Weekend With Her Bachelor (Bachelor Auction Returns Book 4) (4 page)

Mandy’s hand shot up before Coach could take a breath. “Thank you for starting us off, Mandy.”

Gavin looked stricken at the bid.

“Six do I hear… there we have six hundred? Seven hundred? Eight hundred.” The bids were creeping up, but no one had blown away the field like with the other bachelors.

“Twenty-five hundred dollars!” came a voice from the end of the bar.

Craning her neck, Ally wasn’t really surprised when she got a look at the bidder. There was Jenny, her finger sliding up and down the stem of a wine glass. Cool, casual, arrogant, as always, Gavin’s eyes went wide, and for the first time since he came on stage, he looked in Ally’s direction. Did he want her to bid?

Winning Gavin in the auction had been her plan, that hadn’t changed. But there was no denying she would get some perverse pleasure out of winning a bidding war with the woman who’d messed up their relationship. Time for her to jump in. The town was always looking for something to talk about.

“Five thousand.” Ally raised her hand slowly, and Gavin’s expression stilled.

“Well, thank you, young lady. We have a bid of five thousand dollars. Do I hear five thousand-five hundred?”

“Ten thousand,” came Jenny’s response.

Ooohs and ahhs rose from the crowd.

“That’s an insane amount of money,” Lisa whispered.

It was, but now she was getting pissed. Ally was competitive. No one was going to win this bachelor without a fight. Especially Jenny.

“I have ten thousand dollars, do I have eleven thousand? Ten thousand going once…”

“Twelve thousand,” Ally said.

“Thirteen.” Jenny walked to the edge of the stage and glared at Ally.

Glancing up, Ally actually felt for Gavin a little. Bids had never gone this high. He must have felt like a prize racehorse.

It wasn’t going to stop her, but she did feel for him.

“Fifteen thousand,” Ally said casually.

“Eighteen thousand,” came Jenny’s next bid.

“Well this is unexpected! Ladies? I have a bid of eighteen
thousand
dollars. Do I hear nineteen? Nineteen? No? Eighteen going once, twice…”

This was getting stupid.

“Twenty-five thousand dollars.” Ally called out. Turning, she saw her opponent in the bidding war freeze. Jenny’s eyes, cold and stark, conveyed her anger. She’d been beaten. With a glance over her shoulder and a wave of her hand, Jenny indicated she was out.

“Twenty-five thousand dollars! Ladies, that’s remarkable. Any more? Are we done? Twenty-five thousand going once… going twice… and…”

Not intimidated, Ally was ready to stare Jenny down, just in case she decided to make one more bid, only to see her very angry daddy had joined her at the end of the bar. Apparently, the Bank of Daddy had cut off her credit.

“And SOLD—” the gavel cracked down, “—to the young lady for twenty-five thousand dollars! We have exceeded our fundraising goal, ladies and gentlemen! Thank you, darlin’.” Coach reached down from the stage and shook her hand. “That’s very, very generous of you. You’ve bought yourself a doctor.”

Everyone in the bar stood up and clapped for her. There were cheers and whistles, and Ally couldn’t tell if it was appreciation for the donation or for beating Jenny Gaston. It might have been a little of both.

Thank you, Lars
, she thought.
Your ring went for a good cause.

She’d won. She’d actually won. Ally didn’t know if she’d even have the nerve to make the bid, knowing it would draw so much attention to her. And now she’d done it, and beaten one of the mean girls at her own game.

But then, as the adrenaline dropped off, giving Ally the chance to think about what had just happened, she felt a little sick.

T
he buzz hadn’t
stopped and the room felt as if it were closing in on her. Bolting to the door that led to the street, Ally walked in a few quick circles before she bent over, grasping her midsection. She prayed she didn’t throw up.

What the hell had she done? She’d just spent twenty-five thousand dollars on a
person
.

“That was obscene,” came the deep male voice. It didn’t take him long to find her. “I mean, I’m glad Jenny didn’t win, but twenty-five grand?”

“I don’t need you lecturing me, Gavin. You should be happy. You brought in the biggest bid.”

“I’m not lecturing you, but I feel like a piece of meat. That’s a lot of money, Ally. What made you bid like that?”

“I wanted to win.”
I wanted to win you.

