Chapter 45
FORTY-FIVE
MARISSA
Marissa was pleased with the way her paper crowns had turned out.
She couldn’t wait to show them to William at the Snowball Dance.
They had been texting regularly for a couple of days, and every time her phone dinged, her heart would skip a beat.
His texting style was just like his personality—funny, irreverent, and even philosophical.
They had covered surprisingly deep topics in their text exchanges, like the need for more of a focus on mental health as part of classroom curriculums and ways to tackle food waste.
William continued to surprise her.
He had sent her step-by-step photos of his snowman construction project.
He had taken a literary approach, crafting the snowman from old pages ripped from books that he cut and glued together to create a 3-D model.
For the finishing touches, he had added a buffalo plaid scarf made from tissue paper, buttons, and an acorn hat.
When he sent a picture of the finished product, Marissa was more than impressed with his artistic ability. Was there anything William Graff couldn’t do?
She had stressed out over what to wear to the Snowball Dance.
She had finally opted for a white-and-gold paper crown embellished with glitter and sequins.
After much debate and trying on at least a dozen outfits, she landed on a green velvet dress.
It hit her just below her knees and was cut narrow at the waist with a dainty silk ribbon.
She had bought the dress for a friend’s Christmas wedding a few years ago and hadn’t worn it since.
It fit the occasion and was free and already hanging in her closet, which fit her budget.
On the evening of the dance, she felt like a princess in her party dress and crown.
William had offered to pick her up, but she told him that she would meet him at the hotel.
Marissa tried to squash the butterflies in her stomach when she walked into the ballroom.
It had been transformed into a winter wonderland, complete with a canopy of icicle lights on the ceiling, silver and gold ornaments intermixed with greenery as centerpieces, and the illusion of snowfall created by a digital projector.
William was waiting for her at the entrance, holding a gorgeous winter floral corsage. Marissa thought her chest might explode. She couldn’t suck in air fast enough at seeing him in a tailored black suit and tie. Her knees felt like they might buckle.
His eyes lasered in on her as she approached him, and then he seemed to remember the corsage and held it out for her. “I know it’s super old-school, but it seemed right for a ball.”
“It’s beautiful.” Marissa held her arm out and let him place the corsage on her wrist. The white roses intermixed with succulents matched her dress perfectly. “It’s like you planned it. How did you know what I was wearing?”
“Good guess.” William offered her his hand. “Shall we?”
A lump swelled in Marissa’s throat as he led her to the dance floor.
She couldn’t believe they were here and that the scavenger hunt was coming to an end.
Tonight was the last night to garner more points for their team score.
William had submitted pictures of his snowman through the app, but their crowns would be judged in person.
They had been told to expect judges to rotate through the dance floor and not to be surprised if some of them asked to hold their crowns or take photos to review.
Tomorrow afternoon the winner of Passport to the Holidays would be crowned.
Marissa wondered whether the winners would literally be crowned with their own creations.
She also realized that she probably would never see William Graff again after tomorrow.
After spending so much time with him in the last week, it would be weird to suddenly not see him.
She had come to look forward to his texts and easy banter.
She ignored the thought as they danced to the melodic sound of the orchestra.
William was a good dancer—no surprise. Being in his embrace made her feel completely at home.
It was amazing to think how much her opinion of him had shifted.
She never would have imagined herself saying that after their first encounter.
Marissa got swept up in the romance of the moment—the twinkling lights, the smell of evergreen and pine, and happy couples twirling around the dance floor.
William’s strong arms spun her around the room.
The hint of his musky aftershave and the heat from his breath on her cheek.
It was like a fairy tale. It was a tale that was soon ending, so she might as well enjoy it while she could.
“You smell good, Grazing Table,” William said, caressing the small of her back as they floated across the ballroom.
“You don’t smell too bad, either, for a Graff.” Marissa tilted her head slightly to meet his eyes.
“Marissa.” He dragged his teeth over his lips and pulled her to his chest.
“Yeah?” Her voice sounded fuzzy, like it was coming from somewhere far away.
“I can’t get you out of my head.” He cupped her face in his hands.
She gulped, allowing her body to melt into his.
An electric silence descended upon them. Marissa could feel the unspoken desire and nervous anticipation as their faces moved closer, their breaths mingling.
Marissa gasped as their lips finally met. The ballroom faded away around her. At first, the kiss was soft, hesitant, and filled with longing.
She was aware of William’s fingers tangled in her hair.
She couldn’t tell if they were still dancing.
Time seemed to blur and stretch, like they were suspended in this moment.
With every passing second, the kiss grew more passionate.
The intensity surging between them must have been radiating heat throughout the room.
Finally, after Marissa wasn’t sure she could stand anymore, William broke away, his gaze reflecting the same mixture of awe and vulnerability that Marissa felt.
“That was nice.” He grinned.
Marissa laughed and let her head fall into his chest.
“I think I could use a drink. What about you?”
“Yeah, a drink would be good,” Marissa said, unable to catch her breath.
William linked his fingers through her hand like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Is this real life?
Is this actually happening?
Did I just kiss William Graff?
And not just a kiss, but the most passionate, burning kiss Marissa had ever experienced.
She tried to make contact with the floor but was finding it difficult to center herself in the moment. If William’s flushed cheeks and labored breathing were any indication, Marissa suspected he might feel the same way.
“Wine?” William asked; his words sounded crisp and measured like he was trying to hold back his emotion, too.
“Wine would be lovely,” Marissa said, squeezing his hand tighter, in part to confirm this was actually happening. “Hey, what about Parker, though? She made it sound like you two are practically engaged.”
“What? Huh?” William recoiled and shook his head.
But a judge approached the bar as the bartender poured their wine.
She recognized him immediately. It was Samesh, the parks and recreation director who had helped them during their Christmas lights untangling debacle, but he didn’t look happy to see them.
“I’m glad I found you both. I need to speak with you right away,” Samesh said in a hurried tone.
Marissa assumed he wanted to get a close look at their crowns.
The challenge specified that extra points would be awarded for creativity.
She reluctantly let go of William’s hand, took off her crown, and handed it to Samesh.
“Are you inspecting our last task?” She couldn’t contain the glow she felt internally.
She wondered if it showed on the outside.
“Note the copious use of sequins and glitter,” William added, removing his crown, too. “I think ours should get sparkle points, if nothing else.”
Marissa smiled.
Samesh’s face remained serious.
Was something wrong?
Had she misread the clue? Was glitter banned? But there had been a baggie of glitter included in her crown kit.
“I’m afraid there’s been a development,” Samesh replied. He motioned to the food and drink tables. “Let’s go have a seat. Hilary asked me to find you.”
“What’s going on?” William asked as they walked to a nearby table.
Marissa set her wine glass down, wondering why there was a need for such formality.
“There’s no easy way to say this.” Samesh let out a long sigh. “You’ve both been disqualified.”
“What?” Marissa blurted out. She realized she must have spoken too loudly when heads turned in their direction. “Why?”
Samesh motioned to Hilary, who was walking toward them. “Hilary will explain everything, but we received word that you have cheated.”
“Cheated? How? What?” She stared at William, who shrugged in disbelief.
Samesh kept his voice calm. “I don’t have all the details. Hilary should be able to give you more information.”
They had to have been in the running to win Passport to the Holidays. They had crushed every task. They worked well together as a team. Marissa would even go so far as to say they had formed a bond, especially with that kiss. Now they were disqualified. It couldn’t be true.
Her dream had turned into a nightmare.
It was completely unfair, and she would not end the night without a fight.