Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 58142 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 291(@200wpm)___ 233(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58142 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 291(@200wpm)___ 233(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
As I pass, Becca gives me a look with raised eyebrows, silently asking if everything is okay. I shrug and manage a small smile.
My mom is fanning herself with an event program. “It’s stuffy in here, dear.”
“I guess it is.” I’ve been sweating, but I assumed it was stress and nervousness making my skin hot.
I slip into the open chair next to Dad, hoping the men aren’t looking this way. After the way my mom snubbed them in the bakery, they wouldn’t come over here, would they? “Did you see anything good to bid on?” I ask.
“Your father bid on the golf outing. Nothing caught my interest.”
“Oh, that’s too bad,” I say.
“There weren’t many bids on your sheet when I looked, Jade,” Mom says. “I don’t think men are going to want pumpkin-flavored beer.” She purses her lips and shudders, illustrating her distaste for my menu selection.
“I thought it sounded fun, since the dates are meant to have a fall theme,” I say. “Obviously, I won’t force anyone to drink it.”
Lisa makes another announcement: Five minutes left for final bidding.
“I’d better go,” I tell my parents. “I’ll need to help collect the bidding sheets.”
“See you later, dear,” Mom says, distracted by someone who’s taking a seat in the row in front of her. Dad is his usual silent self as I leave.
Since my parents aren’t watching, I meander over to where the Stanton brothers are standing. “Are you going to take a seat?” I ask.
“We’re making sure we have the highest bid,” Maddox says.
Glancing briefly at the bidding sheet for my date, I see several lines filled, almost three-quarters of the page. Are the brothers bidding against themselves? No, they can’t do that because I only registered them for one number when they came in. “I don’t see anyone else waiting to rush in,” I tell him.
“Can’t take any chances,” Diesel says, grinning at me.
“We’ll sit down in a few minutes,” Chase tells me. “Don’t worry.”
Don’t worry. That’s great advice that I have no chance of being able to take.
28
A path of deceit
To make use of my nervous energy, I tidy the refreshment table and straighten the back room until I hear Lisa announce that bidding is closed.
When I return to the main room, the men are no longer at the table. I gather the bidding sheets, stack them in a neat pile without looking at mine, then deliver the papers to Martin and Cindy, another volunteer, who are sitting at a table, ready to mark the winning bids.
While they’re doing that, Lisa is at the podium to speak to the crowd about the shelter’s accomplishments and its fundraising goals. She’d told me we should expect another rush at the refreshment table after the winners are announced, so I keep busy refilling things, and when that’s done, I stay in the back room, wiping the counters, organizing things, and generally doing whatever I can find that will keep me from having to go into the main room.
As I work, I listen to Lisa’s speech, and my stomach takes a dive when she says she’s going to start announcing the winning bids. She begins with the non-date items, and I let out a breath. It’s a small reprieve. If she announces the men’s names as winning my date, will my parents recognize them? They’ll probably remember their names from meeting them in the bakery. Would they believe that it’s all a coincidence? Probably not.
As Lisa reads items and winners, the audience applauds after each one. Becca is announced as winning a set of tickets to Smith’s Farm Amusement Park, and Shane and Khalil each give her a hug and a quick kiss in celebration. It’s great how they can be so comfortable and open about their relationship.
Becca’s been estranged from her mother, though they are starting to see each other once in a while. I’m sure that’s a very difficult situation, but one silver lining is that she doesn’t feel pressure to live up to her parent’s expectations. I’m sure that’s not a nice way to look at her situation, though, and I should be grateful that I have a good relationship with my parents.
As the announcements continue, the rock in the pit of my stomach grows and hardens. When Lisa transitions to the date bids, I give up my pretense of keeping busy and lean in the doorway of the back room so that I can watch.
Cindy is standing next to Lisa now, handing the bidding sheets to her one by one. Lisa announces the date’s name, briefly describes the date being offered, and then announces the winner. The audience claps, but no one stands up or goes on stage, so that’s a relief. Still, there’s no way my parents won’t recognize the men’s names, and either way, they’ll surely quiz me afterward about who won my date.