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I ju shit” I point tous to do this”

“Yeah Yeah Go on and smoke your smelly cancer sticks Mom and I rite up your auction text” She shoosexpression

I hesitate but decide that I don’t want to knohata dozen ti’s coto be my one true love

“How bad is it?” I ask Ben e reach the deck

He pulls two cigars out of his pocket and hands one over “Depends on the age of your buyer”

I bite off the end of the cigar and spit it over the railing Ben holds the lighter forones are the worst, huh?”

“Ha!” He barks so loudly I nearly ju “Nah It’s the old ones you have to be careful with They’ve got no restraint and fewer morals My third auction—or hty if she was a day, and eren’t even out of the building before she started ot picnic dinner at a park, and she said she was going to saveherself up as a meal”

I put a hand on the deck railing to steady myself “No”

“Fighting off Grandht wasn’t even the worst of it”

A sweat breaks out across my forehead “I don’t know that I’m prepared to hear this”

“You aren’t” He takes another draw and blows out a stream of smoke “The last year, I went for the top dollar in the auction Twenty-five Gs”

I alrand?”

He nods solemnly “It ins, and they wanted their money’s worth”

“What’d you do?”

“I told them I’d mow their yard for a year if they promised to leave me unmolested”

When Caro brought Ben ho to inherit a billion-dollar wedding business, and he was a blue collar worker who often had soot under his fingernails I learned quickly he was a good guy as co that if he ever hurt Caro, I’dfine Plus, their wedding planning consumed an enormous arateful It was a year’s reprieve of her constant questioning of when I was going to settle down and give her soh, I don’t think I would’ve wished these experiences on him

“Did they take you up on your offer?”