Page 73 of Phillip

She sobbed, furious and never feeling more like a fool. “I’m so stupid.”

“Not stupid,” Mary Beth whispered. “Just full of regret.”

Ashley leaned back. “I don’t know how he can even look at me. And it gets worse.”

“What else did she do?” Mary Beth asked, her tone as cold as ice.

“Ha. Not her. It was me.” Ashley blew her nose into a tissue and threw it into the trash can. “I asked him to donate a car—it was the most expensive one I knew he had. I thought he hated it, that it would bring a lot of money in for the charities.”

“So?”

“That car was a gift from his father for them to bond over, but they never finished it before his parents died.”

Tears brimmed in Mary Beth’s eyes. “Oh God.”

“I know.” Another round of hot tears stung Ashley’s cheeks. “He signed the contract to give it away, and it’s one of the main… It’sthemain draw for tomorrow. Bidders have come in from out of state.”

“So what? He can take it back.”

Ashley slowly shook her head. “He has convinced himself that it would be a nice full-circle gesture for the funds to go to his camp.”

“It’s hard to argue with reasons like that.” Mary Beth chewed her cheeks. “Set the donation part aside. Does he want to keep the car?”

“He didn’t say as much, but I think so.”

She hummed. “What are you going to do?”

“I have no idea.” Ashley wiped her face off then sat on the edge of the tub. “I could always try to buy it during the auction.”

“And I can start a whisper campaign amongst the bidders,” Mary Beth offered hopefully. “If anyone tries for it, we’ll just sic Bitsy on them.”

Ashley laughed even as she shook her head. “I don’t want to ruin the event. His charity gets a lot of money from this, and I would never be able to compete with other bidders. Plus, he’d stop me.”

Mary Beth brightened. “Wait. There are anonymous bidders. You could be one of those.”

Ashley paused and let her wheels turn. “That’s true.” But her hope dimmed. “I don’t have enough cash in bank.”

“If you’re serious, maybe there’s something you could sell? List as collateral?”

“Hmm.” Ashley had her house. Big-dollar bidding wasn’t her cup of tea, and she had no idea how to facilitate such a deal. “If I could figure out how, I would sell this place tonight.”

“Well…” Mary Beth tapped her teeth and thought. “It’s worth reminding you, we do live here.”

“We can move someplace that Mother can’t just show up at.”

Mary Beth remained unconvinced. “Forget that we live here. This house holds significance to you. It’s not like you have a lot of cherished family mementos.”

That was true. But nothing compared to what that car meant to Phillip. Ashley could hold on to her grandmother’s memory in a different way.

Mary Beth kneeled so that they were eye-to-eye. “Maybe you should slow down and think about what you’re suggesting. You two just became a thing again.”

“It doesn’t matter. I love him.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

After a cup of decaf tea with Mary Beth, a plan to sell the house overnight hadn’t materialized. But Ashley had tempered the frenzied need to save Phillip’s car and instead picked out her clothing and accessories for tomorrow.

Sleep called, but she couldn’t lie down in bed. Her thoughts spiraled over Mother orchestrating the conversation with Sean but then leaving King Harbor before Ashley could confront her.

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