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Chapter Twenty-Four
Hill contemplated the emergency exit with a yearning akin to a kid watching the ice cream truck roll past. He wanted so badly to be out of this room, but there was no way he could sneak out. Still, he found himself glancing at the door more often than not.
The staging room of the venue that Ramsey had shuffled all the “bachelors” into was loud with conversation and laughter, firefighters from two different stations already drinking beer and getting ready for the big show. Some of the female firefighters were hanging out, too. The ladies were auctioning off spots in a fitness boot camp, clearly smart enough to not have agreed to Ramsey’s ridiculous buy-a-karaoke-date idea. Next year, Hill needed to catch Ramsey early in the planning process and float new ideas to replace this awkward and outdated tradition.
Hill knew some of the people milling around, though a number of the bachelors were rookies who’d joined after he’d retired, and he’d chatted with a few old friends, but being there just felt…like he was looking in at a life he was no longer a part of. Afamilyhe was no longer a part of. The only thing keeping him from walking right out the emergency door was the fact that Andi and her friends were in the ballroom, waiting for the event to start.
Hill pulled out his phone and leaned back against the wall, scrolling through recipes he wanted to try. After watching the video he and Andi had made, he’d started pondering the idea of a cooking blog. He didn’t think video was the right fit for him. He liked what he and Andi had put together, but the magic of the video was their interaction. If he had to talk straight to camera the whole time on his own, he didn’t think he’d enjoy that as much. But a blog where he could put up new recipes, maybe learn how to take good photos, and break down the process of cooking to people in print—that sounded intriguing.
He’d done a little research over the past few days and had found that most cooking blogs were by women. The ones with guys tended to be professional chef situations or healthy living bodybuilder types who were super into green smoothies and grain-free everything. He thought maybe there was space in between for what he could offer—easy, budget-friendly recipes that single people could make for themselves or cook for their dates or friends. Recipes a novice cook like Andi wouldn’t be intimidated by and that wouldn’t cost a fortune to make.
“Hey, it’s almost time for the show. You ready, my man?” A hand landed on Hill’s shoulder. “Have you practiced your Magic Mike moves yet?”
Hill glanced up from his phone to find Ramsey grinning and looking way too enthusiastic. “Can I just have Andi give you the money now and save myself the stage?”
Ramsey laughed and squeezed Hill’s shoulder. “And forgo my opportunity to shamelessly pimp you? Where would the fun be in that?”
Hill flipped him off.
“Come on,” Ramsey said, leaning in. “Josh and Christina are supposed to be here. Don’t you want to have them witness your pretty neighbor throwing money at you?”
Hill smirked, enjoying Ramsey’s mean-girls vindictive side even if it wasn’t needed at the moment. “Chris and I are actually on okay terms now. We talked.”
“Oh yeah?” Ramsey asked, head cocked. “Wow. That’s good, man. Glad to hear it. But Joshy?”
Hill sniffed derisively. “He can go to hell.”
“That’s the spirit!” Ramsey said. “Now be ready to go. You’re going first, so I can put you out of your misery.” He ran a hand over his head, a cocky look on his face. “And I will, of course, be last because I’m the grand prize.”
“You’re a prize, all right,” Hill said with a droll tone. “Let’s get this over with.”
“Eager, huh?” Ramsey teased. “I love it.”
A few minutes later, Hill stood off to the side and out of the view of the crowd as Ramsey went to a podium on the other side of the stage and talked about the charity they were raising money for tonight. Hill could see some of the audience, but he couldn’t find Andi. He knew she was there. She’d texted him when she and her friends had arrived. He hadn’t asked her to do that, but he’d appreciated the extra assurance. Getting up there and not seeing her familiar face in the audience was a nightmare that had woken him from a dead sleep last night. And of course, in the nightmare, he’d been on stage naked because…nightmares loved nudity.
“And now for our first bachelor,” Ramsey said into the microphone, bringing Hill’s focus back.
His heart was already pounding, and he wiped his damp palms on his jeans.Please let this be over quickly.
“Our first bachelor is a true hero,” Ramsey went on. “Hill Dawson was a valued member of our station for eight years. Beyond being a guy you could always trust to have your back in an emergency situation, he was also our favorite firehouse cook.” Ramsey leaned closer to the mic. “Which means he can cook, ladies.”
There were claps and whoops from the crowd.
“During a five-alarm fire at an apartment building, Hill was helping evacuate families when he heard the roof starting to give way,” Ramsey went on. “Though the danger was clear, Hill rushed back in and saved three additional people and the family dog before the roof caved in and a beam landed on him.”
There were murmurs in the crowd. Hill closed his eyes, trying to breathe and forcing himself to count the breaths so that he didn’t let his mind go to the memory. Ramsey had promised him that he wouldn’t go into anything but the most basic details so as not to trigger Hill.Breathe. One. Two. Three. Four.
“So, though he’s now retired from the station, Hill is the guy I look to when I need lessons in being a badass. He is my friend. He is a hero. And tonight, for the right price, he can be your karaoke date.” Ramsey looked toward the side of the stage where Hill was standing in the shadows. He waved him forward. “Everyone, please welcome our first eligible bachelor of the night, Hill Dawson.”
The crowd erupted in applause. Hill’s throat was tight and his shoulder muscles locked, but he forced himself to move forward. The spotlights aimed at the small stage were blinding for a moment, but Hill made his way toward Ramsey and then turned to face the audience, pasting a half smile on his face.
When his eyes adjusted to the lights, he caught sight of red hair off to the left. Andi was smiling and clapping, her gaze a little shiny as it locked on him. The wash of relief and delight that went through him from seeing her there almost knocked him backward. The world felt lighter when Andi was around. She was like the human version of an Instagram filter, making everything a little softer and a lot more beautiful. His forced smile grew into a real one.
“So,” Ramsey said. “Let’s open up the bidding at fifty dollars.”
Hill kept his eyes on Andi. They’d given everyone little cardboard auction paddles with numbers on them. He waited for her to lift hers but before she could, a voice from the right side of the crowd shouted. “I bid fifty!”
“Fifty dollars to the lovely lady holding number twenty-two,” Ramsey said.
