Chapter Six

Natalie couldn’t shake the sense that Keena planned to meet her at the studio to keep tabs on her. All the same, she was happy to see a friendly face waiting for her when she stepped out of the long black car the network sent to pick her up.

“How was your trip?” Keena asked on their way to the elevator.

“Fine,” Natalie said, automatically. Her nerves were getting to her. The trip from Boston wasn’t long but it still gave her too much time to overthink everything that was about to happen.

For starters, how had the producers convinced Darcy to go along with having Natalie try out for the show? Had she gotten over their history? It was easier to set aside their on-ice rivalry than the other stuff. The pain carved into her heart in college never left her. Not that she’d ever admit that to anyone. The only person who knew about that part of their history was Grace.

Natalie would deal with her questions and judgment when she got the job. Until then, she told herself to focus on nailing this interview or tryout or whatever this thing was.

Inside the elevator, Keena reached out and fixed the lapels of Natalie’s suit. Natalie let her, too nervous to object. If this involved skating, she’d be fine, but this was entirely new. Yes, she’d been on TV before but not like this.

“Remember, they already liked you on their show. That’s why they called me.” Keena gave her a warm smile. “Be yourself. Just with fewer f-bombs, okay?”

Natalie nodded and fussed with the cuff of her jacket until the elevator opened to reveal a small woman with a round face and an easy smile waiting for them at security.

“We are so happy to have you here,” the woman said, her smile growing with every word. “My name is Amy and I’m in charge of getting you to Raquel. Do you need anything? Water? Coffee? Bathroom stop?”

Natalie shook her head, trying to keep her focus on Amy instead of the pictures covering the walls. Photos of the hosts posing with politicians, athletes, and actors lined the walls. As she followed Amy around a corner, they passed one of Natalie with her team after they won gold. Joy bloomed in her chest along with a sadness that she wouldn’t be with them this time. She squared her shoulders and forced herself to focus on today.

But it wasn’t easy to think about the interview while literally walking past her former self. Nat tried to focus on Amy’s back and nothing else as they walked quickly through the warren of offices. Every door looked the same and none of the names on the placards meant anything to her. The last time she felt this nervous, she was trying out for the national team for the first time.

At least then she’d been playing hockey for more than a decade. She was a complete amateur when it came to TV. She’d been interviewed along with her teammates in the past, but that allowed her to fade into the background if she wanted to. Not that she’d ever chosen that option.

The way her parents told the story of her birth, Natalie had burst into the world with a scream that startled the nurses and made the doctor laugh. When the OB handed her to her mom, she said, “You might have a handful here.” She heard this story throughout her childhood. She never did anything halfway, whether it was competing against the boys on her street in any sport they could play or busting her ass to land a college scholarship and earn a spot on the Olympic team. Usually, her spirit made her stand out in a good way. But not always.

Not in the last Olympics when she and Darcy got as close to a fistfight on the ice as you can without being suspended for a couple games. And not when Natalie showed up to this very show with her gold medal around her neck, a hangover, and shit-eating grin. She didn’t fade into the background. Ever.

When they reached Raquel’s office, Keena stepped to the side and flicked through her phone. Natalie resisted the urge to fiddle with hers. She could stand here for a minute without needing to look busy. She could do that. As she was reconsidering her decision, the door behind her opened and a woman with long dark hair and thick, black-frame glasses smiled at them. “Miss Carpenter, I’m Raquel Garcia. I don’t know if you remember me from the last time you were here.”

Natalie held out her hand. “Of course. It’s nice to see you again. Thanks for inviting me down for the day. Please call me Natalie.”

Raquel held the door open and gestured for them toward the chairs in her office. “Can I get you both anything? Water? Tea?”

Keena shook her head and took one of the chairs.

Raquel, satisfied that no one needed anything, took the seat behind her desk. “Like I said, thanks for coming down on such short notice.”

Not like I had anything else to do.

“My assistant, Jamal, who you’ll meet later, was able to pull together clips of your appearances on the show over the years to show the executives. They were impressed with the way you handled yourself and the way you made an impression with the audience.”

Natalie laughed. “Hopefully, a good impression. The last time we were here it was after quite a bit of celebrating, if I remember correctly.”

Raquel smiled. “I think the joy you showed was part of why the audience loved you so much.”

“Joy” was an interesting word for a hangover. But Natalie was smart enough not to argue about whatever impression Raquel seemed to think worked in her favor. Either she landed this job or she had to get her stuff back to her parents’ house. But it was more than that. Without this job, she’d be watching the Games from the couch with nothing to distract her from the misery of not being there with her team and nothing to give her hope that maybe her best days weren’t behind her.

“Today, we would like you to do a couple of reads on camera to make sure you can handle this job and then we’re going to want to see you on-screen with Darcy to make sure the two of you make as good a pair as we think you will.”

Natalie laughed. “Did your assistant happen to pull up footage of the two of us?”

Raquel nodded slowly. “If you’re asking if we are aware that the two of you have a colorful history on the ice, we’re aware.”

“Colorful” is one way to put it. She tried to keep her face as neutral as she could. Apparently, these folks knew that she and Darcy spent much of their time on the ice at each other’s throats and didn’t care. So why should she? Maybe they were going for that kind of dynamic.

“Are you hoping that our ‘colorful’ history comes through in these segments?” Natalie asked.

Keena reached out her hand to touch Natalie’s arm. A warning not to get ahead of herself or stir the pot too much.

Raquel laughed. “As far as I’m concerned, chemistry is chemistry. As long as you two don’t get into a fistfight on the air, I don’t care if you’re a little competitive with each other. Your rivalry is part of what we wanted to try on camera.” She leaned forward. “This is a family show, though. We are on the air when people are having breakfast and getting ready for work with their kids. Keep it PG and you’ll be fine.”

Natalie smiled. “When do we start?”