“Five-thousand.”
Wynn looked like she might squeal with glee as the number kept going up and up.
“Twelve-thousand dollars!”
A collective gasp sounded, and everyone turned to try and find the generous benefactor.
Shit. It was Melody Morgan.
“Thirteen thousand.”
My head whipped to the woman who’d originally bid four, and my stomach churned. Option one was a certifiably crazy woman and option two was a woman who’d had more dent repair than Lyric’s car.
“Fifteen thousand,” Melody countered.
“Sixteen thousand.”
And so it went until Melody bid fifty-thousand and the other woman finally accepted defeat.
“Well,” Wynn crooned, fanning herself with her auction program. “I’m not sure how we’re going to top that. Melody Morgan, you’ve won a date with Firefighter Doom.”
I stalked off the stage as soon as I could, nearly ramming into Lyric. I reached out to steady her as I passed her. “Sorry.”
* * *
Lyric
“No, I’m sorry,” I rushed to say. “I was kind of blocking the exit.”
I couldn’t stop staring at Doom as he headed off the stage like his feet were on fire. Probably eager to get his date with my sister started.
“You feelin’ okay?” he asked.
“Yep. Fantastic.”
He studied me like he was staring into my soul and I dropped my gaze, unable to hold his. “You sure you’re okay?”
“Um, yes, I’m great. I should really get back to it.”
“Okay, Angel, you get back to it.”
He still held me steady and I turned in order to break his hold. He held tight.
“LiLi, you need to get off your feet,” Harmony demanded walking toward me. “Honey, your job is over, you can relax.”
“You’re probably right,” I conceded, giving Doom a chin lift in challenge.
“You have a good rest of your night,” he said, finally releasing me and walking away.
“What was that all about?” Harmony asked.
“I have no idea.”
“Why did Melody bid fifty-thousand dollars on him?” Harmony asked. “Did you give her permission to do that?”
“Outside of the fact, this is technically charitable giving, she hasn’t spent all of her ‘fun’ money this month,” I said with a sigh. “Believe it or not, she stayed under the limit. She still has a thousand to do with as she pleases.”
I’d always had Melody on a budget, but I’d had to tighten the purse strings so to speak when her first, then third husband had tried to take her for more than the prenup. Neither of them banked on me, and they found out what hell felt like when they messed with the Morgan sisters. Husband number two scurried away like the rat he was, but I never knew where husband number four might be lurking, so I’d clamped down the flow of cash.
