Page 69 of The Game

“You rock. I hope we get a chance to catch up later, but it’s going to be super busy tearing down and cleaning up. If wedon’t get the chance, I’d love to meet up with you to have a chat.”

“Of course. Any time. You’ve got my info.” Her smile is radiant. Such a positive force.

Amira’s voice comes through my earpiece. “Time to get the boys locked and loaded.”

Shanna tilts her head when I can’t stop the laugh, so I point to the headset, rolling my eyes. “Gotta go. Duty calls.”

“Me too.” She turns back to her cart, where her assistant is looking a little frazzled.

I give her a wave and start weaving through the crowd. The nerves that had settled down as the evening moved on smoothly are back in full force at the final auction that’s coming up. Hopefully, this will bring in a last chunk of donations to meet our goal. Although at the rate things are going, I think we’re going to crush our initial fund-raising goal.

“You’re killing it, Jazz.” Trinity calls out, grabbing my hand as I pass by. I nod to her and the small group of students from our class that have been helping tonight.

“Thanks, Trin. I’ve gotta go, though, get the bachelor’s in line.” She giggles as I wink at her and hustle on.

It seems like every few steps someone wants to stop me to talk. This must be what it’s like to be a minor celebrity, or athlete. Come to think of it, this is probably the kind of attention that’s waiting for Cole if he lands a spot in the NHL. But probably on a much larger scale. Not really my thing, but I’ll take it for the night. I’m pretty proud of what we accomplishedhere, and I can’t wait to present a check to Women’s Place once the finances are all sorted.

I could drink a dozen shots of espresso and not experience the level of jitters that are dancing through my stomach now that it’s my turn at the mic. Amira is doing most of the emceeing, but I said I’d handle one small but very important announcement.

The last of the bands we were showcasing just wrapped up their set, so they’re tearing down their instruments as I ascend the few steps up onto the small stage. Please don’t fall. Please don’t fall. I really hope I can make that happen with words alone, but I’m extra careful with each step just in case the mantra isn’t enough.

Everybody is out mingling as I make my way to the mic, and I slide the earpiece out. No need to deal with any potential interruptions from that end.

I drag in a deep breath, closing my eyes and finding my center before I pick up the mic.

“Everybody, I’ve got an announcement to make if I can have your attention.” I wait a few minutes for the buzzing conversation to die down enough to be heard.

“First of all, I want to thank you all for coming out tonight. Are you having a good time?”

The crowd responds with an enthusiasm that has a big smile stretching my face and some of the tension in my shoulders easing up.

It takes a hot minute for the claps and cheers to die down. “Glad to hear it. I’m Jazz, and I’m so happy to see you allhere tonight. Thanks for your support. The main event is coming up shortly, but I wanted to give you a ten-minute warning on the silent auction items. I’ve checked out the bidding sheets and it looks like we’ve got some fierce competition on some of the prizes. If you want to snag that weekend at the Waterfront, or a tour of Salazar’s, get your last-minute bids in. We’ll be collecting the sheets promptly at 8:50.”

A handful of people sneak off to get their last bids in before we shut it down.

“I hope you’ve all visited the table for Women’s Place to find out about all the amazing work they’re doing to support women and children in our community who need a safe place to land and a helping hand. Thanks so much to Fran and Ginnie, who came out tonight to share their work with you.”

“You know what’s coming, right?”

The cheers are even louder this time and I’m not even sad that the bachelors are getting louder cheers than I did. More interest means more money raised.

“Who are you most excited about? The star quarterback, our regional championship winning debate team members, or maybe, just maybe, you’ve got your eyes on the hockey captain.”

The clapping rises to a crescendo as I go on, and Amira sidles up beside me.

“Fantastic. I’ll be handing off the mic to my partner in crime, Amira, and I’ll go wrangle those guys up for you. Don’t forget to get your last bids in, but don’t spend all your money. Save some for our boys.”

“Now I’m going to pass you off to Amira, who will be the host and auctioneer tonight. I promise she’s going to make you laugh while you’re opening up your wallets, or Venmo apps, I guess. Give her a cheer.”

I’m happy to relinquish the mic to my friend. Her fingers are tipped in beautiful coral polish, and she’s got on a matching flowery dress.

“Give it up for Jazmin. This night would only have been half as awesome without her. She drapes an arm around my shoulder, pulling me in for a hug. My eyes are already focused off the stage on my next task, wrangling the guys, but I give a shy smile before heading off at a brisk but careful walk when she releases me.

I finally make it back to the hall I was in earlier. We’ve got the guys set up in a couple of small meeting rooms. Loud and familiar laughter points me in the direction of my boys. When did I start thinking about them like that? But I stop by the other two meeting rooms on my way to check on the other bachelors. There’s a few from the football team, a couple from the swim team and some from the soccer team as well. We even got a couple from the Robotics club and the debate team to round out the bachelor offering. I’m sure intelligence will appeal to some of our bidders. It’s not all about athletic ability.

One of the massive football players has another one in a headlock when I peek in the first room. “Boys. Ease up, you’re going to mess up your hair.”

They both look up, matching startled expressions on their faces that immediately turn sheepish. “Sorry, Jazz.”

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