When Amber dropped Senior off yesterday afternoon, he’d been in awe at what Rusty had done. Rusty was a bit impressed with himself, he had to admit. Over the past week he’d given up his time on the GTO and worked on the house. He’d replaced the carpeting and subfloor with vinyl planks that looked like real wood. With the help of online video tutorials, he’d also put tile in the kitchen. Turned out he was a decent handyman when he set his mind to it. And all the sweat equity he’d put in the house had been a good, tiring distraction.
He’d been prepared to turn in early tonight, unwilling to think about Harper having a good time at the gala, maybe even with that guy he’d seen her with. Then Senior had started riding his back about dropping out of the auction.
His grandfather, dressed in a powder-blue tuxedo with a ruffled shirt and now slightly crooked bow tie, sat downon the couch next to Rusty and narrowed his gaze. “How about you go upstairs and put on those fancy clothes Harper picked out for you? I’ll cancel the ride, and we can go to this shindig together. There’s still some time.”
Rusty shook his head. “I ain’t goin’.”
“Never thought I’d see the day my grandson acted the coward. Rusty, you disappoint me.” When he didn’t get a response, he added, “I wish you’d tell me what happened between the two of you.”
Nothing. And that was the point. Although he still thought of her every single day—and plenty of times a day too—he was sure that eventually she would return to “out of sight, out of mind” status, like she had after that dance they’d had together at the Castillo wedding.
He knew his grandfather was waiting for an answer. He wasn’t giving him one. He was already a disappointment; there wasn’t much further down he could go.
A honk sounded from the street outside. Senior got up and adjusted his tie again. Before Rusty could tell him it was almost straight up and down now, he said, “Don’t wait up.” Then he walked out the door.
Rusty grabbed the TV remote and flipped through the channels, too wound up after Senior’s scolding to relax. As usual, there was nothing on, so he landed on a football game. Mississippi State against Alabama. He tried to concentrate on the game, but his grandfather’s voice kept sounding in his head. Shutting off the TV, he grabbed his keys and headed for the truck. He’d work on the GTO tonight. He’d neglected her over the past two weeks.
Anything to keep his mind off the auction and thefact that he’d given Harper—and by extension the gala committee—his word, then reneged on it. Not only was he disappointing his grandfather by not going, he was also disappointing himself.
***
Harper paced back and forth behind the makeshift stage at the community center. Cammi and the other gala volunteers were finishing up the final touches before opening the doors and letting the guests into the hall. All of the bachelors had already arrived, except for two—Senior and Rusty. Her stomach curdled. Up until this afternoon she’d kept herself busy with baking to steady her nerves until she had to get ready. She’d even made treat bags for all the volunteers with the goodies she’d made. That had been fun, and so was surprising everyone with their individual bags. What had been an attempt at distraction ended up being a joy.
Now that she had some downtime, Rusty came back to her mind. She wished he was coming tonight. She also wished she’d tried to talk him out of canceling, but that ship had sailed. Still, that didn’t stop her from remembering how hot he looked in his suit, and how she’d been serious when she said he would earn a lot of bids. She tapped her chin. Maybe it was a good thing he had decided not to come. She didn’t think she could watch while other women bid on him. As for her participating in the bidding, she was too broke to buy a bachelor, even if she wanted one. Not without dippinginto her tiny nest egg, which she had hit hard over the past several months.
“Excuse me, ma’am.”
She turned around to see a fresh-faced kid wearing a navy-blue sports jacket, white shirt, and khaki pants, his black bangs slicked to the side while the rest of his head was shaved nearly bald. “Yes?” she said, chafing at being called “ma’am.”I’m not that old.
“I’m one of the bachelors for the auction tonight.” He grinned, his teeth so white and even she suspected he’d gotten his braces off last week. “Do you know where I’m supposed to go?”
“The auction isn’t starting for another forty-five minutes or so,” she said, giving him her best Realtor smile. She better get used to it, because she knew she would be smiling a lot tonight, regardless of how she felt. “Do you know Cammi?”
“The short girl with the weird laugh?”
She kind of liked this guy. “That’s her. She’ll make an announcement ten minutes before the auction begins. You’ll get your instructions then.”
“Cool, thanks.” He started to walk away.
“Please tell me you’re out of high school,” she blurted. “You have to be eighteen to be in the auction.”
He grinned again. “I’m twenty.” He turned and walked away.
Okay, no harm, no foul, and she didn’t regret checking his age. The last thing any of the gala committee members needed was to break the law.
“There she is!”
Harper’s smile was genuine as Senior walked toward her.He cut a fine, yet wildly out of style, figure in his seventies-era tuxedo, and he totally made it work. She walked over to him. “Hi, Senior.”
“I’m at your service,” he said, bowing slightly at the waist. “If you bid on me, that is.”
She smiled again but couldn’t help looking over his shoulder.
“I’m sorry, sugar, he ain’t comin’. I tried talkin’ sense into him, but he’s bein’ stubborn.”
“That’s okay,” she said, brushing off her disappointment. She shouldn’t have gotten her hopes up. “Let’s fix this tie.” She straightened the bow until it sat in the correct position.
“It’s a shame,” Senior whispered, his voice so quiet she barely heard him.
