Wrecked for You

by Mayer, Kristin

  Hollis scoffed. “It’s Alaskan. I’ll get you one for Christmas.”

  Oh hell, now we were all probably going to get Paul Bunyan hats for Christmas. Shit, now I’m calling them Paul Bunyan hats.

  Before I could respond, he added, “When we build my cabin, I’m going to stand on the front porch with red suspenders, my hat, and an ax.”

  “And hopefully jeans and a shirt. Otherwise, text me a warning so I don’t pop by.”

  Hollis chuckled. “Will do.”

  “How are things with Devney going?”

  He sat, all humor gone. “Man, I’m so confused. She wanted to be fuck buddies. I appreciate your advice, but I couldn’t do it. I just couldn’t play the games. I watched my mom and dad play those games in their marriage, and it nearly ruined them. That’s not what I want. And starting off any type of relationship like that would seem to set the tone for the rest of the relationship.”

  That made sense. I wasn’t sure what else to say, so I changed topics.

  “How’s your mom doing?” I knew Hollis had some turmoil with his mother about moving to Alaska.

  “She’s good. I think she’s finally accepted that I’ve chosen this. We’ve been talking. And I think we’re on a path to reconciling.”

  “That’s good. I’m glad. That has to make things easier.”

  Hollis’s phone rang. “Let me get this. I’ll be right back.”

  One night, Hollis opened up completely about what had been going on with his mom and more about his parents’ marriage. At first his mom had been against him coming to Alaska. But after they talked, he realized that it was that she didn’t want him to leave New York after his dad shot himself. According to Hollis, her “communication method wasn’t conveyed in the most productive way.” His parents’ marriage had been a tumultuous one, full of fighting and affairs. After a lot of thought, he decided that separate, his parents were great, but together, they imploded. That could have been why she played the games with Hollis. It was what she had been conditioned to do. Hopefully, they could work it out.

  The more I thought about it, the more it made sense that he wouldn’t do casual with Devney.

  Hollis came back in the room. “Sorry about that. I got the top breast cancer doctor at the Mayo Clinic to agree to see Devney’s mother. Dr. Devorak is going to prescribe a plan for Patricia to follow in Washington. He’ll monitor her progress and adjust as needed.”

  “Wow.”

  “Don’t say anything. I don’t want her to feel pressured or that I’m forcing her into a relationship. It’s just something I wanted to do for her. Hell, I hate seeing her working three jobs. Her brother’s picked up another job, plus he’s letting their mother live with him. The insurance their mother has is crap and isn’t paying for much. So, I’m taking care of it.”

  I knew Hollis was a good man, but he just went up several notches in my book. Despite his quirkiness, he had a good heart. Tipping my beer to him, I said, “I won’t say a word. That’s mighty decent of you, Hollis.”

  “Let’s just hope the prognosis comes back favorable and it’s not too advanced.”

  “I hope so, too. I can’t imagine. Let me know if there’s anything I can do.”

  “Will do.”

  I finished my beer and we left for the town meeting. It would be the last one until our Christmas Jubilee, weather permitting. “So, I saw the confirmation for the bachelor auction on the table.”

  “Don’t remind me. I’m still figuring out how to get out of it.” He looked at me, his face blank. “Marlena told me earlier this week she would be sure to win the auction.”

  I chuckled. “Is there a wedding being planned I don’t know about?”

  “If there is, the groom has no idea about it, either.”

  “If you go missing, I’ll check the chapel.”

  Hollis chuckled. “Good plan. I’ve got four weeks to figure out how to get out of both messes.”

  An alert on his phone caught Hollis’s attention, and he checked his email. “Alexa’s going to be thrilled. I was able to get the architect moved up to create the plans for the surgical room. The way it is now, the clinic has too many particulates, which could increase the chance for infection. But in a life-or-death situation, it’s better than nothing.”

  “This town appreciates you being here.” Over the years, so many people had died unnecessarily because the town didn’t have a doctor.

