Total pages in book: 122
Estimated words: 112884 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 452(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112884 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 452(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
Darryl pulls out the chair next to Kylie and introduces himself to her. “I’m this guy’s sister,” she quickly points out and I have to laugh.
“This guy has a name,” I mumble, trying not to look at Lexi’s table but failing miserably. He never fucking once tries to talk to her and she’s stuck talking to Cheryl’s husband, who is sitting with an empty chair between them, no doubt left for Cheryl.
“Did you bid on any of the silent auction items?” Kylie asks from beside me as the first plate is placed in front of me.
“I didn’t see them all,” I admit, grabbing my glass of water in front of my plate. “Why? Did you?”
“Not yet.” She smiles, taking a sip of her champagne. “But I will. What’s my budget?”
I can’t help but snort when she leans in. “How much can I bid on Darryl?” she asks right before she leans back to her other side as she chats with Darryl, the two of them laughing at whatever she said.
I barely eat the food, nervously waiting for the auction part of the evening. Cheryl stands up when they are clearing the plates of the first course, with Lexi next to her. “Okay, let’s get the bidding out of the way,” she begins. “There are ten bachelors.” She names us all.
She starts with the first bachelor and he goes up to the front and she makes him do a catwalk of sorts. “I’m not doing that,” Darryl quickly states. “I’m drawing the line.”
“I think you should,” Kylie urges him, and I just look over at her with my eyebrows pinched together.
It takes no time to go through the eight bachelors, most of them going anywhere from thirty thousand dollars to fifty-five. “You can bid up to eighty-five thousand for me,” I tell Kylie, who grimaces.
“Why would I bid on you?” she retorts, grossed out. “You’re my brother.”
“Okay, fine, you can bid on Darryl up to eighty-five and then seventy-five for me,” I tell her and she shakes her head.
“Kylie,” I hiss at her as Darryl pushes away from the table and tosses his napkin down on the table in front of him.
“Here goes nothing.” He looks at me and I hold out my fist and he fist-bumps me as the clapping starts, and he goes to the center of the dance floor. He grabs the microphone from Cheryl. “Before you ask me to strut my stuff”—he looks at Cheryl—“I’m just going to say that whoever picks me won’t be sorry.” He makes everyone laugh as he hands her back the mic.
“Shall we start the bidding at ten thousand?” she questions and it quickly goes up to fifty-five.
“Sixty,” Kylie says from beside me, and I can’t help but close my eyes and shake my head, laughing. “It’s for a good cause.”
“Seventy,” someone else bids on him.
“Seventy-five,” Kylie bids. “Now it’s personal.”
“For who?” I ask her, and I hear Cheryl egging on the other woman.
“Sold.” She points over to our table at Kylie, who claps her hands together. “Come and get your prize.”
“Hold my beer,” she mumbles, getting up and strutting over to Darryl, who runs to Lexi’s table. He leans in to grab a flower from one of the vases and goes back to Cheryl, who is standing with Kylie laughing, as he hands Kylie the flower before taking her free hand and bringing it to his mouth, kissing it.
“That’s what you all missed out on.” He looks at the crowd and it makes everyone laugh. The two of them come back to the table and she puts the flower down next to her purse.
“I’m going to need to borrow seventy-five thousand dollars,” she whispers in my ear, making me laugh even more.
“And the final bachelor of the night is none other than our hometown hockey star, Kirby Materson.”
“Go get ’em,” Kylie urges, clapping her hands and cheering for me. I shake my head as I walk to the middle of the dance floor.
Lexi looks at me with a huge smile on her face, and I can’t help but smile at her. Cheryl starts to talk and I grab the microphone from her. “Before you ask, I’m with Darryl on this one. You see what you paid for after.” I look around the room. “And no refunds allowed.” I hand the microphone back to Cheryl, who is laughing.
“Okay, shall we start at ten thousand dollars?” she suggests and it quickly goes to fifty thousand from Kylie and she winks at me.
“Kirby is a very generous donor already tonight,” Cheryl pleads my case. “He’s already donated a million dollars.”
The crowd gasps and then I hear shouted out, “One hundred thousand dollars!” I look over to see Dr. Visabell’s wife holding up her hand. “It’s the least we can do.”
“One twenty,” someone else calls out. I look at Lexi, who has her mouth open and both hands in front of her, the happiness is written all over her face.