19. Lucian #2
After Clément and Weston both go, I hear the dreaded words, “And next up…Lucian Lowe!”
The crowd applauds and the spotlight is blinding as I step onto the stage. I squint against the light, trying to locate Neesha’s steady gaze, but I can’t see the back of the room against the stage lights.
Ashlyn launches into my introduction. “Lucian recently moved to Maple Falls from Sully’s Beach, where he was a star defender for the Carolina Crushers. His hobbies include fixing things, building things, and—” She pauses for dramatic effect. “—making the best waffles in town, ladies!”
“I’d like him to make me waffles,” Brittany says loud enough to get a few laughs.
I frown and grab the microphone from Ashlyn. “Waffles aren’t included,” I correct, my eyes finally adjusting enough to spot Neesha.
But she’s not looking at me. She’s staring at the back of Brittany’s head, looking like she’s about ready to flip her entire table of cupcakes.
“Only one person gets my homemade waffles,” I add, pulling Neesha’s attention away from Brittany.
“Then let’s start the bidding at five thousand dollars!” Ashlyn says.
A flurry of paddles go up immediately. I try not to show my frustration as the number climbs slowly. Eventually, all of the locals drop out, leaving just Brittany and one of the Seattle girls battling it out.
“Six thousand dollars from Brittany Beeson!” Ashlyn announces, clearly thrilled by the escalating bids.
The absurdity of it would be funny if I didn’t see Neesha’s frown growing deeper with each bid.
“Sixty-one hundred!” counters one of the Seattle girls.
“Sixty-two hundred!” Brittany replies immediately .
I want to end this. I want to walk off the stage and tell them all that I’m not available because I’m already taken. I’m Neesha’s, completely and fully, even if we haven’t put a label on it yet for the entire town.
“Going once…” the auctioneer begins, looking around the room for another bid.
“Sixty-two fifty!” someone calls out from the back, and the crowd turns to look at who just entered the fight.
My head snaps up, because I know that voice.
Neesha’s hand is in the air, her paddle raised high.
No.
“Well!” Ashlyn looks delighted by this turn of events. “It seems like we have a new contestant entering the bidding war!”
Brittany’s head whips around, her eyes narrowing as she spots Neesha. There’s a moment of tense silence between them before she lifts her paddle again.
“Sixty-three hundred,” she calls, then turns to look at Neesha. “Or is that too much for a girl who peddles cupcakes?”
I watch Neesha falter for a moment as she rolls the paddle in her fingers, her gaze flicking from Brittany back to me.
“Don’t,” I whisper to myself, forgetting for a moment that I’m standing in front of a crowd.
Neesha bites her lip, calculating what it’s going to cost her.
Doesn ’ t she get it ? She doesn’t need to buy me. I’m already hers. The whole auction is just expensive theatre, where the only bid that matters already happened—the moment she said she wanted something real with me.
“Seven thousand dollars,” she says finally, and the room goes silent.
Brittany gives a sharp laugh. “Really, that’s all you’ve got? Couldn’t sell any more cupcakes?”
A muscle in Neesha’s jaw clenches. “It’s all I need if it beats you .”
I shouldn’t find this possessive streak in Neesha so attractive, but wow , if it doesn’t do something to me—this woman who swore off hockey players is now ready to blow her entire savings just to keep Brittany away from me.
Brittany lifts a lazy shoulder. “Fine. He’s not worth more than that anyway.”
“Going once…going twice…SOLD to Miss Neesha Gilmore for seven thousand dollars!” Ashlyn says.
The applause is thunderous, the entire community cheering for one of their own. I practically run off the stage, ignoring protocol about waiting for the auction to end before mingling.
I stride toward Neesha at the back of the room and notice she’s arranging cupcakes that don’t need arranging. She looks like she might cry or throw something, and I’m not sure which would be worse. All I want is to tell her she didn’t need to spend a dime, that she already owns me completely.
“Neesha?”
She looks up and says nothing for a long moment.
“Why did you do that?” I ask.
“It was a moment of insanity, okay? I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“It was pretty clear to me what you were thinking,” I say, catching her hand. “You were thinking you didn’t want me going on a date with Brittany.”
“I couldn’t stand the thought of her—” She looks away from me. “With you . The idea of you spending an evening with the woman Nate cheated on me with…I just couldn’t face it again.” Her eyes grow watery before she turns away.
I reach for her gently, and turn her back to face me. “Neesha Gilmore, are you jealous? Because I have to say…” I step closer. “Watching you go to war for me? I’ve never had anyone fight for me like that. Even if it did cost you your entire savings.”
“You can’t convince me that I didn’t just do an incredibly stupid thing.”
“I wouldn’t call that stupid,” I say. “You just spent your entire savings to buy a date with me. You know what that means? You must really want another one. ”
“Don’t get too cocky. I don’t even know how I’m going to regain that amount. I must have lost my mind.”
“You know,” I prod, “there’s always the grant.”
She shakes her head. “That’s not a sure thing. And it requires me to stay in Maple Falls for two more years.”
“Is that a deal-breaker?”
Before she can answer, Ashlyn’s voice booms over the speaker system again.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we have a very special bachelor for the lineup tonight! Please welcome Nate Simpson!” We both look up as Nate saunters out, looking like a man who thinks the auction’s main event is him.
“At least Brittany can bid on her own boyfriend now,” Neesha mutters.
“She won’t…” I say, suddenly realizing that Brittany winning a date with me wasn’t the only problem tonight.
“Why?”
That’s when I realize Neesha doesn’t know the news yet. “Because they just broke up.”
She stares at me for a moment, her face a mixture of shock and worry.
From the stage, Nate’s gaze lands on us. He takes the microphone from Ashlyn before she even offers it. “Winning bid gets an amazing date with me,” he announces, “plus, a tour of the property I just put an offer on.” He pauses long enough to look at Neesha. “At Maple Lake.”
The same magical place where we shared our first real kiss, where we jumped in the lake together, and where she finally offered me her buried memories of her mother.
And now he’s trying to take it away.
“He wouldn’t,” Neesha whispers, but her expression says she knows exactly how vindictive her ex can be. “That jerk bought our place.”