Chapter Forty-One
JT received a text message from the contest committee that afternoon and a phone call from Ali about three seconds after the text.
“Did you see it? We have to do the final today! What the hell?”
JT was half asleep, still cocooned in her cozy couch bed. “What do you mean? I thought the final was tomorrow?”
“They moved it up. The contest website says something about adjusting due to weather. What the hell does that mean?”
JT sat up, squinting into the dark. “Maybe they want to take advantage of the snow?”
Ali made a noise into the phone. “Can you come over? Or should I pick you up?”
JT grabbed her hoodie. “Sure. You can come get me if you want. I’ll take Toby out for a minute and then I’ll be ready.
” JT was supposed to have more time to sleep and hang out with her family.
After the argument she’d had with her parents, not hanging out with them might be a blessing in disguise.
She grabbed her boots and headed into the snow with Toby, who chased a tennis ball into the deep snow for a few minutes and then flopped at JT’s feet.
The snow was thick and had switched over from the light fluffy stuff that morning to something stickier. So when JT threw a snowball for Toby, she was able to catch it with her mouth before making it explode by biting down.
Headlights appeared at the end of the driveway. It was afternoon, but between it being the end of December and the snow falling, the sky was gray, and the lack of sun made it seem later in the day than it was. JT waved to Ali and took Toby inside to get her settled.
She saw Emerson and Jonathan in the kitchen cutting up what looked like snacks for their kids. “You guys coming?”
Emerson gave her a confused look. “Coming where?”
JT held up her phone. “We got a text and an email from the contest telling us to come to some event this afternoon. Didn’t you get one? Is it a prank?”
Jonathan sighed. “Oh, you sweet summer child. Our teams were eliminated this morning based on our abysmal showing at the human dogsled race. Turns out when you nearly knock each other out and come in dead last, they eliminate you from the contest.”
JT didn’t understand. “But you guys killed it in the gingerbread houses.”
Emerson nodded. “Yes, but apparently it’s possible to be so bad in an event that they tell you don’t bother coming to the next one.” She laughed. “Go on. Kick some ass. No one deserves it more than you.”
JT felt embarrassed by her mistake. “I’m sorry, guys. I wish you were coming.”
“I’m not. We’re going to go sit by the fire and probably get a little tipsier than we should while you’re freezing your asses off in the snow.” Jonathan raised a mug. “I’m telling Mom it’s cocoa, but it’s mostly bourbon.”
JT, overcome by a rush of affection for her siblings, hugged them both before running out into the snow. She slid into the passenger seat and leaned over to kiss Ali on the cheek.
“Hi, aren’t you freezing? Wait, why is my ass warm? Is my seat heated?”
Ali pointed to the button on the console. “Nothing but the best for your sweet, sweet ass.” She grinned. “Are your siblings coming?”
JT shook her head. “They said they’ve been eliminated. I figured there would have been an announcement or something.”
Ali pursed her lips. “That means it might be down to just us and Kyle’s team.”
JT frowned. “No, there must be someone else, right?”
Ali shrugged. “I don’t know. I thought there would be one more event tomorrow, but obviously they pushed that up a day. And then it’s New Year’s Eve. So, yeah. How did Jonathan and Emerson take it?”
JT laughed. “They’re cutting up cheese and apples for their kids and I’m pretty sure they are going to be drunk by the time I get home.”
Ali laughed. “Judging by the snow, I think you and I might be happy to have a few drinks after to warm up.”
They drove to the center of town, coming up with more and more outlandish ideas for what the task might be.
JT thought it might be something artistic again after their morning athletic event.
Ali wasn’t sure. She listed off a few of the past final tasks, none of which she’d had to do because she and Kyle never made it that far, but nothing she listed gave them any idea of what might be coming next.
The instructions told them to park behind the Hart’s Inn. There were two shovels waiting for them on either side of the walkway, and each had a note attached.
Contestants,
Congratulations on making it to the final test. This test is sponsored by the inn and by the hardware store.
Good neighbors in Hart’s Landing often help each other out in a snowstorm.
You are going to shovel the sidewalk for your neighbors here in town.
Your first task is to fill the forms we’ve set up with snow you clear from the sidewalk.
We’ve provided you with a wheelbarrow to help you bring the snow back to the forms. When you’ve cleared the sidewalk on either side far enough to fill and pack the forms with snow, you can go home. Your snow should be hard packed.
Tomorrow you will return at ten to sculpt the snow that will harden overnight into snowmen or any snow creature you would like.
You may consult any sources you would like tonight on the shaping, design, or any other elements you might wish, but all work on both the shoveling and sculpting must be done by your team.
Good luck to both teams, and we’ll see you in the morning.
Ali and JT read the note a second time. JT grabbed a shovel.
“So nice of them to give us two hard physical tasks in the same day.”
Ali tucked the note in her jacket. “I bet they had some other plan, but the snow was too good not to use.” She looked down the sidewalk at Kyle and Sharon.
“The funniest part is that he clears snow for a living, but he never has to get out of his truck. He hasn’t done this kind of manual labor for years. ”
JT laughed and cupped her hand around her mouth. “Sharon doesn’t look too happy about shoveling, does she?”
JT and Ali got to work. They started a block or so away from the inn and worked their way back.
This was JT’s idea because she knew they would get progressively more tired, and by starting further away they would be saving themselves the walking by the end.
The only danger was guessing wrong about how far they needed to clear, but she was willing to take that risk.
They worked in tandem to fill the wheelbarrow and then JT was able to dump it into the forms. It wasn’t easy, but she was strong and used to working hard. Ali was a champ at shoveling. She filled the wheelbarrow quickly and then smashed the snow down into the form after JT emptied it.
As they worked, they shared a few laughs, but after an hour they got more tired and their talking became more sporadic.
But when JT thought she couldn’t take much more, she would look at Kyle and Sharon struggling and catch Ali’s eye.
They’d laugh and that was enough fuel to keep them going.
Once they were satisfied they’d filled the forms as much as they could, JT did a final sweep of the sidewalk and walkway while Ali made sure the snow was pressed firmly into the mold.
Ali pulled the note out of her jacket and reread it. “You know, it says here we can carve anything we want and we can consult any sources we might have at our disposal. The only thing we have to keep in mind is that we have to carve the thing ourselves.”
JT nodded along. “Yeah, I got all that.”
“Did you get the part where you have four of the best artists in New England at your house right now? Including one who I believe is a world-renowned sculptor?”
“No.”
Ali’s eyes lit up. “Yes, JT. Your mom is a badass sculptor, and I know the two of you have a lot of stuff but if anyone can help us win this, it’s her.”
JT rested her butt against Ali’s car. “Ali, come on. I just had a big fight with them and now you want me to go beg them to help us?”
“JT, come on,” Ali said, mimicking JT’s pathetic whining. “Yes, I expect you to act like an adult, make up with your family and ask them to use their world-renowned expertise to help us. Do you want to win this, or do you want Kyle and Sharon to win?”
JT groaned. “Oh my god. I hate you. Fine. Let’s go ask my mom and siblings how we can win this thing. But I swear to god, if any of them makes a crack about how my kindergarten-level skills suck, I’m walking out of there.”
Ali smiled. “Deal.”
JT slid into the car. “Let’s hope Jonathan and Emerson aren’t too hammered to help us.”