“Well, I think you did a fine job.”
“So did he. It was one of the few compliments he ever gave me.” They fell silent again—not uncomfortably so—until they reached Drew’s apartment. He led the way up the stairs, and by the time they reached his floor, Anna was pulling her leg up so that she could remove her shoes. Drew chuckled at her as she hopped on one foot.
“Oh—I forgot to tell you earlier,” Anna told him, tossing her shoes on the floor as they entered his apartment. Drew stopped at the bar to pour himself a drink while Anna headed toward the bedroom, ready to change into something much more comfortable.
“What’s that?”
“I got another donation for the auction earlier.”
“Really? That’s great.” Anna took off her earrings and tossed them onto the nightstand. “What is it?”
“A firefighter.” She called to him. Within a few seconds, he was standing at the door of the bathroom, watching as she took what remained of her hair down.
“Excuse me, did you say a firefighter?” Anna nodded, walking from the bathroom to his dresser, where she pulled open the drawer he kept his t-shirts in. “He just called you up and said, “Hey, I’m a firefighter. Auction me.”?”
“Well, he offered in person.” Drew set his drink on the nightstand as he followed Anna into the bathroom, where he leaned against the counter while she slipped out of her dress. His eyes roamed over her standing there in only her underwear before he shook his head, clearly not willing to be distracted.
“How did that come about?”
“He’s the dad of one of the girls at the center. Wanted to be helpful.” She turned on the water and scrubbed at her face and Drew handed her a towel so she could dry herself off.
“And he just…volunteered?” he asked.
“Well, he was embarrassed about it. But he said he knew ladies went for the whole firefighter thing.” She tossed the towel on the counter and pulled the t-shirt on, heading from the bedroom, Drew following her the whole way. She collapsed onto the couch, turning on the TV.
“Won’t his wife mind?”
“Oh, he’s divorced.” Anna grabbed her purse, pulling out her phone. “Here, I took a picture for the site.”
“You have a picture of some random dude on your phone?”
“It’s for work, silly.” He snatched the phone from her.
“Oh, he looks like a do-gooder all right. What else have you got in here?”
“Hey!” She reached up for her phone, but he only held it up higher as he thumbed through her gallery. “Fine.” She slipped her fingers into his pocket and pulled his phone out, quickly unlocking it. “You still have the default wallpaper, Drew.”
“It’s a new phone.”
“You’ve had this phone for months.”
“Yeah, and you have a picture of some random firefighter on your phone. I don’t want to hear it.” Drew reached out for his phone, but Anna repeated his earlier move and snatched it away. He tried to distract her by sitting down beside her and kissing her neck—but when he saw that she was still moving forward with her task, he proceeded to tickling.
In between fits of giggles, she opened up the camera application and flipped the camera so that it would take self portraits, pushing the button several times.
“Too late!” She cried, squirming away from him and holding the phone even further as she skipped through the images. The best one from the bunch was one where they were both smiling, the image slightly blurred as they moved—and before he could snatch the phone back, she set it as his new wallpaper.
“There, now people will know you have a friend.”
“At this moment in time, Annabelle, I was thinking maybe we should focus on the benefits part of that relationship.
And as he covered her mouth with his, she couldn’t agree more.
Chapter Fifteen
“So—I just wanted to halt the discussion here for a second so that I could, for the last time, remind everyone about the auction down at Canon’s tonight, starting at seven.”
“That’s right—ladies especially should make the effort to stop in.” Dave agreed.
“I know you’re all disappointed that Dave isn’t going to be there, awaiting your bids of affection—you know, he’s too busy with the whole dutiful husband thing. I, however, am single, available, and completely unattached.”
The moment he said the words, he knew he was lying. Dave raised an eyebrow at him, as if letting Drew know that he knew he was lying, too.
Still, he had to say it. He had to stay in character, for one. He had to do his best to draw in the crowd.
