Acting Up Page 20

  “He had to judge some contest or other,” Jake answered.

  Suspicion piled upon suspicion. “I’ll bet he did,” she said, eyeing his cheeky grin with misgivings.

  Julia threaded her way through the crowd. “Hey, you made it.”

  “No one would let me leave,” Addison said.

  “With good reason,” Julia said, with an evil-sounding chuckle. “All I can say is pay attention to item number twelve.”

  Suspicion confirmed. Bring a checkbook indeed.

  Julia ran up to the stage and walked to the podium. “Ladies and gentleman, thank you for coming,” she said. “Although, perhaps I should say, thank you, ladies, for coming. You gentlemen will have to close your eyes and endure.”

  The audience laughed.

  Julia laughed with them. “I won’t make you wait any longer for the first ever Covington Falls Bachelor Auction.”

  The women in the crowd whistled and cheered.

  Julia continued with her introduction. “Now, I don’t want you ladies to be too disappointed. Seth is the most eligible bachelor in town, but he is off the market.” She waited for the laughter to die down. “Fear not, I’ve lined up an impressive collection of male specimens for you to choose from. And remember, the proceeds for this auction are going to repair the roof of Eric Austen’s Community Youth Center. So bid often and bid large. Highest bidder will win dinner with her chosen bachelor tonight.”

  The first victim… err… bachelor stepped out onto the stage.

  “First up, is Covington Falls’ most in-demand house painter, Nate Cooper. And, ladies, I must say he can color your world.”

  Bachelor Number One strutted out onto the stage. He was tall and lanky with dark-brown hair. If the chorus of feminine shrieks were anything to go by, the ladies appreciated his wide shoulders, which had no doubt been earned on the job.

  Two small hands slipped into hers. Addison glanced down to see Jason and Carson on either side of her.

  “Why are they acting like that?” Jason asked.

  “Yeah, they look crazy,” Carson added.

  “Sometimes ladies like to act crazy.”

  Jason wrinkled his nose. “You’re not gonna do that, are ya?”

  She chuckled. “Let’s hope I’ll never be desperate enough to buy a date.”

  Nate Cooper was bought for one hundred dollars. He left the stage with a flourish, and the second bachelor walked out. All and all, the auction was a hoot. Julia made a perfect hostess. Her one-liners and jibes had everyone in stitches, even the men in the audience. Addison’s mind remained on bachelor number twelve, however.

  “All right, ladies, here’s a man you won’t want to pass up,” Julia said. “Treat him well, and you’re sure to get straight As. Or choose to be bad, so you can get sent to the principal’s office.”

  Addison had been expecting Ethan to appear, but a jolt of surprise socked her in the gut when he stepped onto the stage. He’d changed into a forest-green, button-down shirt and another pair of dark blue jeans. His hair shone like an old Spanish coin, and he ducked his head slightly, as though embarrassed at the excitement his appearance had caused. He hooked his thumbs in the belt loops of his jeans. It wasn’t calculated, but the pose had every female over the age of twelve sighing in pleasure. If Addison had been a weaker woman, she’d have whipped out three checkbooks.

  Julia made the introductions. “Yes, it’s our favorite administrator and former All-Star quarterback, Ethan Thomas. Ethan is six-two, weighs one hundred ninety pounds, and adores long walks on the beach and sharing ice cream cones in the park.”

  Ethan paused, his glance comically bemused. Ice cream? he mouthed.

  Julia shrugged and winked. “Ethan has also been mighty lonely, so perhaps we can find him some company. Let’s start the bidding at ten dollars.”

  “Ten!” a woman called out.

  The shout came from the teacher at Ethan’s school, Carrie Rogers. She stood right next to the stage, her beady eyes trained on Ethan like a cougar stalking a deer.

  Julia pointed to Carrie. “Okay, I’ve got ten from the lady down front. Do I hear twelve?”

  “Twelve!” another lady called.

  “Fifteen!” Carrie called out before Julia could even say anything.

  Julia’s eyes widened at the aggressive bidding, but she continued without missing a beat. “Do I hear twenty?”

  “Twenty!”

  Again Carrie jumped in. “Twenty-five.”

  Now, Julia started to look annoyed. “Will someone give me thirty?” she asked, eyes narrowing.

  Carrie folded her arms. “Forty!”

  “You can’t up your own bid,” Julia said. “We’re still at thirty unless someone wants to—”

  “I’ll bid forty,” a pretty, brown-haired woman yelled.

  “Fifty!” Carrie chimed in immediately.

  Julia slid a glance at Ethan. “I guess you have some admirers.”

  Then she looked right at Addison, as if challenging her to do something. But what was she supposed to do? Hogtie Carrie? Stuff a rag in her mouth? She wasn’t about to get in a stupid bidding war over Ethan.

  Elizabeth leaned over. “Are you going to let Carrie have him?”

  “Get real.” Addison rolled her eyes. “Did you expect me to bid on Ethan?”

  “Well, why not? It’s only dinner, and it’s for charity.”

  “I’ll write a check to replace the entire roof of the youth center.”

  Aaron decided to get in on the act. “Chicken.”

