My brows popped up. Murmurs of approval passed through the crowd. My first thought was that the odd number was a typical Tulip bid. My next thought was to wave frantically at Becky. Could she hear me yelling “Bid twenty thousand!” in my head?
Wes shot me a rueful look. “Do we have ten thousand, two hundred twenty-eight dollars, and fifty-six cents?”
No paddles went up. Tulip craned her head around, her brow creased with worry.
I caught Becky’s gaze and arched my brow.
She stood on her tiptoes to lean on the stage, her expression was partly pissed, partly smug. “Becky’s my sister, asshole.”
A cold bucket of panic dropped over me. I’d called her the wrong name? Oh, shit. Becky was blond, and she had a sister—Samantha—who I’d slept with a couple of years before I’d hooked up with Becky. I learned later that they were related. Had I mixed up their contact info? Aw, hell, I’d fucked up.
“Sorry,” I mouthed, but it was a piss poor apology. How the hell do I apologize for something like that? It was a dick move. This plan wasn’t supposed to end with someone getting their feelings hurt.
She gave me a fuck off look and spun around, marching through the crowd, leaving my ass behind.
Frantically, I used my eyes to plead with the crowd. I wiggled my tie and forced a tense smile. “Come on, ladies. It’s for a good cause.” I couldn’t stand a week of hero-worship in Tulip’s eyes. Not toward me. I was the last person to deserve it.
“Going once…” Wes called.
“Ladies, ladies. I’m the only bachelor with more than a weekend getaway.” I swallowed hard. I’d gotten Samantha’s hopes up and hurt her. She’d counted on me. Dammit, this was why I didn’t date or do relationships. I messed them all up.
Now Tulip was giving me a look I definitely didn’t deserve, one full of trust and excitement that cut into dark places I couldn’t revisit.
A week, strings-free. That was all I wanted. That was all I could give.
“Going twice…” Wes waited two more seconds before holding his arm out to Tulip. Her eyes were bright and her smile ecstatic. She jumped up and down.
“To the highest bidder goes Flynn Halstengard. Congratulations, Tilly Johnson.”
Tilly
OMGGGGG!!
I squealed and threw my hands up in the air. Flynn’s mouth hung open. Was he in awe of the amount I’d spent on him?
This was going to be the biggest check I’d ever written and so dang worth it!
Me. And Flynn. For a week!
I’d barely glanced at the flyers for the other bachelors that had made their rounds through all the bidders. But Flynn’s prize package was a week at Lake Webber. It was halfway between Minneapolis and Itasca State Park. I’d never been there, but then I’d never been outside of the Twin Cities and their surrounding suburbs.
Would he teach me how to fish? Ooh, I’d always wanted to go hiking. And boating. Fishing on a boat!
This was the most excited I’d been in my adult life—in my whole life.
Flynn disappeared backstage as Wes wrapped up the auction portion of the night. I worked through the throng of people to find Mara.
Mara was at the counter, accepting checks from the highest bidders. Her cocktail dress had a Batman emblem sewn on the front. I looked down at my thrift-store dress. I hadn’t expected the auction to be as fancy as the black tuxes the bachelors wore and the formal wear of the attendees. But it’s not like I wasn’t used to standing out in a crowd.
If only I had the money to bling-out cool clothing like Mara. At my friend’s encouragement, I’d ordered a few pairs of superhero leggings. The kids got a kick out of them, but they weren’t who I wanted to impress tonight—and I’d known enough not to wear them under my dress.
Mara smiled as I approached. The poor woman must be tired. Mara had taken my idea and done the majority of the work. Her pleasant expression seemed tight, but it must just be fatigue.
“So…you bought Flynn, huh?” Mara asked.
Tilly smiled so wide it could’ve cracked her face in half. “Yes. I can’t wait.”
“About Flynn.” Mara hesitated and glanced at the now-empty stage. “When I met Wes, he wasn’t in a good place in his life. He was angry, self-absorbed, and…frankly, he was an asshole. We had a rough start. Well, we had an awesome start, but our rough patch was a shitstorm.” She pursed her lips like she wasn’t sure how to say her next words. “I get that feeling about Flynn, that he isn’t ready for…a thing with someone else, that life is too much about himself.”
Flynn, an asshole? Had he changed so much over the years? No, a kid who had raced into the girls’ locker room and saved me from littergeddon couldn’t have changed that much.
I flashed my most reassuring smile. “I’m sure he’ll be a gentleman all week. I have faith in Flynn.”
Mara snorted. “Flynn, a gentleman?” She leveled me with a serious stare. “I’ve seen how Flynn can be with women, and I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
A flash of irritation zinged through me. Why did people always assume I was an innocent noob? I had experienced the dark side of people, had been betrayed by those who were supposed to love and protect me. Sorry-not-sorry, Flynn could never be as bad as my parents had been.
I dug my already completed check from my purse. “Maybe I’ll be the one breaking his heart.”
Mara looked like she was about to argue, but I didn’t care to hear it. I set the check down and flounced away.
I had thought Mara was a friend who’d treat me like an equal, but at the first chance, she’d used kid gloves, thinking I didn’t know better.
Yes, I was ecstatic to have a date with Flynn. For an entire week! But I was just as excited about the week of vacation. Summers were
