Page 113 of 10 Ways to Accidentally Fall in Love

“They were totally boning,” Alex says with a snicker before raising his voice. “Kipperoo! Over here. I’ll catch you and Teddy up to speed.”

The guy who looks like a hyperactive GQ model grins, his hand clasped by the man named Teddy, a gold band glinting on each of their left ring fingers.

I frown, eyeing the one who does in fact resemble a teddy bear. “Do I know him?” I mutter aloud.

Brad snorts.

When we get to the ballroom, our hostess in green guides us over to a few rows of chairs set beside the stage. The room is buzzing with conversation, round tables set up throughout the space, the decor glinting in golds and red. We take our seats, Brad on one side of me, Alex ending up on the other. Jason is directly behind us, Cas busy helping with the event.

“This is so exciting,” Alex says, rubbing his hands together.

“No Emil?” Teddy asks, his voice low and gentle.

“No, he and Christian couldn’t make it,” Alex says, craning his neck. He makes anahsound before pointing at a long-haired blonde man in the crowd who waves back. “But look, Mal is here with Henrik.”

Mal says something to the man sitting beside him, who’s loosely holding a cane. He lifts a hand in greeting, even as his eyes don’t quite settle on us.

“So these are Cas’s old coworkers?” I ask Brad.

He opens his mouth to respond when a buzz cuts through the air. There’s a soft tap, and then a voice rings out, enhanced through the speaker system.

“Good evening,” the man onstage says, standing behind the microphone in a pristine black tux. “Thank you all so much for attending tonight’s charity auction. As you know from the packets you received upon entry, we have a wide array of volunteer services being offered today.”

The master of ceremonies continues his welcoming spiel, and I take a second to look at Alex again, trying to work out why he seems familiar. He catches me glancing his way and gives me a wink that niggles at my memory. But before I can figure it out, the first bachelor is being called to stage.

The MC introduces Dixon with an extensive and inventive list of his most positive and charming attributes. His offer of a full house cleaning creates quite the bidding war as the blonde-haired Mal repeatedly outbids everyone else in attendance. Dixon pinches the bridge of his nose as he goes for an even eight grand to his…coworker? Friend?

“I’m not wearing a maid’s outfit,” he grumbles to Niko as he retakes his seat beside the stage.

Niko laughs for a solid thirty seconds.

The trend continues, Alex’s boyfriend Finn going up onstage with his offer of website design, Jason with a week of pet sitting, and Alex himself, who pulls over ten grand for…a car wash?

“These people have a lot of money to spend,” I whisper to Brad, who nods with wide eyes.

But then he perks. “Oh, here we go.”

“Next up,” the MC says, “we have Joey Delgado with a special introduction by…Brad Bradley. Is Mr. Bradley here?”

Brad pops up as Alex’s head swivels in our direction at an alarming speed. “His last name isBradley?” the blonde squeaks.

Brad jogs up the steps to the stage and exchanges a soft word with the MC. Clearing his throat, he approaches the mic.

“What is he doing?” I mumble to myself, my heart racing.

“Hey, everyone,” Brad says, smiling widely and waving at the room. “So, I know this is a little different, but I asked if I could have the honor of introducing Joey tonight. So, uh, here we go.”

Brad produces a piece of paper from his pocket, brandishing it to soft chuckles from around the room. He opens the paper, gives the attendees another smile, and starts to read.

“Joey Delgado is twenty-nine years old, six foot one and a half inches tall, the perfect width to fit your arms around for a hug, and he has hair the color of rich chocolate icing.”

There’s another round of chuckles.

“Oh my God,” Alex whispers, leaning forward.

Brad beams. “He’s hardworking and passionate, a carpenter since the age of seven, when he carved his first-ever mallard duck out of a hunk of cherrywood.”

Holy shit. How did he find that out?

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