  Ungrateful brat. “What did you say?”

  “Bak, bak, bak.”

  “Animal impressions?” Addison let out a delicate snort. “Go back to your girlfriend and leave me alone.”

  “You can’t let Carrie have him,” Elizabeth said. “She’s not right for him at all.”

  Addison fancied she’d suddenly become part of one of those cartoons where a devil and an angel sit on a person’s shoulder, tempting him or her to act a certain way. Except Addison had two devils.

  “She’s probably more suited for him than I am,” Addison said.

  “Ethan doesn’t look at her the way he looks at you,” Elizabeth said.

  Meanwhile the bidding continued. At first, several women were in the running along with Carrie, but when it became clear she wasn’t going to give up, they began to drop out. Before long the amount was up to one hundred fifty dollars, the largest pot of the night so far. At one point, Julia gave up trying to be the auctioneer, and the women simply took over. Addison peeked at Carrie’s face and caught a crazy expression in her eyes.

  The auctioneer was staring at Addison again. Correction, Julia had gone from staring to outright glaring. She even jerked her head toward Ethan.

  Addison folded her arms. She would not to be dragged into battle.

  Somehow, Carrie must have sensed the hostess’s attention had shifted to the audience. She scanned the crowd until she spotted Addison. They stared at each other. Then Carrie’s chin went up.

  Addison heard Elizabeth whistle. “I think she threw down a challenge.”

  “I can’t believe you’re going to let her win,” Aaron said, looking disgusted with her now. “Think of Mr. Thomas.”

  “Both of you. Shut. Up,” Addison said through gritted teeth.

  The bidding quickly ballooned to two hundred fifty dollars.

  Julia finally broke in to regain control. “Whoo! Mr. Thomas, you sure are a popular guy, but we’ve got several more bachelors to go. Who else wants to bid on this gorgeous man? Come on, ladies!”

  Addison suddenly noticed Ethan was staring at her, too. Only his expression said Help me. By then, all the other bidders, save for Carrie, had bowed out of the running.

  “Anyone want to challenge with two hundred seventy-five?” Julia asked. “Anyone?”

  In the end, it wasn’t Ethan’s pleading face that nudged Addison over the edge. It was Carrie’s smug, victorious one.

  Oh, honey? Seriously?

  “F
ive hundred dollars,” Addison said before she could stop herself.

  A surprised gasp went up from the crowd around her.

  Elizabeth thumped Addison on the back. “Yes!”

  “I’ve got a bid for five hundred from the lady in the back,” Julia said, her voice rising. “Do I hear five twenty-five?”

  “Five twenty-five,” Carrie said without a pause.

  Addison held the other woman’s gaze without blinking. “Six hundred.”

  Carrie’s hands clenched. Addison nodded politely, letting her rival know she couldn’t win, no matter what.

  “No more bids from the floor?” Julia called out. “Six hundred dollars. Going once, going twice. Sold! To Addison Covington.”

  The bang of the gavel brought Addison back to reality. She blinked at Elizabeth. “Did I just pay six hundred dollars to have dinner with Ethan?”

  ****

  “Five hundred dollars.”

  The familiar, sultry voice drifted across the open field, and Ethan had to lock his knees to keep from falling to the ground in gratitude.

  When it came to helping others, Ethan was a soft touch. He’d been a caretaker all his life. First his teammates, then his mom after dad started traveling, then Jenny and the boys. Everyone knew Ethan Thomas could be counted on to chip in. Paint a house for Habitat for Humanity? Sure? Attend a charity dinner to raise awareness of cancer screenings? Absolutely. Get gallons of water up his nose falling into a dunk tank to help support local veterans? He’d be there.

  Selling himself to the highest bidder went beyond the call of duty, however. He’d done it, mostly because Julia had been relentless and Eric was one of his best friends. When Ethan had stepped out onto the stage and heard the catcalls from the women, he’d nearly turned around and bolted. Then Carrie had started bidding… and bidding. As she’d devoured him with her eyes, he’d felt a panic unlike anything he’d experienced in his life. If they’d been back in the Old West, Carrie would have pulled out a lasso and hogtied him.

  In desperation, he’d searched the crowd, seeking anything to save his hide. He’d found Addison.

  And she’d answered. Finally.

  “I’ve got a bid for five hundred from the lady in the back,” Julia announced. “Do I hear five twenty-five?”

  Carrie shot a venomous look at Addison. “Five twenty-five.”

  “Six hundred,” Addison said, returning the stare without blinking.

  Carrie’s hands clenched in frustration. Ethan knew there was no way she could ever outbid a Hollywood starlet with cash to burn. Carrie knew it, too.

  “No more bids from the floor?” Julia called out. “That’s six hundred dollars. Going once, going twice. Sold! To Ms. Addison Covington.”

  Ethan walked off stage in a daze. He had to wait through two more bachelors before he could leave, though the urge to find Addison was overwhelming.

  Finally, Julia began to wrap things up. “Thank you, ladies, for making this auction such a great success. If you were the highest bidder, please come up and claim your prize. We’ll take down your information, so we can track you down to collect,” she said.

