“I recognize that lie,” Avery said gently. “But it’s not my business, although my sisters would tell you that normally doesn’t stop me from butting in. Just know I’m here if you need a friend.”
“Thanks,” Aimee whispered. She didn’t have many friends in Magnolia outside of her coworkers and appreciated the other woman’s offer. Even though there was no way she was planning to share her muddled feelings at the moment. She’d spent way too long on her makeup just to have it run down her face before the guests arrived. “I’m going to make sure everything’s ready at check-in. I really appreciate all your help.”
“It’s good for the town.” Avery nodded. “You’re making a big difference in the community with the mobile clinic initiative, Aimee. You should feel proud.”
Heart thumping wildly, Aimee walked toward the lobby and opened the text from Paul.
Good luck. I hope it’s everything you wanted.
Tears sprang to her eyes, and she furiously blinked them away. Tonight was on track to exceed her expectations as far as the hospital’s fundraising goal. It was more than she thought she could achieve when she’d first arrived in Magnolia. At that point, all she’d wanted was to be a good nurse and work to forget the dreams she’d had for her future.
She’d given up the dream of sharing her life with a husband and raising kids, until they were beyond the scope of even her wildest imaginings. She’d left behind those girlish hopes when she signed the divorce papers because she’d believed her ex-husband when he told her she would never be enough.
Paul Thorpe made her feel like she might be more than enough.
* * *
HE SHOULD HAVE gotten drunk.
Paul rolled his shoulders as he waited behind the curtain at the side of the stage that had been erected in the ballroom. Logan Hughes, a local firefighter stood next to Avery Keller, who was acting as the auctioneer for the event.
He’d met Avery and her fiancé, Gray Atwell, another firefighter, earlier in the evening, as well as Logan, who seemed much more comfortable with being auctioned off to the highest bidder than Paul. The man had even worn his uniform, flexing his impressive biceps to the delight of the crowd.
Paul’s gut clenched. What in the hell had he gotten himself into?
He’d seen only brief glimpses of Aimee since arriving at the event and couldn’t decide if she was truly busy or just avoiding him. She hadn’t responded to his text from earlier, a clear message but one that he still didn’t want to accept.
The tables were filled with his coworkers and people he’d met around town. The mobile clinic was a worthwhile cause, yet he couldn’t help but think they would have found a way to raise the money without his involvement. Hell, there had to be more single first responders in town besides the one strutting his stuff onstage.
He thought about his dance with Aimee and knew without a doubt that whatever humiliation he endured tonight was worth it. One dance shouldn’t have made such a difference but holding her in his arms had changed everything. At least for him.
Now he just had to convince her.
Before he could work on that, he had to get through the next several minutes. There was a high-pitched whoop of delight from the audience as Avery pointed to the highest bidder. The firefighter did a few Magic Mike–inspired hip thrusts before she swatted him on the arm and then shooed him offstage.
“That was a trip,” the firefighter said as he passed Paul. “Have fun out there, Doc.”
Paul plastered a good-natured smile on his face as Avery introduced him. Heat crept up his cheeks when a chorus of cheers greeted his arrival next to the podium. Avery explained that his date would include an afternoon of sailing, generously donated by a local charter company. He wondered if Aimee liked being on the water even though he shouldn’t care at this point.
Then the auction started. He tried not to look as uncomfortable as he felt as the bidding increased at a remarkably fast pace.
Avery gave him an exaggerated once-over and then leaned in. “You must have a great bedside manner, Dr. Thorpe,” she said into the microphone.
He laughed at her joke as the crowd applauded. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the table of nurses where most of the attention on him came from. Aimee wasn’t among their group.
When the bidding got to six hundred dollars and stopped, Avery glanced around the room and Paul let out a small sigh of relief. The firefighter had gone for five hundred so at least Paul had kept up without having to shake his moneymaker.
“Going once.” Avery looked out to the crowd. “Going twice.”
“A thousand dollars.”
Anticipation pulsed through Paul when he recognized the voice of the high bidder, and he hoped to hell he wasn’t imagining the moment. Avery’s eyes widened as she nodded. “A cool grand for the good doctor.” She grinned at him and covered the microphone with one hand. “I hope she’s going to get something better than a pelvic thrust for that.”
He barely registered her teasing as he watched Aimee wind her way through the sea of tables. Her hands were clasped tightly in front of her. He couldn’t decide whether she looked like she was going to laugh or throw up. She looked beautiful in a fitted red dress and her blond hair curling around her shoulders.
Avery didn’t waste any time pounding the gavel, but he’d already hopped off the stage. He met Aimee in the center of the room, and she gave him a tentative smile. “I like you, too.”
“You have no idea how happy I am to hear that. And thank you in advance for your generosity.”
She raised one brow, joy sparkling in her sky blue eyes. “I would have gone higher. Just so you know. I wasn’t going to lose you.”
His heart filled, and he leaned in and brushed his lips over hers, not caring that they had an audience.
“How come she gets a kiss and I just got some booty shaking?” a female voice complained loudly.
Aimee smiled up at him. “I’ve changed my mind about love. I’m willing to take a chance if you are, especially now that I’ve officially won you.”
He reached for her hand and pressed it to his chest. “You had my heart long before tonight, Aimee. For you, I’ll take every chance.”
* * *
ISBN-13: 9780369706768
A Carolina Valentine
Copyright © 2021 by Michelle Major
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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