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Paige nodded. She wasn’t used to a stranger knowing so much about her. Then again, if he recognized Aunt Bebe, he probably knew a thing or two about her aunt, which meant he knew of Aunt Bebe’s association to Foster Oil.
“I met him last year at my Uncle Warren’s New Year’s Eve party. I don’t think I ever saw him there before then. But I’ve seen your aunt and her husband at several. Uncle Warren has one every year in Newport. It’s one of those long-standing family traditions.”
Neither bit of information surprised her. “My granddad doesn’t like parties. I’m shocked he went. He tends to keep to himself.”
“So you and your aunt are close?”
“Aunt Bebe’s more like a grandmother. She doesn’t have any children, so she sort of adopted my brother and me and treats us like grandchildren. She’s close to my cousins as well but not in the same way.”
“Does your brother live in Rhode Island too?”
“Joe and his wife moved to Virginia Beach a few years ago. They don’t visit too often. Most of the time I travel down there to see them instead. I’m actually going in August.”
“Gorgeous area. I—” Before he completed his sentence the smartphone in his hand beeped, and he glanced at the screen. “My sister says my cousin, Derek, is up next. Do you mind if we go inside and watch? I want to be able to give him a hard time about it later. He stood just off stage when it was my turn, so he can do the same thing to me.”
She’d read more than once that the Sherbrookes were a tight family. Sounded like it was true. “Not at all. I could use some air-conditioning again. It’s hot out here tonight.”
Scott pulled out Paige’s chair and waited until she sat before taking the seat between her and Bebe Fleming. Up on stage, Rose introduced his cousin, and the spotlight followed Derek across the stage. He watched for a moment before turning his gaze back to Paige. When he’d viewed her from up on stage, he thought her attractive. Up close though he realized how wrong he’d been. She was stunning even when her face had been bright red from embarrassment. Actually, he wasn’t sure he’d ever seen a person turn so red in his life. He suspected coming up on stage hadn’t been the only reason for her embarrassment. At least she appeared to be more at ease now. Her coloring had returned to normal anyway.
“I have one bid for five thousand dollars,” Rose said from on stage.
Scott glanced around the room. Sure enough, Tasha Marshall had her auction paddle up in the air. Derek’s in for it tonight. But better him than me.
Glancing back at Paige and her aunt, he considered what he’d learned already about her and compared it to what he knew about the Fosters. Although he’d only met Michael Foster once, the man was well known to the Sherbrooke family. He owned a ranch in Texas not far from Uncle Warren and Aunt Elizabeth. Although the older man didn’t socialize often, his two daughters, Iris Campbell and Mary Wakefield, did. In fact, Mary’s husband, Perry, had served in the Senate with Uncle Warren before he won the presidency, and the two of them had regularly attended parties at the house his uncle and aunt had kept just outside of DC. However, never had he heard anyone mention Michael Foster also had a son. Why was that?
“Twenty-five,” Scott heard Tasha call out, and he couldn’t help but look up at his cousin. Earlier Derek had look unfazed; his expression now told a different story.
“Someone needs to explain proper etiquette to that girl. She obviously has no idea how auctions are conducted,” Bebe said to anyone at the table who would listen.
Scott doubted that was the case. He suspected Tasha just didn’t care about etiquette as long as she snagged his cousin tonight.
“Who is she?” Paige asked the other women seated at the table.
Interesting. Most people who were in his social circle and who were familiar with New England, which included many of the people in the room, knew of Tasha Marshall and her family.
“Tasha Marshall,” Mrs. Abington answered, proving his point.
“She seems determined tonight,” Paige said.
“That she does,” Scott agreed as he watched his cousin up on stage.
“We’re up to twenty-five thousand, is anyone willing to go to thirty?” Rose asked the audience.
From where he sat, it appeared as if Derek was focused on either someone or something in the audience. Scott just couldn’t tell what.
“Thanks to bidder number eighty-two, we are now up to thirty thousand dollars. Is there anyone willing to go to thirty-five?” Rose’s announcement caught his attention, and he searched the ballroom for whoever was brave enough to go up against Tasha—not that the other bidder stood a chance of winning. Unfortunately, from his seat, he couldn’t find bidder number eighty-two.
“My prediction is he’ll be going home with Tasha, but it’ll cost her. At least fifty thousand dollars, I say. What are everyone else’s guesses?” Mrs. Abington asked the group.
He agreed but kept silent as everyone except Paige offered their opinions.
“What about you, Mr. Belmont?” a woman he didn’t recognize asked him. “Do you think Miss Marshall will win your cousin this evening?”
Before he answered, Rose spoke again from the stage. “Fabulous. We have fifty-five thousand. Is anyone willing to go to fifty-eight thousand dollars?”
“Looks like it.” He could just imagine all the thoughts going through his cousin’s head at the moment. Poor bastard. He felt for Derek. But the guy had known what he was getting into.
As he continued to watch the train wreck happening on stage, Rose patted Derek’s shoulder. “Going once.”
