Chapter 13
THIRTEEN
MARISSA
“Let’s go get our passports,” Marissa told William, wishing she could pinch herself and wake up from this bad dream.
“Already on it.” He proceeded to remove a glossy pamphlet from his coat pocket. “We’re checked in, too, Snow Princess.” He contorted his lips. “Hmmm. I can’t decide if I like that or Grazing Table better.”
“How about neither?” Marissa clenched her teeth and ignored his devilish grin.
William Graff was the kind of guy who thrived on getting a reaction out of people.
Marissa had news for him: She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.
Not once in the next ten days would she allow herself even the slightest hint of a reaction to anything that came from his lips.
But those lips were seductive.
Like seriously sexy.
She had to admit that much.
As were his eyes. They were deep brown but flecked with gold. The kind of eyes she could get lost in.
And his hair was so dark and luscious. She could picture running her fingers through it as he gently kissed her neck.
Stop it.
Focus.
She glanced at the stage and realized there were very few teams left. They needed to get moving. “What’s our first clue?”
William scanned the app, returning his attention to their task. “It looks like we have ourselves a little riddle.”
“Read it,” Marissa encouraged him, the jittery feeling returning to her body.
“I’m made of water, but I die if you put me in water.”
“That’s the clue?” She scooted closer, trying to get a better look at his screen.
“Yep, and I’ve already solved it.” William patted himself on the shoulder.
“You’ve solved it? Just like that?” Her scowl deepened.
“Sure. It’s easy.” He leaned closer, invading Marissa’s personal space in a casual and confident manner, his shoulder brushing against hers.
Marissa reread the riddle, trying to ignore the butterflies erupting in her stomach. “I have no idea.”
“Ice.” His eyes gleamed as he waited for her to react.
She blinked. “Ice?”
“I’m made of water—ice. But I die if you put me in water—it melts.” He motioned with his left hand like he couldn’t believe she didn’t get it.
“Please don’t mansplain to me.”
His jaw went slack as he shook his head. “I’m not mansplaining. I know this one.”
“Okay, ice. What does that mean?” Marissa looked around the park.
Everything in Bend was icy this time of the year.
Ice could literally mean just about anything.
The sidewalks were coated in a sheet of ice.
The river had iced over. There were references to ice at dozens of restaurants and shops around town.
There was Icicle’s ice cream parlor, the Ice-Melt, a specialty sandwich shop, and Icing Bakery.
William crinkled his brow, his gaze drifting toward the ebony sky etched with clouds waiting to dump more snow on them. “That I’m not sure of. Your guess is as good as mine.”
“Ice.” Marissa stuffed her hands in her pockets, repeating the word. “Ice. Everything around here is ice.”
“Including you.” He maintained intense eye contact, punctuated by a playful wink. “It’s too bad you didn’t get the role of Ice Queen.”
Marissa scrunched her nose, which was starting to go numb in the cold, ignoring his attempt to break her concentration. “Actually, yeah, maybe. Do you think it has something to do with our roles?”
“No, that was my lame attempt at humor.” William scrolled through the app as if hoping to find a hint. “You look cold. Why don’t we walk over to the coffee shop and get something warm to drink while we figure this out, or maybe we should sleep on it? Call it a night, and start fresh tomorrow?”
“Uh, no way. No.” Marissa shook her head forcefully. “We’re winning this. Even if it means we don’t sleep for the next ten days. We are not taking a night off. We’re figuring this out and logging the first clue tonight. Got it?”
William gave her a salute. “Understood. But can we at least get a coffee and let our fingers thaw out while we work through the clue?” He punched his finger on the phone screen. “I can’t get my phone to respond. It’s frozen and not because it died.”
A coffee did sound nice. Marissa acquiesced. “Okay, but only until we figure out the clue. We’re not going to linger.”
“I wouldn’t think of it.” He swept his arm in the direction of the coffee shop. “After you, Snow Princess.”
She wasn’t going to admit that Snow Princess felt like an improvement on Grazing Table. Marissa walked four steps ahead of William, wishing she could be rid of him for good.
The coffee shop was directly across the street from Drake Park.
Its exterior was painted a burnt orange with bright teal trim.
Edison-style bulbs were strung from the roofline to the trees around the perimeter, creating a canopy of golden light.
Outdoor fire tables were crowded with families and other teams, but fortunately, the line inside wasn’t terrible.
Color returned to Marissa’s cheeks as she studied the menu. There were so many special drinks she couldn’t decide.
“What’s your poison?” William asked, motioning to the chalkboard menu with cute holiday doodles.
“I don’t know. Everything sounds good, but maybe that’s just because I’m cold.”
“I’m going for the cardamom orange latte.” He pointed to the chalkboard menu. “And I’m going to guess you’re a chocolate, cherry, marshmallow kind of girl.”
“Why?” She furrowed her brow. How did he know that she had her eye on that exact drink?
“It fits for a Snow Princess.” He shrugged.
Don’t give him the satisfaction of knowing that he’s getting under your skin, Marissa.
