Episode 12
Episode 12
Slim to None
JACK
I woke to the sunlight streaming through the windows. I’d forgotten to pull the blinds and curtains, but I was eager to start the day.
Tonight was the auction.
I could hardly wait to attend, but I was also rather nervous about making a selection. My hope was that my appeal to Madam Alana yesterday to give me a sign had worked. The woman was a tough negotiator, to be certain, but I also could tell she had a big heart. The fact that she checked on her candidates regularly and had attended both of Erik and Savannah’s weddings proved her loyalty and commitment to her pairings. Now I just hoped I’d done enough to convince her of my need for assistance in choosing the right bride.
Checking the clock, I found it was only just after six a.m. Which meant it was three in the afternoon for my best friend, Erik, back in Norway. I snatched the phone sitting on the charger and dialed his number.
“Jack. How’s Nevada treating you?” Erik answered on the second ring.
“It’s definitely warm, but I’m faring well. How is Savannah? Getting excited about your trip to Turks & Caicos for the late honeymoon?”
Erik chuckled. “That she is, my friend. Though she keeps packing all of these long sleeves and pants and all I want to see her pack are bathing suits.”
“Going to try for a baby right out the gate, mate?” I chuckled at my little rhyme.
“Goodness, no. Savannah wants to learn more about the beer business. Once we get back from our honeymoon in two weeks, we’ll spend a few months in the office getting her more comfortable being in Norway. Then right before Dakota and Sutton have their twins, Savannah wants to head back to Montana. She can finish her undergrad and be there for her nieces,” he explained.
I was excited for Dakota and Sutton Goodall. I knew they hadn’t expected to get pregnant right after their wedding, but life throws you curveballs, as the Americans often said. They seemed to be doing fine now that they’d gotten the situation with her father taken care of, not to mention the terrifying arsonist/attempted murderer that was Savannah’s ex who was now facing a life sentence in prison. Both Savannah and Erik had suffered gunshot wounds but had healed over the months since and finally married back in Norway just a few days ago.
“Well, I went and spoke to Alana yesterday,” I said.
“Oh yeah? What about?” he asked.
“The fact that she didn’t provide any of us with portfolios on the candidates up for auction. I explained how ridiculous it was to spend millions on a marriage contract when I knew nothing of my prospective bride other than what she looks like.” I huffed, allowing my friend to hear my frustration firsthand.
Erik snorted. “And how did that conversation go for you?”
“About as well as expected, I’m afraid.” I sighed. “How did you know Savannah was the one?” I toyed with the comforter and stared out the window.
“Before I saw her, I felt nothing inside. Completely numb. There was no joy left within me. After losing Troy in the accident…” His voice trailed off for a moment and I could hear him take a ragged breath. Suddenly his voice lowered to a calmer, quieter pitch. “I’m okay, e lskede . Don’t worry. I’m talking to Jack about the auction. Finish packing. I’ll be fine.” He lightly chuckled. I’m assuming he was interrupted by the one and only person he called his “beloved” or “ elskede ” in Norwegian, which was Savannah, his wife.
Oh, how I wanted a woman who was devoted to me and who worried about how I was handling a difficult topic. That was the whole reason I was here in Las Vegas. To find what my best friend had. The right woman for him. And Savannah was perfect. It was funny that I thought that way now. When I found out about her, I’d been determined to break them up. At the time, the entire thing had sounded fishy. My friend, who’d been lost to his grief for a couple years, suddenly came home all smiles with a fiancée in tow. Then, when I looked her up, I’d found all the debt her family had incurred on their land and had assumed she was a gold digger taking advantage of a broken man. Boy, had I been wrong. Still, I was glad I’d snuck my nose in their business because it brought Savannah and Erik closer together. It also gave me the idea to enter the auction myself.
I’d dated many women over the past few years, trying to find that spark that told me it could be forever. Those relationships never lasted more than a few dates, making me seem like a player, which was the furthest thing from the truth. There were different reasons why each of those relationships didn’t work out. Many didn’t want children or were focused entirely on their careers and had no immediate plans to procreate. Others seemed interested in me for what I could bring them monetarily, or just wanted a single night between the sheets.
I dreamed of having a loving wife who I could worship and a house full of children. I didn’t want to wait until I was well into my thirties to create a family like so many in my country did. I’d lived my entire childhood bouncing from place to place in the Norwegian Child Welfare Services known commonly as Barnevernet. I lived my early years falling in and out of love with a new mother figure. Most were nice, but every time I’d connect to one of my guardians, I’d be moved for one reason or another. Until the last home I was sent which was an institution for boys. I’d been around ten years of age then. That was when I was placed in a school where I met Erik Johansen.
His family became my extended family. Irene, his mother, became the only woman in my life who I knew loved me for me. Not because she was being paid to do it. And she was always available with a kind word, a hot meal to fill my belly, a big hug, and my own bed when I stayed over, which was often.
Henrik and Irene showed me what true love looked like and how a family could be. I wanted that desperately. And the first step to having it was finding a wife.
If Erik could be saved by a redhead from Montana with the kindest eyes and the sweetest soul, why couldn’t I?
My brain instantly circled back to the elevator yesterday with that sassy, blonde, blue-eyed woman named Rebecca. She was something else. Pretty eyes and a knockout body. When she’d clung to me for safety, I’d imagined a thousand different inappropriate ways I would have liked her to hold me and vice versa. Unfortunately, Rebecca in the end hadn’t seemed interested, even if the sparks between us had burned white hot and the sexual chemistry off the charts.
Which reminded me, I needed to call and check on her today. Though was it appropriate to do so when I planned to bid on another woman tonight? Who knew? I sure as hell didn’t. But I was worried about her. She’d had a bit of a scare and had seemed out of sorts when I left her yesterday. Maybe I should have stayed even after she told me to go?
