Page 61 of Reckless Harmony

“Hi there.” Her voice sounded terrified, and she forced herself to stand straight and smile at the crowd. “I can’t say thank you enough to all of you for participating in our fundraiser tonight. Little Whiskers Rescue does important work for a lot of innocent animals, and none of it would be possible without your generosity at events like this.”

The crowd cheered and clapped as Rayna risked a glance at Stark. He was clapping politely, and Rayna kept the smile on her face with grim force as Phoebe gave her a brittle smile. Phoebe slipped her hand around Stark’s bicep and lightly tugged until he bent his head toward her again.

Rayna looked away, scanning the rest of the crowd and hoping fervently that at least one person would bid on her.

“Rayna is offering dinner at the Bronze Blossom and ice skating at the Harmony Falls Sports Complex,” Solomon read from a small index card before smiling at the crowd. “Who will start the bid at fifty dollars?”

The silence spun out, and Rayna could feel the red creeping up her neck and into her face. Oh God, she would be forced to stand here in complete silence until the end of time.

Pretty sure the sheer humiliation of the moment will kill you first.

Christ, she hoped so.

“One thousand dollars.”

The crowd gasped, and necks craned to stare at the man who’d spoken. Rayna stared dumbly at Jasper, who grinned and winked at her before taking a sip from his wine glass.

“One thousand dollars!” Solomon roared happily. “Thank you, good man! Do I hear eleven hundred?”

Rayna turned to stare at Solomon. Was he crazy? No one else would bid -

“Eleven hundred.”

Her jaw dropped, and she stared wide-eyed at Stark. He returned her look calmly as Solomon shouted, “Eleven hundred from Mr. Stark.”

Solomon grinned at Jasper. “Do I hear twelve hundred?”

“Two thousand,” Jasper said with a glance at Stark.

Rayna grabbed Solomon’s arm. Before Solomon could say anything, Stark said, “Twenty-five hundred.”

Jasper glared at him over Phoebe’s head. Rayna’s gaze fell to Phoebe, and she swallowed the hysterical laughter bubbling in her chest at the look of - holy shit, that was jealousy - on Phoebe’s face.

What the actual fuck was happening right now?

“Twenty-five hundred!” Solomon shouted. The crowd clapped and cheered, and Rayna turned to stare at Emma, who was giving her a look of pure glee from backstage.

“What do you say, young fella?” Solomon winked at Jasper. “Do you want to make it twenty-six hundred?”

“Three thousand,” Jasper said.

“Holy fuck,” Rayna said.

Solomon laughed and turned his attention to Stark. “Mr. Stark? Thirty-one hundred?”

Stark glanced at Rayna, his blue eyes burning into hers before he shook his head.

Weird disappointment washed over her as Solomon said, “Three thousand, once, three thousand, twice… the winning bid goes to… what’s your name, young fella?”

Jasper’s grin widened. “Jasper.”

“The winning bid goes to Jasper. Congratulations!” Solomon shouted.

The crowd clapped, and with that useless disappointment still covering her like a thick cloak, Rayna forced a smile and a wave and walked off the stage.

CHAPTER 22

Stark tossed his gym bag over his shoulder before leaving the locker room. His muscles ached, and he was starving, but he didn’t regret staying late to get in a workout. Between looking after Molly last week and his work schedule this week, his daily workout had become a thing of the past, and he missed it.

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