They inched forward in line, and she refocused on the clue. “Ice… I’m stuck on ice. Is it literal ice? There’s the temporary ice sculpture installation in the Old Mill District, but that seems too obvious, don’t you think?”
William thought it over for a minute. “I don’t know. I mean, kids and families participate in the hunt, so maybe we shouldn’t overthink it.” He paused, moving out of the way for a couple in matching ski suits to pass by. “I like it. It’s a solid guess. Let’s get our coffee and start there.”
“We should probably have some backup ideas in mind if that’s not it.” Marissa wanted to cover all their bases.
“What about ice cream?” William suggested. “There’s the ice cream shop a couple of blocks away.”
“It’s a possibility.” Marissa nodded. They were next in line. The chocolate cherry marshmallow coffee did sound tempting, but she opted for a cinnamon-spiced latte instead. There was no way she was going to give William the satisfaction of being right about what she wanted to order.
As they waited for their coffees, Marissa spotted her younger cousin Olivia waiting with her friends for their drink orders on the other side of the crowded coffee shop.
“Olivia, over here,” Marissa called, waving with her fingers.
Olivia’s bright blue doe-like eyes grew wide with recognition. She whispered something to her friends, which made them all giggle, and then came over to say hi.
“Oh hey!” Olivia hugged Marissa and then greeted William with surprise. “Hi, Mr. Graff. What are you doing here?”
Mr. Graff?
Marissa stared from her young cousin to William. How did Olivia know him, and why so formal?
“Order for William,” a barista announced. “Cardamom latte.”
“Nice sweater. I approve.” He smiled at Olivia and went to pick up his drink.
“How do you know William?” Marissa asked.
“Mr. Graff? From school. He’s chill. Everyone likes him.” She stood back to let Marissa take in her appearance. “What do you think of the fit and the makeup?” Olivia’s eyes were dusted with green, sparkly glitter. Matching gold sparkly stars dotted her cheeks. “Too many sequins?” she teased.
“You look adorable as always,” Marissa assured her. “And there’s no such thing as too many sequins.”
Olivia grinned with perfectly straight teeth, thanks to years of braces. “I don’t think Malik’s into it, though. It’s kind of cheesy, isn’t it?”
“Cheesy—you’re speaking my language.” Marissa winked, raising her eyebrows as she glanced in the direction of Olivia’s friends. “Malik? Say more.” She suspected Malik was the tall, brooding one and, notably, the only member of Olivia’s team not wearing a Christmas sweater.
“Don’t be so obvious,” Olivia hushed in a whisper, yanking Marissa’s arm.
“Sorry.” Marissa wanted to ask her more about William, but Olivia was distracted. One of her teammates, a cute young guy wearing a light-up Rudolph sweater, waved wildly, signaling for Olivia to come back.
“We got it, Liv! We got it.” He lifted their clue sheet in the air.
“I have to go.” Olivia blew her a kiss. “See you soon. Wish me luck with Malik.”
Marissa smiled as her cousin practically skipped over to her friends. But if Olivia’s team had figured out the clue, that meant she and William were already behind.
“You ready?” she asked, strumming her fingers together, anxious to get moving. William needed to stop stalling and start taking this hunt seriously.
He handed her a coffee. “Easy. Easy. I just got our drinks.”
“My cousin’s team has a head start. We need to go—now.” She clutched the coffee and hurried for the door. “By the way, how do you know Olivia?”
William looked sheepish but then tried to appear nonchalant, giving her a half shrug. “I subbed in her class a couple of times.”
Marissa stopped in mid-stride. “You’re a teacher?”
“You don’t need to say it like it’s a bad thing.” He pulled away from her.
“What kind of teacher?”
William Graff is a teacher?
No chance.
“English.”
“No way.” Marissa shook her head. “You are an English teacher.”
“Guilty as charged.” William grinned, golden flecks in his eyes shimmering under the light. “What can I say? I love literature.”
Marissa had trouble finding the right words for the first time all night. William had a knack for throwing her off-balance, like she was constantly stepping on a patch of slippery ice assuming it was solid ground. “It’s not. It’s just that you’re, you’re…” She trailed off.
“I’m what?” William gave her a challenging stare.
“I, uh.”
“Don’t say it.” He shook his head, holding one finger up in a warning.
“Don’t say what?”
“I know what you’re thinking.” His face had lost any trace of lightness. “I’m a Graff.”
That was precisely what Marissa had been thinking. Why would one of the wealthiest men in town be a substitute teacher?
From the hard lines on his cheeks and how he clenched his jaw, Marissa could tell she had hit a pain point.
“I didn’t say that.” She clutched her coffee cup tighter, feeling the mood shift dramatically. She hadn’t meant to offend him.
William held open the front door for her. “You didn’t need to. Everyone I’ve ever met says it for you.” He frowned with such sadness that Marissa almost felt sorry for him. “I’ll see you at the Old Mill.”
She watched him walk toward his car. Maybe there was more to William Graff than she had initially realized.