Chapter 9 Cole
“Give it up for Cole!” Hwan said again and turned to look at me, his smile unwavering, but his eyes sinister. “Come on out, honey. We don’t bite. Much.”
Something in his expression told me I’d be facing consequences for a long time if I didn’t do as told. And if anyone could come up with creative punishments, that was most certainly Hwan.
I still remembered what happened to the employees at the Grill who didn’t bother participating in his Upsell Bingo Challenge.
I shuddered at the thought of having to sing karaoke in front of dozens of strangers trying to get through their meal.
Though I wasn’t going to lie; it had helped the restaurant through a tough time so no one could be mad at him. Least of all Carson and me.
I gave the necklace Enzo had given me before he ditched me backstage a rub and sighed.
“Rose Quartz. For good luck. And…” he’d said and drifted off, but I knew what he’d been implying.
Love.
For good luck and love.
As if love was as easy to find as rubbing a crystal like a dick and hoping it shot its psychic juices all over you.
I rolled my eyes at myself and tucked it under my uniform, focusing on Hwan, glaring at me from the stage.
I had no choice but to put one foot in front of the other until I reached Hwan and everyone in the audience applauded.
“There he is. See? I told you; you don’t need to be shy. Everyone loves you already.”
I forced a smile, and Hwan smirked.
“Don’t keep staring at me, mister. Face your bidders. Let’s get this auction rolling!”
My smile turned into a scowl and a huff, but I faced the audience anyway.
Deep breaths, Cole.
You’re doing this for a good reason, Cole.
You can do this, Cole.
Bright lights blinded me, and I shielded my eyes until they adjusted somewhat, and I could tell some of the faces ogling at me.
Naturally Enzo and Lilian were sitting at the front, and as soon as I looked at them, Enzo made Ella, who was in his lap, wave at me.
I wasn’t a monster, so of course I waved back at my daughter, then scanned the rest of the crowd if only to mentally prepare myself for the absurd individual who would buy a date with me.
“So… guys, gals, and non-binary pals, here we have Cole Williams. Some of you may know him as the co-owner of Carson’s Grill. Some of you might be familiar with his work as a first responder. A few of you may know him as the Grumpy Single Dad of Mayberry Holm.”
People chuckled. I turned to glare at Hwan.
“What? I’m just reading the lines I’m fed,” Hwan replied all innocently, and I huffed. “Great work, Cole. That showed us.”
More laughter.
I glared at my friend in the front row, and he just hid his laugh behind his hand. He did a poor job of it too.
I shook my head and looked at the back as more people came in. Jeez, how many had they invited? I was sure there weren’t even close to enough firefighters for everyone attending, but I guessed that was the point. Competition and charity.
Pfft. Even charity has its limits and so did I. And I was pretty close to mine.
As I tried my best not to roll my eyes, I noticed someone in the back. A very familiar face though I couldn’t be sure he wasn’t a figment of my imagination seeing as I couldn’t stop thinking about him since I met him.
Was that Samir, the bookstore owner? What was he doing here? And why did I feel a hundred times more self-aware standing in front of him than I did standing in front of everyone else.
“Isn’t that right, Cole?” Hwan jabbed my ribs with his elbow, and I shook my head, trying to focus on the question and not the hunky guy in the back.
“I said…” he started again, but I caught Enzo from the corner of my eye looking at Samir’s direction too, and I scowled at him.
“I’m sorry. You’re going to have to repeat that.”
Hwan licked his teeth and frowned. I didn’t even know he could do that.
“You’re an excellent cook and can flip a pancake to save your life. Isn’t that right, Cole dear?” I didn’t miss the way he mumbled my name at the end.
It was a threat.
He was telling me “don’t you dare make me repeat myself a fourth time or I’ll make you sing in front of everyone.”
I shuddered.
“Um… yeah. Yeah, I can. Though it’s been a while since…” I started and my eyes landed back to Samir without even meaning to. “I haven’t made pancakes in a while.”
