Chapter 19
Eddie
I stand with wobbly legs after talking to Mr. Mynt for nearly an hour.
I’m relieved the interview is finally over, but I can’t find Maya.
I waited for her in the lobby, but some lady named Lauren escorted me and Roger to a conference room before she arrived.
I was thrown off because Maya is always on time, but I know she had to pick up her friend Holly for work. Maybe that messed with her schedule.
I’m about to text her when I notice a message. It’s from Maya. “Hey, I hope the interview went well. Sorry I couldn’t make it.”
That’s weird. I hope nothing happened. I’m about to text back when I notice Roger talking to Mr. Mynt.
They shake hands, and Roger comes my way. “You nailed it!” His giant smile is back. “Now, all that’s left is the Merry Mynt Ball tomorrow. If you attend that—and stay the whole time—the sponsorship is on track.”
“That’s good,” I say, not as excited as I probably should be. The sponsorship is important, but that’s not why I did the interview. My new goal is to honor Joey—whether that’s as a pro tennis player or not.
The interview was an opportunity to raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving. I can’t bring Joey back, but I can share about his life. And maybe, I can prevent someone else from losing someone they love.
I have another idea in mind to honor Joey too. I was looking forward to running it by Maya. She is so good with people, I was hoping she might even be interested in helping me make it happen.
“Roger,” I say, “have you seen Maya?”
He looks around the room with me. “Now that you mention it, I haven’t. Do you want me to ask Lauren where she is?”
“No, that’s fine.” I don’t want to get her into trouble if she is supposed to be here. “I’m just going to head up to my room. Can you let her know I’m there if you see her?”
“I can do that,” Roger says as he pats me on the back. I think he might be the most excited about the interview and sponsorship, which makes sense considering he is in charge of paying the bills. I’m glad that I’ve lightened his load.
I make my way to the elevator, scanning for Maya the whole time. There’s no sign of her though.
As I ride up the fifth floor, I text Maya. “Did something happen? I didn’t get you in trouble did I?”
I wait for three dots to appear, but nothing happens. As I walk toward my room, I see a woman in a Mynt Peak signature uniform—long skirt and blazer. Her back is to me, but my heartbeat quickens.
“Maya,” I call out. When the woman turns around it’s a familiar face, but not Maya.
“It’s Lauren,” the woman says with a smile as she slips her phone into her blazer pocket. “I’ll be your new Mynt Peak host.”
“My new host? What about Maya?”
She clasps her hands in front of her. “Maya had another engagement today. But, don’t worry, I will make sure you are very well taken care of.
” She emphasizes “very” with her eyebrows.
“Now, it’s time for the Wrapped in Kindness event at the Winterbrook Community Center.
Our ride is waiting. All you have to do is grab your coat. ”
I blink at her. “The what event?”
Lauren exhales, and I can sense annoyance in her response. “The Wrapped in Kindness event. It was on your schedule. Maya should have told you about it.”
“I’m sure she did. I must have forgotten.”
“Well, good thing I’m here. Off you go.” She shoos me into my room. I want to ask her about Maya, but I get the feeling Lauren isn’t her biggest fan.
As I open my room door, Lauren trails close behind and follows me in. This level of hospitality is too much.
“I’m going to run to the bathroom,” I say, when in actuality, I need some privacy. I pull out my phone and try calling Maya, but it goes right to voicemail. I send another text. “Hey, missed you this morning. Is everything okay?”
I wait a few minutes for a response but don’t get one. I hear Lauren, no joke, tapping her foot outside the door. Then she says, “We really need to be going, Mr. Evans.”
I run a hand across my jaw. I need to find Maya. Maybe she’ll be at the Wrapped in Kindness event. If not, I’ll do whatever it takes to locate her as soon as I get back.
After wrapping presents for three hours, we delivered them to families who gathered at the community center.
We also took photos, signed autographs, and then, Lauren corralled the athletes to a community banquet.
The mayor of Winterbrook was there, along with Mr. Mynt.
The community wanted to honor all the charitable work of the Mynt family.
It wasn’t until we arrived back at Mynt Peak around 9 p.m. that Lauren let me out of her sight. Throughout the day, I was always scanning for Maya, but she never showed.
As we walk through the lobby, I finally get a moment to ask my most pressing question. “Roger, why isn’t Maya my host anymore?”
He shrugs. “I don’t know, but Lauren’s the head of PR. You should be flattered she’s your host now.”
I rub my forehead. “More like exhausted. Why didn’t you tell me about the Wrapped in Kindness event?”
“I thought you knew. It was on the schedule.”
“Right, the schedule.” Maya took such good care of me, I didn’t bother to look at it.
“Well, only one day left. You just have to attend the ball tomorrow. Then, you can shred the Mynt to Make a Difference schedule and head back to sunny Florida.”
