by Elle Rush
At the reunion, all the returning graduates chip in for a lottery ticket, but nobody expects to win the fifty-million-dollar jackpot. Doug’s share should be more than enough to buy his freedom, but the town doesn’t want to let their new doctor go. Jackie is the only thing that makes Hopewell bearable; the problem is the more time he spends with her, the more he forgets how much he wants to leave.
When he finally finds a way to escape, Doug realizes he’ll be doing it alone. Jackie doesn’t have much time to show him the life he accidentally created for himself in Hopewell is far better than anything his millions could buy him anywhere else.
* * *
Scarlett had been right. He was having fun. Maybe more fun than supper the night before, because the pressure was off. The reunion was about showing up, showing off, and making an impression. This was just hanging out. It was almost like old times.
Freddy brought Andie a full mug of coffee from the kitchen. He stopped in front of her and held it tantalizingly out of reach. “Have you checked our lottery ticket yet?”
Her jaw dropped. “I’d totally forgotten. Probably because I haven’t had enough coffee yet.” The threat was obvious. Freddy handed over the cup. She took one sip and handed it back. “You hold it. I’ll spill it while I’m digging for the ticket.” Andie pulled her wallet and a pen from the depths of a large, leather purse. “Who wants to call out the numbers?”
Jason reached for his phone. “I’ll do it. I’ve got the Maxx Money app.”
“Free play, free play,” Cameron chanted quietly.
Scarlett and Tyler joined him. The chant grew.
“Quiet! Jason, go ahead.”
“Four.”
Andie touched the tip of her pen to the ticket. “Okay. Next?”
“Eight.”
“Next?”
“Twelve. Nineteen.”
She frowned, her eyebrows coming together. “Okay. Then?”
“Twenty-nine. Forty-seven. Forty-eight. Do you want the bonus number?” Jason asked.
Doug moved so he was standing beside Cameron. The sunlight coming through the window highlighted the sweat on Andie’s forehead. “Are you feeling okay, Andie?” he asked.
“Umm.” It wasn’t a yes, but it was an acknowledgement. “Jason, can you read those again, but slower this time?” she asked.
“Andie, did you pick a ticket where we didn’t match one number? I hate those,” Tyler complained.
Doug did too, but he had a feeling that wasn’t the source of Andie’s distress.
She was still sweating. “Tyler, watch Andie,” Doug ordered.
Tyler sat up straight and held out a hand, ready to grasp Andie’s biceps in case she toppled over. It looked like a real possibility.
Jason rattled off a string of numbers again.
Andie swayed on the sofa cushion. Tyler’s grip kept her upright. “Jason, move,” Doug ordered. He and Tyler tilted Andie until she lay across the sofa. “Andie, I need you to slow your breathing. You’re hyperventilating.”
“We won,” she gasped. Her blonde bangs were plastered to her forehead.
“How many numbers did we match?” Jason asked.
“All of them,” she said breathlessly.
Doug swiped the ticket out of her hand. “Breathe. Slowly. In, two, three, four. Out, two, three, four.” His eyes went to the ticket; a tiny, blue dot under each number. “One more time, Jason?”
“Four. Eight. Twelve. Nineteen. Twenty-nine. Forty-seven. Forty-eight.” His voice cracked when he asked, “Did we really get them all?”
Doug wanted to hyperventilate himself. He nodded. Seven out of seven. That was a jackpot win, if it were true. “I think so. Maybe somebody should look on another site. Or run out to the gas station and see what they have posted in case Jason’s app is wrong.”
He expected yelling. Shouts. Happy, hysterical tears. Not dead silence.
Scarlett hit the carpeted floor with a thump. Her legs had gone out from under her. “Do you know what the prize is this week? Fifty million dollars. That’s, what, five million dollars each?”
“Four and change,” Freddy said. “There are twelve of us. Andie wrote all our names on the ticket when she bought it.”
He’d forgotten. Doug flipped the narrow sheet and saw the names printed on the reverse. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Who’s going to double-check the winning numbers?”
They checked the numbers again, this time on the lotto’s website using Evelyn’s laptop. Then Cameron and Freddy took a field trip to the gas station. Freddy live-streamed the drive, including a long, in-depth focus on the posted, winning numbers. Scarlett texted Noah, Kirby and Jonathan, ordering them to Evelyn’s immediately. She accepted no excuses.
Fifty-million dollars’ worth of winning numbers.
Fifty million.
More from Elle Rush
SWEET CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
North Pole Unlimited
Decker and Joy (also available in paperback)
Hollis and Ivy (also available in paperback)
Nick and Eve
Rudy and Kris
Resort Romances
Cuban Moon
Mexican Sunsets
Dominican Stars
Mayan Midnights
Complete series 4-book box set
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
Hollywood to Olympus (also in paperback)
Screen Idol
Drama Queen
Leading Man
It Girl
Action Hero
Complete series 5-book boxed set
COOKBOOKS
Heartmade Collection
Brunch
Mains and Sides
Holiday Table