“Well, flipping pancakes is like riding a bike, ain’t it, folks?” Hwan giggled and the crowd chuckled.
Not Samir though. He was staring at me, and despite the distance, barely being able to see him, and all the spotlights hitting my face, it was his gaze that made me feel hot.
“So, for a date—” Hwan started when Enzo pssted Hwan and the latter excused himself as my best friend whispered something in his ear.
Now what?
I focused on them as if I’d suddenly acquired the power of super hearing, but I didn’t. It didn’t mean I didn’t glower at my friend as if I’d heard what he’d said, and Hwan straightened up and cleared his throat.
“Well, things are about to get interesting, folks. Because you aren’t just getting a date with Cole. You’re getting twelve! That's right. Twelve dates of Christmas with Cole! And since you’re getting this hunk for a lot more time, let’s start the bidding at five hundred dollars!”
“What?” I turned to Hwan, but he ignored me and pushed me to the front of the stage leaving me with no one else to glare at but Enzo.
“I’m going to kill you,” I mouthed at him.
He ignored me and lifted his paddle. “Five hundred!”
What was he even doing? Why would he bid on me? Had he dragged me to this auction only to humiliate me?
“Five hundred to his best friend who’s in a relationship. Come on, people. We can’t let this beautiful man go to waste. Do I hear five-fifty?”
“Six hundred dollars!” someone shouted from the other side of the stage, a middle-aged woman with a very enthusiastic paddle-wave.
“Six hundred. Do I hear seven hundred?”
“Seven hundred!” someone else jumped up from their seat making a show and dance out of their bid.
“Seven hundred. Do I hear eight?”
Enzo piped up again and from there on I lost track of the bids, the bidders, and everything else.
My gaze gravitated toward the man in the back. The man who hadn’t stopped staring at me, and though I knew other people were too, his gaze was the only one I could feel deep into my bones.
I knew I should look away. I knew I should pose and smile for my bidders, but I couldn’t.
All I could do was stare at him and think how I wished we were the only ones in the room.
That I wasn’t part of this farce. That I was just regular Cole, in my normal clothes.
I could talk to him about his cats, books, or a hundred other things.
And then I saw his paddle going up and it broke whatever spell I’d been under.
I sighed.
What was wrong with me? Why was I lusting after a man twice my age?
I didn’t do that. I hadn’t done that since I lost the love of my life.
There was absolutely no reason I should be craving Samir or anyone for that matter.
Love, sex, romance; they weren’t in the cards for me.
Never again. Even if I could move on after Sandra, I couldn’t risk losing someone else again.
“No,” I said and looked away from him, focused on a man in the front who was a little too slimy the way he held up his paddle. As if he wanted to eat me up.
“What was that dear?” Hwan put his hand on my shoulder, and I found the perfect excuse to look away from the creepy bidder too.
“Huh? Oh, nothing. Sorry,” I mumbled, and Hwan smirked.
“Fourteen hundred. Do I hear fifteen?”
Someone raised their paddle, and I was shocked people were still going. Was I really worth that much to people? I mean, it was good for Duke’s Sanctuary, but this was nuts.
“Two thousand,” I heard a woman scream, but when I searched for her, the only one I found with their paddle in the air was Samir.
“Ooh. Someone’s eager.” Hwan whistled. “Do I hear twenty-one hundred?”
Had he really bid on me? Was he willing to part with two grand for a date—no, twelve dates with me?
Or had he been forced to bid by his friends like I’d been forced to do this embarrassing show by mine?
“Going once… going twice…” Hwan started, and I held my breath.
Did I really want Samir to win me? And why was my stomach doing somersaults at the prospect?
“Sold to the handsome bookstore owner with the pretty smile!” Hwan exclaimed, and everyone applauded, led by none other than Enzo and his mom.
What the hell had I gotten myself into?