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"I begged Nick a few times to bid on you."
Oh my God, she begged him?I close my eyes as feelings of sheer embarrassment wash over me. When I open them again, they meet Charlotte's. "That is not okay, young lady."
"But, Mom—"
"No, Charlotte." I raise my voice. "It wasn't okay for you to beg Nick to bid on me just because it wasn't going the way you wanted it to go." I pause, trying not to let myself falter despite the sadness on her face."I won't go out with Nick, especially not after you begged him. It will be best if you forget him."
Charlotte stares at me for a moment. Then she turns and gazes out of the window. I start the car and drive further.
Twenty minutes later, I park in my driveway and glance over to the side. Charlotte's head tilts sideways, and her breathing is even. Careful not to wake her, I carry her into the house where I lay her in bed. With a kiss on her forehead, I leave her room, and once in the kitchen, I make a cup of calming herbal tea. I let the whole night pass by again, but every time my mind returns to the picture of my little girl laughing and hugging the handsome man she calls Giant.
"Nick..." His name escapes my lips, and by saying it, my skin reacts by erupting in goosebumps. Is it possible that Nick bid on me because he wants to go out with me?
I let out a huff, remembering Charlotte saying she begged him to bid on me, and a wave of disappointment and humiliation engulfs me. I grab the card out of my purse and study it for a second. In a moment of bravery, I tear the card to pieces and throw it into the trash. A tear falls from my cheek right after it. Now I understand why he said, “if you don't want to, it's okay.” He's hoping I won't call. How could I have been so stupid to think he was interested in me?
After a nightof tossing and turning, I pour myself a much-needed cup of coffee and check out the sky through the window. Gray clouds float by as the wind pushes them across the pale sunrise. It resembles the inside of my head, filled with different images and feelings. When the back door opens, and Bella walks into the kitchen with a smile, I push my confusing thoughts to the background.
"Good morning." Bella's wearing black pants with a tank top, her hair braided at the sides and held tightly in place at the back.
I hand her a coffee cup with two sugars, and the moment I lean against the kitchen counter, she's firing questions my way.
"How much did you raise? Who is the lucky man? Is he desirable? Irresistible? Gorgeous?"
I hold my hands out in front. "Okay, if you stop pestering me, I'll tell you everything."
Bella glares at me. "Oh, you don't sound that happy?"
"It was the most nerve-wracking thing I have ever done, and I'll never do it again."
"How much did the man bid?"
Before I can respond, another voice answers.
"Nick bid ten thousand dollars."
Bella spits her coffee back in her cup, hearing Charlotte call the number while walking into the kitchen with a sad expression on her face.
"Are you still mad, Mom?" she asks, coming to a stop in front of me and giving me her puppy eyes.
I place a kiss on top of her head. "No, Charlotte. I'm not mad."
A careful smile forms around her lips. "So, you're going out with Nick?"
"No.”
Charlotte turns around, runs back to her room, and a moment later, the bedroom door slams shut. I take a seat on the kitchen chair and put my head in my hands.
"What a mess!" I close my eyes, and Bella takes a seat in the chair next to me.
"What happened? Why are both of you upset?"
"Quick version. Nick bid ten thousand dollars on me, but only because Charlotte begged him." I pause. "She begged him, Bella!" I place my head back in my hands. The back door opens again, and I glance up.
Alisha struts in with an enormous smile. "Good morning, girls." Alisha's smile disappears as she cocks a brow. "Okay, what's wrong?"
I stay silent, leaving Bella to answer the question.
"Our sweet friend over here is freaking out because she believes a man with the name Nick bid on her because Charlotte begged him to."
