Watching Evan sweat was worth the three hours it took to get ready tonight. Between curling my hair, doing my nails, makeup, and getting dressed—it nearly took a village. Most days when I go to work, I throw my hair into a ponytail or low bun with minimal face coverage. I’ll put on some lipstick and mascara, then call it a day. Maybe if I can’t find my contacts, I’ll put my glasses on and rush out the door. Getting dressed up is fun every once in a while, though Kiera was more than happy to “sex me up” for tonight—her words, not mine.

“Trent looks good in a suit,” I tell Kiera as I watch him walk on stage.

“He looks fucking fuckable,” she blurts out with a wide grin.

“Tonight’s first eligible bachelor is Trent Laken. He’s a thirty-six-year-old veterinarian who enjoys grilling and watching football in his downtime. Six-foot-one with brown hair and brown eyes—the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome,” the young MC reads from her notecards.

“Who’s the MC?” I ask Kiera because she looks oddly familiar for some reason. “I think I saw her at the wedding.”

“Yeah, that’s Jessica. Dylan’s lady.”

I vaguely remember meeting him at the wedding, and she must’ve been the girl Dylan was there with that night.

“So ladies, what do we think?” Jessica gets the crowd of women excited. “Starting the opening bid at fifty dollars.”

Kiera immediately speaks up. “One hundred dollars!”

Trent looks in our direction and flashes her a secret wink.

“Do we have one-fifty?” Jessica asks.

“Two hundred!” someone across the room shouts, making Kiera glare.

“Three hundred!” Kiera shouts before Jessica can say anything.

“Three hundred, ladies! Do I hear three-fifty?”

Kiera stands up, glaring at anyone who dares to outbid her. I chuckle at her death stare and wonder if Trent already has something planned for their special date.

“Going once, twice, sold to Kiera Young for three-hundred dollars!”

Kiera does a little happy dance and walks toward the stage to greet Trent. He jumps down and immediately wraps his arms around her before giving her a kiss.

“Well damn, if I’d realized kissing was involved, I would’ve put my own bid in,” Jessica teases. “Just kidding, honey!” she calls out to Dylan who’s backstage with the rest of the guys. Trent sits at our table with Kiera sitting on his lap.

“Next up, we have a Bishop. Y’all know about these Bishop boys, don’t ya?” Jessica gets the crowd to laugh. “Come on out.”

John appears uncomfortable as he walks down the stage.

“Next up, we have John Bishop. He might be the quiet and reserved twin, but ya know what they say about the quiet ones. Amiright, ladies?” Jessica taunts, getting the attention of everyone in the room. “He’s six-foot-three with light green eyes, and rumor has it abs of steel and a few tattoos in some very personal areas.”

Laughter echoes in the room as Jessica starts the bidding. John goes for five-hundred to a girl who Kiera tells me is a woman who teaches at the high school. I cringe, but then shake off the image.

“Alex Bishop,” Jessica announces as he struts down the stage in a suit, cowboy boots, and a hat. “He’s a hunk of a cowboy with his signature grin and icy-blue eyes. Just his flirty grin will melt your panties right off, so if you want a night of platonic romance—unless you’re his wife—let’s start the bidding, shall we?”

River immediately bids at two hundred dollars, and no one else dares to compete with her, which makes them both happy. Alex jumps off the stage and immediately engulfs her in a hug and kiss.

The anticipation of Evan’s turn is making my insides flutter. I want to play hard to get, in a way, and wait until the very last second to bid on him. He doesn’t know that I planned to bid on him the whole time, but it’s his turn to suffer for a bit.

“Dr. Evan Bishop. Ladies…you ready for this one?” Jessica calls him out, and he reluctantly walks down the stage, looking fucking edible in his dress shirt and slacks. The way his sleeves are rolled up to his elbows gives me really bad thoughts. “Evan Bishop is six-foot-three, sky-blue eyes, and messy blond hair that’s perfect for roaming your fingers through.” Evan looks back at her, and Jessica flashes him a taunting wink. He shakes his head and continues walking up the stage.

“Five hundred and sixty-nine dollars!” April shouts from the front table, standing and waving her arms around as if she’s a contestant on The Price is Right. Good lord.

Jessica chuckles. “Alright, do I hear six hundred?”

“Seven hundred!” another girl calls from the back. Son of a bitch.

I look over at April who’s digging more money out of her purse. “Eight hundred!”

“Nine hundred,” the other girl yells.

“Damn, ladies.” Jessica whistles. “Current bid is at nine hundred. Do I hear a thousand?”

