Page 30 of Highest Bidder
Her laughter echoing through my ear brings a smile to my face. It has to be one of the most beautiful sounds. “What about you? Were you popular?”
“Ahh,” she moans. “I guess I was, but I didn’t think so.”
“Okay.” I chuckle. “What are we talking? Prom queen or head cheerleader?”
“I don’t really want to answer that.”
“You were both. Holy shit.” I lean forward, pressing the phone harder to my ear. I can’t believe I hit the nail on the head. “Damn, so all the guys wanted you and probably some girls too.”
She snorts. “Oh my god. You’re unbelievable.”
“I know. It’s hard to be so unbelievably handsome.” I lean back into my couch, putting my arm behind my head to lie against. “I mean, you are gorgeous, so I think you can relate,” I say. “But what the hell was that sound you just made? I bet no one knew you made those sounds when they voted for you. Prom queens don’t snort.” I can’t slap the smile off my face listening to her consistent laughter coming through the phone.
“I just can’t with you right now.” She sighs. “So you weren’t Mr. Footballer?”
“Oh, no!” I laugh. “I worked all through high school. So I didn’t have time for extracurricular activities.”
“Why did you work so much, and where did you work?”
I can hear the excitement in her voice from that little tidbit. She wants to know more about me. It’s sweet, but I have a hard time talking about that period of my life. It wasn’t an easy time.
“My mom raised me by herself, and we needed any extra money I could bring in. I worked at a restaurant called Ramshackles as a busboy, and I also worked at the local skating rink.”
“Oh, I’m sorry you had to do that. What is Ramshackles?”
The fact that she doesn’t pry further makes my heartbeat slow to a normal rhythm. I don’t want to talk about my childhood, or worse, my deadbeat father. But I’m in no rush to stop talking to her. It’s a feeling I’m not used to. I usually only talk to my mom on the phone, and that’s a completely different type of conversation.
“I’ll have to take you some time. They have some of the best chicken wings.”Man, now I’m craving some.“It’s a pretty chill place, and they have their menus printed on newspaper. It’s a whole thing.”
“Are they still open?”
“Oh, yeah. It will be a sad day if that place ever closes. It was the place to go when I was in school. On senior skip day, we all had lunch there. I worked that day to pick up extra hours since it was a day off for us, but my boss let me eat with my class when they showed up.” There is something about Hunter that makes her easy to talk to. She already knows way more about me than most people I come in contact with.
“That was nice of him. What’s your mom like?”
I shake my head.How do you describe that woman?
“She is the loudest, most intrusive person you will ever meet.If she wants something, there is no holding her back. If she sniffs out something she doesn’t know, she won’t let you rest until all your secrets are for her to keep, and I meanALL.” I laugh again. “She is also the kindest woman with the best hugs. She would love you.”
“She sounds like a wonderful lady. I’d love to meet her sometime.”
Hunter wanting to meet my mom warms my chest.
“So how was your day?” I always thought these types of questions were cheesy, but I guess I hadn’t met a person that I was interested enough in to want to know their answer.
“It was great.” I hear her happy sigh come through the phone. “I love cattle auctions. It reminds me of home.”
This piques my interest. Most women hate dealing with cows or getting dirty with all the cow poop around. At least, the women that I’ve been around.
“Because of your dad?” I ask, looking up at the living room ceiling and watching the fan spin in circles.
“Kind of. They are also where I got started.” She gives a small laugh.
Stretching my legs out, I go to put them on the coffee table, but I'm still only wearing a fucking towel. I walk to my room and get joggers, boxers, and a T-shirt.
“My dad used to take me to work with him when I was little,” she explains. “I would sit and listen to him. A lot of the buyers would let me bid on the cows for them. It was kind of like a second home for me. It’s also where I became an auctioneer.”
I put her on speaker while pulling on my clothes. “Sounds like fun and some special times with your dad. Are you two close?” I ask.
