Page 36 of Fake-Off with Fate (Love in Maple Falls #1)
ASHLYN
My parents were thrilled when I showed up on their doorstep unexpectedly last night.
When I told them I plan to stay for at least a month, my dad asked if I could stay for two so he could leave me in charge of things while he and my mom spend the bulk of December in Italy. I promised to consider it.
I’m currently standing outside the Hawk River Lodge where the bachelor auction is going to take place. I’m wearing the same red dress I wore the night of the inaugural ball for the Ice Breakers.
The parking lot is packed, so I’m guessing we’re going to make a ton of money tonight.
My dad told me there are a bunch of wealthy single women who’ve flown in from all over the country to support our cause.
I’m pretty sure our cause isn’t their motivating factor.
They’re here to buy themselves a date with a professional hockey player, plain and simple.
I quickly check my coat before heading toward the back door of the ballroom. I didn’t tell anyone I was going to be here, because I figure the element of surprise is a good thing. Also, I’m a little terrified.
My dad is talking to a couple of people, so I flag him to get his attention. He hurries toward me. “You look gorgeous, honey!” Then he recaps our plan. “I’ll go out and remind everyone what we’re doing here, and then I’ll introduce you to get the ball rolling. How does that sound?”
My mouth is so dry I can only bob my head up and down in agreement.
As he walks away, I find a bottle of water and take slow sips. I’m a nervous wreck. It’s been almost two weeks since I’ve talked to Jamie and I’m not even sure he’ll be happy to see me. In fact, with my recent luck, he might already be dating someone else. The thought causes my stomach to tighten.
Making my way to stage right, I listen while my dad warms up the crowd.
He thanks everyone for coming and assures them their contributions will help save Maple Falls.
Then he expresses gratitude for their patience while he was “sick.” Finally, he says, “I’d like to acknowledge my daughter, Ashlyn, for everything she did to help us while I was under the weather. ”
He reaches his arm out in my direction while adding, “She did such a great job that she’s come home to see her wonderful idea through to the finish line.” I walk out on stage to thundering applause.
When I reach my dad’s side, I find my voice and tell him, “I may have started the ball rolling, but it’s Maple Falls who deserves the applause tonight.” Then I face the crowd and join them in praising our efforts.
When the celebration dies down, I step up to the podium. “What do you say we auction off some hockey players?” Hoots and whistles fill the air in support.
Looking down at the list in front of me, I don’t see Jamie’s name. Alarm fills me like a bad case of food poisoning. Why isn’t he being auctioned off like he promised? I search the crowd in hopes of spotting him, but he’s nowhere to be seen.
There’s only one thing to do. I read the first name on the list and robotically start the proceedings. “Jackson Flint is our first player on the block! Will you please join me, Jackson?”
A tall and exceptionally handsome man stands up and makes his way toward the stage. When he reaches my side, I ask the crowd, “Who would like to spend a couple of hours with Jackson?”
The room erupts again, and two women immediately jump to their feet and start waving their paddles in the air. “We’re starting the bidding at five thousand dollars.”
The blonde woman in the black leather corset shouts, “Eight thousand dollars!”
The other woman, who looks old enough to be her mother, calls out, “Ten!”
They go back and forth until the price tag reaches twenty-five thousand. The corset gets him.
The next several players go for varying amounts, but none of them come close to Jackson Flint.
I take a short break when I notice a waitress has brought a glass of water for me.
After assuring the crowd I’ll be right back, I move off stage.
Reaching for the glass, I tell her, “Thank you so much. I’m parched. ”
“This is fun, huh?” she responds. “I wish I had the money to get in on the action.”
“What about that first guy?” I ask. “That was incredible.”
She leans in close to me and whispers, “The two women bidding on him were his mother and sister.”
Shocked, I ask, “How do you know that?”
“I heard them chatting in the ladies room. Jackson told them what to spend. According to the mom, his agent told him to make sure he went for a lot so they could try to negotiate more money for him next year.”
“I don’t think that’s how it goes,” I tell her.
She shrugs. “Who cares? We got another twenty-five grand in the kitty.”
I feel a little relieved as I go back out on stage. But then I scan the audience and see Jamie. He’s sitting with Allegra.
White hot jealousy with a chaser of fury hits me hard. Why is he here with her? Are they back together? I want answers and I want them now, but I have to keep on with the auction .
Looking at the next name on my list, I call out, “It’s time for Clément Rivière to find a date! Clément, please join me.”
The tall Frenchman stands up, looking extraordinarily uncomfortable. His gaze shifts around the room like he’s considering running to the nearest exit. “This way, Clément,” I encourage him while pointing to my side.
Once he’s standing next to me, I tell the audience, “That’s right, ladies—the accent is real, and so is his talent on the ice. On top of that, Clément Rivière is also restoring one of Maple Falls’ most beloved properties to its former glory, the old MacDonald place."
“A man who can play goalie, bake soufflés, and is bringing back a bit of Maple Falls history. What more could you want? Shall we open the bidding?”
“Five thousand,” Bernadette Huckle, the town’s librarian, calls out. I suppress raw laughter at the thought that our mind-mannered town librarian is so eager to help out.
“Eight thousand!” another voice rings out.
“Eight thousand, one hundred!” The bids are slowing down a bit, but they keep coming.
“Eight thousand, two hundred!”
With every offer, Clément seems closer and closer to jumping out of his skin. When the price tag reaches nine thousand dollars, he leaves the stage and walks out into the audience. There, he grabs a paddle before rejoining me. “Nine thousand!” he shouts.
Covering the microphone, I tell him, “You don’t bid for yourself.”
“Nine thousand five hundred!” he yells.
“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 spit bullets. “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.