Chapter 8
EIGHT
MARISSA
Marissa bounced from one foot to the other, trying to keep warm.
It was cold. Really cold. Even with her fur-lined boots and parka, she had to half-dance to keep the blood flowing.
Admittedly, it could have been nervous energy, too.
After her run-in with William Graff, she had studied the official rules for Passport to the Holidays in detail.
Teams could range in size from two to six members.
Participants could enter their teams, or single players could be paired up.
There was just one problem: Marissa was late to the game.
Registration for new teams had already closed by the time she’d heard about the scavenger hunt and cash prize at the Graff party.
She had two choices—join an existing team or sign up as a single player and be paired with someone at random.
Olivia, Marissa’s younger cousin, had invited her to join the team of high schoolers she was putting together.
Marissa loved Olivia like a sister, but crashing a high school party seemed pretty pathetic.
So, she had put her name in to be partnered with a stranger, hence the fact that she couldn’t contain her nervous energy as she scanned the festive park, wondering who she would be paired up with.
Please let it be someone good, Marissa begged silently, squeezing her way closer to the stage.
Her thoughts drifted to William. In the last few days since their unfortunate meeting, he would pop into her head at random moments, like an annoying holiday song playing on repeat.
She shook off the image of his dazzling grin and hideous Christmas sweater and spotted Olivia and her friends near the front the crowd.
They were singing along to carols led by the high school choir.
Olivia was a senior in high school and Marissa’s favorite cousin.
She was wise beyond her years and presented like someone much more mature.
Marissa might have been jealous of her if Olivia weren’t so genuinely sweet and earnest. At eighteen, Olivia already had college and long-term career plans, the kind of plans that made Marissa confident her cousin was destined for great things.
She and her teammates appeared to have coordinated their sequined ugly Christmas sweaters.
Olivia’s was gold and green with dozens of miniature shiny ornaments sewn on the front.
Marissa grinned, remembering her senior year, being on the cusp of adulthood without any responsibility or stress.
At the time, Marissa never would have imagined that she’d be living off boxed mac and cheese and determined to do whatever it took to win Passport to the Holidays and the sledful of cash to save her fledgling business and not give up on her own dream.
Speaking of cash, the carols had stopped as a woman took the stage.
Marissa inched nearer. The woman introduced herself as the president of the Chamber of Commerce and spoke about the man who had started the event a decade ago.
Marissa noticed the woman tugged at her braids and wouldn’t stop fiddling with the microphone as she spoke.
She seemed nervous, but then again, Marissa couldn’t blame her; she hated public speaking.
When the head of the Chamber invited his widow forward and greeted her with a large bouquet of roses, Marissa’s eyes misted.
Yes, she wanted to win the money, but listening to the story of how Passport to the Holidays came to be and how many people had been involved in turning it into the experience it was today was a reminder of how lucky she was to live in this community.
Even more motivation to make Yes, Cheese a success.
The mayor spoke next. He oozed asshole politician vibes as he yanked the mic from the president of the Chamber.
“Hello, hello, Bend. How are we doing tonight? I’m your friendly hometown mayor of over twenty-five years, running for re-election next year, so don’t forget to sign up for campaign reminders.
It’s never too early to start thinking about how you intend to cast your vote. ”
A woman nearby groaned.
“As Hilary explained, your city government has been working overtime to bring you Passport to the Holidays. We’ve got cold hard cash for one lucky team.” He stumbled a bit and caught himself.
Was he drunk?
Marissa wished he would wrap it up, but instead, he rattled on about his tenure as mayor. “Bend is your premier winter playground. Who’s here to play, people? Let me hear you.”
His speech was far from heartfelt, but at least he kept the crowd pumped up and enthusiastic.
“All right, that’s more like it.” His baritone voice echoed in the mic. “Who’s ready to kick off the holidays?”
Cheers and applause broke out.
Time to get racing.
Marissa jumped up and down like the little kids as the band began playing “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town.”
Santa and Mrs. Claus emerged from the gazebo. A spotlight shone on them as everyone turned and cheered louder. Santa let out a signature, “Ho, ho, ho, happy holiday hunting!”
Kids rushed to get in line for a picture as Darby used a giant pair of scissors to cut the ribbon strung across the stage.
The next few minutes were chaotic. Teams that already had their members in place were directed to one side of the amphitheater, whereas participants waiting to be assigned teams were told to come forward and wait for their names to be called.
Marissa pressed forward with the small group needing assignments. There were fewer unassigned participants by far. She scanned faces, wondering if there was a chance she might get partnered with someone she already knew. Maybe an old classmate or a former co-worker from the hospital.
An older, distinguished gentleman wearing parks and rec gear took the mic.
“Hi, everyone, I’m Samesh. I work for the parks department, and we will be helping with coordination this year since we have the biggest turnout in Passport to the Holidays’ history.
Over one hundred sixty-two teams will race through our great city for ten days.
My staff and I will send you text updates and some bonus clues, so make sure you’ve downloaded the app.
If you encounter any technical issues, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
We are here to make this a holiday memory and hopefully a tradition for many more years to come. ”
A handful of people clapped.
Marissa scanned the park. It was hard not to be in the holiday spirit with the earthy scent of the bonfire mingled with sugar cookies and steaming apple cider.
A horse-drawn sleigh, complete with bells, cut through the center of the park.
Ice skaters swirled in colorful costumes on the seasonal rink.
Carolers serenaded shoppers as they perused the vendor market.
Samesh reached for his iPad. “Now, what you’re here for—your team assignments.
As you probably know, each participant is assigned a character role.
Do whatever you like with your character.
This is my first year, but I’ve heard that in the past, some teams go all out and dress up as their characters.
Rumor has it that even some friendly trash-talking goes down.
