Page 33 of Unlikely to Stay
“Okay, ladies.Get ready to dig deep in those pockets.Our final bachelor is the most eligible one in town.He doctors your cuts, he fixes your broken bones…let’s hear it for Brant Billings!”
Brant rolled his eyes.What an introduction.He pulled the curtain back and walked onto the stage, surprised to see most of the chairs still occupied.He had hoped all the women would have left after winning their men.
“Let’s start the bidding at fifty dollars.Fifty dollars, anyone?”
To Brant’s horror, June Adams stood up in the middle of the second row, holding a wad of cash in her hands.“I bid two hundred dollars,” she said in a booming voice.
He could feel the blood draining from his face.He frantically looked around the audience but Annie and Breckin were nowhere to be seen.
“All right…looks like this one is going to start out with some big bidding,” Griff said, winking Brant’s way.The asshole.“Dig deep in those pockets, ladies.Surely you don’t want to let this catch go for a mere two hundred dollars.”
“I’ll bid three.”An attractive woman Brant didn’t recognize stood up in the third row and waved some bills in the air.Her pink cheeks and bikini tie under her tank top hinted she was probably a lake goer here for Founding Day festivities.
June gave the pretty woman a scathing glare.“Five hundred,” she said.
The crowd gasped.June was increasing the bidding big-time.She was not playing around.Brant sent a look Griff’s way.Where the hell was hiswife?Griff just shrugged.He was as in the dark as Brant, apparently.
“Six hundred,” Lake Lady countered.
“Seven hundred and fifty dollars,” June retorted.Her look at the other lady sent the woman hastily back to her seat.Brant sighed.This was not happening.He was going to kill CC’s friends.
“Any other women wanting to bid on Brant?”Griff asked.“Anyone?”
The crowd, scared by the look on June’s face, remained quiet.
“Okay,” Griff said, remorse on his face.“Going once, going twice—”
“I bid a thousand dollars.”
The crowd let out a gasp before turning toward the sound of the voice.Karen Posey, Parker High’s upper level math teacher, was standing at the back of the crowd, a wad of cash in her hand.“And if she bids more than that, I’ll keep going.Do you plan on bidding more, June?”
June looked down at the money in her hand, no doubt mentally counting what she had.Brant saw the look on her face when June realized she didn’t have enough to outbid the pretty schoolteacher.“Why I oughta—”
June headed toward Karen, her fists raised, but Annie and Breckin suddenly appeared out of nowhere and pushed the larger woman back.Annie whispered something in June’s ear.With a sigh, June nodded her head and shook Annie’s hand before stomping off in the opposite direction.
“Okay, it appears we have a winner.Brant, you’ve been sold to Karen Posey for one thousand dollars.Congratulations.You were won for the highest amount of money in the entire auction.”
Brant wanted to be happy.He really did.Karen was an absolute knockout and from what he knew of her, a quiet but very sweet individual.He should be happy she won the bid and he didn’t have to spend a day doing whatever crazy thing June Adams had up her sleeve for him.But when he glanced toward CC’s Curls and More to see its owner leaning against the wall, he couldn’t help but wish another woman had tried to bid on him instead.