Just a Kiss (14 page)

T
he atmosphere in the community center was positively euphoric. The place had been decked out with balloons and streamers. Hors d'oeuvre trays were being passed around to a crowd of mostly single women, young and old. The volume of their collective chatter betrayed their level of excitement. Others had come just for the entertainment and, of course, to support the shelter.

Paige tried to get into the spirit of things as she settled a glitch with the microphone stand. She should be ecstatic. It was a terrific turnout. Standing room only. The entry fee alone would raise a lot of money, and if the bachelors went for the amount she suspected they would, the shelter would have more than enough to tide them over until the new donors' money came in.

Lucy approached from behind the makeshift stage. “The fellas are ready. All set to go?”

“I think so.” Paige tested the mike stand, finding it stable. “Do you have the order of events and the bios?”

Lucy had agreed to emcee the event. She held up the sheet of
paper. “Let's get this show on the road. You might want to turn up the air. I have a feeling it's about to get very warm in here.” She waggled her eyebrows.

Paige notched up the air, then went to stand at the back of the hall by the door. After Lucy got the crowd quieted, she welcomed the guests and shared about the shelter and the important role it played in the community.

Adorable pictures of dogs and cats flashed on the screen behind her as she talked, and she reminded everyone that those very animals were looking for loving homes right this minute. Charlotte Dupree was stationed at the adoption table with a sweet little terrier, ready to take appointments.

Lucy went over the auction rules, then introduced the first bachelor, one of the local volunteer firemen. He scored a thunderous applause when he strutted out onstage in his turnout gear. He turned in a wide circle, arms out, clearly in his element. When Lucy finally got control of the crowd, the bidding was started at fifty dollars and quickly began rising.

Paige relaxed her hand on her paddle. Her main job tonight was to drive the bids up when necessary, but it looked like the firefighter wasn't going to need any help.

Some of the others might not be so fortunate. After encouragement from some of the middle-aged single women in town, they'd included a couple of seasoned bachelors: Eden's dad, who was a nice-looking man in his midfifties, and Sheriff Colton. After what happened between Miss Trudy and the sheriff at the reception, Paige had decided to win him tonight as a gift to Miss Trudy—whether the woman wanted him or not.

She glanced out the window toward the deck. It was dark out there tonight, no lights twinkling under the night sky. But her
thoughts were drawn right back to the night of the reception. To the kiss she'd shared with Riley under that glowing moon.

Her stomach tightened at the memory. They'd reached a kind of truce the past few days. Paige regretted her outburst. He had every right to move away, just as he'd had every right to enlist. She shouldn't take it so personally.

The crowd was growing impatient, the noise level rising, and her stomach clamped down at the thought of what was coming tonight when Riley walked out onstage. He'd been so nervous getting ready. It showed in the way his hands trembled as he knotted his tie, in the unevenness of his gait, in the way he fidgeted with his lapels on the drive over. She'd tried to calm his nerves.

“You look amazing. You're going to have a dozen women competing for a date with you.”

“Charlotte Dupree will start the bidding, right? What about Joe?”

Charlotte's husband was about as chill as a person could get. “Relax. It's all set up. If she ends up winning, she's gifting you to her niece.”

He gave a wry laugh. “She'll probably be the first and only bidder.”

The cheering crowd, mingled with a few boos, drew her attention back to the stage. The fireman had been auctioned off to Bridgette Gillespie for two hundred dollars. Paige allowed herself a moment's relief.

Maybe things with Riley were a mess, but at least the future of the shelter looked promising. Sometimes she got way too fixated on what was going wrong. She whispered a prayer of gratitude.

The next bachelor was Nick Donahue, a handsome pediatrician who'd briefly dated Lucy. A few minutes later Lucy closed the
bidding on Nick, who'd scored two hundred eighty dollars for the shelter. Maybe she should've jumped in to nudge up the bidding if everyone was going to go this high. She was going to have to pay better attention.

She felt a moment's anxiety for Riley. As much as she dreaded seeing him auctioned off to some other woman, she wanted to see him humiliated even less.

Relax, Paige. That's not going to happen.

For the next seven bachelors, Paige had fun driving up the bids. There was a lot of whooping and hollering as the women made a friendly competition out of each bachelor. Paige had gotten some playful scowls from some of the women, and some not-so-playful ones from others. Oh well. It was for a good cause.

She skipped on bidding for Scott Lewis, not wanting to give him any ideas. A pretty young lady she recognized from the diner walked off with a date with him. Ellen Mays, a local photographer, won the bidding on Eden's dad. Paige thought they made a nice couple.