“Sorry, Jack.” Erik broke me out of my musings over Rebecca. “I don’t know exactly how to explain it other than I just knew she was the one for me when I looked into her eyes. My heart pounded, my hands became clammy, and I swear there was a halo of light around her body.”
“Probably the stage lighting,” I presumed.
“Maybe. I don’t know. It was just her,” he finished.
“Well, I asked Madam Alana to give me a sign in the auction tomorrow, and I’m hoping since you and the others in your auction went smashingly, I too can find the ideal woman.”
“Did she agree to give you a heads up?” he scoffed.
“Not exactly.” I groaned. “I still have faith that she might.”
“I wouldn’t hold my breath. She’s a strict businesswoman and fairness for all is part of what makes her so reputable. I would discourage you from pushing her in any way. She doesn’t need you in the bidding. She has plenty of people. So many that I understand she turns bidders away and has a waiting list a mile long. I’m crossing my fingers for you, Jack.”
“Thank you. I appreciate you taking the time to chat when I know you’re in a rush to get Savannah off to the islands. But I have another request.”
“Oh? Go ahead and shoot,” he stated gruffly.
“ Shoot ? You’ve been hanging around Sutton Goodall for too long,” I teased.
“That is the truth. I pick up so many of their colloquialisms. Americans have the best slang,” he agreed.
“Be that as it may, I wanted to see about taking some time off. If I pick a bride tonight, I’m going to want to spend uninterrupted time with her. I’ve already put our Chief Operating Officer in charge this week, but if all goes well tonight, I may not want to come back to the office for the next month until the wedding. I’ll be available online, of course, but it’s important to me to meet my bride’s family and see how she lives her life wherever that may be.”
“I forgot about the wedding ceremony terms. You have a month, if memory serves. Then again, you could do what Sutton did and marry her in Las Vegas,” he suggested.
The idea of getting married in Las Vegas didn’t appeal to me. Especially after having been the best man at Erik’s wedding this past week. It had been a small but beautiful affair and had felt like a coming together of families. If I wanted to create a true bond and work toward a future longer than three years with whomever I picked, it should probably start with a solid connection of our friends and family. Something a wedding ceremony would do naturally.
“Hmm… Something to think about,” I responded.
“Look, Jack, you know what the company needs almost better than I do. If you say Markus Pedersen can handle running the ship for the next couple of weeks, take as much time as you need. As I said, I’ll be back in the office after our honeymoon.”
“Technically, he’s been running everything for the past week with no issues. Thank you, Erik. I appreciate your support.”
“You always have it, brother. I’m looking forward to meeting whomever you choose. Savannah is beside herself with the idea of getting a new sister-in-law.”
“Just keep it quiet. I don’t want Henrik and Irene to find out or I’ll have them breathing down my neck. They want both of us married off and having babies right away. Your parents are incredible, but they are tired of not having grandchildren.” I chuckled.
“Don’t I know it. I swear Mother talks about when she’ll be a grandmother so often you’d think we were already pregnant. I keep telling her we want time together as husband and wife before we bring little ones into our lives.”
I envisioned myself with a child on my lap and my chest tightened. I’d have loved nothing more than to get married and have a child right away. A living, breathing human being who was guaranteed to love me unconditionally? It was more than I could dream of.
One day.
I kept telling myself it would happen someday in the future, when the time was right and when the woman for me came along. Who knew? Maybe I’d meet her tonight.
“Stick to your plan. You and Savannah deserve some time together. Especially after everything you’ve both suffered the past few months.”
“Both Savannah and I are fine. I’m not going back into the depths of depression like during those years after the accident, so you can stop worrying. I’ve got so much to live for now. The future is positively glowing with opportunity and good memories to be had.”
I smiled and finally forced myself to get out of bed. “Good to hear. I’m going to make some coffee and get ready for the day. Send my love to Savannah, Henrik, and Irene.”
“Will do. I’ll catch up with you in a few days, but I’ll text you to let you know where we are,” he said.
“Excellent. Have a wonderful time in the Caribbean.”
“Good luck! Text me if you find the woman of your dreams tonight. Savannah won’t let me sleep if we don’t know one way or another.” He chuckled.
I laughed out loud imagining how Savannah would pester her husband until she got the answers she wanted. The woman could be ruthless if she chose. Something I was sure she learned from her big sister Dakota.
“Goodness. You both are ridiculous.” I gave a long, drawn-out sigh. “Fine. I will let you know what happens. Bye.”
We both hung up and I set about getting coffee, taking a shower, grooming everything, and then ordering breakfast in. By the time I finished my routine and breakfast was delivered, it was nine in the morning. After I checked my work emails, I scrolled through my phone looking for the number I’d entered yesterday for Rebecca.
The phone rang once before an automated voice answered.
“You have reached the number for Eureka’s Pizza. Our hours are from eleven a.m. to ten p.m. Monday through Saturday. We are closed on Sunday. Please call back during normal business hours. Have a great day.”
I stared at the phone, double checked the number, and shook my head before bursting into a laughter so intense my belly ached with the effort I’d exerted.
“The most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, who had a panic attack in an elevator, carried sexy panties in her purse, and smelled like sunshine and marijuana, has blown me off.” I couldn’t believe it.
It had never happened to me before. Usually when I asked for a female’s contact information they would fall all over themselves to give it. Apparently not this woman.
I grinned as I stared out the window at the Las Vegas landscape. “A fake number. Bravo, solskinn .” Bravo, sunshine , I whispered in my native language at my reflection in the glass.
Too bad tonight was the auction.
The odds of us seeing one another again were slim to none.