And, two—he had to try to convince himself that what he said was true.
Yes, he was single, and he was technically available—but there was absolutely no fooling himself about his attachment to Anna anymore.
Still, it was something he was going to have to come to terms with—and the sooner, the better.
He hadn’t heard from her practically all week, aside from a text message here and there to confirm a few minor details about the auction.
She was already starting to slip away—and he knew it wouldn’t be long before she realized she was just wasting her time with him.
“Oh, and don’t forget about the firefighter, Drew. He’s a pretty good lookin’ guy—you know, according to Rachel.”
“Sure, sure, according to Rachel.” Rachel was Dave’s wife. “That’s right—I can’t forget about Columbus’ own. For those few ladies out there who aren’t drawn to my particular charms—don’t worry, we’ve got you covered, too. And, according to Dave—he’s pretty easy on the eyes.”
“Rachel—according to Rachel, he’s easy on the eyes.”
“Yeah, yeah, you’re just lucky I’m not calling her up to ask her right now.”
He made it through the rest of the show on autopilot and ducked out of the building before Dave had a chance to question him. It was bad enough dealing with his looks and innuendos all morning long—the last thing he wanted to go through was an interrogation.
No, he had already decided that he was going to go home, take a long nap, and wake up just in time to get ready to head to Canon’s. Anna had asked all participants to arrive a little early so that they could run through the program for the night.
Normally, seeing her, after having gone so long without, was something he looked forward to.
Not tonight, though.
~*~
As soon as he arrived at the pub, he knew exactly why he hadn’t heard from Anna all week. He leaned against the bar and ordered a beer as he watched them for just a moment.
She was moving on.
He couldn’t hold it against her—hell, they’d both said from the start that this was just a temporary gig.
But still, as he watched her brush her hand over his chest, as if dusting him off—Drew couldn’t fight the hole he felt in the pit of his own. It grew and it grew, sucking the joy and happiness he’d experienced over the last few months away from him.
He knew that he had only himself to blame, but that didn’t make it any easier.
Drew sighed, draining his beer and heading toward the stage, where they were all standing. In addition to being up for auction, Drew was also MCing the event, so he did his best to put on his happy face. It was a mask he’d worn the majority of his life, and slipping back into it was easier than he’d expected.
“There you are,” Anna greeted him warmly, careful to keep her hands to herself. He had half a mind to kiss her on the spot, especially right there in front of Johnny-Do-Gooder. “Drew, this is Jonathan. Jonathan, this is Drew.” Drew held out his hand, giving the guy a firm shake.
Okay, so Johnny-Do-Gooder had quite a grip. And if it came down to it, Drew knew with certainty the guy would kick his ass.
But still, the idea of throwing the first punch was a pleasant one.
“Nice to meet you. Love your show—me and the guys listen to it every morning.”
Oh, right—start a
fight with a firefighter—the guy who ran into the building when everyone else was running out, just to save someone else’s life.
Because that wasn’t a douche move or anything.
Drew sighed inwardly.
No, he was afraid this was something he was just going to have to grin and bear.
“Hey, you’re the one with the real job. I just run my mouth for a few hours and get paid.”
“But you run your mouth so well, Drew. Best rated talker in the metro area, isn’t that right?” Anna nudged him with her hip, smiling a playful smile at him. He felt the hole grow just a little wider.
“I do all sorts of things well with this mouth, Annabelle.”
He couldn’t resist. She glared at him for just a moment before turning back to Johnny-Do-Gooder. “Well, why don’t we go ahead and get on with this, guys? We’ve got a long night ahead of us, and it hasn’t even started yet.”
Drew couldn’t have said it better himself.
~*~
The auction was going very, very well. Far more people than she’d expected had shown up, and the items were going for more than she’d hoped. And when she glanced over at the bar, the tip jar was full of dollar bills—all of which would be donated to the center at the end of the night.
All in all, it was a good night.
