He’d stuck his hands in his pockets as soon as he’d let her go to stop himself from reaching out and pulling her back.
Ophelia would be at the auction tomorrow night. He liked her. A lot. It wasn’t fair to string her along if he continued to carry some crazy blazing torch for another woman.
What a mess.
His phone rang as he sauntered back to his own car, but he didn’t recognize the incoming number. “Hello?”
“Mr. Hoyt?”
“Yes.”
“Butch here. Butch Hutchinson.”
Huh. The cybersecurity team had left a week ago, but nobody had ever said a word about whether or not they’d figured out who was behind the hack. “What can I do for you?”
“The IT department at the hospital there will be undergoing some changes over the next few weeks. I thought I owed it to you to tell you in person. Or over the phone as the case may be.”
I owed it to you to tell you in person.
He’d thought Mr. Planter would be the one firing him. He hadn’t expected it to come from Hutchinson.
“…a week or two to get up to speed, but I believe you’re up to the task.”
Maverick must have zoned out, because he had no idea what Hutchinson was talking about. “What?”
A loud sigh came over the line. “Mr. Planter has been let go. You’ve been promoted. On Monday when you report to work, you will be in charge of the IT department.”
“I just left for the day, and Mr. Planter was still running things.”
“Be that as it may, this is a done deal. Mr. Planter was terminated at the end of the work day. You will take over on Monday. I expect you to make the transition as smooth as possible for the other IT staff and for the rest of the hospital. My idea of a smooth transition is that nobody outside the IT department even realizes there’s been a change. Are you ready for the challenge?”
“I… Yes. Yes I am.”
“Good. Any questions?”
Dozens, but he’d start small. “Was Mr. Planter involved with the network problems?”
“No. Nobody at the hospital had anything to do with it. It was an outside attack. However, Mr. Planter’s choice to risk hospital security so he could protect his job is unacceptable. He would have allowed a serious security breach to continue unreported and unrepaired, and that’s not how we do business at Ferito Technology.”
“Of course. Have you caught the culprits?”
“No. We repaired the breach and installed stronger security measures, but the person behind it has eluded us. Now, as long as you have no other questions, I’ll let you go.”
So this was what it felt like to be picked up and thrown into the deep end… if the deep end was full of hungry piranhas. “Who do I turn to when I have technical questions?”
“You troubleshoot and try to find the answer. Failing that, you call me on this number, and I’ll make sure you get whatever assistance you need. With one exception. Anytime there is any kind of security threat, you call me immediately, no questions asked.”
“Understood.”
“Very well then.”
Butch Hutchinson was going to hang up, and this conversation would be over. Employee Maverick might have been able to let that happen, but supervisor Maverick couldn’t. “Wait!”
“Yes, Mr. Hoyt?”
“Um. Whitehall. Why… Should I be concerned about the Secret Service’s presence at the hospital?”
Silence filled the line for a few more heartbeats than Maverick was comfortable with before a reply came. “Agent Whitehall was brought in to consult on a matter, and I took advantage of that presence to have him vet you. He spoke to your coworkers and some of the medical personnel you deal with the most. Because of the hospital’s proximity to DC, it seemed a reasonable precaution to take. In any event, you passed. If you run into him again, it’ll either be a coincidence or a serious problem. I trust you to be capable of telling the difference.”
“Of course. Thank you Mr. Hutchinson.”
“Do the job and do it well. That’s all the thanks I require.”
The phone clicked into silence before Maverick could respond.
He still didn’t know who was behind the cyber-attack on the hospital’s network. He’d have to ask the next time he had reason to speak with Butch Hutchinson. Until then, he would be content with the biggest promotion of his career. A celebration was in order.
Lia was on her way home and not in the mood. With his folks out of town and Watts off doing her thing, that left only Ferris. Maverick’s fingers flashed across the screen of this phone until he got to Ferris’ name. “Hey little brother, you’re coming out to dinner with me. My treat.”
“Why?”
“Do I need a reason?”
“No. You can buy me a meal anytime, but if this is some lame attempt to get me out of the house so someone can sneak in and remove all the animals from the walls, I’m gonna have to fight you.”
“I got some good news and wanted to celebrate. No ulterior motive. Keep asking me questions, though, and I’ll rescind the offer.”
“No questions here. Where are we meeting, and how much time do I have? I’ve been trying to mount my buffalo head up above the doorway.”
“Isn’t that one fake?”
“Yeah. It’s plastic. But if I mount it high enough, he won’t be able to tell.”
“He saw the house the last time he came down with Watts. Remember? He’s going to notice the difference.”
“All the better. He’ll notice the difference, and he’ll know why. Point made.”
Maverick shook his head. “The buffalo’s overkill. Meet me at the diner on Fifteenth and Broadville in about twenty minutes.”
“That should give me enough time to roll the Howitzer into the living room. See you in twenty-five!”
For the second time that night, the line was dead before Maverick could speak. A Howitzer? Where on earth had Ferris found a Howitzer? Then again…
He was better off not knowing.
Maverick put his car in reverse and pulled out of the parking spot. His family… Never a dull moment, not even when he wanted one.
