Page 14 of Destined To Fall

“Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure and honor to welcome you all here tonight to our ninth annual auction for pancreatic cancer.” The room fills with applause, and my attention wavers, zoning out whatever Maxwell says next. For once, I find Jeremy looking elsewhere, his attention focused forward, presumably unaware of me watching him. My forehead puckers as I continue to stare, wishing I knew what it was about him that seems to…grab me? It would be easier to turn it off, or ignore it.

“…we begin the auction with this lovely sculpture…” I tune back in to the auctioneer now on stage, only to tune him out again.

“I’m going to the bar for another drink.”

I don’t wait for a reply. Instead, I make my way through the crowd to the back, finishing off the one in my hand and giving a wide berth to Jeremy’s location.

“Scotch, please,” I request as soon as I reach the bar, debating making it a double.

“Ice?”

Screw it.“No ice, and double, thanks.”

The bartender gives me a knowing grin and walks off. I frown at his back, confused.

“Not your thing?”

I startle at Jeremy catching me off guard and shrug, noncommittal.

“Why come, then?” A very good question, one I still don’t have the answer to. His probing eyes search me as if he knows and is looking for confirmation.

I sigh, for the first time wishing he’d stop looking.“Business. I told you. And for cancer. Plus, this hotel is exquisite—any excuse to come again.” I should be concerned with how easy bending the truth comes to me, but I guess it comes with the job.

The bartender returns with my drink, and I thank him, tapping my phone to his card machine before taking a big swig, cooling my jets.“This room might have just become my favorite. I’m surprised I’ve not been in here before—I could stare at the ceiling all night long.” I turn around, leaning against the edge of the bar and look up to do just that.

“Do you stay here often?”

I smile at his question and wonder what he’s thinking. I could tell him—the opening is right there. It would be so easy to just come out and say it…

“Not nearly as often as since I moved back.” I bring my gaze back down and toward Jeremy, giving him a small smile, seeing the incoherent questions and thoughts racing across his eyes. He must suspect—he looks clever and sweet. Too sweet.

Run along…

“What kind of business do you do? You mentioned consulting.”

I groan under my breath, wishing I’d never mentioned that. What an idiot. I catch Luke’s name being called out by the auctioneer and my face splits with a grin at my perfect out.“The expensive kind. With millionaires and politicians and businessmen with too much time on their hands, but that’s my cue.” Once again, I walk off on him, feeling his growing frown following me as I lose myself in the crowd.

Why didn’t I just tell him? Surely, he’d lose interest then.

Maybe that’s what I’m afraid of.

Maybe I need to get my head examined, because I’ve clearly lost my friggen mind.

I reach Antony’s side, my nerves a little frazzled, when the first bid is called on my soon-to-be painting.

“Two hundred to the woman on my left.”

I begin to lift my paddle when Antony’s firm hand pushes it down.“Five hundred,” he bellows out, raising his own and sending me a sideways glance with a wink.

I grin, but it’s short-lived when Jeremy’s unmistakable baritone yells out behind me in the crowd.“Eight hundred.”

What the?Oh no…

“One thousand,” Antony’s quick response comes, and if I didn’t know better, I’d say he sounded almost entertained, his voice more derisive than normal.

“Twelve hundred.” What is Jeremy doing?

“Two thousand, five hundred.”

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