She realized how much she missed being the first to know everything about Cody Boggs.

“Sounds like fighting words to me,” she said into the mic.

Cody gave a playful shrug, but his cocky grin looked like a put-on. She didn’t even know he was capable of pretending. His smile quickly faded. Ah, that was more like the Cody she knew.

“Let’s see, shall we start the bidding at—”

“Five thousand dollars.”

Everyone turned toward the voice in the back, a smattering of whistles and chatter filling the space, but Louisa didn’t need confirmation of the identity of their first bidder.

McKenzie Palmer stood with her hand raised, a smug expression on her face. She’d started the bidding high on purpose. She’d sent the message that she was willing to pay for what she wanted.

After a long pause, Louisa remembered she was the one running this event. “Five thousand dollars. Our first bid on Cody Boggs. Do I hear fifty-two hundred?”

Louisa said a silent prayer that someone—anyone else, but preferably one of Dorothea Quinn’s lifelong friends—would pop their hand up, but no one did.

“Five thousand going once?” McKenzie called.

Louisa’s head spun with images of McKenzie and Cody that started with her first sailing lesson and ended with a white dress and a walk down the aisle. Her palms turned clammy, and the microphone slid lower in her hand.

Louisa cleared her throat. “I know this is unorthodox, but I’d like to bid.” Her voice echoed through the speakers.

The crowd murmured excitedly, and Louisa caught a few phrases that told her that at least the front row approved. The girl and her hero. Of course they should be together.

She imagined her face had turned redder than her hair, and she could feel Cody’s eyes on her, not to mention Eric’s and her parents’. What was she thinking?

“Well, what’s your bid?” McKenzie asked from where she stood.

“What?” Louisa looked away. “Oh, right.”

She’d taken on this fundraiser in large part because she needed the money. Was she really going to give away her earnings in an attempt to keep another woman’s hands off of Cody, who might actually enjoy her hands on him?

“Well?” McKenzie was getting impatient.

“Fifty-two hundred.”

“Fifty-three.” McKenzie waited exactly point-two seconds before firing off her next bid, as if there was nothing but money in her purse.

Louisa glanced at Cody, who shook his head at her, probably aware that she could not afford to continue down this path. Or perhaps he simply didn’t want her to win. Perhaps he wanted to spend his limited days off with McKenzie. She was, after all, petite, well-built, blonde, and beautiful. Not to mention uncomplicated and apparently wealthy.

Who knew bloggers made actual money?

“Fifty-four,” Louisa said.

“Fifty-five.” McKenzie squared her shoulders and stared at Louisa, practically daring her to go higher.