Dylan was up next, and the crowd went wild when he came out in his lobsterman gear. The bidding started off strong, then faltered at one ninety, so she lifted her paddle. He sent her a wink, as he'd done with several of the other ladies who'd bid. She hoped that did the trick, because two hundred was her cap.

“All right, ladies,” Lucy called. “What's it going to be? Do I hear two ten?”

Millie Parker raised her paddle.

Dylan's smile faltered. Millie Parker wanted a husband more than she wanted her next meal, and every man in the county knew it.

“Two ten! Who's got two twenty? Come on, girls, look at those muscles!”

Dylan gave Paige a discreet look.

Fine. You owe me, pal.
Paige raised her paddle.

“Two twenty!” Lucy called. “Come on, ladies! Two thirty's a small price to pay for a lovely evening with this handsome fella.”

Paige scanned the crowd, mentally urging some of the women who'd been actively bidding to jump back in. Millie must've been tapped out because she seemed to be out of the bidding.

“Two twenty going once . . .”

Come on, come on.

“Two twenty going twice . . . Sold for two hundred and twenty dollars to Paige Callahan!”

Paige glued a smile to her face as the audience applauded and Dylan moved off the stage, no doubt relieved to have been spared from the clutches of Millie Parker.

Even worse than the damage to her wallet was the effect on the remainder of the auction. She knew the rules—she'd written them herself. A woman could only win one date. Now she couldn't bid on Sheriff Colton for Miss Trudy.

Maybe Charlotte could help. She'd happily provided some of the hors d'oeuvres and volunteered to man the adoption table. But no, that wouldn't work. If Charlotte wound up with Sheriff Colton, she wouldn't be able to start the bidding for Riley.

Drat!

Danny Colton stepped onto the stage in his uniform, earning a few piercing whistles. Color flooded into his face, and he tugged his hat lower.

On the other side of the room, Miss Trudy stood with Zac and Beau, her lips pinched. She hadn't even bothered to register for a paddle.

The bidding started at fifty and quickly rose. Paige made eye contact with Lucy and shrugged. There was nothing either of them
could do. By the time the sheriff left the stage, his face was beet red, and Miss Trudy was white as a bedsheet, her shoulders stiff. The sheriff had himself a date with the owner of the Primrose Inn and head of the shelter's board, Margaret LeFebvre.

Paige felt a pinch of hurt on Miss Trudy's behalf, but she didn't have much time for regrets. Riley was coming out onstage, his gait perfectly even. He looked stoic and handsome in his dark suit. The crowd went wild. A jolt of pride washed over her. Paige was probably the only one who noticed the mottled pink rising into his neck.

They'd saved him for last, knowing there'd be plenty of single women left who'd be willing to fight over this last bachelor.

They were right. Or maybe it was just Riley's innate appeal, because the bidding, which started at fifty, quickly rose to three hundred and was still going strong. The paddles popped up and down so fast Paige lost track of who was bidding what. Lucy had all she could do to keep pace.

It finally slowed down at three eighty, and Lucy urged the crowd to bid higher. “Come on, ladies, he's our last bachelor of the night—your last chance for a date—and with a handsome marine, no less!”

A paddle went up, and Paige rose on her tiptoes to see whose it was. Roxy Franke, Riley's high school girlfriend. The girl had carried a crush for months afterward. Maybe years, judging by the hopeful smile on her face and the two casseroles she'd brought by.

Riley was wearing a poker face, but Paige's stomach bottomed out at the thought of a reunion between Riley and Roxy.

She tried to get Charlotte's attention, for bidding help. But the woman had backed out once the bidding had taken off, and now she was busy signing someone up for an adoption appointment.

Giving up on Charlotte, she sent Lucy a pleading look. A moment later Lucy caught her look of desperation.

“All right, we have three ninety. But ladies . . .” She walked forward on the stage and lowered her voice dramatically. “Did I mention he's the last single Callahan brother?”

Another paddle went up. Sara Porter. A pretty woman in her midtwenties, Sara worked part time at the shelter and typically liked her men with hefty bank accounts. Paige could live with that. Anyone was better than Roxy.

“All right!” Lucy said. “Four hundred's a nice round number. Going once, going twice—”

Roxy's paddle went up again.

Lucy's eyes flickered to Paige. “Four ten! All right. Now open up your wallets a little more, ladies, because I happen to be married to one of the Callahan men, and let me tell you . . . they're worth every penny!”

Sara Porter shook her head at Lucy, shrugging regretfully.

Shoot, she must be all tapped out. Paige looked toward Charlotte, but the woman was still busy with a customer at the table.