Until the last two auctions. “All right, ladies—for our penultimate item of the night…” The very familiar chords to Donna Summer’s “Hot Stuff” filled the room, and Anna felt her cheeks burn sympathetically. “Mr. Jonathan the Firefighter, please take your place on the stage.”
From where she stood, she couldn’t help but toss Drew a withering glare. Jonathan walked casually onto the stage, wearing a plain button down shirt, the sleeves rolled up, with a pair of black dress pants. He was quite appealing, and the crowd around her cheered with excitement. “Give them a little love, Jonathan!”
The poor guy looked terribly embarrassed, and in spite of herself, she giggled as he flexed his arm. Cheers sounded around her again as Jonathan hung his head, covering his face with his hand—surely to cover up the blush, she knew.
“All right—let’s start the bidding at seventy-five dollars!”
Anna watched as several women threw their arms up, each of them bidding higher and higher until—finally, the bidding came to a close at $389. “And sold to the pretty lady in red!” Drew called, and the woman squealed, running up to the stage and wrapping her arms around Jonathan’s waist. “That’s a match, right there. Don’t they look sweet together?”
“Get up there, Drew!” A woman yelled from the crowd, eliciting several whoops and giggles.
“Who am I to deny my audience?” Drew walked out onto the stage, dressed in a navy colored button-down with a pair of worn jeans. Even from here, she could see the blue of his eyes. Bad to the Bone played in the background, and Anna couldn’t help but laugh as he turned around, feeding the crowd exactly what they wanted—even going so far as to give his ass a little shake, and, once he was facing them again, unbuttoning a few buttons of his shirt.
“Let’s start at seventy-five!”
The moment he said it, bids rang out all around her. She watched as the number crawled higher and higher, Drew urging them along the entire time.
And then, finally, it was between two women, approaching an astounding eight hundred dollars. Anna watched as a buxom blonde and a beautiful raven haired woman bid against each other—and then she shifted her gaze to Drew.
The moment she saw the grin on his face, she felt a current rip through her.
“Eight hundred and ninety-two dollars!”
The words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself, her hand in the air. Drew’s smile broadened.
“Going once…twice…and sold, to the green-eyed beauty near the bar,” her cheeks flushed as people began to look in her direction. “Well, aren’t you going to come and get your prize?”
“Oh, I think I can wait to collect.” She told him, and he laughed, shaking his head.
“Then it looks like I’ll just have to come to you.” He hopped from the stage and walked toward her, not breaking the gaze once. “You’ll have to forgive me, Annabelle, but I’ve been wanting to do this all night.”
And before she could stop him, his lips were on hers—briefly, but long enough to remind her of what she’d been missing all week. The crowd around them cheered, and Drew pulled away, his blue eyes sparkling. “That was quite a hefty sum you paid for a date with me.”
“Well, it’s for a good cause.” Anna shrugged a shoulder, playing casual—when, really, she felt anything but. She wasn’t the type to just throw money around like that—especially without thinking about it long and hard first.
But she hadn’t been able to stop herself. She’d seen the look on his face, and a strange sense of jealousy had taken over.
She knew that grin. She knew how those women were feeling, and she hated the thought of him sharing it with anyone else.
Anna sighed as she looped her arm through Drew’s. “Oh—and I hope you don’t mind holding out a little longer for that money I owe you for the water heater, because I just spent it.”
“Let’s just go ahead and call it a charitable donation. I’ll write it off.” He led her toward the bar. “So—when do I get this date?” Drew asked.
“Honestly, I shouldn’t even do anything for you. I feel like I did enough by rescuing you from a fate unknown.” She told him.
“I don’t know, I was kind of liking my chances back there.” He glanced over his shoulder and she rolled her eyes.
“Well, maybe tomorrow night then, if you’re not busy?” Anna suggested.
“I have this thing for work in the afternoon, but I shouldn’t be too late.”
