Page 84 of One Night in Edinburgh

I laugh as the woman who put in the winning bid gets to her feet and takes a series of bows in all directions, then shoots a triumphant look at the man she’s just outbid. He simply shakes his head by way of a response, but I can tell that he’s gutted that she’s beaten him.

‘You can come to the tour and tasting as one of my guests,’ she calls across to him, and his face immediately brightens.

As the rest of the eyes in the room turn back to me, I see him mouth ‘thank you’ to the woman, who blushes and then they share a look. My heart swells as I realise I may have witnessed a tiny seedling of a blossoming romance, and suddenly I feel a deep longing for that myself.

Anna clears her throat loudly from a few feet away and I pull myself together.

‘Right… last item of the night… this one’s a cracker: a two-night stay in a suite at The Blenheim boutique hotel with dinner, an exclusive wine-tasting package and an afternoon in the kitchen with their pastry chef. This is something you can’t buy, so if you fancy this experience for yourself and a special someone…’

As I say this, I involuntarily glance across at Calum, my table companion, feeling myself redden once again as a broad grin spreads across his face. A vision of him dressed in his kilt, throwing me onto a four-poster bed withBraveheart-style paint on his face flits through my mind and I almost get lost in the myriad of confused feelings (mostly about Jamie) that follow this.

‘Steph. Where have you gone?’ Anna hisses at me from nearby.

‘So, yeah…’ I recover as her words pierce my subconscious. ‘This is the biggie. Get your gloves on because this is going to be a fight to…’ I stumble as I realise I’m about to say something inappropriate. ‘Well, to the winning bid.’

‘Bring it on,’ a man cat-calls from the back of the room.

‘I’ll see you in the car park if this doesn’t go my way,’ another bloke, who’s big and burly, shouts back at him.

‘Ahem… indeed.’ I clear my throat and have a momentary word with myself about toning things down.

I’m obviously still tipsy and working a whole load of drunken people into a frenzy, which no matter how light-hearted it’s intended to be, is probably not what Lizzie had in mind.

‘We’ll start the bidding at eight-hundred pounds.’

The bids come thick and fast, to the point I’m barely able to keep up with them. The two men, who I sincerely hope are not going to be taking it outside afterwards, bid furiously against each other, while others chime in with their own offers. Surprisingly, in the midst of all this, and after the big deal he made about wanting that item, there’s not a single bid from Calum.

By the time the bids top three thousand pounds, most of the bidders have dropped out and it’s the same two testosterone-fuelled blokes competing against each other. It’s clear though that they’re running out of steam and the amount of money they’ll need to part with if they win is starting to pinch. However, it also appears that neither is willing to swallow their pride and let the other win. As the bidding tops three-thousand five-hundred pounds, the man who was all for starting a car-park brawl wavers. Everyone in the room is watching with baited breath to see if he’ll concede, when out of nowhere there’s another bid.

‘Four-thousand pounds.’

There’s a collective gasp and everyone turns to see who has swooped in out of nowhere. It is, of course, Calum, looking super smug and giving me a look of ‘didn’t I say I wanted it?’.

‘We have a new bidder.’ I smile back at him. ‘Four-thousand pounds. Is anyone going to top that?’

I look to the two existing bidders, who are both stunned at the idea of taking their pledges above four grand. They glance at each other and then shrug and wave it away – it seems, to my relief, that as long as neither of them lost to the other, then they’re not that bothered after all.

‘OK…’ I give them one last glance and it’s clear that they’ve both conceded. ‘Four-thousand pounds going once… going twice…sold– to the hot man in the kilt.’

My eyes widen as I realise what I’ve just said and I feel my face turn beetroot. A wave of laughter flows through the room and my eyes immediately zone in on Lizzie, then Calum, who’s looking immensely pleased with my comment.

I turn to share my mortification with Anna, but she’s disappeared, and when I turn back to face the front, I notice that Lizzie’s on her way across to me. Shit. Here’s hoping I’ve not dented my chances of my future promotion – or keeping my current job.

‘Steph, well done.’ She hugs me the moment she reaches me. ‘Between the ticket sales and the auction, we’ve done it. We’re nearly fifteen grand over our target.’

‘Fantastic.’ I hug her back. ‘Look, I’m sorry about that slip there. In fact, for all of it. I realise these are important donors whom we want to keep hold of and my style perhaps needs a little—’

‘What are you talking about?’ Lizzie looks confused. ‘You were incredible. Nobody wants to go to a stuffy event and yawn their way through it. You’re a natural.’

‘Oh, OK, great. I did quite enjoy it.’

‘Then it’s win-win. Although next time, maybe try to drink a little less so you don’t have to throw up in the toilets midway through. That’s definitely not in the job description and the adrenaline will keep you going as you now know.’

‘Um… OK. Thank you for… the developmental feedback.’ I’m now hot with embarrassment once again. ‘I didn’t realise you’d seen me. I’m so sorry.’

‘I didn’t see you.’ Lizzie chuckles. ‘Anna inadvertently gave the game away when she asked reception for a toothbrush and toothpaste for you. We all had a good laugh about it.’

‘Right. Well, I’ll just go and—’

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