Chapter Twelve
From: [email protected]
Hi!
I love the aesthetic of the shirt you sent.It looks just like a vintage high school sports shirt, and it’ll be great to offer a choice of character names on the back.
Only one thing: The team is the Hornets, but the mascot you drew looks more like a wasp.Can we tweak that so it looks more accurate?Insect pics attached for reference.Thanks!
If Misty had been stuck in the office, her inability to concentrate that morning might have sucked her into a social media vortex.But leaving the apartment to go to the gym for a workout had calmed her down a bit and helped her regain her focus.That was fortunate, as she’d have to get back to work for the author client who’d just emailed her.
As she sat down at her desk, she mused that her time on the weights floor also had the benefit of keeping her in shape and ready for anything.Weeks had passed since she’d sent her video, she hadn’t heard anything yet, and the World Winter Games were in four-and-a-half months.Every day that passed without word increased the likelihood that she’d hear something the next day, but she hadn’t yet.Was she running out of time, or were they politely blowing her off?If nothing else, she was now strong enough to move her refrigerator from one end of the kitchen to the other without a dolly.
An incoming call interrupted her look at the different pictures of stinging insects, and Misty’s eyes widened at the caller.Tish sometimes snuck the odd text during the school day, but never called.As such, she greeted her friend with, “Are you okay?”
“Have you checked your email?”Tish’s voice sounded quivery.
“Not in a while, I’ve been working out and doing research.Why, what’s up?”
“I’m going to the combine!”Tish’s words tumbled out as fast as she would normally run.
“Of course you are!That’s awesome.”Even as Misty congratulated her friend, her heart lurched into her throat.The moment of truth had arrived, and she was and wasn’t ready for it at the same time.
“Hang on, where’s...?”It was a sign of how long they’d known each other that Tish didn’t ask what she was looking for.Misty dug around in her gym bag before remembering that she’d put her lucky duck in her underwear drawer after getting back from filming the video.She opened the drawer, rifled through the contents, and unhooked a black bra strap from around the duck’s neck so she could take it out.
She took a deep breath, rubbed the duck’s head, and logged into her email on the computer.“Okay, I’m ready.Who was it from?”
“The World Federation of Winter Games and Sports.I had a hunch I’d gotten in when I saw the attachment.I didn’t think they would have sent anything extra just to tell me no.”
“Right.”It came out absently as Misty scrolled through the flood of new messages that had come in the last hour.Spam...upcoming Double Star Day at Starbucks...marketing email from a company she’d bought a dress from three years ago but hadn’t shopped at since...
“Wait!Here’s something, and there’s an attachment.”Her finger shook as she tapped the message.
“That’s what mine looked like.”Tish sounded giddier than Misty had ever heard her.“What does it say?”
“‘Dear Ms.Kaufman, We are pleased to congratulate you on your acceptance...’”She didn’t have to apologize for yelling in Tish’s ear, not when her friend was shrieking in joy at the news.
Jen burst into the room halfway dressed in her flight attendant uniform.“What’s going on?”
