Page 50 of Clued in to Love
“I’m going to need more information.” William came up next to Marissa, letting his shoulder brush against her.
She scooted away. “Olivia was lamenting about how she constantly gets asked about college and her future.”
“That’s the worst.” William gave Olivia a conspiratorial grin. “Here’s an idea, tell anyone who asks that you’re packing one single bag, a bow, and an arrow and are going off the grid to live off the land for a year. You’ll forage for your own food, hunt, build a shelter. No cell service. No social media. No contact with the outside world. That will shut them up.”
“Bow and arrow?” Marissa gaped at him. “Where did that come from?”
“Outdoor school. Didn’t you do the bow and arrow unit?”
Marissa shook her head.
“You missed out. It was my favorite activity. They were Nerf arrows, but I’ve always thought that would be a romantic way to propose. Shoot an arrow with a ring tied to it to my future wife.”
Why was he talking to her about proposals?
“Wouldn’t you be in danger of hitting your future wife with the arrow?” Olivia teased.
“Not me.” William flexed. “I have perfect aim.”
Marissa sighed. “We should get moving. See you later, Liv. And seriously, try not to sweat school and college applications too much. I promise it will all work out.” She marched toward the ballroom without bothering to see if William was following her.
“Where’s the fire?” William asked, glancing at the welcome table. “I didn’t even get a lousy candy cane.”
“We here for one purpose,” Marissa said, stopping at the entrance. “The line for Santa doesn’t look too long. You have the photo from last night, right?”
William patted his puffy vest. “In my pocket.”
Marissa cut through the room and slipped into place in the line. She didn’t expect him to follow, but he did.
“Why did you take off last night?” His voice was low, just for her. “I thought we were vibing.”
She arched her brows. “Vibing?”
He smiled, just a little. “Like teammates. Bonding. Maybe more?”
Marissa turned to face him completely, narrowing the space between them. “Look, William, I feel like I’ve made it abundantly clear that I intend to win. That’s why I’m here.”
His smile didn’t falter, but something flickered in his eyes. “Maybe winning and bonding aren’t mutually exclusive.”
She didn’t answer, mainly because she didn’t trust herself to speak.
“I just thought it might be more enjoyable if we had fun in the process. It seemed like we were last night, but obviously, I misread the situation.” He sighed and shook his head. “It won’t happen again.”
“Good.” She nodded curtly and folded her arms across her chest.
They waited in silence until it was their turn.
Santa boomed out a “ho, ho, ho” and waved them over with a white gloved hand. “Come on up.”
Marissa turned to William. “The photo.”
“Yeah, I got it.”
“What a lovely young couple,” Santa said. “Christmas card photo?”
“Oh no, we’re not a couple,” Marissa said quickly.
William gave her an odd look and then handed Santa his phone. “We’re hoping this selfie will mean something to you.”