  “The feeling’s mutual. I hope to take on an intern in a few years to help spread the word. I know there are other smaller towns in Alaska that need doctors. Maybe that will help encourage doctors to give it a try. We’ll see. I need to operate my own practice for a few more years before any credible medical facility will let me be part of their intern program.”

  “That’ll be good.”

  Hollis was a good man. By bringing attention to Alaska’s needs, he was helping future generations get the health care they needed.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Hayden

  As we pulled up to the parking lot, there were still cars arriving for the meeting, so we weren’t too late. There were only a few minutes until the meeting started. Mayor Richards liked to be prompt.

  Low murmurs filled the room as people lingered in groups and caught up with each other. Kory waved me over. Man, I loved having her here, watching her fit in. I loved everything about being in a relationship. She never pushed or demanded a definition of where we were headed. We both had an end goal of a family one day but wanted to enjoy the ride.

  I sat down next to my girl and gave her a kiss. “Did you have fun?” I asked.

  This afternoon Kory, Alexa, and Devney had baked cookies with the quilting circle for the town meeting. The quilting circle usually supplied refreshments for these things.

  Kory was beaming. “It was a blast. I think I’m going to learn how to quilt at the beginning of the year. Alexa and Devney are going to join, too.”

  “That sounds good. It’s a good group of women.”

  “Yeah, they are. And they welcomed me right in. I can’t wait to host their New Year’s Eve party.”

  The ladies of Skagway went above and beyond to make a difference in our town.

  Mayor Richards sounded the gavel. At the front of the room, Drake sat on the left side of the table. He’d been part of the city council for the past couple of years because he wanted to make a difference. I searched the room for Kane and found him standing in the back. Mariah sat beside him. The town had accepted Mariah wholeheartedly; it was just expected that Mariah would be there if Kane was.

  The room quieted down. Hollis sat beside me straight as a board, eyes forward. From the corner of my eye, I saw Devney leaning forward to get his attention, but he refused to look.

  The gavel sounded again. “Thanks for joining us tonight for our last town meeting of the season until our Christmas Jubilee.”

  The next moment, there was a loud clang as Hollis slipped from his chair. He quickly popped to his feet, his hand in the air. “All good here. No need to worry. Just a bit slippery.”

  The room erupted in giggles. Every single girl there probably had their eyes on Hollis. Mayor Richards smiled. “Glad to hear the good doctor came out unscathed. Thanks for joining us, Dr. Fritz. I’m going to skip ahead a few items. Would you mind joining me for a second?”

  Hollis looked to me, and I shrugged. Alexa got up with her camera and stood against the wall. I had no idea what was going on. Hollis approached the front of the room, and Kory leaned over and whispered, “What on earth is he wearing?”

  “His Alaskan gear.”

  She smirked, shaking her head. I noticed Devney staring at Hollis; there was so much emotion on her face. Leaning over, she asked, “Did he tell you what he did for my mother? My brother just called to tell me. I know it was him.”

  Her eyes welled up with tears. Hopefully they were tears of happiness. I wasn’t sure what to say. “He’s a good man.”

  She nodded, wiping at her eyes.

&nbs
p; Mayor Richards put his arm around Hollis. “The town of Skagway appreciates you leaving New York City for an Alaskan adventure.”

  Hollis said, “It’s a pleasure serving this great town I now call home.”

  One minute the man fell out of his seat, the next minute he was speaking in front of an entire town with poise. Hollis was definitely unlike anyone else I’d ever met.

  “There’s nothing we could do to repay you for what you’re doing for this town. So we thought we’d honor you in another way.”

  Hollis gave an easy smile. “No repayment is necessary.”

  “Well, we think otherwise. First, we wanted to give you a key to the city and declare today to be Dr. Hollis Fritz Day.”

  Hollis accepted the key as the whole town applauded. “What an honor. I will hang this in the clinic and treasure it forever. Thank you.”

  Hollis looked at the key with pride. This meant more to him than he would ever let on.

  The mayor picked up a plaque but kept it facing away from the crowd. “Also, as mayor of this town, I wanted to present you with your very own Alaskan certificate. It certifies you as a true Alaskan.”

