Eliza laughed. “Damn straight.”
“You’re braver than I am,” Hollyn said to Eliza. “Those dating apps and the whole scene would’ve sent me straight into social-anxiety meltdown mode. Like would I have had to put ‘has Tourette’s’ in my profile or something? God.” She shuddered. “Jasper almost had to literally fall into my lap for what happened to have happened with us. And it still almost didn’t work out.”
Andi smiled, remembering how adorable Hollyn and Jasper had been around each other in the beginning. They had both been clueless, but Andi had seen the sparks early. The memories gave her a little flutter of wistfulness.
“Sometimes I think I should take a break from the apps altogether,” Eliza said. “Go old school. But I work so much, and I don’t live in a romantic comedy. Mr. Wonderful is not going to randomly show up on my doorstep.” She grabbed more popcorn. “I don’t even need someone to love. Just someone to make out with would be nice.” She got a dreamy look on her face. “I wonder what Paul Rudd is doing these days…”
Andi snorted. “Mrs. Rudd, I imagine.”
“So does this mean we’re watching Clueless?” Hollyn asked.
Andi flicked her hand toward the TV. “Eliza’s choice.”
“Yassss.” Eliza pumped her fist in victory. “It really should be a rule that the lady not getting exceptionally laid gets to pick the movie. I need all the fantasy fodder I can get.”
Andi frowned Eliza’s way, even though her friend’s tone had been joking. She’d been around Eliza long enough to hear the glimmer of sadness behind the words. Eliza was lonelier than she was letting on.
All this time Andi had thought she was the one who was most screwed up about relationships, but avoiding them was one thing. Wanting one and not being able to get one was another. Both had their own kind of pain attached.
“Hey,” she said before Eliza could hit Play.
Eliza turned her head. “Yeah?”
“Next Saturday, Hill’s old fire station is having a charity event. A bachelor auction.”
Eliza’s dark eyebrows arched. “Like with firefighters?”
Andi smiled. “Yep. I’m going so that I can bid on Hill, but why don’t you come with us? Maybe you’ll see someone who will inspire a charitable donation.”
She laughed. “So paying for a date? Is that what it’s come to?”
“For a good cause. And you get a firefighter to hang out with. Plus, there will be karaoke. And free drinks.”
Eliza’s eyes lit with interest. “This is sounding better and better. I’m in.” She put her hand over her heart. “Because I’m a super-charitable person.”
Andi nodded emphatically. “Of course. It’s for the children.” She bumped her shoulder into Hollyn’s. “You and Jasper should come, too. No bidding on single firefighters, but I bet Jasper would have fun with karaoke.”
Hollyn smiled. “Sure. Sounds fun. I’ll ask him.”
“Sweet.” Andi settled back against the couch. “Now, bring on the completely inappropriate love story with the awesome clothes.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Hill contemplated the emergency exit with a yearning akin to a kid watching the ice cream truck roll past. He wanted so badly to be out of this room, but there was no way he could sneak out. Still, he found himself glancing at the door more often than not.
The staging room of the venue that Ramsey had shuffled all the “bachelors” into was loud with conversation and laughter, firefighters from two different stations already drinking beer and getting ready for the big show. Some of the female firefighters were hanging out, too. The ladies were auctioning off spots in a fitness boot camp, clearly smart enough to not have agreed to Ramsey’s ridiculous buy-a-karaoke-date idea. Next year, Hill needed to catch Ramsey early in the planning process and float new ideas to replace this awkward and outdated tradition.
Hill knew some of the people milling around, though a number of the bachelors were rookies who’d joined after he’d retired, and he’d chatted with a few old friends, but being there just felt…like he was looking in at a life he was no longer a part of. A family he was no longer a part of. The only thing keeping him from walking right out the emergency door was the fact that Andi and her friends were in the ballroom, waiting for the event to start.
Hill pulled out his phone and leaned back against the wall, scrolling through recipes he wanted to try. After watching the video he and Andi had made, he’d started pondering the idea of a cooking blog. He didn’t think video was the right fit for him. He liked what he and Andi had put together, but the magic of the video was their interaction. If he had to talk straight to camera the whole time on his own, he didn’t think he’d enjoy that as much. But a blog where he could put up new recipes, maybe learn how to take good photos, and break down the process of cooking to people in print—that sounded intriguing.
He’d done a little research over the past few days and had found that most cooking blogs were by women. The ones with guys tended to be professional chef situations or healthy living bodybuilder types who were super into green smoothies and grain-free everything. He thought maybe there was space in between for what he could offer—easy, budget-friendly recipes that single people could make for themselves or cook for their dates or friends. Recipes a novice cook like Andi wouldn’t be intimidated by and that wouldn’t cost a fortune to make.
“Hey, it’s almost time for the show. You ready, my man?” A hand landed on Hill’s shoulder. “Have you practiced your Magic Mike moves yet?”
Hill glanced up from his phone to find Ramsey grinning and looking way too enthusiastic. “Can I just have Andi give you the money now and save myself the stage?”
Ramsey laughed and squeezed Hill’s shoulder. “And forgo my opportunity to shamelessly pimp you? Where would the fun be in that?”
Hill flipped him off.
“Come on,” Ramsey said, leaning in. “Josh and Christina are supposed to be here. Don’t you want to have them witness your pretty neighbor throwing money at you?”
Hill smirked, enjoying Ramsey’s mean-girls vindictive side even if it wasn’t needed at the moment. “Chris and I are actually on okay terms now. We talked.”
“Oh yeah?” Ramsey asked, head cocked. “Wow. That’s good, man. Glad to hear it. But Joshy?”
Hill sniffed derisively. “He can go to hell.”
“That’s the spirit!” Ramsey said. “Now be ready to go. You’re going first, so I can put you out of your misery.” He ran a hand over his head, a cocky look on his face. “And I will, of course, be last because I’m the grand prize.”