Chapter Fourteen
Eric had to admit, he was kind of enjoying himself. His niece was a real doll, he decided, bouncing her on his knee after he’d tuned in the auction on the computer before sharing the feed so that they could watch it on TV. He couldn’t believe Arielle hadn’t cried even once so far all day.
It was approaching noon, when the auction would officially start. For the past few hours, the website had featured the pictured items that were available in the catalogue onscreen.
He smiled at Arielle. “I’m going to let you watch your mommy and daddy on TV with me for a little while, and then I’m going to put you down for your nap.”
A moment later, the auction was live, and Jake and Danielle Loughlin were onscreen, dressed formally, live from the Dragonfly Pointe Inn. It appeared that they’d still gone all out with the Christmas décor and entertainment. Several bands and vocalists would be featured throughout the day.
And finally, Ashley was standing behind a long table which was set up with glassware and china, looking beautiful, of course, running through the array of items set up in front of her. Apparently she would be hosting additional segments of the auction and online bidding. Supposedly, each item could be viewed in blocks leading to individual pages onscreen.
“There’s your mommy, Arielle,” Eric said, standing with Arielle in his arms in front of the TV above the fireplace.
He pointed, and then she did too, muttering, “Mah, mah.”
“Aren’t you a talkative girl?” he cooed. “I’ll bet there aren’t many eight-month-olds that can do as many things as you do. Of course, I’m probably just prejudiced since I’m your uncle and you’re the first new addition to the family.”
Arielle’s eyes were getting heavy. She’d just had a bottle before he’d switched on the TV, so he sat back down on the couch, popping a pacifier into her mouth, waiting for her to doze.
As soon as she was sound asleep, he transferred her onto the quilt in the playpen, covering her lightly with a blanket.
He was feeling a little hungry again, so he headed into the kitchen to make himself another ham sandwich since there was quite a bit left. Eric had made a trip to the store yesterday afternoon and had picked up a bunch of groceries after insisting on having a list, even though Brian had said it wasn’t necessary. There was a full-size refrigerator downstairs in the basement apartment, so that he could help keep some of the basics stocked without feeling like he was eating them out of house and home.
Deciding to make another pot of coffee while he was at it, he loaded a plate with chips and grabbed a banana once the coffee was brewing.
Returning to the living room after he finished eating, he checked on the baby first, before sitting back on the couch with coffee to watch more of the auction.
A band was being live-streamed on TV now. It looked like they were auctioning in blocks every thirty minutes, with fifteen minutes of music and then another few minutes of informative information about the wounded warrior home as well as the school for children with disabilities and other programs associated with each. Eric supposed that the people working behind the scenes were repositioning cameras during that extra half hour so they could feature all the items set up throughout the Inn.
Eric started laughing, because the next person who appeared to host at the auction was Brian, and he definitely wasn’t feeling comfortable in front of the camera. After a few moments, he settled down. In his block they were auctioning off a bunch of antique tools and farm equipment, which appeared to be extremely popular. Although Eric couldn’t help thinking that Ashley would have been better hosting this segment since she was familiar with all the construction items available.
Eric grinned, thinking about the girl that Ashley had been as a teenager, so full of herself and such a snob, every hair in place, always wearing makeup and designer clothes. Now she was so down to earth. During his stay, the only time he’d seen her out of jeans had been at the auction on TV. Brian said that she even had tattoos . Eric shook his head momentarily in disbelief.
Maybe he should bid on a few things today since the money would be used for a great cause. If he saw anything that might fit in the house, he would pick up a few things for them as a Christmas gift. They needed a lot to furnish this place, and there were still a lot of empty bedrooms upstairs. Since he’d taken note of the type of antiques and furniture that Ashley and Brian seemed to like, Eric would see what was available at the auction later today.
Eric glanced at the towering Christmas tree that they’d placed in front of the large bow window yesterday afternoon. It was only half decorated—not because they hadn’t wanted to continue, but because Brian and Ashley didn’t have enough ornaments. Apparently, they’d had a much smaller tree last year because this room had been in the process of being renovated. Coincidentally, Eric had picked up a few ornaments yesterday along with a beautiful handmade Christmas frame, apparently one of many fundraising projects contributed by the kids with disabilities.
He'd make another trip to the store tomorrow, he decided, and maybe pick up some ornaments and a few more gifts—even additional groceries if they were needed for Christmas Eve and the following day’s dinner.
Another hour had gone by, so it was time for the auction to resume, and as Eric watched the television, a beautiful dark-haired woman appeared, looking glamourous in a clinging velvety blue and purple gown.
Sipping coffee at the time, he started coughing, standing quickly to avoid staining Brian and Ashley’s brand-new couch.
It was Anya . He watched for a while, amazed at her composure as she began running through descriptions of the assorted paintings and drawings displayed on the table and behind her on the wall. For someone who was more than likely reading from some kind of prompter, she didn’t seem to be taking a whole lot of time to read the words. It was almost like she knew the history behind each piece of artwork she focused on.
And then Eric noticed one of the specific paintings on the wall behind her and realized it would be a fantastic gift for Ashley and Brian. Sitting behind his laptop, he began bidding. If he was recalling correctly, the auction would close tonight at midnight, so he’d be sure to keep an eye on the highest bids.
Returning to the couch, he watched the segment Anya hosted all the way through, just grinning. He couldn’t believe that she didn’t seem nervous at all.