She hadn’t faced him yet. She couldn’t, but he wasn’t having any of it. She felt Gavin’s hands on her shoulders, and gently he turned her around.

Seeing him at a distance affected Ally because the memories welled up inside her, but up close? Gavin’s presence was overwhelming, and it was more than nostalgia—this was want. Pure and simple. Their past coupled with his physical presence was a powerful mix. She wanted him, and Ally couldn’t ever remember having such a visceral reaction to a man.

It was the difference between who they were and who they’d become. The last time she’d spoken to Gavin, he was just twenty. Ally was still a teenage girl. So much had changed.

He was better looking that even she remembered. But of course, his age played a factor—he’d grown into himself. Gone was the lanky boy she remembered; instead, a broad, muscular man had replaced him. He’d grown up on a farm, raising and riding quarter horses, but from where she stood, Gavin would fit in with the most successful business people she knew. Confident, professional, he wore his suit like an extension of himself. There was a bit of scruff across his angular jaw, and instead of keeping his dark hair cropped close as he did when he was younger, it was a little longer. Wavy and dark, she just wanted to touch it…

“Ally?”

Oh, God. He was talking to her. “Yeah, sorry. I zoned.”

“Can you cover the bid?”

“Excuse me?” He did not just ask her that. Good grief. “Of course I can cover the bid. What kind of question is that?”

“I didn’t mean to offend you—”

“Well, you did. Congratulations. Even if I hadn’t gotten an unexpected windfall, I could have made a five-figure donation. No problem. Sheesh.”

“Okay, sorry. That was out of line.” He shuffled his feet nervously. “What windfall?”

Ally sighed, shrugged. “I was engaged, and last year, two days before my wedding, Lars called everything off. He needed to center himself, or something, and couldn’t be married. I didn’t know until later he was ‘centering’ himself with a yoga instructor named Jasmina. I was angry, and never gave him the ring back.”

“Your engagement ring?”

“I sold it,” she sniffed. “It cost a small fortune, and now the money has gone to a very good cause.” She reached up and picked a piece of lint off Gavin’s lapel. It was a little shared intimacy that wasn’t lost on either of them. “Sorry,” she croaked out when she realized what she was doing.

Clearing his throat, Gavin took half a step back, which was too bad. Ally missed his warmth.

“I like that you sold the ring and used the money for the town, but why buy a date?”

“Umm…yeah, that.”

He stepped into her space again, knowing it affected her, and this time his scent, subtle and musky, surrounded her. God. She was a goner already. This was not a good idea. What the hell was she thinking?

“Ally? The date?” His voice, low and steady, wrapped around her.

“I’m an event planner, and my firm planned a destination wedding for a close friend of mine.” This was much harder than she imagined. Now that she actually had to ask him about going with her, she reconsidered. She was such a chicken. “Maybe this is a bad idea.”

“You don’t want to go to the wedding alone. Is that it?”

“Not really, but you know what? Forget it. We can go out to dinner or something. Catch up.”

“Ally, that’s an awfully expensive dinner.”

“Maybe, but…” She took a deep breath. “This is awkward.”

He laughed. “No, considering our history, you buying me for twenty-five grand is awkward—this is just you losing your nerve.”

He was right about that. Ally had never been more terrified in her life. “I’m reconsidering. I don’t want to put you in a bad position, Gavin. I know we didn’t part on the best terms.”

“That’s the understatement of the decade. Why don’t you want to go to the wedding alone? If it’s a friend, you’ll know people.”

“Because my ex will be there. With his girlfriend.”

“What was his name again?” Gavin chuckled sarcastically. “Odin? Olaf?”

Smacking his arm playfully, she had to smile, even though she wanted to cry. “Don’t be an ass. His name is Lars.”

“Right. Lars.”

“I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable. This seemed like a good idea, until I saw the look in your eyes. I shouldn’t have bid and just made a big donation instead.”

“That would have left me with Jenny, and there was nothing good about that scenario.”

“Really? This I gotta hear. I thought you two were buddies.”

He scowled. “I’m not talking about it. But we are not ‘buddies,’ as you put it. And what do you mean the look in my eyes? How did I look at you?”