“Perfect. Now, would you mind very much letting me borrow your apartment beforehand?”
“You want to borrow my apartment?” He eyed her warily.
“I’m not going to bring some guy over or anything. I would just rather not fight Alice for the bathroom.”
“Oh. Well, in that case—sure.” He pulled out his wallet and handed her his spare key. “But I’d better not come home and find you and Mr. Johnny-Do-Gooder all snuggled up in my bed.” She swatted him on the shoulder before reaching out and taking the key from him.
“And on that note, I think I’ll take my leave.” She told him, grinning happily. “Thanks for everything, Drew.”
“Thank you, Annabelle.” Anna slipped her jacket on and headed toward the back of the bar so that she could thank Bill, the manager of the pub, one last time and let him know she was on the way out.
“Just leave that tip jar out—I’ll collect for the rest of the night, and you can pick it up tomorrow, if you’d like.”
“You’re a sweetheart, Bill,” Anna told him, leaning in to hug the older man.
“Don’t let word get out.” He winked at her before she turned and left, heading out to her car. Jonathan was waiting for her, and she smiled as he waved.
“Just wanted to make sure you got to your car okay.”
“How very gentlemanly,” she commended, and he grinned sheepishly. “I hope your date isn’t terribly obnoxious.”
“Oh, she seems like a nice enough girl. I have to admit, I was a little disappointed though. I had my eye on someone else.” Anna’s cheeks flared and she shifted her gaze to the ground, kicking at a pebble. “I was thinking—maybe I would ask you to the prom in a couple weeks instead.”
“Oh, I—” She realized she had almost said she already had a date, but that wasn’t true. She and Drew had never talked about it—and again, she heard Alice’s voice encouraging her to date other guys. She remembered the way she had responded earlier, seeing Drew and those girls…
Was she actually forming an attachment to Drew?
“You know what? I think that sounds like a good idea. But—as friends, okay?” Anna agreed, biting the inside of her lip.
“That’s as good a place to start as any.” He grinned
at her as he pulled her door open, and she climbed into her car. “Have a good night, Anna.”
“You, too, Johnny.”
And as an odd sense of guilt rushed through her, she knew she’d made the right choice.
~*~
Anna stood in Drew’s kitchen, stirring the pot of sauce she’d been cooking all afternoon. She’d had it all planned out for a week now—and winning the auction had just been coincidence.
She had racked her brain for at least a couple of days before she’d finally come up with a way to thank him—and once she had, she’d spent a good deal of time actually working on the project.
Now, there it was, leaning against the couch, wrapped in pretty blue paper with a white bow tied around it.
The sauce had only been an afterthought—she’d called Nana and asked her for the recipe, deciding that, in addition to her gift, she wanted to do something special for him.
So there she stood, dressed in a pair of knit shorts and a tank top, stirring away. She had a dress laid out in the bedroom, and her plan was for him to come home and find her sitting there wearing heels and a short dress…and the rest didn’t matter, because she heard his key in the door much earlier than she’d anticipated.
Drew stopped dead in his tracks the moment he saw her, and she bit her lip as she tried to smile at him. “Surprise?”
“You could say that.” He dropped his keys on the table near the door as he walked toward her. “What’s all this?”
“It’s not done yet.” She frowned.
“Annabelle Maloy, are you cooking for me?” Anna shrugged.
“Trying to. Don’t say I didn’t warn you, though—I’m nowhere near as good a cook as Nana—”
“Is this Nana’s sauce?” He asked, and she nodded, feeling silly. Drew reached out and took the spoon from her, blowing for a second before taking a taste. “I’m definitely not complaining.”
“I wanted to do something special.” She told him, shrugging again as she took the spoon and stirred one more time. “I even had a dress all picked out, so you could walk in and there would be dinner, and a sexy girl, and a present…” She felt his hands on her hips as he came up behind her.
Single, Available, and Completely Attached Page 21