“I’m made of water, but I die if you put me in water.”
“That’s the clue?” She scooted closer, trying to get a better look at his screen.
“Yep, and I’ve already solved it.” William patted himself on the shoulder.
“You’ve solved it? Just like that?” Her scowl deepened.
“Sure. It’s easy.” He leaned closer, invading Marissa’s personal space in a casual and confident manner, his shoulder brushing against hers.
Marissa reread the riddle, trying to ignore the butterflies erupting in her stomach. “I have no idea.”
“Ice.” His eyes gleamed as he waited for her to react.
She blinked. “Ice?”
“I’m made of water—ice. But I die if you put me in water—it melts.” He motioned with his left hand like he couldn’t believe she didn’t get it.
“Please don’t mansplain to me.”
His jaw went slack as he shook his head. “I’m not mansplaining. I know this one.”
“Okay, ice. What does that mean?” Marissa looked around the park. Everything in Bend was icy this time of the year. Ice could literally mean just about anything. The sidewalks were coated in a sheet of ice. The river had iced over. There were references to ice at dozens of restaurants and shops around town. There was Icicle’s ice cream parlor, the Ice-Melt, a specialty sandwich shop, and Icing Bakery.
William crinkled his brow, his gaze drifting toward the ebony sky etched with clouds waiting to dump more snow on them. “That I’m not sure of. Your guess is as good as mine.”
“Ice.” Marissa stuffed her hands in her pockets, repeating the word. “Ice. Everything around here is ice.”
“Including you.” He maintained intense eye contact, punctuated by a playful wink. “It’s too bad you didn’t get the role ofIceQueen.”
Marissa scrunched her nose, which was starting to go numb in the cold, ignoring his attempt to break her concentration. “Actually, yeah, maybe. Do you think it has something to do with our roles?”
“No, that was my lame attempt at humor.” William scrolled through the app as if hoping to find a hint. “You look cold. Why don’t we walk over to the coffee shop and get something warm to drink while we figure this out, or maybe we should sleep on it? Call it a night, and start fresh tomorrow?”
“Uh, no way. No.” Marissa shook her head forcefully. “We’re winning this. Even if it means we don’t sleep for the next ten days. We arenottaking a night off. We’re figuring this out and logging the first clue tonight. Got it?”
William gave her a salute. “Understood. But can we at least get a coffee and let our fingers thaw out while we work through the clue?” He punched his finger on the phone screen. “I can’t get my phone to respond. It’s frozen and not because it died.”
A coffee did sound nice. Marissa acquiesced. “Okay, but only until we figure out the clue. We’re not going to linger.”
“I wouldn’t think of it.” He swept his arm in the direction of the coffee shop. “After you, Snow Princess.”
She wasn’t going to admit that Snow Princess felt like an improvement on Grazing Table. Marissa walked four steps ahead of William, wishing she could be rid of him for good.
The coffee shop was directly across the street from Drake Park. Its exterior was painted a burnt orange with bright teal trim. Edison-style bulbs were strung from the roofline to the trees around the perimeter, creating a canopy of golden light. Outdoor fire tables were crowded with families and other teams, but fortunately, the line inside wasn’t terrible.
Color returned to Marissa’s cheeks as she studied the menu. There were so many special drinks she couldn’t decide.
“What’s your poison?” William asked, motioning to the chalkboard menu with cute holiday doodles.
“I don’t know. Everything sounds good, but maybe that’s just because I’m cold.”
“I’m going for the cardamom orange latte.” He pointed to the chalkboard menu. “And I’m going to guess you’re a chocolate, cherry, marshmallow kind of girl.”
“Why?” She furrowed her brow. How did he know that she had her eye on that exact drink?
“It fits for a Snow Princess.” He shrugged.
Don’t give him the satisfaction of knowing that he’s getting under your skin, Marissa.