“Anyone else?” Lucy said. “Four twenty . . . and he's yours for the taking.”

Riley shifted on the stage, clasped his hands in front of him, standing soldier straight.

“I'll bet he has a romantic evening all planned out for you. Four twenty . . . just four hundred and twenty dollars . . . and did I mention this is for an excellent cause?”

The crowd had quieted. If Lucy drew it out any more, this was going to get awkward.

“That's a hefty bid for our local hero,” Lucy said. “Anyone else? Okay, we have four ten . . . go-ing once . . . go-ing twice . . .” She scanned the audience for a full three seconds. “And . . . Riley . . . is . . . sold! To Roxy Franke for four hundred and ten dollars!”

R
iley's stomach growled as he entered the Callahan house. He took a big whiff of the savory smells wafting from the kitchen. After greeting his brothers, he followed them into the dining room, where Eden and Lucy were setting the last of the side dishes on the table. Paige, he assumed, was still in the kitchen.

Micah, Eden's seven-year-old son, pulled him aside to show him a magic trick with a deck of cards. “Hey, that's pretty good,” Riley said when Micah chose the right card. He tousled the kid's hair.

A knock sounded at the door as Aunt Trudy came from the kitchen with a huge pot of venison stew. Zac took it from her and set it on the table.

“I'll get it,” Riley said.

He pulled the door open, and a fist tightened in his gut. Dylan Moore stood on the porch in a button-down shirt and pair of skinny khakis.

Riley tried for a smile. “Hey, how you doing?”

“Not bad, not bad. Uh . . . I was invited for dinner.”

“Oh. Sure. Come on in.” Riley opened the door wider, stepping aside. Seeing Paige bid so enthusiastically for him last night had been bad enough. Now he had to sit across his dinner table from the guy?

Great. Just great.

“Dylan!” Lucy said as they entered the dining room, where the family was seating themselves. “Glad you could make it.”

“Hi, Dylan,” Paige said, trading some indecipherable look with Lucy.

Riley didn't miss the way her cheeks flushed as Dylan crossed the room and seated himself beside her.

The hollow spot in his middle widened. She must like the guy a lot to have bid so much on him the night before. Probably couldn't bear the thought of him going out with someone else. He knew the feeling.

His stomach twisted as they settled around the table. Someone said grace, but he heard none of the prayer. When it was over, dishes were passed, and he heaped food onto his plate, though his appetite had gone the way of the Roman Empire.

“Last night was such a blast,” Eden said. “Lucy, you did a terrific job up there.”

Zac squeezed Lucy's hand. “Told you so.”

“It surely was fun. I hope the proceeds are enough to get the shelter through.”

Paige wiped her mouth. “More than I anticipated. I ran some numbers last night, and I think the shelter's going to be all right even if one of the grants doesn't come through. I owe you guys so much. Seriously, I couldn't have done it without all of you.”

“That's what family's for,” Beau said.

A pretty smile settled over Paige's features. She needed to hear
that, and often. Riley was grateful for the way his family included her.

They relived some of their favorite moments from the auction, laughing often, and careful to avoid any mention of the sheriff's part in the escapades.

“That was a generous bid you made, Paige.” Lucy's eyes toggled between Paige and Dylan. “Though I suspect you can have him for free anytime you want.”

“Oh, it was a total rescue,” Dylan said, chuckling. “She's my Princess Charming.”

Paige's eyes flickered off Riley's. “I just wanted to do my part.”

“So when's the big date?” Lucy asked.

Paige and Dylan shared a look, then Dylan said, “Next Saturday. We haven't decided on a place yet, though. I think I might surprise her.”

Riley could hardly wait. He and Roxy had decided on the same night. At least he'd be gone when Dylan showed up to collect Paige. He'd make sure of it. If he managed to stay out late enough, he'd miss the good night kiss too.

Paige cleared her throat. “The whole community has really opened their wallets for the shelter. I'm grateful.”

“Speaking of opening their wallets . . .” Lucy teased Riley with her eyes. “What about you, Mr. Callahan? Highest bid of the night. You were awfully popular with the ladies.”

Warmth seeped into his neck. “Must be a lot of desperate women sitting around town is all I can say.”

“Oh, please,” Eden said. “You're quite the catch and you know it.”

Beau rolled his eyes. “He's got a big enough head after last night. Don't add to it.”

Riley smirked at him. “Jealous, big brother?”

“Please. I would've fetched twice the price you did.” At Eden's pointed look he added, “Not that I would've cared. I've got all the woman I need right here.”

