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“To get donations for the auction.” Had he never done this before?
“What kind of donations?” He seemed completely bewildered. Was I going to have to do this entire thing?
“I don’t know. Whatever people will bid on. Gift cards, gift baskets, whatever.”
A light of understanding flashed. Bryce sipped his coffee. “I think your mom may have left out a key component of the auction.”
“What do you mean?”
He leaned forward, and his eyes sparkled, despite the dark circles under them. “We aren’t auctioning gift baskets, Krystal. At the Spring Sparks Auction, each firefighter goes to the highest bidder for four hours.”
My jaw dropped. “You can’t be serious. We are auctioning off you guys?” Wasn’t that sexist or something?
Bryce nodded and took another long drink of coffee. He was laughing at me behind his cup, though.
“What does that even look like? Who is buying a firefighter for four hours?”
He shrugged. “Mostly people who want us to till their garden before planting season, or clean the gutters. Occasionally, it is a well-intentioned blind date.”
My eyebrows flew to my hairline. “You’re kidding.”
He shook his head. “I wish I were. Last year I had to have Monica outbid Doris Flanagan just to avoid another awkward evening with her daughter Teresa.”
I covered my mouth with my hand to hold back my laughter. “Teresa? The one who posts all the photos of her in Alice in Wonderland costumes?”
Bryce nodded. “One and the same. She is nice enough, but we have literally nothing in common. She didn’t want to be there any more than I did.”
“Oh man. Why do you all keep agreeing to this?”
He leaned back, his large hands wrapped all the way around the fire department mug. “It’s actually pretty fun. It helps the department, and it helps some of the folks in town take care of their house without falling off their ladders and having to call us.”
“It’s not demeaning?” It seemed like the opposite of a politically correct message. I knew Minden was still old-fashioned, but this seemed ridiculous.
Bryce shrugged. “It’s not like they parade us around on stage without our shirts or anything!”
“Well that’s a relief.” I felt my cheeks go red at the idea of Bryce and his very grown-up muscles without a shirt. I quickly moved on before he caught on to my discomfort. “Well that changes most of what I had planned. What do we need to do if not gather donations?”
Bryce sipped his coffee. “Just a few logistical things. A stage, concessions, publicity.”
I nodded. That made sense. “Can you run me through what they did last year? And then we can go from there?”
“Yeah, let me go dig up the old flyer. I think it’s still on the bulletin board.”
Bryce stepped out of the kitchen, leaving me alone. In the other room, I could hear the firefighters on duty joking and laughing.
I couldn’t hear what one of them said, but I heard the teasing tone and then Bryce’s reply. “Laugh all you want, Dylan. But I’m the one having coffee with her, and I think it’s about time someone washed the chief’s truck.”
I heard Dylan’s reply loud and clear. “Come on, Cap. It’s twenty degrees outside!”
“The garage is at least forty. But you better bundle up. Your friends can help.”
Groans followed him back into the kitchen, and he flashed me a grin and a wink.
“I think maybe power has gone to your head,Cap.”
He laughed. “Hardly. It was on their duty sheet last shift and they didn’t do it. Just strategic timing for the reminder.” He laid a piece of paper in front of me before bringing the coffee pot over and topping off our mugs.
I looked over the flyer Bryce had pulled off the bulletin board.
