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Only, now that he was here, as he watched her h the crowd to speak with people who clearly adh with his plan to surprise her, then kiss her into not beingher request to stay away

It was one thing to rearrange her seat at the ball game so that she’d have to sit next to him It was another to screw up an i and hard on just because he was a selfish prick who couldn’t ht he wanted Heather to be happy

Moving to a shadowed part of the rooe He’d always gravitated toward younger woood time Heather was the polar opposite of them all She didn’t need him, didn’t need any man to take care of her or to tell her she orthy

A few seconds later, the ht went to where Heather was standing on the stage

"Thank you, everyone, for coht to support the San Francisco Animal Shelter I know each and every one of us in this roo abused and neglected, household pets most often of all"

Behind her, a screen showed pictures of dogs walking with their owners, cats playing with children, puppies cuddling with babies So or an eye, but anyone could see how happy they were now that they’d finally found faht, to raise ht in to the shelter hurt and afraid With the right love and care, it’s our hope that they will all find loving homes and owners ill care for them the way they should have been cared for from the day they were born Every penny of the proceeds froht to the shelter, and the ani deep for them"

As she stepped away froh the list of ite from his pocket and headed for the front of the hotel

"I need you to bringto be driving it, sir?"

"No," he said without even needing to give it a second thought, "I won’t"

Heather was pleased with hoell the bidding was going on the auction items Still, as the auctioneer called out the final ite to be a close finish to reach their fundraising goal

And then, suddenly, the other man from the auction firm motioned to the auctioneer with a piece of paper

Heather frowned What was going on?

The auctioneer unfolded the paper and whatever he read on itthe time to confer first with Heather, he quickly moved back behind the podium