Page 60 of Never Kiss Your Brother's Best Friend

Now we just have to put on the finishing touches to make things look polished. Zoe volunteered to manage the registration table. She has the perfect personality for it. The rest of us are going to monitor the other tables and be available for questions from the bidders.

I work on getting the registration table set up first. It’s the first stop for all attendees. They’ll sign in and get their bidder numbers and instructions on how to participate. I’ve never been to a silent auction myself, so I’m excited to see one in person.

We’re giving everyone two hours to browse the items and place their bids. The country club has a great sound system, so they'll have some music playing in the background. They also offered to make appetizers and have stationed platters and trays all around the room.

I’m helping set up some drink tables when Sterling taps me gently on the shoulder. “Hi. Haven’t seen you all week.”

Oh man, no luck. He looks soooo handsome. Wavy brown hair styled perfectly. Check. Beautiful eyes. Check. Suit jacket that compliments the muscles we’ve discussed. Check.

Dimples do not appear in the first fifteen seconds, thank goodness. I need to make sure I don’t say anything that makes him smile.

“Hey, I know. It’s crazy not to run into each other in our small town.”

I turn back to my drink station. I arrange and rearrange the glasses continuously, which I’m sure looks strange. There’s only so many way to stack and unstack them.

“You, okay?” he asks.

“Me? Great? Are you all right?” I make sure to emphasize the ‘you.’

“Yes, I’m fine.” He chuckles. Ugh, that almost activated the dimples. Abort.

“I’m gonna go check on Zoe at the front, make sure everything is all set up for registration. If you want to stand by one of the tables to answer questions, things will get started in about fifteen minutes.”

I’m already heading away as I say, “I’m sure I’ll see you throughout the night.”

When I get to Zoe, I take a quick glance back in Sterling’s direction. He hasn’t moved from his spot and he looks puzzled.

Clearly, that wasn’t a very smooth exit. He finally heads toward a table next to Mia. She immediately starts chatting away when he gets there. Her arms and hands are flailing, so she’s clearly in the midst of a passionate story about something. That should keep him busy for a while. That girl can talk.

Zoe starts grilling me. “Okay, I saw that whole awkward interaction. What in the world? What did you say to that poor guy? You’re supposed to be acting cool. That, my friend, was not cool. He looks traumatized.”

I bring my hands to face and start massaging my temples, hoping to release some tension.

“I had to get away from the dimples.”

“What?” Zoe asks.

“His dimples, okay. I can’t play it cool when I see his dimples, and they were just about to make an appearance, so I made a break for it.”

Zoe doesn’t even try to stifle a laugh. She cackles so loudly that people look in our direction, including Mia and Sterling.

“Zoe, stop, please.” I desperately tug on her shirt and grit my teeth while I wait for her to calm down. It’s a painful and painstakingly slow process. But eventually she stops and everyone goes back to what they were doing before the Zoe hyena made an appearance.

Zoe takes a big breath to get rid of any giggles still trying to bubble to the surface. Then she puts her hands on my shoulders. “You have a little over two hours to get through. You can do this. Why don’t you just stay up here with me if you’re so scared of his dimples.”

Oh my goodness, it sounds even more ridiculous when I hear her say it out loud. “I can’t. I need to help out at the tables in case people have questions. I’ll be fine.”

“You sure?” she asks. “You don’t look fine.”

I rub my hands together. “Yes, all good. I can make it through tonight. I’ll just keep my distance and not talk with Sterling unless I have to.”

“Great plan. That’s not going to seem weird at all.” Zoe hugs me and gives me an encouraging pat on the back. "You got this!"

I hope she's right.

***

It’s been exactly two hours and forty-seven minutes since my conversation with Zoe. Everyone is helping to clean up for the night, a night that was successful beyond my wildest dreams.

---