Page 11 (2/2)

Best-case scenario, Bryan would find a worown up in a military family like he had and understood the score Even then, there would be sacrifices Little League games, anniversaries, Christo Even the strongest of couples struggled through reintegration to try to get back to “normal” when their spouse came home after a deployment

Worst case? He’d end up destroying his own family the way the Colonel had destroyed theirs And that, he wouldn’t do He was staying single and nothing would sway him, not even Q

He shook off the unsettling feeling that caht of his father and focused his attention back on his sister

“I’ the stupid date, but believe aze on her until she started to squirm and nodded

“Fine! Fine, whatever,” she grumbled She continued to coether the last touches on her outfit By the end of her fussing, she’d arranged her intricate brown braids on top of her head until she looked like a Medusa impersonator

After she’d finished tying her sandals, he held out his hand and hoisted her up

“The first bid starts in ten I’ve gotta do mic checks” She flounced off but quickly turned on her heel and scurried back to him When they were a few inches apart, she stood on tiptoes and kissed hiht Really,” she said, then, with a flip of the curtain, she was gone again, leaving hie area

Two guys shuffled past hi half sotten flimflammed too God help hiuts for this He went back behind the wardrobe to collect his discarded clothes and caught sight of himself in the mirror

To say he looked ridiculous would have been the understatement of the century, not that any of the schh, heas his sister tested the mic with a series of off-key vocal exercises and jokes about check, cash, and credit Same old Q

He had to adood at her job Once she coed to wrangle all the bachelors together and get them in some semblance of order with little effort She showed theed them to smile, flex, and “suck it in” if need be Then she took so thehter, which was oddly co At least he wasn’t the only idiot in the room

Soon, he could hear the ht instinct kicked in It was al second added another layer to his cake of regret Before he could act on his i, his sister called for thee like a princess

“Ladies and…ladies! Have we got a treat for you tonight!”

There were catcalls and histles galore, to the point that he wondered if his sister had brought him to a charity auction or a women’s prison He’d been led to believe that this was a nice bunch of do-gooders who expected a white rose, a plate of stuffed chicken, a glass of wine, and a kiss on the cheek at the end of the night

These ladies sounded like they were out for blood—or other bodily fluids—and suddenly, he was conteain

The ginger-haired guy in front of hiave hi irlfriend Judy Mother hates her” He adjusted his leaves and eyed Bryan assessingly “I don’t suppose you think Quinn would let me back out?”

Bryan bit back a laugh and offered him a sympathetic smile “Sorry, man Not a chance”

“I hear you, it’s cool”

Judging by the cooked lobster shade of his skin and the sweat that had broken out over his brow, it was not at all cool, but Bryan had his own issues to worry about The shoas in full swing now Guys shuffled past hi theirmore and e

Jesus, had Q been so good at her job that she’d whipped these bridge-club-goers into sooto officially murder his sister

After the first handful of nervous bachelors had gone, the one guy who seee strutted out, cock-first, to the tune of “Thrift Shop” Hoots and hollers sounded from the crowd, and Bryan sneaked a quick look froet a look at the crohile they were distracted

It was a packed house, with the audience full of wo shoulder to shoulder at faux ritzy tables draped in white linens with glittery apple centerpieces Q hadn’t lied about one thing Most of the benefactors were s who seemed to be the cause of at least half the co paddles with nu war

A shrill screaainst his ribs, he searched the dim room for the sou

rce of that all-too-familiar screech There was no way…

But there was a way, because seated in the center of the auditorium was Piper Joyce

Of all the activities in all of Salem, why in the hell did his crazy-ass ex have to show up here? His sister wasn’t responsible for this part of the evening, that much was for sure She hated Piper and wouldn’t be at all happy to see her there

But Q’s job was to ht, and if Piper decided to bid on him…

Before he had ti started pu his sister always used to blast in her roo up It was the soundtrack of his nightmares

“Thong Song”

Still behind the curtain, he closed his eyes and weighed his options He could probably get aith leaving noould understand if he explained afterward She ive hiht not be so forgiving and neither ht her boss…

Fu-uck

“Now, ladies and gentle for!” His sister’s voice boo on her y figure behind the lectern “Soh’s former star quarterback Some of you know him as the man of your drealared at her, e

“He’s here tonight to offer you a limo ride to a sexy—”

Sexy? He blanched

“…romantic, five-course meal And maybe his heart”

Yeah, she was going to pay for this

“May I present to you our hoentleman, unless you don’t want him to be, the one, the only, Dr Bryan Metcalf!”

She waved hierated flourish

Now or never

With a deep breath, he strode out, trying hard to pretend he was in his scrubs and not in this ridiculous getup Marching down theood that she was there by way of coincidence He was a last-minute stand-in, so there was no way she could’ve known he’d be there Surely she’d moved on by noay and wouldn’t want to—