Chapter 16
SIXTEEN
HILARY
Staff and volunteers dismantled the stage and hot chocolate stations. It didn’t take long to return the park to its pre-Passport to the Holidays kickoff state. Hilary was impressed with the speed and efficiency of the parks department crew. She made a mental note to mention it to Samesh tomorrow.
Hilary had noticed the unmistakable gleam in his eyes when he had checked in with her to let her know he was taking off early to meet an old friend.
Not that he needed to. She wasn’t his boss.
However, she did appreciate the professional courtesy and was glad that, aside from Darby backing out of her speech, the rest of the event had gone smoothly.
It wasn’t terribly late. She should probably go home and try to make amends with Ben. She felt terrible for upsetting him. It had been sweet of him to show up and surprise her with flowers. It was just bad timing, which felt like the story of their lives at the moment.
She wondered if he’d eaten. She could swing by their favorite ramen shop and pick up dinner on the way home.
As she started to text him, a call came through.
“Hilary speaking.”
“Thank goodness I caught you. There’s a problem.” A woman’s voice sounded on the other end of the line.
“Who is this?” Hilary recognized the Bend area code, but the number wasn’t in her phone.
“Sorry, this is Amanda, the mayor’s assistant. This is Hilary Baldwin, right?”
“Yes.”
“Did you hear what happened?”
“No, what?”
“Uh, well, you better get to your office right away. There’s a major issue.”
A major issue?
Hilary clutched her stomach with her free hand.
What could have gone wrong? She had planned for every possible scenario.
“I don’t understand.” It couldn’t be a team, could it? Had someone been injured?
Amanda’s tone was curt and short. “The mayor needs to speak with you.”
“Can you give me a little heads-up? Why does he need to see me?” The suspense was killing Hilary.
She glanced around the nearly empty park.
The last of the folding chairs and the speaker system were being carted away.
Vendors were closing their shops for the evening.
They’d return for special holiday market hours over the weekend.
Teams had started on their quests. Everything was fine.
Amanda cleared her throat. “We have reason to believe there is cheating going on. The mayor wants you to shut down the entire event—now. Passport to the Holidays is done.”