I give a closed-mouth smile. A few days ago, I would have been ecstatic about leaving. But now, I’m dreading it. I don’t want to leave Maya, especially without knowing what happened.
When we arrive at my hotel room, Roger pats my back. “Get some sleep, kid. Big last day tomorrow.”
I exhale and turn the nob. “Night, Roger.”
The sun pierces my eyelids, and I blink open my eyes. I sit up and realize that I fell asleep on the couch last night.
Something crashes onto the floor. When I look down, I see my phone. That’s when I realize I still haven’t heard from Maya. I called her three times before I fell asleep, but she never answered. I texted her again asking her to let me know everything’s okay.
I pick up my phone. One unread message delivered at 6:45 a.m…—from Maya. My stomach twists as I read it. “Hey, sorry, my new assignment is keeping me really busy. Hopefully I can say goodbye before you leave.”
I text back. “What’s your new assignment? I’ll come see you.”
After fifteen minutes, there’s no response. I look at the time. It’s 9:14 a.m. She’s probably already working. My mind starts racing: Did someone find out that we kissed? Did she choose a new assignment? Does she regret our kiss?
I try to steady my breathing, but I hate the thought of Maya being upset or in trouble.
That’s it. I have to find her to make sure she’s okay, to make sure we’re okay. I throw on a hoodie and sweatpants and head for the elevator.
When I get to the lobby, I peer at the front desk workers. I don’t want to ask for Maya directly, in case it brings unwanted attention to her. But, I know Maya’s friend is named Holly, so if I ask for her, maybe I can figure out what’s going on.
I walk up to the counter and a woman with bright-red hair greets me. “Hello, sir, how can I help you?”
“I spoke with someone named Holly earlier. I was wondering if she's working today.”
The woman whose nametag says Angel leans back. “Yes, she was just here. Let me check the back office.”
When she reappears a moment later, a petite blonde, whom I presume is Holly, is following behind her. Angel points to me, and Holly’s face changes from pinched brows to wide eyes.
“Hello, Mr. Evans, how are you today?” she asks.
“Good, I was looking for—”
Holly cuts me off. “More info about the snowshoeing trek, right? Let me just take you to our recreation desk.”
She comes around to my side of the counter and says, “Right this way.”
I whisper, “What are you doing?”
“We can’t talk here, just play along.” She leads me through the lobby and then stops abruptly in front of the giant picture window. “Pretend I’m talking to you about snowshoeing.”
I suddenly feel like I’m in a spy movie. “Why are we being so secretive?”
“Management has eyes everywhere. You’re looking for Maya, right?” She moves her hands like she’s giving detailed directions.
“Yeah. I can’t find her, and she’s not returning my calls or texts. I thought maybe you’d know.” I nod my head as if I’m intrigued by the non-existent snowshoeing trip we’re pretending to talk about.
“You haven’t seen or heard from her because she’s been in the basement. No reception down there.”
“Why is she in the basement?” An image of Maya locked in hotel jail springs into my brain.
“Lauren was upset that you missed so many events. She blamed Maya. That’s why Lauren took over as your host. Housekeeping has been swamped with all the athletes and guests, so they moved Maya to laundry duty.”
My nostrils flare. In a loud voice I say, “It wasn’t Maya’s fault. Where’s Mr. Mynt? I’ll fix this.”
Holly looks around with a pasted smile on her face. “Shhh…I get it. I’m angry too. But, I don’t think confronting Mr. Mynt is the best plan.” She brings her hand to her mouth and nibbles on her thumbnail. After an awkward silence, she finally says, “I know what to do. Give me your phone.”
“I’m not giving you my phone.” I clutch my phone in my pocket.
“Not to keep. I’m going to put my number in.”
I try to discreetly hand her my phone. As she’s typing in her information, I ask, “What do I need to do?”
“Go about your normal day. I have an ace up my sleeve. Get it, ‘ace’ like a tennis serve?” She winks at me, clearly proud of her pun.
I rub my forehead. “I get it. But what is your ace?”
“You’re going to have to trust me,” Holly replies.
I’m reminded of the last time I heard that phrase, “trust me.” It was when Maya surprised me with the igloo. That worked out, maybe I’ll try to roll with it.
“Based on the fact that you’re Maya’s friend, I’m going to cautiously trust you.”
“Good. I’ll text you the plan. Oh, and by the way, I entered my number as ‘Momma E’, so if Lauren sees your phone screen, she won’t know it’s me.”
I’m impressed by Holly’s attention to detail. “Have you done this before?”
She smirks. “No comment.” Then, more loudly, she says, “And that is how snowshoeing was invented. You’re really going to love being so close to nature! Please let the recreation desk know if you’d like to schedule a guided tour.”
Holly knows how to put on a show.
“Thank you,” I say, then head up to my room. I’m feeling uneasy because I have no idea what I just agreed to, but I’m also grateful for Holly’s help. I want to make things right for Maya.