The waiter raised his eyebrows twice. “Not in thebar, no.”
Marissa knew they were on the right track. Deschutes had to be the spot, but not the bar. What did that mean?
She placed her coat on the back of her chair and explored the dining room, hoping that she might have missed something obvious on the way in. The space was dimly lit with candles and funky artwork. Another Christmas tree made from beer kegs was internally illuminated with white twinkle lights and wreaths constructed from bottle caps hanging from the exposed beams. However, there was nothing photo-esque anywhere. She even checked the bathrooms and peered into the kitchen—not that the hunt would likely take them into off-limits areas of the pub.
The waiter returned with her drink. She sipped the frothy ale, which had notes of toasted caramel and touches of holiday spices—cinnamon, nutmeg, and honey. An idea for a new board came to her as she took another sip. She could serve the holidayale in pint glasses rimmed with cinnamon and sugar and pair it with pretzel and sausage fondue boards.
She loosened the green and navy scarf Olivia had knitted for her last Christmas.
William strolled toward the table wearing a navy blue Christmas sweater with three nutcrackers and hand-stitched lettering that readThe Holidays Are Nuts.
“Nice sweater.” Marissa held her pint up in a greeting, unable to hide a smile. The man was a conundrum and obviously had a closet full of hideous holiday sweaters, which he knew how to wear well. Who else could make an ugly sweater look that good?
“Senior assembly at school. It’s the price I pay for being the most awesome teacher there.” He winked and sat across from her. “We match. Although you wear navy much better. I like that your earrings match, too. Blue’s a good color on you.”
Marissa’s hand instinctively went to the dangling earrings. She wasn’t prepared to respond to compliments from William.
“I see you got a head start.” He saved her, pointing to the winter ale.
“Because you’re late.” She tapped her watch.
“Hey, sorry. Duty called.” He shrugged.
“I bet,” Marissa muttered under her breath, then sipped her beer. “Let’s concentrate on our task. I just did a complete sweep of the restaurant. There’s nothing. I don’t get it.”
“Can I at least order first?” William asked as the waiter came over. “What are you drinking? Never mind.” He stopped and turned to the waiter. “I’ll have what she’s having. A food arranger must know her way around a good beer, right?”
Marissa rolled her eyes. “We must be missing something. It’s got to be the getting-wet part of the clue.”
“The bathroom? Maybe there’s a clue above the sink?” William suggested.
“No. I already checked there.”
“You want me to do a spin through the men’s restroom?” he asked.
“I guess, but hiding a clue in the bathroom seems weird, yeah?”
“Yeah.” William mimicked her tone, wiggling his brows and giving her a playful grin.
“Hey.” She scrunched her nose. Was he flirting with her?
“You’re cute when you do that.” His smile spread to his eyes, which remained locked on her.
Marissa felt the air get sucked from her lungs. Hewasflirting with her.
William pretended to be interested in the menu, but she could feel his eyes on her and the heat of his attention, like standing too close to a crackling fire.
“Anyway, back to the clue,” she continued, choking on her drink as she tried to ignore the fluttering in her chest. “Let’s think about water. There has to be more with water.”
The waiter brought William’s beer, momentarily breaking the tension. “Figured it out yet?”
They both shook their heads. “No, do you have another clue for us?” William asked.
The waiter placed a finger to his lips. “Sorry. I’ve been sworn to secrecy. Good luck.” He left them with a wave.
“Well, that’s no help.” William ran his lips over the edge of his glass as he took a drink. Even the way he sipped his beer was sexy.
For the briefest moment, she imagined those full lips leaning slowly across the table and brushing against hers.