“One thousand, forty-two dollars!” April shouts, and I can tell she’s at her max bid.

The girl in the back remains silent, and I know this is it. April wants this date so damn bad that I almost feel terrible for what I’m about to do. Then again, if I do this, then Evan will owe me, and that thought alone makes me shiver with excitement.

“Do I hear one thousand two hundred?” Jessica asks. “Going once…”

Kiera narrows her eyes at me, waiting to see if I’m going to bid or not. I look over at April, and she looks so damn hopeful. Then I look up at Evan whose lips are in a firm line with a tortured expression that cracks me up, but I hold back the smile, so he doesn’t think he’s going to win.

“Going twice…”

I swallow, jerking my hand up. “Fifteen hundred!” I shout louder than I meant to, and all eyes turn toward me.

“Sold for fifteen hundred dollars!” Jessica announces.

April gives me a look that says she might murder me, and I give her a shrug with a grin. Healthy competition is good for her, but before I can say anything to her, she grabs her bag and storms out.

“You seriously had me worried up there,” Evan says from behind me, taking me by surprise when I feel his hot breath against my cheek. “Thought you were going to leave me hanging high and dry.” Goose bumps form over my skin the closer his body gets to mine.

“I almost did,” I tease, turning my head, which is a bad idea because our lips are now only inches apart. “You owe me a fifteen hundred dollar date now.”

“Don’t worry, baby. I’ll make sure you get your money’s worth.” He winks, before taking the seat next to mine.

“Dylan Hart. You’re up next, baby.” Jessica’s voice pulls me out of my daze, and I watch as Dylan struts up the stage in a fitted suit. He’s tall and lean, wearing a cowboy hat and boots. “If any of you ladies are brave enough to bid on my man, you better be fifty and older.”

The crowd chuckles.

“Dylan’s a hardworking rancher with a six-pack that makes you want to lick honey right off him. His dark hair and chiseled jawline will make you swoon in two seconds flat. And don’t even get me started on his strong, large hands, ladies. All that muscle you see is earned from hard labor, and his calluses feel amazing roaming down your bare back.”

“Jessica!” Dylan scolds, walking over and spanking her right on the ass.

“What? I’m just stating facts.” She giggles.

“Baby, my grandma is here,” he tells her, and the crowd laughs because neither realizes we can hear them on the mic.

“Okay, anyway. Let’s start the bidding.” Jessica positions Dylan in the center of the stage. “I know what he’s worth, ladies, but what are y’all willing to pay for a date with my man? Let’s start at one hundred dollars!”

The room is painfully silent as no one dares to cross Jessica. It’s almost comical, but I feel bad, considering men and their egos.

“One hundred!” a woman finally calls out, and everyone’s head turns.

“Thanks, Aunt Katie.” Dylan groans, blushing, making the rest of us laugh at his expense. The bidding only goes a few rounds, and his mom ends up winning at three hundred and fifty dollars.

A couple of ranch hands are auctioned off before Jessica announces the final bachelor. I already know it’s Jackson by the flock of women rushing to the front of the room.

“Geez,” I say, looking at them all.

Kiera rolls her eyes, shaking her head.

“This is where the real moneymaker is,” Jessica says. “Ladies, get ready for Jackson Bishop.”

They hoot and holler as if this is a male strip joint, which isn’t too far off, considering how many women are standing at the stage waving their arms around. Jackson walks down the stage with a shit-eating grin, wearing a nice suit that fits him in all the right places. You can tell he doesn’t dress up often, but he sure as hell knows how to fill it out.

“Six feet, three inches of solid perfection, Jackson’s a horse trainer who works hard and plays even harder. He’s wild in and out of the bedroom, and if you’re looking for a good time, Jackson’s the major of Wham-Bam-Thank-you-Ma’am, so don’t say I didn’t warn ya,” Jessica quips.

Chuckling at her MC humor, I lean toward Kiera. “I feel like Jessica and I would be great friends,” I tell her, and she nods her head in agreement.

“I don’t know her really well, but from what I’ve heard, she’s really good for Dylan.”

“Persistent,” Evan adds himself to our conversation. When I turn and look at him, he continues, “Basically mauled Dylan the first time they met and hooked her claws into him.”

I shrug. “Sometimes that’s what it takes.”

“We’re going to start the bidding at four hundred; otherwise, we’re going to be here all night. Do I hear four hundred?”

A parade of women yell, and I know for sure they weren’t kidding about him. The bidding goes back and forth for what feels like forever when finally it ends at two thousand five hundred.

