LILY
"Bachelorette." The elf stopped short of rolling her eyes, but I could tell she wanted to. "You know, for the auction?"
My heart flipped over in my chest then did the mambo up my throat. Oh no. No, no, no. I'd made a mistake. A terrible mistake. I attempted to turn around and bolt, but the elf whirled me back toward the stage and pushed me. Either I kept the forward
momentum, or I lost the battle with gravity.
As I stumbled into the hot spotlights aimed at the stage, Mrs. Claus sashayed toward me. "Well, ladies and gentlemen, we've reached the end of our annual
Christmas bachelor and bachelorette auction. And we've saved the best for last." She slipped her arm around my shoulders. "Who will bid for this curvali‐
cious beauty? Do I hear five thousand?"
***|***|***
NATHAN
I stood about three feet from the ballroom's main entrance watching for the lovely
