Page 72 of Hoax and Kisses
While the entire room breaks into laughter, he doesn’t look away from me.
Oh. By ‘best woman,’ he means me. I’m his—thewoman.
Okay, then.
I raise my paddle. “Six hundred dollars.”
The room goes dead silent.
“That’s ridiculous!” Patty yells into the quiet.
“What?” I shrug, scanning the crowd. “It’s for a good cause, isn’t it?”
On stage, Matt and Cooper wear matching wide-eyed expressions.
“Just to be clear,” Cooper says into the mic. “You’re bidding six hundred dollars for a bouquet and a dinner with this gentleman? The same one who’s already dating you for free?”
I smile. That proclamation in front of all Pine Falls is yet another win for me. “Absolutely.”
“Then at this price, you’d better get up here and collect your prize,” he calls.
Well, fuck.
“Oh, no. I’m fine, thanks,” I stammer, my heart pounding for a different reason now.
“Come on. Come get your man. Everybody, let’s give it up for Zoey,” Cooper cheers.
The whole room follows his lead, clapping, whistling, and stomping so loudly it rattles the floorboards.
On stage, Matt looks like he’d rather run into traffic than spend another minute up there.
But nobody’s paying attention to him. All eyes are on me, waiting to see if I’ll step forward and claim my fake boyfriend.
And you know what? Why not? I paid for it. Might as well go get my prize.
I square my shoulders and stand, earning a roar of approval from the crowd that rings in my ears as I make my way to the stage with an assured step.
When I reach Matt, his gaze locks on mine, hesitant, almost guilt-ridden. It’s as if he’s silently apologizing for putting me in this situation, which is completely absurd, since I’m the one who bid a ridiculous amount on him.
But still, he draws me in. His focus on me is magnetic, and I’m pulled into his gravitational force. The noise of the crowd, the lights, the overwhelming heat of the room—it all disappears as I take him in, standing on the stage, waiting for me. And for that brief second, I forget that we’re pretending. And I can picture it, walking toward him like he’s mine and I’m his. Hugging him when I’m close enough. Letting him kiss me in front of everybody.
Matt watches me intently, like he can read the thoughts crossing my mind, and you know what? Let him. Let him see how much I wish we weren’t faking it right now. How much I’d like him to stop playing the game.
“Let’s hear it for Zoey, folks.” Cooper’s voice is muffled, barely there.
The crowd’s cheer never stops, but the sound is distant too, like I’m underwater. All I can concentrate on is the tension crackling in the air.
Him waiting for me, a few feet away.
It takes everything in me to tear my attention away.
Focus.
Like a rubber band snapping, the noise returns to full volume.
I take a deep breath, empowered by the atmosphere soaring through the microbrewery, and climb the small step.
“Zoey,” Cooper says, “thanks to your incredible donation, Carl’s trip is 80 percent funded.”
