Grace elbowed Olivia, who didn’t seem to know exactly how to react; her expression was a mixture of shock, embarrassment and laughter. To everyone’s surprise, Charlotte’s good friend Bess Ferryman won Stan. The older woman stood up to proudly claim her prize.
“Don’t tell me you’re married, too?” the auctioneer demanded.
“Nope, and I’m not buying him to wash any windows, either. I’ve got a hot date in mind.”
“Good for you,” Barry said approvingly.
“Dinner, and he’s buying, followed by ballroom dancing.” Bess marched purposefully toward the cashier. For just a moment, it looked as if Stan might balk, but then he dutifully left the stage.
“Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy,” Jack whispered to the others. “I’ll bet he doesn’t offer his services again anytime soon.”
Grace was chatting with Olivia and Charlotte when the next bachelor’s name was announced.
Cliff Harding.
This was the moment Grace had been dreading all night. In an effort to prove that she was unaffected, she fixed a smile on her face and stared straight ahead, hoping no one could guess at the turmoil inside her.
Cliff was paired with a lovely female golden retriever. When he stepped onto the stage, he was greeted by loud cheers. Grace had long suspected he’d be one of the key figures at this event, and she was right.
Almost immediately, Margaret White leaped into the bidding. Seconds later, the woman who worked for John L. Scott Realty topped Margaret’s two-hundred-dollar bid by another fifty.
“What about you?” Olivia asked, nudging Grace.
“I can’t.”
“Why not?” Olivia asked, her voice rising with agitation.
It was too complicated to explain. Now wasn’t the time to try, so she simply shook her head.
“Grace, you can’t just sit there and let some other woman walk away with Cliff. You have to bid.”
She felt the same way, but she couldn’t do it. While Margaret and the other woman continued to raise each other in fifty-dollar increments, Grace bit her tongue. Her heart pounded like crazy and her mouth went dry as she dealt with two years’ worth of confused emotions. Finally she couldn’t stand it any longer. Damn it, she was going to bid!
“Five hundred dollars, going one, going twice—”
“Seven hundred dollars,” Grace shouted suddenly, leaping to her feet. She just hoped the animal shelter would agree to accept payments, because she didn’t have that kind of money in her checking account. Seven hundred dollars would put her over the maximum on her credit card, too. She couldn’t go a penny higher.
There was a moment of stunned silence. “Seven hundred dollars. Do we have seven hundred and fifty dollars?”
Grace didn’t dare look in Cliff’s direction.
“Seven hundred and fifty dollars,” Margaret White said, and her voice trembled as if to say this was far higher than she’d intended.
“Go for eight hundred,” Olivia encouraged, tugging at Grace’s sleeve.
Grace sat back down. “No…I shouldn’t have bid when I did. I don’t have seven hundred dollars, let alone eight.”
“Seven hundred and fifty dollars, going once, going twice, going—”
“Eight hundred dollars,” Olivia shouted, startling Grace.
Barry pointed the gavel at Margaret White, who shook her head.
“Sold for eight hundred dollars.” He punctuated the sale with a bang of the gavel.
Barry Stokes’s eyes narrowed as he peered into the audience. He placed both hands on the sides of the podium and leaned forward. “Is that you, Judge Lockhart?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “Last I heard, you and Jack Griffin were married. Now, don’t tell me there’s trouble between you newlyweds already?”
“Nope,” Olivia called back. “And I want Cliff and the dog. The dog’s for my daughter, Justine, and the bachelor is an early birthday gift for my best friend, Grace Sherman.”
“I can’t let you do that,” Grace insisted in a harsh whisper.
“You can and you will,” Olivia said out of the side of her mouth. “Besides, Maryellen and Kelly went in with me.” She smiled. “My orders were to bid on Cliff if you didn’t—or if you dropped out. I had to bid on the dog, anyway. Justine met her backstage and fell in love with her.”
“Maryellen and Kelly?”
“Me, too,” Charlotte whispered, leaning across the table. “I did it for Cliff as much as you. As far as I’m concerned, you two belong together.”
Grace did look in Cliff’s direction then. Although he was relatively close, she couldn’t gauge his reaction. All she could hope was that he agreed with Charlotte.
Twenty-Seven
Rachel Pendergast was sweeping up her station at Get Nailed. Her appointments were finished for the day, and she was ready to head back to her house. When the phone rang, she looked up to make sure Valerie, the receptionist, was around to answer it. She wasn’t, but Tracey grabbed it and then held up the receiver for Rachel.
“It’s that little girl,” Tracey said. “You cut her hair not too long ago.”
“Jolene?”
Tracey shrugged. “She says she has to talk to you.”
“All right.” Rachel walked over to the desk, where Tracey handed her the phone. She’d been meaning to call Jolene, anyway. “This is Rachel,” she said cheerfully.
