hosts usually do, like bake cookies with snowboarders or talk knitting with biathlon competitors. I think you should let us loose out there. Of course we want to compete. We’ve been doing it all our lives.” She gave Darcy an unimpressed look. “Or at least I have. Why not let us learn how to do whatever the sport is and then let us see how well we can master it. Tell me that’s not good TV.” She sneered at Darcy. “You may think I’m a stupid rookie but reality competitions are a big deal on TV. This could tap into that while also giving the athletes a platform to introduce themselves and their sports.”

Raquel looked at Darcy. “What do you think?”

“I’m willing to mop the floor with her any time you want.”

Raquel covered her mouth, but too late to disguise the smile. “What do you suggest?”

Natalie looked at Darcy, unsure for the first time. Darcy sighed. “Why don’t you let us film it both ways. We can do the first segment where we learn how to do whatever the thing is and then do it a few times. Then we can film extra where we have some kind of competition. You can try it out by putting those videos on your YouTube channel. Give it a test run. It’s not going to cost you much to do it and you get your regular segment either way. If the viewers like it, you can move the competition segments to the main show. You can come up with some kind of scoring system.”

Raquel drummed her fingers on the desk. “You’d do all of that? And if people like it, will you do extra?”

Natalie shrugged. “What are the odds we get another gig like this if we do well here?”

Raquel thought for a second. “We cover the Summer Olympics, too. We could consider extending it. But no promises.”

Natalie looked at Darcy. “I’m game but there has to be some kind of incentive. If our ratings are great, we have to get some of that benefit.” She gestured to Darcy. “She’s wanted this gig forever, right? If we crush it, she has to get something in return. We’re going to be the ones busting our asses and looking like fools out there.”

Darcy blinked. Was Natalie sticking up for her? After giving her shit a minute ago? She looked across the desk at Raquel. “She’s not wrong. If we nail this, I want an on-air spot permanently.”

Raquel wiped a hand over her eyes. “We haven’t aired a single segment and you two are already trying to negotiate your next thing?” She stared at them but neither Darcy nor Natalie blinked.

“That’s right. We know that the players never have the same power or security as the bosses so we’re making sure we get some promises up front. If we perform, we want our due. That’s all.” Natalie crossed her arms over her chest.

If Darcy hadn’t known her since she was a teenager she might have bought the bravado. But Natalie’s smile was too tight, her fingers gripped a little too hard. She was just as nervous as Darcy, but Raquel didn’t know that.

Raquel looked at Darcy, who nodded in what she hoped was a convincing approximation of confidence. “Okay. If this works out the way you two seem to think it will, you’ll reap the reward. But if it blows up, don’t come crawling back to me.”

Darcy and Natalie stood up.

Natalie gestured between them. “Nothing to worry about. Together, we’re absolute gold.”

Darcy grinned. “I believe the count is three to one when it comes to golds.”

Natalie shoved Darcy on the shoulder. “Why are you such an asshole?” She looked at Raquel. “Don’t worry, the last time we were on the same team, we won it all. We’re good together.”

Darcy’s mind flew back to the night they won that championship. She could taste the shitty beer, hear the sounds of her teammates laughing and shushing each other in the hotel room. But mostly, she remembered the way Natalie’s body felt pressed against hers, the taste of her lips, the delicious feel of Natalie’s hands snaking under her shirt.

“LaCroix!”

Darcy blinked.

“Are you coming, or do you need a minute with Raquel to tell her what an annoying shit I am?”

Darcy swallowed. “Please, like I need privacy to tell her you’re a pain in the ass.” She turned her back to Natalie. “You know she’s an annoying little shit, right?”

Raquel gave a weary sigh and picked up the phone. “You assured me you could work with her if it meant getting on camera. So, if she’s annoying you, you only have yourself to blame. I’ll email you all the details for tomorrow’s event. Try to get some sleep. The makeup people can only do so much.”

Darcy followed Natalie out of the office.

“She just called us ugly, didn’t she?” Natalie said with a giddy laugh.

Darcy closed the door and caught Natalie partway down the hall. “Not ugly so much as not as gorgeous as the people they usually have on camera. Everyone else looks like a model with a journalism degree. We’re just a couple of has-been hockey players.”

Natalie laughed. “With all the scars to prove it.”