Five thousand dollars above and beyond what Liam had agreed to?
Had she lost her mind? What had driven her to do such a thing? Was she truly trying to save Liam, or had her temporary lapse of reason been goaded by a more selfish motive?
While she was all about charitable giving, she was sure that wasn’t what motivated Kimela Herring. Kate didn’t have that kind of disposable money lying around to spend on a date with a gorgeous man. But it was too late to second-guess herself now. She’d already committed, and it was time to pay the piper.
And Liam had been so good about it. So understanding. Well, of course he would be understanding since she’d offered to pay what she’d bid over and above his budget. He may have said no, that he wouldn’t allow her to pay, but it was only the polite thing to do.
She watched Liam as he talked to Cullen Dunlevy. Kate didn’t know when she’d seen a smile that big on the chief of staff’s face. Liam was obviously out of the doghouse. Kate was happy she could help him.
It truly had been a win-win situation for all involved tonight—well, maybe not her bank account. But Liam was back in the chief’s good graces, and on first accounting, the auction had met its goal.
“Why so glum?” Maya asked. “You should be very happy. You caught the big fish of the night.”
Kate narrowed her eyes at her friend. “Maya, you know what the situation is all about. I can hardly say I won. Please make sure no one ever turns me loose in Las Vegas. I think I might have a real gambling problem.”
“Mon amie,” said Maya. “I don’t believe that gambling is your problem. I believe it is love.”
Kate bristled. “No, Maya. Not a chance. I realize you’re a hopeless romantic. It’s one of the hazards of your job as a matchmaker. But neither Liam nor I are in the market for...love.”
“Honey, he is the one,” Maya said. “Before I met him and observed the two of you together, I couldn’t be sure. I had a feeling, but I could not be certain. Now I am certain. Soon you will be, too. This date will be the time that will help you realize it.”
The skeptic inside Kate warred with and won out over the glimmer of hope that Maya was right, that Liam Thayer was her soul mate. This was a business arrangement and nothing more.
Even if they did go through with the bogus date—all for show—that’s where it would end. Because Liam Thayer had made it perfectly clear that he wasn’t interested in anything long-term.
And there was no way Kate would ever allow herself to fall for a man who was emotionally unavailable. She refused to render herself so vulnerable as to repeat her father’s mistake by falling in love with someone whose heart belonged to another.
“Do you know who that woman was—the one Liam was talking to after the auction before he made his way over here to be with you?” Maya asked.
“There were several women,” Kate said. “Remember, he’s the big fish tonight. Can you be more specific?”
“The petite woman with curly auburn hair. She is a member of the press. Ah, she gave me her card. She wants to interview me next week. Wait a moment. Let me get the business card she gave me.”
Maya fished the card out of her pocketbook and read the name printed on it. “Bia Anderson?”
“Yes, Bia. She’s the managing editor of a local publication,” Kate said. “Nice woman. She was asking the usual questions and wants to do a follow-up story after we have our date. That’s assuming there will be a date.”
“Of course you will have a date,” Maya said. “It will be the beginning of a very happy life together for the two of you.”
Kate scoffed, but Maya didn’t give her time to protest.
“Bia looks so very familiar. I feel as if I’ve met her before, but I can’t quite place her. It’s the strangest feeling.”
“We’re only acquaintances,” Kate asked. “I’ve met her a few times, but only briefly and in passing. I don’t know that much about her. Did you talk to her?”
“Pepper introduced me to her, and then she asked to set up an interview next week.”
“Ah, that reminds me,” said Kate. “Pepper’s colleague Caroline Coopersmith probably knows her better than all of us. Bia works for Caroline’s husband, Drew, at the newspaper. Drew is the editor in chief. We could ask Caroline about her.”
Maya waved a hand. “Thank you, but, no. I’ll talk to Bia next week when we meet for the interview. Maybe then we can get to the bottom of it. Now here comes your man. I will leave you two alone to talk about your future.”
Kate sighed, but before she could protest, the Ten-Thousand-Dollar Man was standing in front of her. Her Ten-Thousand-Dollar Man...at least for all intents and purposes.
“What a night, huh?” he said, a sexy smile tilting up the corners of his mouth.
“You can say that again.”
“I’m heading out now,” he said. “I need to get home to the girls. But I wanted to see if I could give you a lift home.”
The girls. He really was a good father, always putting his daughters first. She remembered what Pepper had said earlier about how he’d gotten mad at Kimela for trying to come between him and his daughters. She didn’t blame him for not wanting to send the girls away. In fact, she admired him for doing the right thing and keeping them home, raising them on his own.
“I appreciate it, Liam,” she said. “But I have my car.”
“Well, good night, then.”
His tone was so formal, for a split second she feared he might try to shake her hand. But he didn’t. He reached out and gathered her in his arms. The heat that sparked from the body-to-body contact made her tingle. Her whole being filled with an almost overwhelming desire to kiss him again, the way they’d kissed in her office.
His lips moved to her ear, but that’s where they stopped. “I’ll call you so we can figure out this ten-thousand-dollar date.”
