Page 70 of Clued in to Love
Marissa didn’t share his enthusiasm. She pursed her lips together and threw her hands up in distress. “But it’s not our fault that your team didn’t put a clue in our ball of lights. It’s so unfair. We’ve been here for hours.”
Hilary tried to think of the most noncommittal way to respond, but William beat her.
“Hey, at least we’ve got a strategy down this time, and we know what we’re looking for.” He glanced hopefully at Marissa.
She made a face and hung her head in utter disappointment.
“More time with my favorite partner isn’t such a bad thing.” He put an arm around her shoulder.
Marissa tensed. “I’m not sure I have it in me.”
William rubbed her arm the way Ben used to with the twins to pump them up before a race or swim meet.
Marissa pushed him away.
Hilary picked up on the tension between them. She wasn’t sure if it was because of the clue mix-up or if a love match was brewing. William hadn’t taken his eyes off Marissa the entire time they talked. He was obviously trying to rally for her. But she couldn’t tell if Marissa reciprocated his feelings. Her body language was closed off, her arms wrapped tightly across her chest, and a permanent scowl on her lips.
“Good luck, you two. Again, my apologies. I wish there were something more we could do, but I’m sure you’ll have the clue in no time.” Hilary pulled Samesh away and left them to begin untangling another ball of lights.
The lights felt symbolic of Hilary’s life at the moment. Everything was unraveling. Unlike William and Marissa, she had no strategy for straightening things out.
FORTY
OLIVIA
Malik bolted as soon as he saw the gnarly bundles of Christmas lights. “Peace out, dudes.” He flashed them a peace sign and strolled away without another word.
“Sorry, Liv, I guess it’s just us,” Hugo said, holding the wad of tangled lights with one arm and watching Malik cut through the crowded workstations.
“It’s fine. We’ll get it done with the three of us,” Olivia said, forcing a smile and tugging on a strand of lights. Malik was a mystery. She couldn’t figure out his angle or why he kept showing up only to bounce a few minutes later. But she wasn’t going to let him get under her skin—they had a task to complete and new clue to find.
They spent the next hour wrangling giant balls of Christmas lights like they were in a game of Twister. It was hard to tell if they were making much progress because every strand that they loosened, whether by force or gentle coaxing over a shoulder or under a leg, revealed dozens more mangled up against each other, waiting to be set free.
“This is taking forever,” Cass wailed, shaking her fingers like she was trying to bring back feeling. “My hands keep going numb and I’ve broken two nails. How dare they? The organizers arejust cruel at the point. I thought this was supposed to be holiday fun, but it’s more like holiday torture.”
“No, come on, guys, we’ve got this,” Hugo chimed in, dropping the strand he was holding. “We can’t give up yet. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, or maybe I should say bundle.” He caught Olivia’s eyes, looking at her hopefully. “You’re not thinking of bailing, too, are you?”
“Me? Never.” She shook her head.
“Whew, I was worried Mr. Model got to you.”
“Mr. Model?”
“You know, Malik.” He sounded surprised that she wasn’t catching on. “You know that’s his goal, right?”
Olivia used both hands to pry a long section of lights into a straight line, pressing them onto the floor carefully so as not to break any bulbs. “What are you talking about?”
“Malik—he wants to be a model. That’s what all the pictures on his social are for. He’s trying to land an agent.” Hugo was matter-of-fact, relaying this huge piece of news. “I thought you knew that. Malik is his stage name. None of it is real.”
“Wait, what?” Olivia ignored the lights, which were curling back into themselves. “What are you talking about?”
Hugo caught Cass’s eye. They exchanged a look that must have been a signal for her to give them some space. “Hey, I’m going to grab us snacks. Be back in a second.” Cass took off without another word.
Olivia furrowed her brow and stared at Hugo, who had suddenly become even more interested in the ball of lights at his feet. “Seriously, Hugo, what do you mean Malik is his stage name?”
“Sorry, I thought you knew, but then I overheard you asking him about Byron in the backseat.”
“What does Byron have to do with this?”
