Page 122 of Mistletoe Mischief

“Thanks,” Ryler said, heading over to the table and registering. She got the number twenty-three. Ryler took a seat at a table at the edge of the room, watching people as they engaged in exuberant debate on each man’s attributes, how good the food was, and how much they had to spend to take home one of the men being auctioned off.

A waiter filled her water glass and asked for her menu card. Ryler filled it out quickly, choosing the pasta dish and an iced tea.

“Ladies and Gentlemen,” Merry greeted the room from onstage, a black wireless mic in her hand. She wore a long black dress that hid her adorable baby bump until she turned to the side. “Please find a seat and get ready for an evening of charity, conversation, and Mistletoe’s finest bachelors!” The room erupted with excited screams, and Ryler picked up her water glass, taking a healthy drink as several women made their way over and sat at her table. They smiled at her, and a few even introduced themselves, making friendly conversation, but they were soon pulled back into their own anticipation for who would be the first bachelor onstage.

The waiter came back with a side salad and Ryler’s pasta, while another filled her second glass with tea. Ryler thanked them and took a bite of her pasta, the creamy sauce delightfully delicious.

The lights flickered overhead, and music exploded from the speakers, signaling the start of the show, and everyone who was still standing started moving at once, scrambling to find their seats. Merry came back on the mic, waving at the crowd. “Thank you, everyone. This evening, I have the pleasure of introducing you to some of Mistletoe’s finest specimens of the male species. Handsome. Hardworking. Intelligent. Athletic?” The last was said with a playfully suggestive tone, and the crowd woo-hooed, only quieting down when Merry continued. “Remember that every bachelor is a prize and that we are raising money for our children and our community, so dig deep and bid hard. Are you ready?”

The crowd erupted with wild hoots and hollers until Merry read the first name. “Sam Griffin, come on out. Sam is a thirty-eight-year-old tattoo artist with ambitions to own a shop of his own again. He is over six feet with dreamy eyes and tattoos in all the right places. Shall we start the bidding at twenty-five dollars?”

“Twenty-five.”

“Thirty!”

“Forty!”

The aggressive bidding continued as Ryler enjoyed her meal, not at all surprised by the amount Sam sold for. He was an attractive man, after all, and his bad-boy allure was appealing to some.

Merry held up the next card and read from it. “Anthony is a thirty-one-year-old local business owner, who stands six foot three in his bare feet. In his spare time, he likes to partake in outdoor activities like quad-riding, snowmobiling, or waterskiing, and spending time with his beautiful girlfriend, Delilah.”

Ryler looked around the room, finally spotting Delilah with her mouth hanging open, and Ryler couldn’t believe she was surprised. It was incredibly obvious that Anthony was head over heels for her.

“As Anthony is in a serious relationship, he does not feel comfortable being auctioned off,” Merry said, ignoring the boos and hisses from the crowd. “However, his company, Adventures in Mistletoe, has agreed to donate generously. Not to mention his bachelor replacement is a young, virile firefighter, who is new to Mistletoe and graciously donated himself tonight! Please give a big round of applause for Bladen Moon!”

After Bladen got picked up, Merry clapped along with the crowd as he exited the stage and then spoke into the mic. “It is my pleasure to announce our celebrity guest, who is visiting Mistletoe as part of the Excursions podcast. He is a wizard with a camera and says his dream date is to explore the beauty in nature. Give it up for Kit Park!”

Ryler clapped loudly, whistling around her fingers as Kit stepped onstage.

“Shall we start the bidding at thirty dollars?”

A paddle went up in the crowd, and Ryler strained to see who it was. Another paddle popped up as Merry called out each new dollar amount, until the other bidder gave up at one hundred and thirty-five dollars.

“Sold, to Ricki.”

Ryler started as she watched the tall bartender head toward the stage to greet her newly acquired bachelor. Kit climbed down the stairs to join her, and the two embraced with a familiarity Ryler hadn’t expected. Suddenly, everything clicked into place.

“Why, you sly dog,” Ryler said, watching Ricki pay and then the two of them head out the front door with their arms wrapped around each other’s waists. Two of the women at her table shot her strange looks, and she grinned sheepishly. “He’s a friend of mine.”

“Next, I am happy to present Pike Sutton.” Hundreds of cheers exploded when Pike stepped onto the stage in a tux and green bow tie, spinning across the platform. “Pike is a local business owner who enjoys the great outdoors and dancing with the right woman. Who will start the bidding at twenty-five dollars?”

Before Ryler could raise her paddle, someone shouted, “Twenty-five.”

“Thirty,” another woman yelled.

“Thirty-five.”

“Forty!” Ryler said, waving her paddle.

“Forty-five,” the woman across from her said loudly, flashing the number six in the air. Bidding on Pike was as breakneck as Sam, and Ryler was going to have to say something to him about how ridiculous his lack of confidence was. Especially when the bidding went way over a hundred.

“One hundred and sixty,” Ryler called out.

“One seventy!”

Ryler’s jaw clenched as more women joined in, and when the bidding started slowing around three hundred, Ryler raised her paddle. “Four hundred dollars!”

“Do I hear four ten,” Merry asked, but the room remained silent. “Four hundred going once. Going twice. Sold to the lady in the sequin dress, number twenty-three.”