His breath was hot in her ear, and he smelled wonderful—something green, with a hint of brandy and peppermint. She breathed him in, trying not to melt in his arms. Good thing she didn’t, because he let go, and she had to find her balance as she watched him walk away. When he got to the door, he turned around and smiled at her, leaving her with the feeling that tonight she’d bought herself a heck of a lot more than she’d bargained for.
* * *
It was after midnight when Liam got home, but as he pulled into the driveway, he could see that the lights in his daughters’ bedroom were still ablaze. Since he knew he was going to be out and Rosalinda had agreed to stay with them, he’d allowed each of the girls to have one friend sleep over tonight.
He was exhausted, and he’d hoped that they would be in bed and asleep by now, but given that they were teenage girls, he knew that was a pipe dream. Still, at least their friends would distract them enough to keep Calee and Amanda from peppering him with questions. If he were lucky, maybe he’d be able to see Rosie to her car and then get away with a quick hello and good-night to the girls before turning in.
He lowered the garage door and let himself in the kitchen door only to find four eager young girls waiting for him. They squealed and hooted when they saw him. Calee launched herself at him, wrapping her flannel-pajama-clad arms and legs around him like a spider monkey. The force of the impact sent him staggering back a few steps. She may have been tiny, but she was a strong little thing. It didn’t help that the others were making so much noise that Liam was afraid they might wake up the entire neighborhood.
The last thing he needed was for Kimela to have an excuse to come over and ring the doorbell at this hour. But Rosie—and thank God for Rosie—beat him to the noise control.
“Girls, girls, inside voices, please!” she said.
“You won, Daddy! You won!” Calee hollered.
“Shh....” Liam managed to work an arm free and press a finger to his lips. Calee was still hanging off him, but they all did bring the noise level down several decibels. “What do you mean, I won? Did that guy from Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes come by with the ballo
ons and the big check?”
The comment silenced them all the way and for a few beats the four girls looked blankly at each other.
“Is he from the bachelor auction?” asked Calee. “Because if he is, he hasn’t come yet. He was probably waiting until you got home. But we already know you won. Ashley Berg’s big sister was tweeting live from the auction as everything happened, and we already know you were the bachelor who raised the most money.”
“Everyone is calling you the Ten-Thousand-Dollar Man,” said Amanda in an unusually assertive manner.
So they’d heard that part, too? It was amazing how fast news traveled. The wonders of social media never ceased to amaze him.
“Ha, ha, ha, take that, Lacy Vogler. You don’t have the hottest dad in town! We do!”
The girls resumed their squealing and suddenly Liam had a taste of how that boy band—One Direction, which his girls loved so much—must feel when they were cornered by a group of overexcited teenage fans. Liam couldn’t help but smile. He didn’t want the girls to hold this over Lacy Vogler’s head—and he would make sure he talked to them about that—but he was happy he had made his daughters proud.
“Ay, mis niñas, please lower your voices.” Rosie put her hands over her ears. “I am going to go deaf from all this noise.”
“Girls, please do as Rosie asked and bring it down a bit,” he said. “It was a very good night tonight for the fund-raiser. It brought in a lot of money for the pediatric surgical wing.”
“And most of it was because of the ten thousand dollars bid on you, Dr. Thayer,” said the girls’ friend Jane.
“Well, I wouldn’t go that far,” said Liam. “Really, ten thousand dollars is a small amount when you look at the big picture. This project has cost millions.”
It was true. On the one hand, ten thousand dollars was a big chunk of change out of his own bank account. In fact, he was going to have to move around some investments to get the money to cover the amount, because Kate wasn’t paying a single dime of it.
He let the thought resonate within him for a moment and realized that not only did he not mind, he was looking forward to his date with Kate. It would be their little secret that they’d done this bachelor auction in reverse. He fully intended to enjoy his ten-thousand-dollar date.
Chapter Ten
“It sounds like someone had a great weekend,” said Rebecca Flannigan, the Macintyre Family Foundation’s office manager and Kate’s assistant, as Kate stepped out of the elevator early Monday morning.
“I guess good news travels fast,” said Kate.
“I’ll say. You and Dr. Dreamy are the talk of the town. Where are you going on your date?”
“We’ll see,” she said. “Won’t we?”
As Rebecca nodded, Kate made her way back to her office. Rebecca’s question sort of felt like a moment of truth. Since so many people were paying attention to the big date, Kate knew she couldn’t keep insisting there wasn’t going to be one. If the truth be told, she wouldn’t mind spending time with Liam. She just didn’t want him to feel obligated.
The whole reason she’d come up with this crazy scheme in the first place was to get him out of the postauction date. Now all she’d managed to do was focus a bright spotlight on it.
But yesterday afternoon, after all the excitement and mayhem of the evening before was beginning to settle, she’d received a voice mail message from Liam. He’d said, I know you’re exhausted after pulling off such a successful event. And congratulations, by the way. I don’t want to keep you. But I do want you to know that I’m looking forward to our big date. Let me plan some things, and I’ll call you in a couple days so that we can get something on the books.