  Ethan took off. He found Addison standing in front of a table by the stage. She had her back to him, talking to the woman collecting information. When he drew close enough, he leaned in and spoke in her ear.

  “Six hundred dollars to have dinner with me? All you had to do was ask me out.”

  The expression on Addison’s face did not scream welcome. “I hope you’re worth the money.”

  Man, he loved Addison in a temper. “I don’t know how I feel about being a kept man.”

  She whirled around and poked him in the shoulder. “Listen, buddy, the only reason I bid on you is because you seemed terrified over the prospect of being won by Carrie. I was rescuing you.”

  “I wasn’t terrified,” he protested.

  “I think your friend was ready to have you stuffed and hung over her mantle.”

  “Yeah.” A memory of Carrie’s manic eyes caused a shudder of sheer terror to pass over him. “I know you told me she might be interested, but I didn’t realize she was serious.”

  “It’s the man-thing again,” Addison said, patting his cheek. “Don’t feel bad.”

  They were interrupted when his sons ran up and circled around them. “Daddy! Addison bought you!”

  “I know.”

  Jason hopped up and down. “She said she wasn’t gonna bid, but then that other lady gave her this look…” He squished up his face in a pretty good imitation of Carrie’s scowl. “And Addison got mad.”

  “She was totally cool,” Carson said.

  Ethan glanced over. “Totally.” She had been, too. Like a queen marking her territory. He should have been unnerved, but instead he wanted to beat his chest and yell.

  Jason grabbed Addison’s hand. “Hey, maybe you can buy us, too.”

  “Yeah!” Carson seconded. “Then we can be a family.”

  Addison’s face went white. Her mouth opened, but for once she couldn’t seem to find the words to say.

  They were saved by the timely arrival of Ethan’s mother. “Boys, why don’t you come with me? I think I heard they’re trying to make the world’s biggest ice cream sundae.”

  The announcement proved to be enough to make the twins forget about Addison buying them. For the moment at least.

  His mother winked. “Have a nice dinner. We’ll see you for the concert later I hope?”

  “Sure,” Addison said.

  His family disappeared into the crowd. Left alone, they could only stare at each other in awkward silence. Finally, Ethan cleared his throat. “Are you hungry?”

  As a conversation starter, it was lame, but food seemed like a pretty safe subject.

  “Is there anything remotely healthy here?” Addison asked, rubbing her stomach gingerly. “I’ve had nothing but junk food all day.”

  “Chicken on a stick?” he said, naming the only thing he could think of not coated in some kind of fried batter.

  She wrinkled her nose, but, in the end, nodded. “It’s better than nothing, I guess.”

  “Come on then, my lady,” he said, holding out his arm. “And next time, dinner is on me.”

  “I should hope so.” Addison sniffed. “Six hundred dollars. I must be out of my mind. I had no intention of bidding, you know.”

  Putting a hand to his chest, Ethan staggered back. “You didn’t want me? I’m hurt.”

  “I’m not in the habit of paying men to spend time with me, but when I saw Carrie’s face, I couldn’t stop myself.”

  “Were you jealous?” he teased, though the prospect of Addison actually being possessive made his pulse skip a beat.

  “Remember I told you I don’t like to lose?” she asked, tossing her hair. “Carrie goaded me into it. They all did. I was set up.”

  “Set up?”

  “Your sister-in-law, my stepson, and even Julia were in on it. Elizabeth insisted I had to be here for the auction because there was something I would want to have.”

  That gave him pause. His brothers had guessed at his growing feelings. Did the rest of his family sense the attraction, too?

  “She seems to think there’s something going on between us.”

  What did Addison think? Ethan almost asked, but something in her expression stopped him. They didn’t speak again until they’d gotten their food. He led her to the grandstands behind the fairgrounds, which were empty at the moment. This far from the midway, it was almost like being alone. Ethan sighed in relief, grateful to leave the noise and confusion behind for a while.

  “Kids sure do come up with strange notions,” Addison said, after picking at her food for a few minutes. “Imagine the boys suggesting I buy them. Crazy, right?”

  The mention of his boys brought Ethan back to reality with a thump. He couldn’t forget for one second that everything he did affected them.

  “They like you,” he said, staring out across the dirt-packed show arena.

 
; “I like them, too. They’re so cute. And smart. Even Aaron thinks they’re cool, and trust me, he’s hard to impress.”

  Pride filled him. “They are pretty great. They terrify me sometimes, though. I can’t believe I’ve been entrusted to raise two human beings. All on my own, too. It wasn’t supposed to be only me.”

  No, Jenny was supposed to be here. Jenny was supposed to ruffle the boys’ hair. She was supposed to wipe chocolate off their faces and ride the carousel with them.

  Except Jenny was gone, and he was sitting in the bleachers with a woman who didn’t bat an eyelash over paying six hundred dollars for a date consisting of rubbery chicken on a stick. A woman who made him want things he could never have.

  Addison poked at said rubbery chicken. “Of course you miss your wife.”

  “It’s more than missing her,” he said. “There’s a lot of guilt, too.”

  “What do you have to feel guilty about?”