Page 80 of Fake-Off with Fate
“Clément, that’s not how things are done. You need to let the audience bid.”
“Why?” he demands. “I thought the whole point of this charade was to make money. My money is as good as theirs, no?” He waves his paddle at the crowd.
I suppose he’s right. “Well folks, it appears we have an eccentric Frenchman on the team. Do we have any more offers?” I ask.
Everyone in the room appears to be in a state of shock at the odd turn of events but the bidding continues. We're well into the five-figures when it ends. “Okay then, I guess we can call it! The Frenchman wins a date with himself!”
Clément hands me his paddle and starts clapping for his win.
Looking down at my list, I see there’s only one name left—Harry Franks. I glance out into the audience and make eye contact with Jamie. Without thinking things through, I announce, “Our next bachelor is the Ice Breakers’ very own captain, Jamie Hayes!” I can’t quite read his expression, but I’d say it’s somewhere between shock and horror.
Jamie stands up slowly before joining me on stage. When he arrives, he whispers, “What are you doing?”
Reaching out, I click off the microphone before telling him, “You promised to be auctioned off if I agreed to be your fake girlfriend. I did my part.”
“You left town,” he hisses.
“I thought my house was going to burn down!” I yell at him. Who needs a microphone when there’s irritation?
“But you didn’t come back.”
“I had to work,” I tell him with less heat.
“You stopped calling,” he accuses.
“You didn’t call me either,” I retort.
“That’s because you made it perfectly clear you wanted nothing to do with me.”
“So, you went back to your ex-girlfriend?” I’m back to shouting. But instead of letting him answer, I turn the microphone back on. The high-pitched squeal that results is enough to cause hearing loss.
“Jamie Hayes, folks! Who wants to bid five thousand?”
I see a couple of paddles go up, so I raise the amount. “Ten thousand!”
One paddle this time. It’s Allegra. I’m so mad I could spitbullets. “Thirty thousand!” I don’t even bother to see if Allegra’s still a contender. Instead, I grab the paddle Clément left behind and call out, “Thirty thousand! Going once, twice, gone! I win the date with Jamie Hayes!”
Jamie looks so startled you could probably blow him over with a slight breeze. “Where in the world did you get thirty thousand dollars?” he wants to know.
“You can ask me that on our date,” I tell him before pushing him off stage.
My head is spinning so much I don’t even remember auctioning off Harry Franks. All I know is that in the end we made a huge dent in the amount of money we’re going to offer to Alexander MacDonald. Thirty thousand of which was graciously donated by Zach Hart so I could win a date with Jamie.
A date I’m quite honestly terrified to go on.
CHAPTER 37
JAMIE
I could not believemy eyes when I saw that Ashlyn came back for the bachelor auction. Particularly when she called my name after I dropped out. I wasn’t planning to stiff the town, either. I was just going to donate to them directly.
I didn’t get a chance to talk to Ashlyn when the auction ended because she hightailed it out of there like her dress was on fire. Her gorgeous, red, slinky dress that made me want to put my coat on her so no one else could enjoy the view.
I’m currently on my way to Shirley May’s, where she requested we meet for our date. As I walk into the restaurant, I realize that no one else is here, which is weird because Shirley May’s is a staple in this town and always busy.
But then I see Ashlyn. She’s sitting at the same booth where we had dinner together the night she came in her dad’s place. Even though she’s not wearing the red dress, she’s easily the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.
I approach slowly, all the while keeping my gaze glued to hers. When I stop next to her, she says, “Jamie. Thank you for coming.”