  I don’t think I had ever seen Hollis grin so big. He took the plaque and studied it. “I might blow this up and wallpaper the clinic with it.”

  Everyone in the room laughed.

  He held the plaque close to him. “Thank you. Thank you for this. I’m so grateful you’re not holding my coffee choices against me.”

  His easygoing nature only brought on more laugher. The mayor and Hollis posed for pictures. After Hollis sat back down, the mayor stepped up to the podium. “Next up on the agenda, Kory Reynolds has asked for a couple of minutes to speak.”

  Kory gave me a nervous smile as she got up and headed to the podium. This morning, she’d stressed over choosing her outfit. I thought she looked great in anything she wore, but apparently that wasn’t the right answer. Finally, she’d decided on black slacks with a dark orange shirt. With Thanksgiving approaching, she considered it festive. She was calm and confident. “Hey everyone. As Mayor Richards mentioned, my name is Kory Reynolds, and I’m new to the area. This town has been so receptive, and I wanted you all to know I appreciate the kindness you’ve all shown. I’m looking forward to making Skagway my new home.”

  People applauded, and Kory paused. As it died down, she resumed her speech. “Alexa Owens and I are starting a new business that we wanted you all to be aware of. What used to be the Owens B and B will soon become a venue to host events such as weddings, bridal showers, birthday parties, retirement parties, girls’ nights out, fundraisers, and so forth. In addition to the B and B, which is lovely, by the way, we will also offer lodging at the log cabin. If you’re interested, please reach out to one of us. If you’re a Skagway resident and book in the month of December for an event any time next year, you’ll receive twenty percent off. I look forward to getting to know this town. Thank you so much.”

  Kory took a step away when someone called from the crowd, “Kory, how long before you open?”

  “We’ll be ready to host in three weeks. We’re waiting on some supplies and some furnishings. For the month of December, we’re running some great discounts, which would be on top of the twenty percent, while we work out the kinks.”

  “Great, I’ll be in touch.” It was Morgan, the loan officer, who had spoken. Maybe she was planning an event for the bank.

  “Sounds fantastic. Thank you all.”

  The townspeople applauded, and I was filled with pride. Kory was in her element, waving as she walked back to her seat next to me.

  “I’m so proud of you, sweetheart.”

  “Thank you.”

  I gave her a quick kiss while the mayor moved on to the next item of business. “For the new town sign, we’re about two thousand dollars short. We’d hoped to place the order for it to be ready for the spring tourist season, but we’re going to have to wait.”

  Elvira raised her hand as she walked to the front of the room. Sylvia wasn’t too far behind. Of course, they didn’t wait for Mayor Richards to call on them. They would start speaking anyway.

  “Yes, Elvira and Sylvia.”

  Elvira nearly yelled her question. “Well, we want to know if we can do our fundraiser right now? It’ll get us closer to the goal. We’ve got an idea that’ll bring in the buckaroos.”

  The mayor looked to the city council, and each nodded. Drake had a smirk on his face, and he turned to Hollis.

  Oh shit. Shit. Shit.

  “First up, we’d like to call Kane Foster.”

  I looked back to where Kane had been standing. The emergency exit door was clicking closed, and he was nowhere to be seen. I chuckled. There was no way that bastard would stand up there for a bachelor auction. It was a good try on the Twiner sisters’ part, though. But Kane would never be part of it.

  Pulling out my phone, I decided to mess with him.

  Me: Hey, I saved a seat for you. Want to join us?

  Kane: You’re so funny, princess.

  Me: I thought so. Maybe I should tell the Twiner sisters to go ahead and auction you for a later date.

  The next thing I got was a picture of Kane flipping me off.

  I smiled. Then looked up after they called Kane for the third time. Sylvia leaned closer into the mic. “Oh, dear. I think we just missed him. Okay, on to the next one. Hollis Fritz, please come join us at the podium.”

  I looked to the seat next to me and saw it was empty. Hollis was halfway down the aisle. “Can someone stop the hottie doctor? He’s trying to evade us.”

