Christina flushed to the roots of her dark hair and glanced down, brushing invisible bits from her lap. “I think seeing you and Cade with little Emily is getting to him, because Sebastian suddenly wants a baby. And I thought I might be pregnant for a while. False alarm.”
Hannah squealed and threw her arms around Christina, hugging her tight, much to Christina’s dismay. “Oooh, I’m so happy for you. He’s going to make a great dad.”
Momentarily distracted, Maddie couldn’t resist a giggle. This was what had drawn them all together in the first place. They were all so much alike. Teasing came easily, and the laughter flowed freely. Now, it had her mind shifting gears. Christina and Sebastian had been married almost a year now. She’d married her brother’s best friend. Having known each other most of their lives and been in love with each other for half that, the two were the poster children for typical newlyweds. They had a penchant for disappearing together. Christina always returned a little flushed. Sebastian usually came back with a swagger and a grin, like he’d conquered the world.
“The point being”—Christina narrowed her gaze, eyeing them one by one—“I’ve known him for a long time. He always was a bit of a loner. We’re a lot alike in that respect. Growing up, he was a fellow nerd. Smart, worked hard to get good grades. I’ve been trying to get him to participate in the auction since its inception, but he’s always refused. This year I managed to convince him, but only if I promised to fix the game for him. He didn’t want to end up with a date he’d regret or someone who’d make his life hell afterward.”
Maddie arched a brow. “Isn’t that cheating?”
“Yes, but it’s for a good cause. The purpose is to raise money and awareness.” Hannah shrugged. “Besides, everybody always has fun, and there are eleven other bachelors.”
Maddie’s phone pinged again, another message flashing on the dark screen. She squeezed her eyes shut, afraid to look. “I still don’t know if I can do this. Grayson took a lot out of me.”
“You have to get back on that horse sometime, Madds. If you want to find Prince Charming, you have to kiss a few toads.” Hannah nudged her with a socked foot again. “Go on. Pick it up and flirt with the man. Have a good time. See where it takes you. It doesn’t have to be any more complicated than that. What’s it going to hurt?”
Maddie opened her eyes and sighed. They were right. She’d never be able to move on by playing celibate and dead. She leaned forward, snatched her phone off the coffee table, and peered at the message.
BookNerd: Did I scare you off already?
She arched a brow at Christina. “Is he really good looking or was that lip service? Be honest.”
Christina winked, mischievous and amused. “Oh, I think he’ll make a mighty fine horse.”
Maddie laughed softly. “You two are terrible, you know that?”
Only between the three of them would they ever say something so audacious, but it was what she loved about Hannah and Christina. They could relax around each other, say things they might not otherwise. It made them excellent friends. She never held back with them. It was also what had made her give in to this date, despite everything inside of her screaming what a bad idea it was. They’d always have her back, no matter what.
Hannah pursed her lips and waved a hand at her. “Oh, come off it. You’re thinking it and you know it.”
Maddie shook her head. “I am getting awful tired of B.O.B.”
Christina and Hannah broke into a fit of giggles. Maddie drew up her inner vixen, beaten and worn out though she was, and typed the first halfway playful thing she could think of.
MadHatter3000: I don’t scare so easily. U just better have ur A-game on.
His reply arrived seconds later.
BookNerd: Ohh, sweetheart. Consider that challenge accepted.
Chapter Two
You know, she’s going to be pissed when she discovers it’s you, that you’re not some random bachelor.”
Grayson Lockwood grunted in answer but didn’t bother looking up from his laptop. He didn’t need to see her to face to know Cassie was giving him “the look.” Cassandra Stephanopoulos had been his best friend since tenth grade. They’d met in an English class she was failing. Their friendship had begun when she’d asked him to tutor her. More to the point, they’d had this conversation before. He’d gone over the argument at least a million times in his head. This charade would no doubt fail like the one three years ago, but he had to take the chance.
Agreeing to take part in Christina McKenzie’s bachelor auction had been a spur of the moment decision. Every year she tried to rope him into participating, and every year he refused. He had no desire to be paraded around like livestock, waiting to go on a date with a woman who’d no doubt try to wrangle herself into his life and his pockets.
Except Christina had shown up this time with backup, in the form of Hannah Miller, now apparently Hannah McKenzie. He’d taken one look at Hannah and the wheels had started spinning. He’d worked alongside Hannah at Bradbury Books for over a year and a half, while on his little mission to recoup his adoptive father’s good name. He knew darn well she and Maddie O’Riley were joined at the hip, and that they now owned a small, eclectic bookshop downtown. In her sweet smile as Christina attempted to persuade him into participating, the opportunity of a lifetime had presented itself.
He hit SEND on Gchat and lifted his gaze. Cassie stood before him with one hand planted on her hip and one dark brow arched in silent challenge. Short and petite she might be. Never mind that her pixie haircut made her appear as if she were still in college, despite that she was twenty-eight. But when she wanted to be, Cassie could be damn fierce.
He released a heavy breath, relenting to her inquisition. “I know. I’ll admit it. I may very well have lost my mind by thinking this up, but I’ve been waiting three years for the chance to finally explain myself to her. I can’t let this opportunity pass me by. Not this time.”
He’d done everything wrong with Maddie. She shouldn’t have had to find out about his charade in the goddamn newspaper. A little over four years ago, rumors had started that he’d gained his position as CEO of Bradbury Books because his father owned the company. There were also those who knew where he’d come from and speculated that he hadn’t gained his position through hard work, but because Arthur had merely taken pity on a poor street kid. It implied, of course, that Arthur had been a soft-hearted, but feeble-minded old fool. That he wasn’t capable of running his own company, and by default, that Grayson was unfit to take his place after his death.
Arthur Bradbury had been the only man in his life to prove himself worthy of being called father. He’d been a strict, but kind old man, one who’d taken a dirty kid off the streets and given him a home. He deserved better than to be remembered that way, and Grayson vowed to prove them wrong.
So, he’d set out to earn the trust of the employees and board members. He wanted to prove he’d earned his position by working his tail off and the only way he could think to do that was to show them, by working down in the trenches with them. He’d started where everyone else did—entry level, with the intention of working his way up. Eventually, he’d reveal himself and set his new plans for the company into motion.