Page 47 of Hope's Highest Bidders

“I know how important tonight is, Maggie.”

As soon as I hear the dip in Elana’s voice, I want to kick myself. “Elana… I’m sorry. Of course you know how important tonight is. I wasn’t thinking.”

She busies herself working on the centerpiece at the table next to where I’m standing. “It’s fine. Yes, this fundraiser is important. When our parents died, my brothers and I wanted to do something in their memory, and the pediatric hospital that my mom worked at would be what they want. They’ve been gone for a long time, Mags. I’m fine.”

I move over to stand next to her. “I know you’re fine. You’re one of the strongest women I know, Elana. And I really do know how important tonight is to you. Your parents would be so proud of you.”

She takes a deep breath and nods her head. “I know.” She smiles at me. “Did I tell you? My brother is coming tonight too. He promised.”

I squeeze her arm and move to the next table. “The elusive Bentley? I’ll be honest with you, I can’t wait to meet him.” Elana and her two brothers are owners of Moonshine Mountain Distillery. Their dad started the company years ago, and when their parents passed, the three of them inherited it. The oldest, Edward, is acting manager, and I see him every day. Bentley is the one that I’ve never met and everyone is hush hush about. I can’t even get the scoop from Elana about him.

Elana threads her arm through mine. “You’ll get to meet him. He won’t stay long. Crowds are not his thing, so he’ll be in andout, but he’ll want to meet you. He’s heard all about your social media plans for the company.”

I try to keep my mouth shut, but I can’t. “It’s just so weird. I see Edward every day, but I don’t even know what Bentley looks like. No one talks about him, and he’s never at the board meetings or anything. I mean, it’s obvious you love him and think highly of him, but he’s like a mystery man. What’s his deal?”

She shrugs, and I see the indecision on her face. She gets like this any time we’re talking about her brother. “Bentley is… look, he’s a great guy.”

I burst out with a laugh. “Really? You don’t sound very convincing.”

She swats me on the shoulder. “He is. He would do anything for me, and I know if I ever needed him, he would be there for me. He’s just been through some stuff…”

It’s obvious she’s uncomfortable with this, and that’s not what I want. I know Elana, and I know that even though she acts like it’s not a big deal, tonight is important, and it’s going to be hard for her. I don’t need to interrogate her about her brother anymore, especially since I’m going to get to meet him in a few hours. “Okay, so back to work. What’s left to do?”

She pulls out her phone and starts swiping. “Tables, check. Centerpieces, check. The audio and visual team has set up, and everything is ready. The itinerary of speeches for tonight are scheduled, and everyone’s received copies so they know where to be and when. There’s only one thing left that needs done.”

I breathe out a sigh of relief. One thing. I can handle one more thing. I feel like I’ve been working double-time for so long it’s nice to know that after tonight I'm going to have a little bit of a breather. “Okay. What’s left?”

“Get ourselves ready for the party.”

She starts pulling me toward the door, and I go willingly. “About the date—” I start.

She huffs as she pushes the button on the elevator that will take us upstairs to the corporate offices. “It’s not a big deal. Tom and Cole know we have to work tonight too. They’ll enjoy dinner, and I told them to bring their checkbooks. If nothing else, you can have a drink with Cole to see if you do want to go on a date with him.”

I want to argue with her, but I don’t. It would be pointless anyway. Elana always gets her way, and knowing what tonight is and how much it means to her, I’m not going to fight her on it. “A drink. I can fit him in for a drink, but seriously, I want to make sure that tonight goes off without a hitch, so that’s it.”

She jumps up and down excitedly, and I grab her to stop her. “One drink, Elana. This is not a date.”

With a big smile and eyes lit up in mischief, she nods. “A drink… I got it. We are going to have so much fun tonight, Mags. I just feel like something big is going to happen.”

I shake my head as we get onto the elevator because I know Elana, and most likely she’s right. If it’s up to her, something big will happen tonight. I just don’t know if I’m ready for it.

2

BEN

Ipull at the collar of my shirt and then rotate my shoulders. Everything about tonight is uncomfortable. The dress pants, the buttoned-up shirt, the too-tight jacket that constricts every movement I try to make, and the mass of people that are milling around. I’ve been to this event every year for the last four years, and I’ve never seen a turnout like this one.

I make my way through the crowd, and my skin crawls because I can feel all eyes are on me. No doubt they are either wondering what the missing brother is doing here or they’re trying to figure out who the bearded mystery man is that obviously doesn’t fit in. I do my best to ignore it all and make my way to the bar. I’m sure that we have supplied the alcohol for tonight, and it’s tempting to order an Old Fashioned made with our Moonshine bourbon, but I plan on driving out of here tonight, and I know if I have one drink, my sister Elana will use that as an excuse to take my keys and try to keep me here. No thank you.

“What can I get you?” the bartender asks me.

“Just a water, please.”

His eyebrows lift in surprise, but he nods as he puts the glass under the spout and fills it. “Thanks,” I tell him as I gulp it down. I hate having my back to the crowd, but this is the best way to keep conversation limited.

I look at my watch and am counting down the time until I get to leave. I promised my sister I’d come, but as soon as I make an appearance and talk to Elana, I will be leaving.

I hear my brother before I see him. “Well, well, well. He does come off the mountain. What’s up, little brother?”

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