Chapter 17
Lia woke to sunshine and blue skies. It was going to be an exceptional day. The bachelor auction would be a magnificent success, not to mention fun.
Fun in an irreverent sort of way. The men would all be good sports. How could they not? After all, they were going to be on stage. They kind of had to play along.
Lia had volunteered to help, but as it turned out, Jezriel didn’t seem to need her. The woman from Holy Hearts had planned the event faster than most people sang the National Anthem. She still wanted Lia there early, though, just in case something came up.
As far as Lia was concerned, her biggest contribution had been signing Maverick up to be auctioned off.
Couples all across the country were being encouraged to come meet each other for the first time at one of these Holy Hearts fundraising events. A lot of the men going up on the auction block were hospital employees, but almost as many were Holy Hearts clients hoping to encounter their special someone.
Including Rick.
Lia let out the adult version of a dreamy sigh as she searched her closet for the perfect outfit.
If only…
Lia shook her head.
She’d had a bad day yesterday, and Maverick had given her a friendly hug… that hadn’t felt friendly. Lia didn’t even know what more-than-friendly should feel like, but she knew the zinging of her nerves last night hadn’t been friendly-hug-from-guy-she’d-known-her-whole-life zings. What was she supposed to think of that?
Trying to be something more than friends with Maverick would be a disaster. Their lousy track records spoke volumes, and a relationship that ended badly would also ruin their friendship.
Their future had been set since the fourth grade. That was when Lia had decided they would grow up, get married to other people, and raise their kids together. Her daughter would marry his s
on — or vice versa — and they’d become grandparents jointly in their golden years.
It was a reasonable, solid plan.
And Rick was a fantastic guy.
Why, then, had standing in the circle of Maverick’s arms last night left her wishing Rick would stand her up?
Could it be a fever? That might explain it.
Lia felt her forehead, but it was cool to the touch. No help there.
Am I losing my mind, God? I’m pretty sure Maverick’s off limits, so if you could quell all these weird feelings about him, that would be handy.
Lia yanked a deep purple wraparound dress out of her closet. It was elegant without being so over-the-top that she’d stand out in a crowd that had hopefully followed the instructions to leave their black tie attire at home.
After tucking the dress and a few cosmetics into her garment bag, Lia was armed for the first part of the day.
Several hours later, Lia stood behind a curtain on stage left and peeked out at the assembled crowd. The hotel’s wait staff served the meal, but instead of their usual black and white uniforms, they wore black pants and Hawaiian shirts.
Many of the people in attendance had gone for the dressy casual look. One table in the back, however, was full of women in swim suits who acted like they might have spent some time in the hotel bar before making their way into the ballroom. They looked like they were ready to bid and bid high.
Rick had said he would be there, but his name wasn’t on the list of men being auctioned off. No Rick, Richard, or any other derivation. Maybe he was in the audience instead. Her eyes roamed the crowd, but she found no pink shirts out there among the sea of people.
“Chop, chop, everyone. Places!” Jezriel clapped her hands, and the men backstage began to fall into line.
The first man up for auction wore swim trunks that covered him to his knees and a ribbed tank top that showed off his deltoids.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, let me introduce you to our first bachelor of the evening. His name’s Hank, and he likes taking long walks on the beach and buying chocolate for the women in his life. We’ll start the bidding at $25.”
Within minutes, Hank was auctioned off to the healthy tune of $125. The first ten bachelors all went in quick succession. When Lia got a look at the next bachelor, though, she did a double-take. “Dr. Zagel?”
He glanced over at her and frowned. “It’s for a good cause.”
“I know. I just didn’t expect to bump into you here. You’re not usually…” Approachable? Kind? Compassionate? Human?
Jezriel called the doctor to the stage, and he disappeared before Lia could think of a fitting word to complete her sentence.
“Next up, Dr. Malachi Zagel. He’s used to the fast pace of the ER, and he’s looking for someone who can keep up with him as he goes through life at a hundred miles an hour. Oh, and he paid his way through med school by working as a masseuse, ladies. And that was before he joined the Army. What do you think ladies? A doctor with magic fingers and a military bod.”
Dr. Zagel, in black sunglasses, faded blue swim trunks, and his physician’s coat, struck several comic body-building poses as the bidding became more and more heated.
“I have $300 from the lady in pink. $350 from the woman in the back. $400 from the grandma at the front table. $500 back to the lady in pink. $750 from the woman in the back. $1000 from the grandma up front here. Going once, going twice… Sold for $1000!”
Lia peeked out at Dr. Z’s winning bidder. She had to be seventy if she was a day.
She glanced back at the line of men waiting to be auctioned off and saw… Oh goodness gracious sakes alive.
There stood Maverick. He wore black trunks that almost reached his knees, hot pink flippers on his feet, a hot pink men’s swim shirt, a face mask and snorkel with a thick smear of neon green sunblock on his nose. And a giant inflatable duck around his middle.
What, oh what, had Watts done to that poor man?
Lia rushed over to him. “Are you sure about this? You can change. I’m sure Watts will understand.”
He shook his head. “I promised her I’d wear the entire outfit.”
“Before or after you saw it?”
