“Betsy.” He gave me a curt nod, and then he walked inside and pulled Jules to him. “Why haven’t you been answering my texts and calls?”
“Oh, oops.” Jules offered him a sweet smile. “Sorry, I forgot. I meant to text you back, but we were busy helping Betsy.” Then she hiccupped, and I laughed.
“Are you drunk?” Nolan’s eyes narrowed, and he looked at me. “What’s going on here?”
“Hello to you too, dear brother.” I rolled my eyes. I was used to him being overprotective when we were younger, but this was ridiculous. “We’re drinking and talking about getting men.”
“Getting men?” He frowned. “What the hell does that mean?”
“We’re going to enter the Canyon Beach Bachelor Auction,” Stella spoke up and grinned. “We can tell you more about it if you want a glass of wine.”
“How can you enter the auction? You’re not men.”
“Well, duh,” I said looking into his stern green eyes. “We’re going to make a Bachelorette Auction.”
“What?” he scoffed. “That’s stupid.”
“Nolan.” Jules touched his shoulder lightly. “Why is that stupid?”
“How are you guys going to offer yourselves up? Are you prostitutes?”
“Oh, hell, no,” I muttered.
“Really?” Jules glared at him.
“Don’t bite the messenger, but let’s be real. Any men that buy you are going to expect sex.”
“No, they’re not.” Stella made a face at him. “And it doesn’t matter what you think, because all four of us are going to enter.”
“Wait, what?” His voice grew louder. “All four of you? Jules?”
“Actually, maybe five of us,” I said with a smirk. “I’m going to see if Lily will join us.”
“Lily’s back?” Nolan looked surprised, and I nodded.
“Yup, she got back last night.”
“I wonder if John knows.” John was Lily’s ex-best friend. I shrugged. “Hmm.” Nolan was quiet for a few moments and then he looked at Jules. “You agreed to be a part of this stupid plan?”
“It’s not stupid.” Jules pursed her lips. “And why should the men have all the fun?”
“You’d be okay if I entered, and some girl bid on a date with me?” He raised an eyebrow at her.
“Well, I’d bid on you, and so the date would be with me.” She put her hands on her hips. “Are you trying to say that you wouldn’t bid on me? Am I not worth it?”
“Yeah, Nolan, is your girlfriend not worth it?”
“You girls are too much.” He looked at me. “What are you up to?”
“Nothing.” I shook my head and looked away from him. “Let’s go to the living room. I feel weird standing here.”
“Do you have any beer?” Nolan asked. He walked past me into my living room before I could answer. I closed the door and looked at Jules who was rolling her eyes as we followed behind him.
“Yes.” I headed into the kitchen where I grabbed a bottle of beer from the fridge then went back to the living room. “Here you go.” I handed the bottle to my brother, who took it from me without even saying thank you. He was saying something to Jules, who was mumbling something back to him. “Are you being a bossy boots again?” I chided him. “Dude, you’re her boyfriend, not her dad.”
“I was worried that something had happened to her, thank you very much.” He gave me a sharp look, and I rolled my eyes.
“Uh-huh. Likely story.” I looked at Stella and Abby and could see that they were both grinning as they sipped their glasses of wine. “Anyways.” I sat back down and grabbed another chocolate. “What did you want from Jules so badly, anyways?”
“I wanted to know if she was staying over tonight.”
“I’m staying over at my own place tonight.” She stroked his arm. “I told you that this morning.”
“Yeah, but I was missing you, so I was hoping you had changed your mind.” He kissed her cheek, and I made a retching noise. “Grow up, Betsy.”
“You grow up.” I made a face at him and then the doorbell rang again. I looked at Stella, and she shrugged. “Who can that be now? Nanna?”
“That’s Jeff,” Nolan said holding Jules’s hand. “I texted him to come by.”
“What?” I froze. I looked like a hot mess. Ugh! “What is he doing here? Why did you text him?”
“I told him about your plan to join the Bachelor Auction. I’m hoping he can knock some sense into you guys.”
“Nolan!” Julia gave him a look. “Sometimes you’re insufferable, you know that, right?”
“That’s why you love me, though.”
“Perhaps.” She giggled and gave him a quick peck.
“Please save it for the bedroom, guys.” I sighed and walked to the front door. “I cannot believe you invited Jeff over.” I quickly patted my hair as I licked my lips. Stella gave me a thumbs-up sign. I smiled gratefully at her as I adjusted my top and took a deep breath.
I opened the front door and there stood Jeff, looking fit and handsome in a white T-shirt and black gym shorts. His short dark hair had drops of water on the end and his blue eyes looked at me with an amused expression.
“How’s it going, Betsy?”
“Not bad, just come from the gym?” I asked him, trying hard not to stare at his biceps. Boy, was he fit.
“Yeah, today was upper body.” He ran his hand through his hair and he looked me up and down. “I’m guessing you’re just relaxing?”
“Oh?” I was taken aback at his comment. “What do you mean?”
“You have a wine stain on the front of your top.” He grinned and took a step toward me. “And you have some chocolate on your cheek.” He leaned his head in toward my face. For a second, I thought he was going to lick my face, and I trembled in anticipation, but then he took a deep sniff and leaned back. “Yup, smells like chocolate.” His eyes twinkled.
“Yes,” I said weakly. “I was eating chocolate with the girls.”
“So I heard. So, what craziness have you been up to?”
“What? Nothing,” I said, my heart skipping a beat as he gave me a look. “Why
