pay you more notice if they think a woman like Lydia was into you.”
Gloria Everett, the Rosewood principal and member of the Tornado Fund committee, rushed backstage, clipboard and cashbox in hand. “Gentleman, your attention! Your lucky ladies will be coming back here momentarily. This is your chance to chat with them, charm them, and make them glad they’re paying all that money for you. We have a rose for each of you to give your winner. Please pick one up from the container over here.”
Grant walked over and examined the roses. They were in an assortment of colors. Red was the obvious choice, so he plucked a peach-colored rose with hot pink tips. The peach color reminded him of her skin and the pink color, of her lips and the flush on her cheeks. He wished he could drag the rose’s silky petals slowly across her bare skin. Perhaps he’d get the chance, considering how much she’d paid for him.
He’d been surprised, really. Stunned. Considering she’d pepper sprayed him a week ago, he was beginning to wonder if maybe he’d been wrong about her. He knew she wanted him, he could see it in her reactions to him. She always flushed when he came near, her breath coming rapid and shallow, her pupils dilated just enough to make her look wide-eyed and innocent. The night they spent together, she responded to him easily, every touch met with a gasp of pleasure. But Pepper was fighting with herself. He’d been confident that eventually he could address any reservations she had.
Now, maybe that wasn’t necessary. It was hard for him to see the crowd from the stage with all the lights in his eyes, but he saw Pepper leap out of her chair and raise her paddle high in the air. It was an enthusiastic movement, not the timid bid of a woman who wasn’t sure this was what she wanted.
Thank goodness. If any woman could bid on him tonight and win, he’d wanted it to be Pepper, but he knew she didn’t have a lot of money to waste on that sort of thing. Maybe she’d decided to support the good cause. He hated the idea of spending Valentine’s Day alone, and maybe she did as well.
“Now, if they ask,” Gloria continued, “we take cash, checks, and credit cards for their payments, but they do have to pay tonight.”
Just then, the curtains parted and twelve women made their way backstage. Grant broke into his brightest, most charming smile and clutched the rose to present to Pepper.
All the other women flowed past him, greeting their bachelors with hugs and muted laughter. Then there was Pepper. She was the last of the women, and nowhere near the most enthusiastic. Her face was far from the peachy tone that inspired the rose; it was red, blotchy, and tear-streaked. There was also a large dark stain down the front of her sweater.
Grant frowned. This was not the reception he was expecting at all.
Pepper stopped at the table where he was standing and dropped her purse unceremoniously onto it. Without so much as greeting him, she started digging around inside her bag, finally pulling out her checkbook. He watched her hand tremble as she attempted to make out the large check, a tear falling onto the paper and smearing the date at the top.
That’s when it hit him. She didn’t want him. For some reason, she’d paid all that money for him, but she still didn’t want him. That didn’t make any sense.
“Pepper?” he said as she ripped the check from her checkbook.
She looked up at him for the first time. Her pink lips were pressed into a hard line and her jaw was tight like she was trying to keep something in.
“Thank you for bidding on me,” he said with a smile. “If I could’ve chosen any woman in Rosewood to spend Valentine’s Day with, it would be you.”
Pepper just glared at him and swallowed hard. Grant held out the rose to her and she accepted it reluctantly. She brought the rose to her nose and sniffed delicately. Instead of smiling, he could see the tears start welling in her eyes again.
“Have you
Gloria Everett, the Rosewood principal and member of the Tornado Fund committee, rushed backstage, clipboard and cashbox in hand. “Gentleman, your attention! Your lucky ladies will be coming back here momentarily. This is your chance to chat with them, charm them, and make them glad they’re paying all that money for you. We have a rose for each of you to give your winner. Please pick one up from the container over here.”
Grant walked over and examined the roses. They were in an assortment of colors. Red was the obvious choice, so he plucked a peach-colored rose with hot pink tips. The peach color reminded him of her skin and the pink color, of her lips and the flush on her cheeks. He wished he could drag the rose’s silky petals slowly across her bare skin. Perhaps he’d get the chance, considering how much she’d paid for him.
He’d been surprised, really. Stunned. Considering she’d pepper sprayed him a week ago, he was beginning to wonder if maybe he’d been wrong about her. He knew she wanted him, he could see it in her reactions to him. She always flushed when he came near, her breath coming rapid and shallow, her pupils dilated just enough to make her look wide-eyed and innocent. The night they spent together, she responded to him easily, every touch met with a gasp of pleasure. But Pepper was fighting with herself. He’d been confident that eventually he could address any reservations she had.
Now, maybe that wasn’t necessary. It was hard for him to see the crowd from the stage with all the lights in his eyes, but he saw Pepper leap out of her chair and raise her paddle high in the air. It was an enthusiastic movement, not the timid bid of a woman who wasn’t sure this was what she wanted.
Thank goodness. If any woman could bid on him tonight and win, he’d wanted it to be Pepper, but he knew she didn’t have a lot of money to waste on that sort of thing. Maybe she’d decided to support the good cause. He hated the idea of spending Valentine’s Day alone, and maybe she did as well.
“Now, if they ask,” Gloria continued, “we take cash, checks, and credit cards for their payments, but they do have to pay tonight.”
Just then, the curtains parted and twelve women made their way backstage. Grant broke into his brightest, most charming smile and clutched the rose to present to Pepper.
All the other women flowed past him, greeting their bachelors with hugs and muted laughter. Then there was Pepper. She was the last of the women, and nowhere near the most enthusiastic. Her face was far from the peachy tone that inspired the rose; it was red, blotchy, and tear-streaked. There was also a large dark stain down the front of her sweater.
Grant frowned. This was not the reception he was expecting at all.
Pepper stopped at the table where he was standing and dropped her purse unceremoniously onto it. Without so much as greeting him, she started digging around inside her bag, finally pulling out her checkbook. He watched her hand tremble as she attempted to make out the large check, a tear falling onto the paper and smearing the date at the top.
That’s when it hit him. She didn’t want him. For some reason, she’d paid all that money for him, but she still didn’t want him. That didn’t make any sense.
“Pepper?” he said as she ripped the check from her checkbook.
She looked up at him for the first time. Her pink lips were pressed into a hard line and her jaw was tight like she was trying to keep something in.
“Thank you for bidding on me,” he said with a smile. “If I could’ve chosen any woman in Rosewood to spend Valentine’s Day with, it would be you.”
Pepper just glared at him and swallowed hard. Grant held out the rose to her and she accepted it reluctantly. She brought the rose to her nose and sniffed delicately. Instead of smiling, he could see the tears start welling in her eyes again.
“Have you
Similar Books