He kissed a mollified Eden on the cheek.

Riley stabbed a chunk of venison. Sometimes it really blew being around so many happy couples. At least Aunt Trudy was still single.

He chided himself for the thought. For all her bluster, he knew she still harbored feelings for the sheriff. And Colton was soon going out with the attractive Margaret LeFebvre. It had to be eating her alive. Probably why she was so quiet today.

“Charlotte set fourteen appointments for this week,” Paige said. “With any luck, we'll place a lot of our little cuties.” She caught Riley's eye. “By the time this week's over, you're going to be chomping at the bit to get out of town.”

Riley froze, his spoonful of broth halfway to his mouth. His look must've clued Paige in, because he saw the flash of confusion in her eyes, followed quickly by a cloud of regret. She bit her lip.

“Where you going?” Zac asked around a mouthful of stew.

Beau was a little quicker on the uptake, his eyes darting between Riley and Paige. “What's going on? There something we don't know?”

Paige winced, mouthing,
Sorry
.

Riley wiped his mouth, trying to come up with the right words. His family wasn't going to like this no matter how carefully he worded it.

“I was offered a job by a buddy of mine. His family runs a home improvement company, and his dad's wanting to retire. They could use my help in the office.”

“You're not a secretary,” Beau said. “You're a lobsterman.”

Riley nailed him with a look. “
Was
a lobsterman.”

“He's always been good with spreadsheets,” Paige offered. “And he's done great at the shelter.”

He wondered if she was suddenly in favor of his move. The thought was like a kick to the solar plexus.

Aunt Trudy finally joined the fray. “Where's this business even at?”

He traded looks with Paige. “Copper Creek, Georgia.”

“Georgia!” Zac lowered his spoon.

Beau's jaw grew rigid. He sat back in his chair, and Riley could see his mind spinning from the other end of the table. He looked his fill, until Riley wanted to invite him to take a picture.

“And what about the farm, Riley?” Beau finally said. “The season's right around the corner.”

Riley loved working the season at the Christmas tree farm almost as much as he enjoyed lobstering. The smell of fresh pine, the crunch of snow under his boots. Customers buzzing around the place, looking for the perfect tree, breath fogging in the air, hot chocolate braced in their mittened hands.

He pushed the images down beside all his other hopes and dreams. The ones that had been cut off right along with his leg.

He'd be slow and cumbersome in the fields now. Balance was tricky even on level ground. Add snow and ice, and he was probably the last person who should be wielding a saw.

“I'm sure you can find better help than me.”

“This is a terrible time for you to leave,” Beau said.

“What is it with you?” Riley tossed his napkin down. “You didn't approve of me joining up, and now—”

“And look what happened to you!”

“Beau.”
Eden set her hand on his arm.

Riley's mouth snapped shut. He glared at his brother. How dare he. Riley would give anything to go back and make a different decision. But it wasn't enough that Beau had been right. He had to rub Riley's nose in it too. Never mind that he wouldn't have left at all had Beau kept his paws off Paige. Hot blood raced through his veins, the warmth pooling into his limbs, into his face.

The room had gone mortuary quiet. Every utensil still. The only movement the overhead fan, spinning in a lazy circle.

“Nice.” Riley pushed out his chair.

“Don't leave, Riley.” Zac cast a scowl Beau's way. “Let's talk about this.”

But Riley used the chair's arms to push to his feet. “No thanks. I've lost my appetite.”

“He didn't mean it,” Paige said as they pulled into the drive a few minutes later.

“Don't defend him.” Riley shut off the engine and got out of the car.

“I'm not defending him. It was a stupid thing to say. You know he loves you.”

Riley said nothing as she followed him to the door. Her heart ached for the both of them, but she couldn't help but be annoyed with Beau. What had he been thinking? It wasn't like him to spout off like that. To say something so hurtful.

“He's just reeling over the thought of you leaving.” Guilt pinched her hard. “Speaking of which . . . I'm so sorry. It just slipped out.”

“I guess they had to find out sooner or later.”

“Yeah, but . . . not like that.” Not that her introduction to the news had been any better.

Riley headed toward his room, his gait uneven.

“Where are you going?”

“I need a nap.”

“Can't we talk about this?”

“Go back to the house, Paige. You shouldn't have left Dylan there to begin with.” His door slammed in her face, the whoosh of air washing over her like a harsh breath.

Great. Now Riley wasn't talking to her. Dylan probably wasn't either, after she'd left him sitting in the Callahan house without her. She tried to feel bad about that, but she hadn't invited him to begin with. She was going to take that up with Lucy later.