Page 22 of My Scorned Best Friend

“Please, girl, I’ve known you since you had a gap in your teeth,” a woman shouts from a few rows back.

I smile, remembering that little girl from kindergarten who came up to me on the playground and asked to throw the football with me. Out of all the kids, she somehow picked me to be friends with.

Clara smiles. “Hello, Miss Polly… I want to thank everyone for joining us tonight and let you know that all money collected tonight is going toward an expansion to the library. So, let’s get started and happy bidding.”

“Let’s go, Dori!” Grandma rushes in and beelines it right to the front row.

Dori makes her way up the aisle at a leisurely pace as though she hasn’t got anywhere to be.

When Grandma reaches the front row, she shoos a couple there. “You people without cataracts belong in the back.”

The couple looks at one another and slides into the row behind us.

“Only her,” I mumble to Mandi.

“Definitely.”

Once the two grandmas are situated, Clara brings up the first item—a complete makeover at Fringe, donated by my other stepsister, Posey. Then there’s a beer named after someone from my brother Cade and stepbrother Jed. A flower arrangement class from Twisted Stem, a toolbox from Handyman Haven, a glass blowing class by Fired Up, and of course Mandi’s weekend getaway.

“Thanks for your generosity, everyone. This is going great.” Clara’s appreciative smile shines over the room. Her blonde hair is twisted into some sort of updo that elongates her neck, and the deep V of her dress makes me remember the valley between her breasts. The way her back arched off the bed as I took her nipple in my mouth.

I clear my throat and shift in my seat. I shouldn’t be thinking about that. I’m here to get Clara back in my life as a friend.

“For our next item, we’ve been donated something extremely unique and special. To explain each item in better detail than I could, let me bring up the talented man responsible.”

“Shut up,” Mandi murmurs next to me.

“What?”

“Everyone, this is Noah,” Clara says.

“As in our nephew?” I laugh, but Mandi doesn’t. Her eyes are on the man walking up the aisle. He’s huge, his dark hair pulled back into a ponytail, and has a beard. He could be one of my tackles. “Who’s he?”

“Midge’s grandson.”

“And we like Midge’s grandson?”

She turns my way finally and blushes.

“Do we like Midge’s grandson?”

“Shut up, Xavier. We don’t. He’s just… he just spends some time at the inn on occasion.”

“Okay.” I think there’s a lot more I’m missing, but Mandi has never shared a lot of her love life with the boys in the family. Since I don’t want her to call out my own shit, I let the topic go.

Noah goes to the podium and Clara stands a little too close to him if you ask me. He picks up a framed photo and places it on an easel. “This is a picture of a moose lying down with the mountains behind it.”

And that’s not all he’s got. For the next fifteen minutes, Clara auctions off photos of a bald eagle with wings spread, flying in the air, a bear and her cub fishing for salmon in a river, wolf packs, and sea lions. All while Noah explains where and how he got each shot.

“The man is talented,” I mumble. I’d seen the family photos he did for Fisher and Ally, but this is the first time I’ve seen any of his wildlife pictures.

“Yeah, he is.”

“I wonder if he’s as talented in other areas.” I waggle my eyebrows, and Mandi elbows me hard.

Clara steps back up to the podium. “Okay, that’s all for tonight. I can’t thank—”

“Nope. I have my own donation.” Grandma stands.

---