Ah, shit. She didn’t want to get into this. There was no way for her to explain what was going on in her head without sounding whiny and pitiful. That girl had left the building a long time ago.

“You didn’t look happy to see me.” It was the truth. And it was understandable.

“I was surprised. It’s been what? Almost ten years? And, uh… you look different. I mean I knew it was you, but, you look different. But other than the money being thrown around, I don’t think I did anything.”

“I’ve lost weight. I’m not fat anymore.”

“You weren’t fat to begin with.”

“I was…”

He stopped her with a wave of his hand. “You were beautiful then, and you’re beautiful now. It’s just different. That’s all.”

People were leaving the bar since the auction was over, and Gavin was very aware of everyone, waving goodnight as they walked past. He still lived here, whereas most people didn’t even recognize her. She guessed he was pretty embarrassed by the attention.

“I’m so sorry, Gavin. I never even thought about how the bidding would affect you. How embarrassing it would be.”

“I’m not embarrassed. You seem more affected than I am.” He sat on a bench outside the bar. “Same old Ally. Worried about other people’s opinions.”

“Lovely. Thanks for that.” Nothing like being insulted.

“Just stating a fact.”

She wasn’t the same girl who left Marietta High School. Awkward and shy, Ally was the band geek, an eternal romantic who wrote love stories to pass the time. She wasn’t thin, or athletic. She never felt particularly pretty. And her insecurities did put her at the mercy of others. That girl was long gone, at least most of the time.

She’d worked hard to pack away all the baggage, and focus on being a success. She’d built a life for herself in Seattle, and fought past all the old insecurities while doing so. If she hadn’t, she would have been a hot mess when Lars dumped her; instead, she pushed harder, worked harder, and made her own life even better.

But all that focus inward didn’t leave a lot of time for relationships. When she finally came up for air, Ally realized she was pretty lonely.

Of course, the girl she used to be would make an appearance occasionally. The one who was scared or unsure, who doubted herself, or who doubted others? She was still in there. The doubter was the one who’d walked away from Gavin on the say so of an angry, desperate, mean girl, instead of having faith in her best friend—the boy she loved so much it hurt.

Their unlikely friendship developed in grade school. They’d bonded over their love of books, spending long afternoons in the library sharing stories and reading. But in high school, they got even closer. She loved her girlfriends, but Gavin was different. He understood her need to know things. To study. And even though she didn’t play sports, he appreciated that she was competitive.

He was a golden boy. A star athlete, super student, from a large well-known family, his shyness was endearing. She sensed he still was. They spent a lot of time together, and Ally actually thought she might have a real love story for once.

Eventually, it all fell apart because she was an idiot.

Before he left for college, Gavin had made it clear that he wanted to be more than friends and that his feelings ran deep. He stayed in touch with her, religiously calling and texting. They saw each other over the holidays, but since Ally was traveling to family on the East Coast, they didn’t have any real time together.

It was right after that that Jenny got inside her head, and Ally made the mistake of believing the worst about Gavin.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’ll understand if you don’t want to do it.”

“Let me think about it,” he said, his voice more tender than she deserved.

“Fair enough.” Ally couldn’t ask for more than that. She extended her hand and he hesitated before grasping it firmly. Touching him was another mistake. Tingles ran right up her arm, circling around and settling in the vicinity of her heart. “Let me know. I’ll leave my number with Rowan.”

“Just put your number in my phone,” he snarled. “I don’t need Ro in on this.”

Handing her his phone, she keyed in the number and hit save. He then texted her, so she had his.

“There,” he said. “No Rowan.”

“Okay. Let me know. The event is two weeks from Saturday, but I’m heading up the Thursday before and staying until Monday. It’s at Whispering River Ranch.”

“That luxury resort in the mountains? That’s not one of those places where city folks go to play Wild West, is it?”

“Hardly, cowboy.” Ally giggled. “It’s all about relaxing. You can ride if you like, but it’s not a working ranch anymore. I’m planning on several spa treatments.”

“Spa treatments. Ooo-kay. I’ll let you know in a couple of days. If I can’t, I’m sure you can get your money—”

“No.” She cut him off. “The money stays with the event. I don’t want it. At least that damn ring went for a good cause.”

“Fine. I’ll talk to you then. ’Night.”