Chapter 51
FIFTY-ONE
MARISSA
After her conversation with Hilary the night before, Marissa knew that she had to show up for the closing ceremony. She had no idea what to expect, but she had a good vibe about Hilary and didn’t feel like Hilary would have told her to come if there wasn’t a good reason.
Knowing that she had the potential of ongoing, consistent work with the Chamber of Commerce made the sting of not being in contention for the fifty thousand dollars a little easier.
She returned to Drake Park. Ice crystals sparkled in the snow. Sunlight flickered on the treetops. Teams gathered at the amphitheater as they had for the kickoff party. This time the nervous hum of energy permeated everything as the crowd awaited the announcement of who had won the sledful of cash.
She looked around anxiously. There was no sign of William.
A handful of skilled ice skaters glided across the temporary rink. Marissa watched, transfixed, as they executed intricate spins and jumps.
But no William Graff.
Marissa tried to brush aside her disappointment.
Hilary and Samesh took the stage, thanking everyone for their participation. There were awards for second and third place and ribbons for individual challenges like best paper crown and snowman.
“And now, for the moment you’re all waiting for,” Hilary said into the microphone. “This year’s winner of Passport to the Holidays is…” She turned to the high school band. “Drum roll, please.”
Everyone held their breath as they awaited the results.
“The student team from Bend High School, team captain Olivia Henry.”
Marissa jumped up and down, shouting along with the crowd in genuine delight. Olivia won! Her young cousin’s team had beaten out the adult teams.
She felt true delight. Olivia deserved to win, and Marissa knew she would use the money for something good.
Is that why Hilary had wanted her to come?
It had nothing to do with William Graff.
Again, disappointment swirled through her body.
Hearing that William had been the one to recommend her business had given Marissa hope that maybe she hadn’t misread him.
But then, why wasn’t he here?
She waited for the crowd to thin out before congratulating Olivia.
Her cousin was beaming with pride. “Liv! Amazing.” Marissa wrapped her in a giant hug.
“Can you believe it? We won!” Olivia clapped. “I’m still in shock. I never thought we would win. I thought from the scores on the app that we were in third place, but I guess the last challenge put us over the top.”
“Awesome. I’m so happy for you.” Marissa meant it. “Now you can pay for college.”
Olivia gave her an odd stare. “I’m not using this money for college.”
“You’re not?” That surprised Marissa. Her cousin was so practical and wise. She couldn’t imagine Olivia blowing the money on a shopping spree or something frivolous. “What are you going to do with it?”
“We’re using it to launch more programs for foster kids.” Olivia’s attention drifted toward the band. “Mr. Graff is going to oversee the project. He’s been our champion this entire time and has an idea for you. You should go talk to him.”
Marissa couldn’t hide her confusion. William was already heading her way.
His long strides cut through the crowd. He wore a pair of black slacks and a vintage Icelandic penguin print Christmas sweater that made him look like some kind of a Nordic god.
He brushed a strand of hair from his eyes as he glided toward her.
“Hey, Grazing Table.” His voice was thick and throaty, slightly rough when he reached her.
“Hi,” she managed to mutter, her heart rate spiking at the way he looked at her.
“Pretty cool that your cousin won.”
“Yeah,” she said slowly, trying to control the pounding in her chest. “She said you’re working with her?”
William nodded, stepping closer. The space between them felt charged, like it was on fire.
“It’s the reason I wanted to win. There’s so much that needs to be done at the school.
I had a real chance to make it better. My parents and several of the businesses agreed to match whatever I won.
I’ve been putting my powers of persuasion to the test after we got disqualified, and I’m happy to report that I’ve convinced them to keep their promise to match donations, although admittedly, it wasn’t a tough sell. ”
She stared at him, stunned. “What?” Marissa couldn’t believe what she was hearing. That’s why William had participated in the hunt. Not to compete. Not to flirt. To give back.
And somehow that made the air feel even thicker, hotter.
“Now that the high school team has won, I know they’ll honor that. We should have enough money to fund programming for the next five, maybe ten years.” He pushed up the sleeves on his sweater.
“That’s so great,” she said, her voice sounding strange and far away like it belonged to someone else. “That’s incredible… really.”
William grinned; a familiar hint of mischief flickered behind his sincerity. “But I thought the Graffs were pretentious assholes.”
She laughed, caught off guard, and looked up at him. “Well, I was leaning that way, but I may have made a mistake about that.”
“Really?” A slow, sexy smile tugged at his lips.
She shrugged, hoping to appear nonchalant as all the blood in her body rushed to her head. “Maybe. What about Parker, though?”
“She was petty. Jealous, I guess?” He shrugged. “I seriously had no idea she would turn us in. That was my mistake.”
“I may have made a few bad judgments, too.”
“I have a way you can make it up to me.” His voice dropped just enough to make her heart beat even faster. “Two ways, actually.”
“How?” She could barely get the word out.
He stepped even closer, his face inches away from her.
“First, we’re hoping you would be willing to teach a food services workshop.
It would be a great life skill for these kids.
We already have permission from the culinary arts teacher to use the kitchen after hours.
It would be great for Yes, Cheese, too. Community goodwill. Branding.”
“Yes, no question. I would love that.”
“Good. You might not say the same thing about my second request.” His smile turned roguish.
“Okay. What is it?” Marissa heard the caution in her voice, but only because she was desperately hoping that she wasn’t reading this wrong.
William didn’t hesitate. “I think you owe me a real date.”
Her eyes widened with hope. “A date?”
“A legit date.” His tone was even and steady. “No scavenger hunts. No competition. No distractions. Just us.”
“Yeah?” She felt his gaze burning into hers, and her body pulled toward him, like it was responding before her mind could catch up.
He leaned closer, his lips brushing gently against her forehead. “You are the most incredible woman I’ve met, Grazing Table, and I know you like to think of me as a villain,” he said with a crooked grin. “But let’s face it, we go together like olive oil and vinegar.”
“Cheese and salami,” Marissa bantered back without missing a beat.
He laughed. “Cheese and salami it is.”
Marissa couldn’t stand the tension any longer; it was crackling now, undeniable.
She stood on her tiptoes, her heart racing wildly.
“Get over here, Graff.” She jabbed her finger above them.
“We’re standing under the mistletoe, and if you’re not going to give me a Christmas kiss, then I’m going to have to kiss you. ”
She didn’t wait for his response. She leaned in and kissed him, finally sure of everything she’d been holding back.
She’d won. Maybe not the prize or the money, but she’d found something far better under the mistletoe and twinkling lights—William Graff.
In the end, maybe love had been the real prize all along.
*
If you’ve adored this cozy romance with a dash of mystery you won’t want to miss Ellie Alexander’s Secret Bookcase mystery series.
Full of lovable, irresistible characters and small-town charm, the first book in the series, The Body in the Bookstore, features bookseller and events organizer Annie Murray as she launches a new event at her beloved store – but soon find herself deep in a murder mystery when a body is found behind the bookshelves.
Get the first book here, or read on for an exclusive extract!