  Hollis turned around and smiled. “I was just getting some coffee with my new plaque.”

  The town laughed, and Hollis turned to walk up to the front of the room. First, he stopped in front of us and leaned in. “Buy me. Whatever it costs, buy me, and I’ll pay you back.”

  I nearly choked with laughter as he walked up to the front of the room. Hollis was a good sport. Elvira walked around him with her hands splayed out like Vanna White while Sylvia spoke. “The good doctor agreed to be part of our auction for the town fundraiser. We had planned to do it at the jubilee, but there’s no time like the present. Now come on, ladies, what do you want to bid for a date with our fine doctor? We need to make some money for our new sign.”

  It figured the Twiner sisters would be so concerned about the sign. They loved tourist season and educating the folks on the history of Skagway.

  Elvira leaned closer to the mic. “Who knows, it could lead to wedding bells. I know if I were a lot younger, I’d snatch up this whippersnapper. For the fun of it, I’ll bid three hundred dollars.”

  Hollis’s eyes grew round, but otherwise, he was able to school his features. I was about to laugh out loud at the thought of him going on a date with either Elvira or Sylvia. He turned my way, giving me the you-better-bid-on-me look.

  “Three hundred and fifty dollars,” Samone and Jane called out.

  Hollis looked a little more nervous. He was moving from the elderly to the town ladies who liked to get around with the different men. I knew they’d been after Hollis, as well.

  Marlena stood as her grandfather, Ol’ Man Rooster, held up four fingers. She called out, “Four hundred.”

  “Five hundred,” Samone and Jane countered.

  “Five fifty,” Marlena countered back.

  Sylvia leaned in. “We have a ‘win this hunk now’ option for two thousand dollars.”

  “Two thousand dollars,” a new bidder called out.

  The voice came from close by, really close by. Like, two-seats-down close by. Oh, hell yeah.

  Elvira put her hands up to her eyes, scouring the crowd. “Who said that?”

  “I did.” Devney stood. “I bid two thousand dollars for the ‘win the hunk now’ option.”

  Oh, holy fuck.

  Hollis was transfixed as he stared at Devney.

  “Sold.” The sound of the gavel echoed through the room.

  Kory squeezed my leg, and Alexa grabb
ed Drake. I swore I heard squealing. But we might have a war. I scanned the room to see what the losers had to say.

  Marlena, Samone, and Jane were clearly pissed as they watched Devney walk up to the podium with her checkbook.

  Ol’ Man Rooster stood. “How about a second date auction?”

  Elvira was about to say something when Devney leaned into the microphone. “I’m sorry, but Dr. Hollis is officially off the market.”

  That goofy-ass grin on Hollis’s face was almost embarrassing. Maybe I might be able to give him the princess nickname?

  Mayor Richards came back to the podium. “Well, looks like we have enough funds for our sign. Thank you, Elvira and Sylvia. And a huge thank you to Dr. Hollis for agreeing to help.”

  Hollis looked at Devney with an adoring smile as she wrote the check. She adjusted her glasses. It was hard not to smile at the knowledge that they were fake and just for appearances. In some ways, she and Hollis were exactly alike: a little socially awkward with big hearts.

  Kory whispered, “That’s the beginning of a happily ever after.”

  “I think you might be right.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Hayden

  I stood at the window, sipping a cup of coffee. A fresh blanket of snow lay on the ground. Yesterday, when the snow came in, I was concerned I would have to change our plans for tomorrow. If there was any moisture in the air, I couldn’t fly due to freezing. I pulled up the weather radar app I used on my phone. For the next three days, we were supposed to have flyable weather. I only needed two—one to get there and one to get back.

  The last week had been heaven and hell. Kory was driving me wild with her teasing. Ever since the town meeting, Kory had made it clear she was ready for the next stage. My I want to make it special speeches were becoming ineffective. We were two people about to explode from our pent-up sexual energy.

  My original plans had fallen through five days ago due to weather. Hopefully, this worked. The weather better hold out or I might lose my mind.

  My phone vibrated with a text.