Page 112 of Tempt Our Fate

My paddle stays in the air, no matter the dread coursing through my veins. We’re getting dangerously close to the point we’ll have nothing left.

“Two million,” Jason calls out, even though it wasn’t time for that amount yet.

I swallow, risking a glance at my dad. He watches me, wrinkles creasing his entire forehead. His eyes look sad, and I hate the disappointment that’s written all over his features.

“I can’t,” I mutter to my dad. “We don’t have it.”

My eyes sting with unshed tears. I hate this. I hate the feeling of knowing I tried everything I could do to not only keep Wake and Bake but the businesses next door, and it still wasn’t enough.

“Two million,” a voice calls from behind me. I look three rows back to where Dean Livingston sits with a raised paddle. His dad sits on the other side of him, looking at his son with wide eyes.

“Two million and one,” Jason counters, angrily looking back at Dean.

“Two million and two,” Dean continues, glaring daggers at Jason.

Rosemary grabs my shoulder, leaning forward in her chair. “Do we have anything else?”

I shake my head. “I can’t compete with that,” I answer sadly. “It’s in Dean’s hands now.”

“Two and a half.” Jason seethes.

“Three,” Dean immediately counters.

I watch Dean hopefully, my heart thumping in my chest. It isn’t up to me anymore; it’s up to Dean. And I’m petrified even Dean will have a number he won’t go to for five simple properties that shouldn’t cost this much.

Dean and Jason go back and forth a few times, and the numbers are so high it makes me want to throw up. The world around me starts to get fuzzy and black at the catastrophic realization our plan is falling through. Everything I’ve worked for is slipping through my fingers, and there’s nothing I can do.

I look at the row behind me, where Ms. Lori sits with her husband. They’d put in all of their savings to try and buy back her flower shop, and it still wasn’t enough. Or Ty who owns BlueBird Bookstore, who sits on her other side and volunteered his retirement money to help us have funds to try today. Everyone on the block has offered up everything they have. And even those who have nothing to gain and don’t own businesses gave more than we could’ve ever expected.

And it’s all going up in flames right now. Everything we’ve worked for is disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

“Ten million,” a voice thunders from the very back of the room.

My entire body breaks out in shivers. I’d know the voice anywhere. At any place, in any crowd, I’d recognize it.

58

CAMDEN

My handnot holding the bidding paddle stays firmly in my pocket. I’m scared if I pull it out, people might see it shaking with nerves. It’s not about the money or the attention; it’s the fact that I’m here to lay my heart out on the line, with no idea if Pippa will even speak to me.

It’s terrifying. Nothing has ever scared me more than seeing her again with the fear of wondering if she’ll allow me to love her the way I dream about.

I wish I could look into her mind or that she’d wear her emotions on her sleeve so I could know what she was thinking. Is she angry I’m here? Happy? Relieved? I can’t figure it out from the look in her eyes.

The only hope I have is the fact she doesn’t look away from me. Her chest rises in heavy breaths as her eyes travel my face.

“Hi,” I mouth, well aware that there are too many eyes on us for me to be comfortable. I block all of them out, only focusing on the woman who owns my heart.

“Okay,” the auctioneer says from behind Pippa. He clears his throat awkwardly. “I’ve got ten million…”

“We can’t go from three to ten,” Jason sputters. The anger in his voice takes me by surprise, my gaze ripping away from Pippa to find Jason angrily pushing out of his chair. His face is beet red as he looks between Clyde and me.

“Do you have a counterbid?” Clyde asks. It isn’t exactly protocol, but I don’t say anything. I know Jason won’t meet my bid.

“I’m out,” Dean announces, sticking to our plan. We’d give Jason hope for a moment before I showed up with a number he’d never be able to beat.

It seems to work because his eyes almost bulge out of his head as he yells at the auctioneer. “That price for five properties is ridiculous!”

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