Page 102 of Fake It Till You Make It
Cara strutted up on stage, smiling at him. She had no idea they’d uncovered her treachery.
“Hi,” she said into the mic. “I’m Eli’s wife.”
Gosh, why did she keep popping up like foot fungus. Cara had claimed him as her husband more in the past twenty-four hours than during their entire marriage. He wished her the best, but away from Service and Amarie.
“Boo, ex-wife, Get off the stage. Better still, get out of our town” came an anonymous heckler from the crowd. “Where’s Amarie?”
“Anyway,” Cara chirped, flipping her hair off her shoulder with an extra flourish. “I want to make a final contribution right here and now. Twenty-five hundred dollars to save our Calvary Family Clinic. And that puts me, @SecondChanceRomance, in the lead for Eli.”
A few cheers went on, but not many. The friends of the family knew better than to fall for Cara’s faked generosity.
Eli practically growled at Cara. “You aren’t going to stop, are you?”
“Why should I? With her gone, you’re basically community property. And we both know you’re a family man.” She rubbed her belly, reminding him she’d soon be a mother with a child dependent on her for guidance.
Eli covered the mic with his palm. “I don’t want your money. Save it for your child.”
“Oh. That’s my secret, Eli. It’s not my money, it’s yours. I’m just giving a little bit of it back. We can talk about the rest over dinner since I’m your highest bidder.”
Before Cara could get more boos, Tobias rushed her from the stage. Eli felt rather grateful for his brother. He nodded in thanks. Tobias gave him a stern thumbs-up, taking his place next to Noah.
Mrs. Kline’s car horn cut through the noise. “Eli Calvary, you haven’t answered our questions. Now Amarie literally saved you three boys from your gigolo ways. I got one thousand dollars for Eli’s City Girl to win his hand. Who’s with me?”
Slowly, hands went up and dollar bills were passed forwarded. With ten seconds left on the clock, inspiration struck. Eli pulled the check from his pocket and handed it over to Noah. “Put all of it on my city girl to win.”
Eli felt hope soar in his chest for the first time in two days. “Okay folks, that’s it. All bids are in.”
“The first lucky lady is,” he entered the administrative keys to reveal the identities of the winners, “the farmer’s daughter, Rachel Johnson. Noah Calvary is all yours.”
Noah snatched the mic. “Elle, babe. You’re finally back home. Where are you, Rachel ‘Elle’ Johnson?”
His brother shaded his eyes, the crowd mumbling Rachel’s name. Matt Johnson came forward, Harry whinnying at the attention. “She’s not here, Noah. I’m sorry.”
“So, she hooks me again and disappears.” Noah stormed off, shoving onlookers out of his way.
“Hey folks.” Tobias waved. “@BookLoveWednesday won me.” He gave a lopsided grin. “She’s not here, either, but I know where to find her.”
“That leaves you, Eli.” Mrs. Kline stated matter-of-factly. “Now we all know Amarie is a part of this town. If you’vemessed that up, I’m tempted to let Adele out of her cage right now so she can rip your grumpy heart right out of your chest.”
Eli waved them off. “Calm down everybody. Amarie and I hit a rough patch ’cause I let my past get in the way.”
“’Fraid not, Eli. Prudence said she saw Kanaan had Amarie cornered on the road heading out of town.”
Eli jumped down off the stage and ran for his truck. His mother and Bethany burst through the crowd. “Kanaan called. He said Amarie just about had the spill cleaned up.”
“A spill,” Eli bellowed. “Everyone get out of the way. Amarie needs me.”
Amarie’s mom chimed in. “I don’t know how far she got. I left a little surprise in the car that might slow her down.”
“You sabotaged her car?”
“No, Eli. Honestly, your mind takes you to the strangest of places. I added a couple of extra passengers to keep her company on the road.”
“You’re blocked in,” Matt yelled to him. “Here, take Harry. It’ll be faster.”
“Oh, how romantic.” Bethany practically swooned on her feet.
Matt Johnson offered her his hand. “That’s the way we menfolk treat our ladies in these parts.”
