Page 45 of Highest Bidder
Thinking about kissing her makes me feel ten times better. After being miserable for so long, I like being this happy. I can’t remember the last time I was.
We walk into the auction, and Marcella says I’m going to run Hunter’s lane while she’s away. It’s bittersweet because I wish Hunter were here, but this is an opportunity to run my very own lane. I’m not just giving auctioneers breaks, it’s my lane. It feels surreal. But I have to admit, I’d still rather be a ringman if it meant Hunter were here.
“Hey. Congrats. You’re finally getting what you’ve always wanted,” JT says while we walk to our lane.
Since JT was scheduled to be her ringman, now he’s mine. At least I know the day will go by quickly with him by my side.
“Yeah. It’s great.” I know I sound a little less than pleased.
“Okay. You don’t sound like all your dreams are coming true.” He smacks me on the shoulder. “Yeah, it’s not a permanent thing, but at least you get to run the show for a little while. Right?”
He knows better than anyone how much I’ve wanted this. He’s watched how hard growing up was for me because I always felt like I needed to help my mom. It made me grow up faster than the rest of our class in high school. I wasn’t worried about the petty drama. I was making sure my mom didn’t have to work harder than she already was. No one in our class ever understood why I was always busy. They didn’t know how much I worked outside of school. They thought I had a part-time job like the rest of them, but little did they know I was picking up every side hustle to help my mom. I don’t thinksheeven knows how much I worked back then.
“Yeah. You’re right. I just”— I trail off and shake my head. “Eh, nevermind. Let’s do this.” I put my fist out, and he bumps it. He’s right. She will be back. I need to enjoy this time. Although I wish she were here to see it and for us both to have our own lanes at the same time. That would make this moment even sweeter, but I’m going to show these guys what I’ve got since I finally have my chance.
The sale is running smoothly,and we’re selling a shit ton of cars but a nagging distraction gnaws at my chest. Hunter’s flight should have landed by now, but I’ve heard nothing from her. It’s making me lose my focus, and JT keeps his eyes on me to make sure I stay on track. I need to do well, so I need to push all the outside thoughts out of my head. I pocket my phone and get back to business. The rest of the sale blows by, and many of the selling dealers give me tips and praise for my performance which did my ego some good.
“Hey. You did good, man.” JT slaps me on the back.
He’s always the first one to cheer me on. No matter what it is, I can always count on JT to have my back, but he’s also the first one to give me a hard time when I fuck something up too.
“Yeah. It felt good.”
“You got a littledistractedfor a bit, but you came back,” he says, laughing.
“Yeah, yeah. Alright, let’s go get some food before the next sale.” I slap him on the back in return. Looking at my phone and still not seeing anything from Hunter, I tell myself that she probably just forgot. I know she has a lot on her plate with her dad. My gut nags at me, wanting to make sure she’s safe.
The day flew by on the lane, but it has slowed to a snail's pace as I wait to hear from Hunter. The bright side was the Lakelandsale also let me take Hunter’s place on her lane. It seems like they don’t want to permanently fill her spot, just a temporary fill in. I’m not complaining. Both sales went great, and the GMs let me know they were happy with how I did. I'm hoping they will keep me in the back of their minds if another position opens. There’s no telling what they’ll do though.
I’m exhausted after being up a good chunk of the night, so I head home instead of out with the guys to shoot some pool. Once I’m home, I put on joggers and a sweatshirt and throw a frozen pizza in the oven. I’m too exhausted to make a full dinner. I check my phone again, but there’s still nothing from Hunter. I’m just going to text her. It’s been a long day, probably for both of us.
Myles:
I’m thinking about you. Hope everything’s okay.
I get my pizza out and continue watching the first season ofGame of Thrones.
I must have fallen asleep because I wake up to my phone’s ringtone blasting. Rubbing my eyes, I look at the screen to find Hunter’s name.
“Hello?” My voice is laced with sleep.
“Myles? Were you sleeping? I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to wake you. I didn’t text you back because my mom took my purse and bags to the house without me realizing. Then, when I finally got home, I texted you. When I didn’t hear back, I thought I’d call before I went to bed. I’m sorry. Please go back to sleep,” she blurts out.
I have a hard time following along, still a bit groggy. “Hershey, slow down. It’s fine. I fell asleep on the couch. But I’m up now, so talk to me,” I urge her. I don’t want her to go now that I’m finally hearing from her.
“Okay. How was work?”
“Work was fine, but I want to hear about you. Are you okay? What’s going on with your dad?” I don’t want to talk about me. Ineed to hear all about what is causing her to ramble a hundred words a minute.
“Oh, um. He’s okay, I guess. They said it was a minor heart attack, but he’s still in the hospital. It was hard to see him like that. It made me realize how much I’ve missed him. He was in and out of sleep, and I couldn’t bring myself to leave until visiting hours were over.”
She sounds exhausted. I want to be with her so she can curl up in my arms, and I can comfort her.
“How’s it going with your mom?” I know they don’t get along. I have to know if she’s okay.
She lets out a breath. “Normal,” she grumbles.
“I’m here, Hunter. I’ll listen if you want to talk. I was worried about you today, so it’s good to hear your voice.”
