“How long do you think this’ll take?” Knox said, cutting his eight-ounce steak in half and popping one of the two sections into his mouth.

Cole shrugged as he took another bite of mashed potatoes. He’d learned to let Knox talk if he wanted to. When Knox was in a one of those moods—like he was tonight—Cole kept quiet. Knox was a Vet and the only reason he’d agreed to be auctioned off tonight was to raise funds for his brothers in combat.

“I’m up first.” Knox finished off the remainder of his steak in one bite. “Do you think I can leave out the back when I’m finished, or do I need to sit back down?”

Cole wanted to tease Knox by saying something childish like, Do I stink or something? But Knox would most likely growl at him and shut down. Cole played it safe with a “Not sure.”

Was there even a back way out? Cole turned in his seat to glance behind and to the side of their table at the stage. The thick, burgundy curtains hung closed.

Cole was equally as eager to get this over with as Knox. He shifted back around to face the enormous open room of the conference center to the fifty or so round tables with hungry women in fancy gowns picking at their plates as they pointed up at the football players on display at the long table at the front of the room.

The platinum blonde, plump-lipped woman who basically accosted him earlier during the pre-auction mingle, Jolene or Jackie, sat two tables away. Jackie removed a delicate rose scarf from around her neck and waved it in the air at him as she fanned her neck with her other hand. She continued by giving a him a slow wink. Cole cringed. He had to remind himself why he was doing this. He returned her wink with a kind smile before initiating a conversation with his buddy to escape her eye.

“Where’s Wilder, Clark?” Cole sometimes called Walker Kent Clark, as in Superman. Not just because of his name and the fact that he resembled the comic hero; Kent was a real hero. He had been a helicopter pilot for the military, tasked with transporting special operations forces, but didn’t talk about it often. He’d been dishonorably discharged for disobeying a direct order. Kent risked his life and career to save his soldiers out on the battle field. To Cole, Kent was a hero through and through.

Cole thought the world of Wilder as well, but like his name, he could be a wild card. Although, being late wasn’t his M.O. “Wilder’s never late.”

“He doesn’t have the best attitude about tonight,” Kent responded. “I hope he didn’t bail.”

“I don’t blame him.” Cole motioned to Wilder’s empty chair. “I’d rather be somewhere else tonight as well.” Cole had the eerie feeling that the puffy lipped lady was staring at him. “And with someone else.”

Kent punched Cole in the arm and laughed out, “You should be in heaven, Carmichael.” He motioned around the room.

But the only thing Cole saw were hungry eyes, deep green carpet, and menacing flower arrangements on each guest table that made his eyes itch just thinking about their allergenic potential.

Kent continued, “And look at all these lovely ladies dying to go out with you.”

“Not looking,” Cole responded, putting his head down as he took a hearty bite of his steak.

He bit down into the buttery meat with ease. It was tender and savory, but nothing compared to those gourmet appetizers the deli girl made. Dang, those were amazing. What was even more amazing was the instant connection between them. Even with her face hidden behind a mask of sugar, he’d been struck with a blast of love at first sight.

When she’d grabbed his arms and lifted him up, whoosh, that got something going inside of him. Then she recognized him as the guy who’d stolen her sandwich, preventing their kiss. He should’ve apologized to her when she realized he was the jerk from the market, not teased her like he had, but who uses words like jerk-face? He shook his head and chuckled at her sweet innocence.

“I know who I’d rather be with right now,” Cole sighed out. “How about you, Kent? Would you rather be with one of these ladies here tonight, or with someone who’s incognito?”

“Is that a trick question?” Kent wrinkled his face. “Because you know my luck with women. I don’t do relationships.”

Cole laughed as he slapped his knee. “I wouldn’t make that face anymore, or no one’s gonna bid on you tonight.”

“Right, we’re suppose to charm.” Kent positioned himself forward, sat up straighter, and smiled his Superman smile.

Cole rolled his eyes as a few women in the audience ahhhed. Nothing new. Chicks always went crazy over Kent’s perfectly aligned teeth and debonair smile.

The lights flickered then dimmed slightly before a spotlight lit the center of the burgundy curtains. The curtains pulled back and disappeared before a beautiful woman in a bright pink dress emerged. He recognized her as Maia something or other. Her voice graced the silver screen as an animated princess. His stomach twisted looking at Maia, his auctioneer.

She flashed her brilliant white smile. “Let’s bring on the Titans!” Her voice echoed across the open room and back, giving the sensation of sitting in a theatre and watching an animated flick with the kids from the ranch, but he wasn’t. This was worse than getting kicked in the shin by his horse last week.