” Samesh chuckled. “None of that is necessary, but you do need to make sure you accept your role and check the app. Also, be on the lookout for each of the challenges for the Passport to the Holidays candy canes. These markers will indicate that you’re in the right spot.
Each challenge is well-marked. You’re in the wrong spot if you don’t find a candy cane that looks like this.
” Samesh paused to hold up an image of the candy cane that teams should look for.
“One last thing to note is that there will be specific bonus clues and mini-quests for each of the six characters this year—Cupid, Jack Frost, the Snow Princess, the Grinch, Happy the Elf, and the Ice Queen.”
A woman raised her hand and said, “What if we’re only a team of two?”
“Good question.” Samesh smiled at her. “It doesn’t matter.
Each mini-adventure assigned to character roles will be weighted based on the number of team members.
In other words, we want everyone on a team to have a chance to do a solo puzzle or solve a special clue to make it as interactive as possible, but two-member teams won’t be penalized. Does that make sense?”
The woman nodded.
“Excellent.” Samesh tapped his iPad.
Marissa’s stomach felt like it was being swarmed with butterflies.
She was eager to meet her partner and strategize how to win.
Fifty thousand dollars was within her grasp.
Well, technically twenty-five thousand since she would have to split her winnings with her teammate.
But twenty-five thousand bought a lot of Trader Joe’s Manchego and would easily give her enough for first and last months’ rent and a nice buffer in her bank account.
Samesh called out names. She watched as newly formed teammates greeted one another with awkward handshakes and half hugs.
It felt like it took forever for Samesh to get to her. When she finally heard her name read, she placed her hand on her stomach to stop it from swirling.
“Marissa Henry, you are a Snow Princess.”
Snow Princess, okay.
That has a nice ring to it.
“And your partner, with the role of Jack Frost, will be William Graff.”
Marissa’s stomach dropped like she was free-falling from a roller coaster.
William Graff, as in the William Graff?
No.
No way.
This wasn’t happening.
What were the odds of being paired with the most insufferable man on the planet?
And why the hell was William Graff competing in Passport to the Holidays? He was one of the wealthiest people in Bend. He didn’t need the cash.
Was this some kind of a joke?
Marissa wasn’t about to let William Graff ruin her chances making a real go of Yes, Cheese.
Nor was she going to split fifty thousand dollars with him.
As soon as Samesh finished announcing teams, she would march up to the stage and demand a new partner.
She didn’t care if she had to beg, borrow, cheat, steal—whatever it took—to get him to assign someone else, anyone else other than William Graff.
Suddenly, her feet weren’t cold anymore. Nor were her hands or cheeks. Heat radiated from every pore. Her heart rate spiked.
This was her worst nightmare.
She half-expected to see a camera thrust in her face. Was this a prank? Was William Graff doing some sort of a social media challenge—hanging with the lowly commoners in town?
Samesh called the last team and then directed participants where to pick up their race packets. “Happy holidays and happy hunting.” He returned the mic to its stand.
This was her chance. Marissa practically sprinted to the stage.
A small line of people was already waiting to get a moment with him.
Great. Other teams were already solving their first clue, getting a head start, while she was stuck trying to plead her case for a new partner assignment.
“Do you know how to download the app?” a woman in line in front of her asked, tapping random buttons on her flip phone.
She reminded Marissa of her grandmother. Any visit to her grandparents’ house resulted in Marissa giving them tutorials on phone basics, like how to turn off the flashlight app. Marissa liked sharing her tech skills with her grandparents and finding new ways to connect with them.
“I can take a look,” Marissa said to the woman, keeping one eye on the stage.
“Oh, thank you.” She smiled with relief. “You’re not waiting for tech support?”
“No. I’m hoping to change partners.” Marissa installed the app and showed the woman how to enter her team name and see the first clue.
When she finished, it was her turn to speak with Samesh.
“How can I help?” he asked, kneeling and smiling with kind eyes.
“I’m hoping to change my team.” She dragged her teeth along her bottom lip. “Actually, no, I have to change my team.”
He frowned and clicked something on his iPad. “I’m sorry, but the teams are locked.”
“Isn’t there any way I can just swap partners?” Marissa’s eyes began to tear. She blinked hard.
Samesh shook his head apologetically. “Unfortunately, no. I’m so sorry. I could have done a team swap earlier, but now that the hunt is officially on, we can’t make any changes.”
Marissa hung her head and blew out a breath. “Really?”
“Is there a specific problem with your team?” He studied his iPad.
“Uh.” Marissa hesitated. “I don’t think my partner and I will be a good match.”
Samesh looked around. “Where is your partner?”
Marissa had purposely not attempted to look for William, but she realized it was odd that he wasn’t around.
The crowd had thinned. Most teams had already gathered in huddles and were reviewing their race packets.
Maybe it had been a joke after all. There was no way William Graff would stoop so low as to participate in a community scavenger hunt.
“I don’t know,” she said to Samesh. “What do I do if he doesn’t show?”
“Well.” Samesh twisted his lips as he thought. “Teams have twenty-four hours to complete the first challenge. If your partner hasn’t checked in by then, we could try to find a replacement for you, or you could recruit a friend, but you’d be a day behind.”
“Right.” Marissa could tell there wasn’t anything else he could do for her, so she moved to the side to let the next person in line have their turn. Her cheeks felt hot, like they’d been scorched by the sun.
Did the Universe have something against her?
William Graff. Why?
The evening had taken an unexpected shift.
Her enthusiasm had evaporated like moisture in the cold night air, but Marisa didn’t have time to feel sorry for herself.
If she couldn’t trade teams, she had a new mission—find William Graff.
He and his snobby friends might not care about fifty thousand dollars, but Marissa wasn’t about to let him stop her from realizing her dream.