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“Don’t say anything. They’re starting the auction. I’d love to see what people are willing to spend on some of these houses.”
Soon the place is a controlled madhouse with auction paddles going up and down and the auctioneer running numbers as if he never has to breathe again. Each bid starts at sixty thousand dollars, which covers our costs and general overhead. The first five tiny houses are grabbed at around seventy-five thousand dollars, and I’m thrilled for the competition organizers. I would say that’s a solid profit. After the gavel’s gone down on the final bid, there’s a moment where Jack and his team film the ‘handover’, where each team gets to say a few words and hand the new owner their tiny house’s key. This is the final footage they might use in the TV show, and I can’t wait to see how they’re going to make good TV out of the patchwork of footage they’ve gathered over the weeks.
The next two houses are gaveled off at less, and my gut twists tight.
Next to me, Georgiana is stoic, her arms folded over her chest, her fingers nervously working her biceps. I know what she’s thinking—we’re no longer in the competition, so this auction price is the only validation that we’re going to get.
Soon they’re done with number eight and nine, the keys are handed over, and with those two houses making a killing at eighty-seven thousand and ninety-five thousand respectively, I’m flustered. That’s a lot of profit right there.
“Now folks, house number ten, Team Raiden and George from Ashleigh Lake in Vermont. Bidding starts at sixty thousand dollars.”
The second paddle rockets the price up to seventy-five thousand dollars and I shoot Georgiana a wide-eyed glance. Whoever bid that means business. The auctioneer runs away with numbers and at some point, it all goes over my head. We’re standing in the front, but now I turn to look back and see the crowd has hardly diminished, even though nine out of ten houses are already auctioned off. The paddles are up and down like jack-in-the-boxes and when I look at Georgiana again, she has her hands to her mouth, bug-eyed.
“We just crossed the hundred thousand mark,” she says between her fingers.
Still the bidding goes on, and soon there’re only two men left in a bidding war. I want to turn to both of them and whisper that I’ll build them one each for cheaper, but these people seem to have dollars to throw around and are enjoying the moment.
When the gavel goes down on a hundred and twenty thousand dollars, I close my eyes. Whoever made that final bid is crazy. No way our tiny house is worth that much. It’s twenty-five grand higher than the highest bid for house number nine and now I know why they left us for last. They expected us to get the highest bid on auction, and everybody is expecting us to win this competition. There’s affirmation, and then there’s this.
“We did it,” Georgiana murmurs as she looks up at me, stars in her eyes.
“We did.” I reach for her and we’re in each other’s arms. I never want to let go, but our names are being called to the lectern.
“Well done, Team Raiden and George,” the auctioneer says as he shakes our hands. “Would you like to say a few words?”
Georgiana steps forward, but I have my hand on her elbow to hold her back. My time has come. “I’ve got this,” I whisper to her.
“You’re sure?”
“Never surer.”
By the time I hold the microphone the auctioneer hands me, my fingers are trembling and my gut crunches tight. In my peripheral vision, I see Jack and his sidekick standing closer, cheering me on as the eye of the camera zooms in. The forest of trees is so thick it becomes a sheet of human pixels that stares back at me. I turn to face Georgiana and home in on her, ignoring everything else. I breathe, inhaling slowly and exhaling all the way as I look deeply into her eyes, imagining that we are alone, but what I have to say to her, I want the whole world to hear.
“An adventure, this has been. Georgiana, you walked into Hunter’s office and m-my breath caught. Every day since, you’ve brought love, laughter, and happiness into my life. Building this tiny house has taught me so much…about me, about you and honestly…I-I couldn’t have done it without you. I-I don’t want to do it without you. I don’t want to be without you ever again. You are irreplaceable. One in a billion. You see, all the cracks I’ve fallen through in my life have led me to you, and I’ve fallen deeply. In love. With you.” I swallow and close my eyes. “Stay. Please. And be my one.”
The crowd bursts out in a deafening roar of cheers, lifting the roof. I lower the microphone, and someone takes it from me. That didn’t kill me. And she’s still here. She hasn’t walked off, no…her hands are in mine and now I can’t stop trembling or staring at her. She is so beautiful inside and out, and I hope she isn’t about to break my heart like I know I broke hers on Friday.
Georgiana blinks, her eyes brimming with tears. “Raiden Logan, kiss me already, and seal this deal because there’s nowhere I’d rather be than with you, in a barn, in the middle of Vermont.”
She leans in and I have her in my arms. For the world to see, I cup her cheek and our lips meet in the sweetest, warmest kiss ever caught on camera.
The crowd goes even wilder, but between us, that calm that’s been gone for days returns and settles. We break our kiss but don’t pull away.
“Do you know who bought our tiny house?” Georgiana whispers as her fingers stroke my beard, stars in her eyes, but her voice serious and yet not quite. I don’t know how she manages to be a flirty and stern in the same breath.
“No?”
“Malcolm Maxwell.”
“Malcolm Maxwell? From Architect’s Monthly? You’ve got to be kidding me.” If this editor and architectural design god just bought our tiny house, I couldn’t sell a kidney for better exposure.
Georgiana shakes her head and giggles. “Not kidding at all. I think he wants the key to his tiny house.” She slips the front door key into my hand, and I fold the warm metal into my palm one last time.
We’re off to an unexpected, incredible start. “Best we turn around and make this sale official.”
And hand in hand, we turn and do just that.
EPILOGUE – GEORGIANA