Beads of sweat formed on Cole’s forehead. Knox was called up first. Poor sucker. As Knox took the stage, Cole’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He slowly wiggled it out, angling it away from the crowd to be clandestine. Tinkering with his phone was better than witnessing the humiliation on Knox’s face.

He received a text from Pineapple. Cole cursed under his breath. He hadn’t checked on Pineapple’s friend yet.

“Hey, man,” the text began. “Maggie had a rough day. Please call her for me. I owe you one.”

Pineapple was Cole’s favorite cousin. He had the the biggest heart of anyone Cole had ever met.

“Unable to call, but I’ll text her now,” Cole texted back, keeping his chin up as he typed inconspicuously, pretending to focus on the auction.

Cole scrolled up to Maggie’s contact info in the text stream and saved her contact, then quickly shot her off a text, “This is Pineapple’s cousin. Heard you had a bad day. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to make your stay here more pleasant.” He hit the send button, but as he reviewed the text, it read more like a greeting you’d receive at a hotel check-in than from a friend. He obviously traveled way too much.

Knox thumped down into his chair next to Cole, startling him. That was fast, not more than four or five minutes. Cole had missed Knox’s entire bidding and had a hankering to lean over and ask him what had happened, but, judging by Knox’s tight jaw and determined eyes, now was not a good time for that conversation.

Riker Dylan, their quarterback, was up next. He’d sell for a pretty penny. Women couldn’t resist a quarterback. They joked with Riker how he was Captain America with his sandy hair and blue eyes, and he’d joke right back calling Kent Superman and Cole Maui because he was half Polynesian, although he didn’t look very Polynesian with his fair skin and light brown eyes. Cole resembled his father, but with his tough, maternal grandfather’s Polynesian build.

His phone vibrated again.

Maggie responded, “Thanks. Crazy busy. I’m at the most ridiculous event, uncomfortably dressed like a puffy princess, but it’s for a good cause. Thanks for the offer but I’m good. Just pray you’re never asked to be auctioned off like these poor guys from the Texas Titans. Who do you play for? The university?”

Cole jolted to attention. Pineapple’s friend was here? Why? He scanned the room. Pineapple had told him she was in town for work. And if she was working, why would she be in a formal gown? Did she have a connection to the team? His mind reeled through miscellaneous questions as the crowd erupted into applause. He directed his attention back to the stage.

Cole let out a low whistle and leaned over to Knox. “Did Riker really just go for what I think he did?”

Knox nodded, a faint smile playing at his lips. That was about all Cole would get out of Knox. Riker sat back down with the countenance of a lion. Cole had to admire Riker’s unabashed confidence.

As Kent stood, Cole gave him bones. “Give ‘em a show, Superman.”

“Laugh it up, but you’re next, Maui.”

Cole’s eyes flew to Jackie. She nodded to him with a wave of her bidding paddle. At least he had one woman who would bid on him. He didn’t want to go for less than Riker, but he might have to. He hadn’t played to the crowd during the mingle or during the bidding. He had become too intrigued with the idea that Pineapple’s friend might be in the room.

He sent Maggie another text, “Football’s just something I do for fun. What do you do?” His eyes searched for someone looking down at their phone. He let out a humorous humph when he realized that half the guests were tinkering with their phones.

She responded, “I’m a firefighter, but this weekend I’m playing the part of a caterer.”

The wires in his brain finally sparked and melded together, allowing his lobes to connect. Maggie was the deli girl. She was in town helping Silver. This was too perfect. Cole’s eyes searched the perimeter of the room until he located her in the front corner. He hadn’t seen her earlier. She must have come in recently.

Once he locked onto her, he couldn’t tear his gaze away from her in her bright blue dress. The color of her dress caused her crystal eyes to pop against her black hair as it caressed her creamy white shoulders. With Maia’s princess voice in the background, he stared in a trance at Maggie, AKA Snow White. He found himself in his own real-life fairytale with an intense physical need to press his lips to her pouty red ones.

Maggie’s eyes swept the room before settling on the stage. Cole had a sudden urge to leave his table, strut over to Maggie and give her a kiss she’d never forget. Although, she may not be good with that. Her eyes darted his way for only a second or two. He waited for her to look again then tipped his imaginary hat to her with a wink.

Cole shot a quick text off to Silver as a chorus of ahs and gasps rippled through the room. He disregarded what he first thought he heard, but then Maia verified it. Engaged? Cole did a double take of his stone-faced friend. Kent’s announcement, or his date’s, was downright shocking, not to mention disturbing. Cole would get down to the bottom of this, but his first obligation was to the bidding block.

He adjusted his tie and took one last sip of water before standing. He prayed Silver received his text and would work her magic. With a little faith and fairytale magic, perhaps this evening could be magical for him after all.