Page 1 of Going, Going, Gone
Chapter One
“Please! If I could only have a few minutes with Mr. McBride, I’m sure I could convince him to—”
The real-estate developer’s secretary frowned at Vanessa Adams. “I’m sorry; I told you he’s not available to see anyone this week. You’ll have to make an appointment.”
Her ire rising, Vanessa crossed her arms and glared at the bleach-blonde sentry. “Ididmake an appointment. He cancelled it,andthe one I made after that.”
The other woman, Tara Beale according to the nameplate on her desk, shrugged. “I have no control over that. Now, you can make another appointment or not, but you’re not getting in to see him today or any other day this week.”
Vanessa never thought it would be so hard to get five damn minutes with the man. She had to talk to him and try to convince him to withdraw the proposal that would result in an ugly mini-mall being built on a historic site; at least, Vanessa believed it was. She’d been trying for the past two years to prove that the property in question, just outside the Norfolk, Virginia city limits, had been a stop along the Underground Railroad during the early to mid-19th century. Her goal was to get it listed as a nationally designated historical landmark. But so far, all she had was circumstantial evidence, and that hadn’t been enough to get her application to the National Park Service approved. If it did, grants would be available to restore and preserve the centuries-old house, barn, and property. However, her chances of proving it before Dylan McBride and his company knocked down the buildings to make way for another coffee franchise and dry cleaner—or whatever else they planned on putting there—were quickly fading.
Frustration pooled within Vanessa. As a history professor at Tidewater Community College, she hated that a site with such an influential past could be torn down. She just needed a little more time to complete her research, but it was running short.
She opened her mouth to plead her case to see McBride once more when the door to the reception area behind her swung open. In walked a pretty woman in her thirties, with short blonde hair and sparkling hazel eyes that lit up her face. Dressed in a tailored gray suit with a red blouse, she had an air of confidence around her that was noticeable as she strode toward the secretary. “Hi, Tara. Whoops, I’m not interrupting, am I?” She glanced back and forth between the two women.
“Not at all, Nadine,” the secretary responded, giving Vanessa a dismissive glance.
“Great. I just wanted to drop this off to Dylan.” She handed over a manila folder. “He needs to fill out what his date will consist of for the bachelor auction, and there are other things in there he needs to read through. Also, tell him not to forget he needs a tux. I want those women bidding high for a date with him, not that they will know it’s him until he takes off his mask.”
Tara grinned. “I already know what his planned date will be—a ride in a hot-air balloon followed by a picnic.”
The other woman clapped her hands. “Ohhh. I like that! How the heck did he come up with something that good?”
Placing the folder on a stack of others, the secretary rolled her eyes. “He didn’t; I did. You know he’s not thrilled with you conning him into this. He said he feels like a piece of meat being auctioned off to the highest bidder. If I let him set up the date, it would include the McDonald’s drive-thru, followed by an hour at the gym to work off the calories. The man’s a paradox when it comes to fast food and staying in shape.”
Nadine walked backward toward the door. “As long as he looks hot in his tux, he can eat all the Big Macs he wants. I gotta run, but I need the date details by Friday. That’ll give me a week to put them all together in the brochure. Are you coming to bid on someone?”
“My boyfriend would shoot me if I did, and I think an engagement ring is coming, so I’m not going to rock the boat.”
“Oh, good for you. Tell Dylan I’ll see him next weekend, and he better be smiling! It’s for charity!” The mini tornado left in the same flourish with which she’d entered.
After the door shut again, the secretary looked up at Vanessa, her smile and friendliness from moments ago gone. “Now, what day did you want to make an appointment for?”
“The earliest time I can get.” It didn’t really matter because she was sure it would be cancelled again. But maybe there was another way to corner the man—in a place he couldn’t escape from without a parachute.
* * *
“How didyou get caught up in all this again?”
Dylan handed the menus back to the waitress after she’d taken their lunch order, before frowning at Emma Conklin, who was sitting across the table from him. She had the same dark-brown hair and mocha-colored eyes he had, and many people mistook them for siblings instead of cousins. In fact, since they’d been born a week apart thirty-six years ago, some had asked if they were fraternal twins.
“I don’t have a clue. No, scratch that. The chick running the event is a reporter. She did me a favor last year by doing an extra piece on Wendy’s Place to push our annual fundraiser, so, apparently, my payback is to do this stupid auction forherfundraiser. At least it’s for another good cause.” Wendy’s Place was a shelter for abused women that Dylan’s mother had founded after one of her best friends had been beaten into a coma fifteen years ago. During the six weeks that’d followed, she’d never regained consciousness before passing away. The woman’s husband was now serving a life-term in prison for her murder. Janet McBride had tried to talk her friend into leaving the abusive relationship but hadn’t been successful. She was now determined to help other women who found themselves in the same situation. Dylan was on the charity’s board which is how he ended up owing Nadine Marx.
Emma picked a roll out of the basket sitting between them on the table. “What cause is that?”
“Healing Heroes is a non-profit that rescues dogs from shelters and trains them to be service dogs for veterans with PTSD or physical injuries. All the proceeds from the auction will help a few veterans get their dogs.”
“Oh, I’ve heard of them. I think one of Mark’s friends at the American Legion got his service dog through them.” She grinned. “So, you want me to go bid on you, so you don’t have to go out on a blind date with some woman who paid a few pennies for you.”
Dylan snorted. “I’m worth more than a few pennies, you brat.”
She shrugged. “Okay, fifty cents.”
Knowing from experience he’d lose the battle, he let the snark slide. “All you have to do is bid whatever it takes to win the date with me. I’ll pay for it. Then you and Mark can take the hot-air balloon ride and whatever else Tara put together for my ‘date.’”
“Hmmm. I’ll have to think about that.”
“C’mon, Em. Help me out here. I’ve got too much shit going on right now to go out with anyone, especially a blind date I got stuck with. I wish Nadine would just let me write a check, damn it.” He leaned forward. “Please, Em. I’m begging you. It’ll be easy. Even though I have to wear a stupid mask to hide my identity until the bidding is over, you’ll be able to recognize me. And if not, you know what the date is, so you just have to bid on that. Once it’s over, you can stay for the party or leave.”
