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Evie chimed in. “Whoever it is, I think she really wants Asher. That’s the third time she’s bid!”
“I can’t believe it’s at four hundred dollars already!”
Something began to claw at her throat, and Willow looked away, passing one hand over her eyes.
“Oh, she’s bid again.” Evie laughed, and Willow’s stomach knotted hard. Her head played a scenario where Asher went out on one date…and then another and then another, until finally, he ended up marrying this brunette who’d bid on him at the Tomato and Rhubarb Festival.
As though she sensed Willow’s upset, Hadley dropped one arm around her shoulders.
“One thousand dollars.”
Hadley’s hand slipped from her shoulders as Evie let out a gasp of surprise, turning to stare at Willow as though she’d gone mad. Willow didn’t look at either of her sisters. Her hand stayed fixed in the air, and she saw Noelle’s eyes catch hers. Silence crossed the crowd for a second, but Noelle was there in a moment.
“We have the winning bid!” Flinging her hands up in the air, Noelle began to clap, and soon, the crowd was cheering.
The shock that rippled over her skin sent goosebumps in every direction, and Willow shivered.
What did I do?
“I…I’m not going to pretend to understand what just happened, but are you sure you can afford that?” Evie crossed her arms over her chest, but Willow saw the concern in her eyes.
“I’m able to afford that, thanks.” Digging around in her mind for an excuse, Willow tried to smile, shrugging off Evie’s concern. “I wanted to make sure I gave some money to the senior center.”
“I’m sure there were better ways of doing it than that. Now you’ve gone and taken Asher’s date away.” Evie’s eyes suddenly flared, and she dropped her hands. “Oh, I get it. You and Asher arranged this, right? He doesn’t want to go on some awkward date. Actually, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him dating!”
Willow smiled but didn’t answer the question. “I better go pay. Excuse me.”
The minute she began walking, her mind began to scream at her. The same question went around and around, over and over again until she couldn’t think of anything else. Her palms were sweaty, and she rubbed her hands together, trying to breathe a steady pace.
It wasn’t as though she’d only offered something small, like twenty dollars. One thousand dollars was a lot of money, and if she was honest with herself, the only reason she’d done it was to stop Asher from going on a date with a hot brunette.
And it’s not like I can go home and pretend it didn’t happen.Her brain scrambled for an answer, and Willow glanced all around, as if someone in the crowd would give her some inspiration.
There she is.
Her gaze snagged on the woman she had outbid. Biting her lip, Willow hesitated for a second.
I could always go ask her if she wants the date instead of me. I could still pay my winning bid and say…Her eyes squeezed shut.Say what? That I only bid that much so that the money would go to a good cause? That doesn’t make any sense.
Opening her eyes, Willow looked at the woman again. If she was honest, she would admit that everything in her rebelled at that idea. As much as she might want to hide it from herself, the truth was that she didn’t want Asher to go on a date with anyone else, especially not someone who was obviously really interested in him.
Squaring her shoulders, Willow took in a deep breath, turned, and walked into the tent at the back of the stage.
Meandering through the other bachelors and the women who had won a date with them, she finally found him. He was sitting on a chair, legs stretched out in front of him and crossed at the ankle. His arms were folded across his chest, but his blue eyes were clear, searching her face the minute her gaze touched his.
She went hot all over.
“Hi.”Why does my voice sound like that?Clearing her throat, she tried again, wanting to get rid of the hoarseness. “Hi, Asher.”
Getting out of his chair, Asher stuck both hands in his pockets.
“Hi.” He shrugged one shoulder, his eyes never leaving hers. “What’s going on with you? I didn’t expect you to bid—and to bid one thousand dollars?” His eyebrows stretched up high toward his hairline. “Are you crazy?”
Willow tried to laugh, but the sound stuck in her throat. “I was worried…”What am I supposed to say? “I wanted to make sure you brought in the most money.” Scrambling for an answer, she fought to speak clearly. “I mean, after what you decided to do for Noelle, it was the least I could do.”
Blinking, Asher stared at her for a few seconds. Then he dropped his head, letting out a low whistle as one hand pushed through his hair.
“That was incredibly generous of you.”