Even the small gesture of his phone call warmed her from the inside out and softened her toward the idea. He hadn’t sounded mad or resentful of the attention or the final amount of the bid. That was enough to let her daydream for a moment about what it might be like to spend one glorious night alone with him. One night where it was just them—no talk of auctions or grand plans to pacify the hospital’s chief of staff. No crazy women like Kimela or ghosts from the past casting a shadow over the evening. Just two friends enjoying a night alone together.... Of course there was the matter of the kiss. But all she had to do was remind herself that Liam Thayer was not emotionally available. That was better than a cold shower.
Or so she told herself.
Kate had no more than settled herself at her desk and turned on her computer when Rebecca called to let her know that a delivery had arrived for her.
“Can you sign for it?” Kate asked.
“No. I already tried. They won’t let me. In fact, you might want to bring your identification. He says he’ll need to see it.”
Identification? That’s strange. What could it be? “Thanks, Rebecca. I’ll be right out.”
She grabbed her license and made her way back to the lobby, where she saw a guy from a courier service holding an envelope. “Good morning,” he said. “Ms. Macintyre?”
“Yes, good morning.” She handed him her driver’s license before he even had a chance to ask for it.
“Sign right here, please.” He handed her the clipboard and a pen. After Kate complied, he handed her the envelope and said, “Thanks so much. Have a great day.”
Kate looked at the manila envelope. There was no return address or other markings that indicated who it was from. She opened it and pulled out a folded card with a note typed on its face.
Because you and Dr. Thayer make the perfect couple, this check is to cover the amount of your bidding fees. Congratulations and enjoy your date.
When Kate flipped open the card and saw a cashier’s check for ten thousand dollars made out to the Macintyre Family Foundation, her heart began to thud in her chest.
There was no name on the check other than the bank that had issued it. She flipped back to the note; it was unsigned and the delivery envelope contained no return address.
“Is everything okay?” asked Rebecca.
Kate looked up and saw the woman staring at her.
“Yes,” Kate answered. “Everything is fine. I’m just not sure who sent this.”
The elevator dinged its arrival and before the courier could get on, Kate hollered, “Excuse me. Do you have any idea who asked you to deliver this?”
The guy reached out and held the elevator doors open, then glanced at his clipboard. “I picked it up from the bank. That’s who hired me to drop it off.”
“Do you have a name from anyone at the bank?” Kate asked.
“No, I’m sorry. It just says here Celebration Bank. Wish I could be of more help.”
“So do I,” Kate returned. “Have a nice day.”
“You, too.” With that the elevator doors shut and Kate was left holding a large check from an anonymous donor.
“What is it?” Rebecca asked.
“A rather sizable donation to the pediatric surgical wing sent by an anonymous donor.”
“A mystery donor,” said Rebecca. “That’s so cool.”
Kate nodded, and for the second time that day, she made the trek back to her office where she fully intended to make several phone calls. She was already composing a list of potential people who might have gone to the generous trouble to do this: Liam; Pepper and Rob; Kimela?
Fat chance it was Kimela, based on the not-so-glowing report that Pepper had provided. The woman may have had money to blow on handsome bachelors, but she wasn’t the sort to buy someone else a date. Especially one that she’d tried so hard to win.
But really, who else would’ve sent the check?
When she was back in her office, she called her brother.
“Rob Macintyre,” he said in his deep, brusque business voice.
“Rob, it’s Kate. Did you and Pepper make a rather sizable donation to the foundation and have it couriered over a few moments ago?”
“Well, good morning to you, too, little sister. My week is off to a fabulous start. How is yours?”
Rob was quiet for a moment, and Kate heard background noises that suggested that he might be out on one of the oil rigs today.
“Should I call you back?” she asked.
“No, I was just texting Pepper to see if she’d been up to something today. I didn’t send the money. I wondered if she did, though I can’t imagine that she would without telling me about it.”
That did seem unlikely.
“What makes you think it was us? It could’ve been anyone, couldn’t it? You’ve done a great job getting the word out about the foundation. Maybe someone needed a tax write-off.”
“Well, that’s just it. If they wanted a write-off, they would’ve needed some sort of documentation that they’d made the donation. This is a cashier’s check made out to the foundation with no name or return address on it.”
She stopped short of telling him about the anonymous note that had accompanied it. Because you and Dr. Thayer make the perfect couple, this check is to cover the amount of your bidding fees. Congratulations and enjoy your date. It was a little too embarrassing.
“Wait just a minute. Pepper texted me back.”
A moment later he said, “Nope, sorry, it wasn’t us. But if you need more money, don’t be afraid to let us know.”
“Thanks, Rob. I really appreciate the offer. You’re a great brother. We’re still working on the final total of what we raised Saturday night, but preliminary tallies indicate that the grand total could be edging toward the needed one hundred thousand dollars.”
“That’s fabulous,” he said. “You’re doing a great job heading up the foundation. I knew you would, and I’m proud of you.”
Rob, who had founded the Macintyre Family Foundation and had served as its chairman of the board, had promoted Kate from director to foundation president about a year ago. Her brother had had a lot of faith in her when he had convinced the board that she was the right person for the job.
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