“Mr. Mynt was going to, but I volunteered.” I straighten a bow on the large wreath above the lobby fireplace.
“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” Holly shakes her head, still shifting around the tangled Christmas lights.
“It’s a great opportunity to add to my resume.” I have one semester left of college, so that’s always at the forefront of my mind. “Besides, being paid to decorate a beautiful place likethis…it’s like hitting the lottery! Everyone’s faces will light up as they walk into the lobby, in awe of the festive ambiance. Kids will squeal and point, especially at our giant tree.”
“Wait, what giant tree? Don’t we usually have one a little bit on the larger size—but nothing crazy—in the lobby?”
I can’t contain the wide grin on my face. “Not this year! We are getting a twenty-five foot tree!”
Holly drops the ball of lights. “I love you, but I am not helping you decorate a twenty-five- foot tree. You’re clinically insane…”
“Or am I Christmasy insane?” I wink at the imaginative pun I made.
Holly shakes her head, but I see a grin appear. “I’m picturing you up at all hours of the night in an elf costume, on a ladder, trying to hang ornaments at the top of a giant tree—like the one that’s inThe Grinchmovie.” She chuckles.
My eyes go wide at her idea. “That’s genius!”
“Maya, I was joking…Please for the love of safety, and your dignity, do not act on any part of that sarcastic plan I just mentioned.”
I zip my lips together, then squeak out, “I would never…”
Holly chuckles. “We both know that’s not true.”
My mind buzzes with ideas to make the Mynt Resort holidazzle. I also make a mental note to find an elf costume online.
I know it might sound like overkill, but I was raised by a single mom. We didn’t have a lot of money, but my mom would do what she could to make Christmas special. She worked as a housekeeper at a chain hotel, nothing fancy like Mynt Peak. However, thanks to her employee discount, the week before Christmas, we’d stay one night.
Although we couldn’t afford fancy decorations, the hotels were always decked out. The lights and wreaths and Christmas trees made it feel magical.
It was one of the only times when my mom and I could be carefree, and our focus wasn’t on paying next month’s rent. We were just enjoying the moment. I want to make that possible for guests at Mynt Peak too.
I stroll to the entryway and imagine how the largest Christmas tree the resort has ever had will look. I feel Holly bump me with her hip as she stands beside me. I let out a sigh. “The holidays are amazing at Mynt, and this Christmas is going to be the best one yet.”
Holly squeals. “I one hundred percent agree now that it will be filled with smoking hot athletes.”
I frown, not because that doesn’t sound nice…I’m just confused. Mynt is usually packed to the brim with families, not “smoking hot athletes.”
“What are you talking about?” I ask.
“There’s no way you didn’t hear…”
My puzzled look confirms that, in fact, I did not hear. “I was in the storage building all morning digging through the decoration bins. What did I miss?”
Holly runs in place with a shriek. “I’m so happy I get to be the one to tell you this. You’re not going to believe it, but it’s true.”
“What’s true?” I basically shout.
“Mr. Mynt has invited all the athletes that Mynt Apparel sponsors to the resort for the Mynt to Make a Difference charity event!”
“All the athletes? Like who?” I’m not really up on athletics. All my time and energy is spent either working at the resort or studying.
Holly continues, “Mynt Apparel sponsors some of the top athletes in the country…no, the world! The women are bosses and the men are dreamy. I’m about to meet my future husband, I just feel it!”
“Whoa, okay, let’s slow down for a minute.” I hold up one hand. “Who exactly is coming?”
Holly pulls out her phone. “Let me check the email with the list of Mynt athletes…Okay, we’ve got pro hockey player Holden Prescott, soccer player Juliet Morgan, figure skater Chloe Reynolds,” Holly sucks in a breath before continuing, “snowboarder Aspen Neve Sterling, football player Ledger Bishop, and a lot more. Honestly, the list is so long. There’s also a golfer, volleyball player, skier and even a professional fisherman.”
I let out a whistle. “Wow, Mr. Mynt is not messing around. He really is determined to bring Mynt Apparel to the entire planet.”