“Sweet Jesus,” I mutter when it’s finally over. “I was waiting for clothes to start coming off soon.”

Kiera snorts. “Give it a few minutes.”

Mrs. Bishop comes back to the mic and thanks Jessica while everyone applauds. She announces the total amount raised from the event and how it’s more this year than the previous one, which makes the room erupt into applause.

“Six years, baby!” Jackson comes out shouting, holding his arm up in victory as if he’s holding up a trophy. I shake my head at his antics and wonder how the hell he and John can be twins. They’re so different, it’s comical at times.

“I’m going to say good night to Trent, then we can go,” Kiera says as I stand and push my chair in.

Nodding, I dig into my wallet for my checkbook and write out my donation. Evan watches me with a smirk and an amused look.

“Yes?” I arch a brow.

“Just thinking.”

“About what?” I ask, tilting my head down to sign my name.

“What panties you’ll be wearing on our date. I think I’ll start a collection.”

I look up at him and scowl. “The only panties you’re going to add to that collection are ones you go and buy yourself.”

I rip the check out and hand it over to the volunteer who’s collecting the winning bids.

“We’ll see.” He winks.

“You’re so full of yourself,” I say with a laugh, unable to stay mad at him when he gives me that cocky grin of his.

“It’s called confidence, sweetheart. But, if I recall, you were full of me not that long ago, so don’t say it like it’s a bad thing.” His crass words make me want to smack that smug smirk right off his face.

Such an ass.

The next morning on my way to work, I stop at The Grind Café and pick up two coffees. I normally bring a travel mug from home for my commute, but I woke up and realized I was all out of coffee beans, causing me to spew a variety of curse words.

Knowing how Evan likes his coffee, I order one for him, too, and decide to play nice today since our date is coming up. However, if he decides to be an asshole, I can threaten to throw it at his groin instead.

Though I wouldn’t because it’s a sin to waste gourmet coffee.

“Good morning.” Veronica greets me the moment she sees me. I swear that woman never sleeps. I’d almost bet she’s here more than I am, which is saying a lot since we work on rotation for ten to fourteen days straight.

“It is a good morning, isn’t it?” I smile wide, bringing the coffee to my lips, then taking a sip. I notice her eyes widen as she looks at my cup. “Something wrong?” I ask her curiously.

“Oh um, no. Sorry.” She waves it off and plasters on a smile.

Okay, that was odd.

I can sense Evan before I see him, and when he walks up behind me, I feel his hand on the small of my back. “Since you brought me coffee, I won’t even yell at you for being late.”

Turning my head to face him, I roll my eyes. “Pretty presumptuous in thinking it’s for you.” I pick up the cup and hand it over to him. He flashes me a wink before tilting it up to his lips.

“Black,” he confirms with a knowing grin. He takes another sip, and his brows pull together as if something’s wrong. “This tastes like…” He doesn’t finish his sentence before shifting the cup and reading the logo. His eyes widen just like Veronica’s did, and now I know I’m missing something.

“What’s wrong?” I feel like I’m in the twilight zone with Veronica and Evan’s reactions. “Is it a bad coffee shop or something? Are the owners republican or puppy murderers or something?” When Veronica lowers her eyes, I know it’s deeper than that.

“Nothing,” Evan clips, swallowing hard. “Thanks.” He sets the coffee cup down and walks off before I can say another word.

“Veronica,” I whisper her name in a plea. “Can you please explain what I missed?”

“It’s not my story to tell,” she says, pursing her lips together, and I’m worried she’s not going to give me anything until she leans forward and continues. “But a woman named Alicia worked there, and he went there every morning before work. They grew close from what I understand, and one morning, she was brought in from a car accident.”

“Oh my gosh.” I inhale sharply, feeling remorseful that I basically just handed him a reminder of those events.

“He’d been running late that morning and skipped grabbing his coffee. A couple of hours later, she arrived and was in really bad shape. Long story short, Evan went above and beyond to save her life, but it was too late.”

“She died,” I say, my voice flat and sad. “Wow.” Is that why Evan shuts people out and has a brooding nature to anyone who tries to get close to him? Perhaps. But as doctors, losing patients is part of the job. Unless there’s a connection that makes it more than just personal.

“And not that he ever came out and said it, but I’m pretty sure he liked her. Evan’s always been all work and no play, but every morning, he’d come in with his cup of coffee, smilin’ like a fool, and it set the tone for the entire day. After she died, he stopped going in there completely, and his whole demeanor changed. He blamed himself for a long time, and I think a part of him still does.”