Read Online April (Calendar Girl #4) by Audrey Carlan - Free Book Online Page A

I wouldn’t do that, but please, next time you see her, have her call me okay?”
    “Will do. I’ve got to go practice the new routine. Let me know how the event goes and don’t forget my reward!”
    I shook my head. “Hey skank, I love you, and I’m proud of you for laying off the cancer sticks. Want to keep you in my life so that we can grow old, get a bunch of cats and a beach house together.”
    “I always loved cats.” Gin said wistfully, her voice petering off.
    She totally set me up for it. “That’s because you love pussy!” I howled and then hung up on her before she could get in a retort. “Ah, all is right in the world,” I opened my eyes and came face to face with a stricken Rachel.
    “Are you being blackmailed?” her eyes were as wide as milk saucers.
    I laughed out loud and shook my head. “No, that was Gin my best friend. We’re always like that.”
    “You always threaten each other and call one another foul names?” her voice was screeching and I didn’t understand why.
    “Uh yeah? Don’t you with your best friend?”
    She shook her head numbly. “No. No, I do not. We say very nice things to one another, do lunch, and shop together.”
    I cringed. They shopped together. Yikes. That is not something Gin and I did together. Drink beer, check out hot guys, gamble a little, play cards, go to concerts, yes, shopping…er no. “Sucks to be you,” I said, meaning every word of it.
    “Somehow I doubt that.” She said flippantly, and I grinned. So she had a little fire in her yet. That was good. Mason would light a fire under her so bright she’d get burned if she didn’t have a little of her own to battle it.
     
    ***
     
    Rachel was not excited about the auctioning men idea, but Mason thought it was brilliant. He called each guy on his team and came back with commitments from over twenty players that were available this weekend and willing to be auctioned off to the highest bidder, and take their clothes off, well their shirts, for charity. I found pink suspenders for each guy to wear and asked them all to wear a nice suit. The plan was to have the men remove their jackets, shirts, and be left with the suspenders. I was also planning on painting a pink breast cancer ribbon over each man’s chest directly above his heart to keep with the theme.
    Once Mason got home, he sat down at the table with Rachel and me and brainstormed other ideas while he grilled steaks on the balcony, and I made the side fixings. Together, we came up with tons of ideas to get the word out in such short notice along with ways to get his Dad and brothers involved, too, since this was ultimately a way for them to honor their mother’s memory. I told him to have his Dad get a picture of his wife that he loved blown up and framed for use on one of the tables. The other players that had family members they’d lost to the disease would also share images of their loved ones so the donors in attendance would know the real reason behind the event.
    We made certain the chapter president of the local Breast Cancer Awareness group would be there and could say a few words.
    “Mia, Rachel, I gotta hand it to you ladies, you’re the bomb at planning a last minute event.” Mason grinned and hugged my shoulder then kissed my cheek. He went over to Rachel who stiffened the moment he moved close.
    Mason’s voice got low, but I could still hear him. “I’m sorry about what you saw last week. It shouldn’t have happened. That’s not the kind of guy I want to be.” He looked deeply into her big blue eyes and she nodded but didn’t respond. He moved close, inhaled against her hairline, and then kissed her cheek. “Thank you for your help with this. You didn’t have to pull all those strings.”
    Rachel lifted her head and blinked, staring prettily into Mason’s gaze. Could it be any more obvious how into one another these two were? I needed to up my game and get things moving in the right direction. “Mason, I’d help