“Before.”
“Some promises are okay to break.”
“She kind of threatened to rat me out about something if I didn’t do as she said.”
Lia gave Maverick’s shoulder a light shove. “She’s your sister. She’s been threatening to rat you out since the age of two. You won’t get grounded if you stand up to her once in a while.”
Maverick bit his bottom lip and gave his head the slightest shake. “Not this time.” Then he tapped his cheek. “A kiss for luck?”
Lia stretched up on her toes and brushed her lips against Maverick’s cheek. “It’s not too late.”
He gave her a sad smile and moved a step closer to the curtain as the emcee summoned another bachelor out to the stage. “Yeah, it kind of is.” He tipped his head toward to the corner where she’d been standing. “Go, enjoy the rest of the auction and have a wonderful time with your mystery man today.”
“I don’t think he came.”
“Why not? I thought you guys hit it off.”
“We have been. We are. But I haven’t seen him yet. I don’t think he’s out there.”
“Is he one of the bachelors?”
“No. He’s not on the list. It’s okay, though. We were going to meet in the lobby after the event.”
Maverick gave her another smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Must be the plan for a lot of people. You’re the seventh person so far that’s told me that’s where they planned to meet their Holy Hearts counterpart today.” He tweaked the end of her nose. “Don’t give up. Even if this guy is dumb enough not to show up, God’s not going to hang you out to dry. You won’t be alone.”
“I know.” Lia nodded. “God and I are okay. If this one doesn’t pan out, I’m done. I finally figured out that in Christ, I am enough. I’m complete already. I don’t need a man — or anything else — to make me that way.”
“I’m glad. I’d hug you, but I’m afraid the duck here might make that more awkward then it needs to be.”
Lia shook her head. “When you’re ready to plot your payback against Watts, let me know. I want in on it.”
Chapter 18
Maverick watched Lia walk back to her observation corner as a round of catcalls erupted from the audience out front. Somebody would be fetching a high price today.
He glanced down at the duck around his waist. Someone would take pity on him and not leave him standing on stage without any bids. Surely at least one woman out there could claim a sense of humor like his sister’s. He hoped.
“Please welcome our next bachelor, Maverick Hoyt!”
He tried to take a deep breath, but his lungs didn’t want to work properly. Maverick stepped out through the curtain and prayed he wouldn’t complete the picture by passing out.
“Maverick is a certified computer geek who…” The woman’s voice faded away, and Maverick was left with no choice but to open his eyes.
Every person in the ballroom stared at him.
The woman with the microphone broke the spell. “Oh ladies, you have to bid on this one! After you’ve worked a long day, or the kids have been whining since two in the morning, this is what you need. A man who is willing to go to any lengths to make you laugh. Life will never be boring with a guy like this. I’m going to start the bidding at $100.”
Say what?
Just like that, paddles started raising all over the place. The bidding reached $500, and Maverick managed to force his lungs into submission. He sucked in a big breath of life-giving air while trying to prevent his jaw from hitting the stage floor.
“I have $900 from the swimsuit table back there and $1000 from the blonde in fatigues.”
Oh, thank goodness. Maverick’s eyes roamed the ballroom until he found her. Watts was bidding on him.
“$1200 back to the swimsuit
table. Going once… Now we have $1500 from the woman in black. $1700 at the swimsuit table. $1800 to the blonde in fatigues. And $2000 from the lady in black.”
Watts put down her paddle. Great. She must be out of money. If he could send her a telepathic message telling her to keep bidding, he would.
“Going once, going twice…”
“$2500!”
Maverick’s head whipped around to find the source of the voice. There, standing off to the far side, barely visible because of the stage’s shape. Lia to the rescue. Sweet Lia.
The woman with the microphone — what was her name again? — nodded in Lia’s direction. “Going once, going twice…sold for $2500! Or, rented at least.”
Maverick’s heart slammed inside his chest. How could one man be so cotton-pickin’ mixed up?
He was supposed to meet Ophelia today, and he’d been looking forward to that moment for weeks.
Then Lia had stepped out from behind the stage and paid premium dollar for him, and his heart acted like it was so much more than just a friendly gesture.
He shouldn’t have hugged her last night. He’d obviously taken leave of his senses.
Premium dollar…
Her car fund. She’d spent the money intended to replace her on-death’s-door car.
Now he felt like an even worse heel.
He was here to meet one woman, and his heart was short-circuiting over someone else.
Cad.
Scoundrel.
Worm.
Head down, Maverick made his way past the remaining to-be-auctioned men. His first order of business — get to the dressing room. Next, straighten out this whole thing. He needed to pick one and be done with it. He was never meant to be the man who couldn’t decide between two women. As a self-proclaimed computer geek, he’d always known he would be lucky if he ever got one woman to look at him seriously. But two? That was one too many.
He yanked his duffel bag from the corner where he’d stashed it and began pulling out clothes. At least he could get rid of the duck before he met Ophelia. Wearing real pants would be a step up, too. It would be nice if, as soon as he saw her, he knew what to do.
Love at First Laugh: Eight Romantic Novellas Filled with Love, Laughter, and Happily Ever After Page 28