Page 414 of The Doctors Will See You Now

I raised my hand and announced, “Two hundred thousand!”

“Someone behind us just bid two hundred ten thousand. Go ahead and bid again.”

“Two hundred twenty!” I shouted, and the auctioneer nodded his acceptance.

On and on it went like that until the price had climbed to nearly five hundred thousand dollars. Not only was that the cap on the amount of money I’d been able to save for a house over almost my entire working life—and yes, I ate a lot of Ramen—it was also just a fucking scary shit-ton of cash.

“Five hundred thousand,” I yelled, the intensity of my fear of being a broke, well-housed, hooker cutting an edge in my normally smooth voice.

“No one else is bidding. The auctioneer is giving the room a few more seconds to bid…” Nick coached.

“Going once!” The auctioneer shouted, and thankfully, I understood. “Going twice! Sold!” He banged his gavel on the podium.

My eyes went wide with surprise, and I turned in my seat to look at Nick. “Did I get it? Did I get it?”

He nodded. “You got it.”

“Oh my God!” I squealed and all but threw myself into his lap. “I got the house!”

“Good job, Char,” he whispered into my ear before pressing a soft kiss to my lips.

“Thank you,” I whispered back and rubbed my nose against his. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

Hot damn, this man made me so happy.

I wanted to keep him around forever.

Charlotte’s new house stretched up in front of us, closing out three stories of the sky with the hard brick of its solid exterior and casting a shadow all the way across the gorgeous tree-lined street behind us. From the outside, it was a beautiful home—elegant brick exterior, lots of windows and light, and a surprisingly spacious porch stoop—a little like Wes and Winnie’s place, except a touch smaller, across the bridge in Brooklyn, and about $60,000 a year less in taxes.

I prayed the inside matched the outside.

“I can’t believe I’m not going to have to live in that shitty apartment in Chinatown anymore!” Charlotte slapped at my shoulder and stomped her feet on the sidewalk like a kid, all the while letting out an adorable shriek.

It had been two days since she’d won her dream home at the sheriff’s auction, and the second she’d obtained the keys, she’d begged me to go with her to see it. Although, the begging wasn’t necessary—I didn’t want to be anywhere else.

Nor did I want to miss seeing her face light up when she walked inside for the first time.

Unfortunately, it’d taken me two days to find time in my work schedule to make it happen. I’d been shocked she’d managed enough self-restraint to wait for me.

I laughed and grabbed her jaw, stilling her body and tilting her head back until her eyes met mine. “It’s exciting. You should be really fucking proud of yourself.”

I touched my lips to hers just once, softly, and she hummed a smile as I pulled back. “I am.”

“You are?” I asked.

“Proud of myself. I’m a badass.”

I laughed and touched my lips to hers once more. “That you are. Should we go inside your house now? See what kind of a renovation nightmare you’ve gotten me into?”

“Gotten you into?” Her eyebrows pulled together, and I laughed.

“I’m pretty sure I’ve got to help my girlfriend renovate her house, don’t I? I don’t want to be forever known as a prick.”

“You’re the best.” She smiled big and sincere.

But with her excitement too much to keep in, that moment lasted all of two seconds. Charlotte jumped around me, bounding up the stairs and sticking her key into the lock before turning to look back at me over her shoulder, a wicked smile creasing the sharp eyeliner wings she’d drawn at the corner of her eyes. “Ooh. Too late,” she teased and threatened to shut the door before I could step inside.

But I was quick. And in this case, too quick for her. I jumped forward and wrapped her body up, tickling her as she fought to escape and finish opening the door at once.