“No. But he said you’d be more than happy to fill me in, while you have a piece of cake with me. Which, I hear, is delicious.” He put plates, glasses, and milk on the table.
Amy cringed as he cut a large wedge. She took the knife from his hand before he could cut a second piece. She dished herself a thin sliver. Robert had insisted she eat the whole piece he’d given her, and she could feel the effects of the sugar buzzing in her ears.
“That’s all you’re eating? I’ll get even fatter if I eat this all by myself.”
“You’re not fat. You’re perfect.” Amy clapped her hand over her mouth. She’d done it again. “I mean... you’re... you look... great.”
Shut up, already.
True, Jake was not as slender as Robert, but she could tell by the way his t-shirt hugged his torso, he was all muscle.
Jake laughed out loud. “I see what they mean.”
Heat rushed to her cheeks. Did these men freely share information about her? Should she be angry or flattered? The kiss she’d shared with Ben flashed through her mind. What all had Ben told them?
One thing was certain, they all delighted in her discomfort.
Jake smiled, a teasing gleam lighting his eyes. “Does this mean you’ll bid on me too?”
He was agreeing to the auction. Just like that?
“Um... yes, of course, but I’m no match for Wid— uh... Debbie.”
“No one’s a match for her—financially or otherwise.”
They sat at the kitchen table and Jake sampled the cake. “It’s as delicious as Robert said.”
“What else did Robert tell you?” Amy licked her suddenly dry lips.
“Let’s see... he said I need to hold out for more than cake.” His lips curved into a broad smile. “So how does next Friday sound?”
She bit back a groan.
Why did she get the feeling that despite the brothers’ apparent closeness, they were competitive?
“Um... I’m going out with Robert on Friday.”
“That’s right.” Jake’s eyes sparkled with repressed humor. “How about Saturday?”
* * *
“I’ve been looking forwardto this since yesterday,” James said, Sunday evening when Amy set the third chocolate cake on the dining table.
“Me too,” said Ben.
Amy froze in the process of putting a slice of cake on a plate for Ben. Had Hope told him about the cake? She’d been nervous to see Ben again after what happened Wednesday night, but he’d greeted her with a smile, complimented her cooking, and acted like nothing was wrong.
She placed a generous slice of cake in front of him.
“I only get one piece? Not a whole cake to myself?”
“Do you... want a whole cake... to yourself?” Amy asked, eyebrows raised.
Did he know she’d bribed his cousins with cake? No doubt he’d heard about the auction and understood, as Robert and Jake did, what was at stake where Debbie was concerned.
Ben shuddered. “Not at its intended price, no. Although, the bonus prize sounds tempting.”
Warmth crept up Amy’s neck.Robert!She should have known he would gloat about the hard time he’d given her and brag about blackmailing her into going out with him. Did Ben mean it, though? Did he want to go out with her? Or was he teasing her?