“You didn’t bid on my dad.” Jolene sounded as though she was on the verge of tears. “I thought you were going to bid on him at the Dog and Bachelor Auction.”
“Hello, Jolene,” Rachel said.
“Hi.” Her voice was small and sad.
“I think your dad’s very nice, but I don’t think he’s ready for another relationship. Remember how we talked about that? You said you need another mommy and I asked if I could be your friend instead.”
“I remember.”
“Is your dad there?”
“Yes, but he’s in the other room and he doesn’t know I’m calling you.”
“Let me talk to him, okay?”
“Okay—only I want to know if you bought a dog and a bachelor at the auction.”
“I did, but my friend Karen took the dog. And I’m not meeting my bachelor until Friday night.”
“Who is he?”
“Well, I don’t know much about him except that his name is Nathan Olsen and he’s in the navy.”
“Is he in love with you?”
She wished! “No, I barely had a chance to talk to him.” After the auction, the restaurant had been chaos. Rachel had only a few minutes to speak to Nate before it was time to leave.
“Oh.”
“How about if you and I get together next week?”
“Will you paint my fingernails again?” Jolene asked eagerly.
“If you like.”
“Can we talk about girl things?”
“Sure.”
Jolene sounded happier now. “I’ll get my dad.”
A moment later, Bruce got on the line. “Jolene phoned you?” he said in a curt voice.
“Yes, but I was planning to get in touch anyway. She saved me the phone call. I’d enjoy spending another afternoon with Jolene. It seemed to do her good—and me, too, for that matter.”
He hesitated. “I thought you might bid for me.”
Now Bruce was going to harass her about that, too? “You told me you weren’t interested in dating,” she said as calmly as she could.
“I’m not—just forget it, all right?”
Gladly! Talk about mixed messages. Bruce couldn’t have made his feelings any more obvious; he didn’t want to get involved—and that was fine with Rachel. “Can I see Jolene?”
“Yeah, sure, that would be great.”
They set up a day and time, and Rachel hung up the phone, more confused than ever. She must have had a puzzled expression on her face because Terri came over to stare at her.
“What’s with you?” she asked, one hand on her ample hip. “You look like a feather would bowl you
over.”
“Bruce Peyton wants to know why I didn’t bid on him.” Even as she spoke, she was astounded that he’d brought it up.
“Don’t worry about it,” Terri advised. “You choose your own dates.”
Rachel made an effort to put Bruce out of her mind. As far as she could tell, he was a lost cause, and she was through with throwing her life away on dead-end relationships.
That Friday night, Rachel arrived at The Lighthouse ten minutes before she was meeting Nate. She sat on the bench in the foyer, waiting nervously.
She wasn’t quite sure why she’d plunked down her hard-earned tip money on him. She suspected it was because the auction was almost over and she hadn’t made a single bid. Terri and Jane had both bid on men, but had lost out each time. Rachel felt that at least one of the girls from the salon should “score a bachelor,” as Terri put it.
But by the end of the evening, Terri was more interested in drinking Fuzzy Navels than bidding on dogs and bachelors. Jane figured she might as well save her money. And Karen Redfern, a married friend from high school, just wanted a dog.
Then Nate Olsen had stepped onto the platform, walking a lovely and self-assured little spaniel who was destined to become Karen’s dog. Bruce was navy and apparently a warrant officer, whatever that was. Although Cedar Cove was basically a navy town, being so close to the Bremerton shipyard, Rachel wasn’t too familiar with military life.
She tried to remember what she could of their brief conversation that night. He was a nice-looking man. Trim, tall with dark hair and pleasant features. She’d especially noticed his piercing blue eyes.
Rachel glanced up, and those very eyes were looking at her. He was dressed casually in slacks and a short-sleeve shirt and nothing like she remembered. Tall, yes, but blond, not dark-haired. The eyes she had right—a brilliant blue. The nice-looking part was accurate, too, as far as it went. Only she didn’t recall him being this attractive. And so young. He must be just out of high school. Good grief, she’d robbed the cradle!
Swallowing her disappointment, she stood, came forward and held out her hand. “Rachel Pendergast, in case you’d forgotten.” Her surname was easy to mispronounce.
“Hello, Rachel.” His smile dazzled her.
On second glance, he might still be in high school. She had to restrain herself not to ask if he was over eighteen. Oh, no, what had she gotten herself into now?
“I can seat you immediately,” the hostess said, carrying two menus. “If you’ll follow me.”
Rachel was convinced every eye in the room was on Nate and her. He was so young. How could she have missed that at the auction? It must’ve been awfully dark in there—or those margaritas had impaired her vision. Well, thirty wasn’t that old, but at the moment she felt like she could be his mother.
They were shown to a table by the window with a lovely view. Early-evening sunlight played on the sparkling water and the lighthouse in the distance looked downright romantic. Rachel studied the menu and tried hard to think of a conversation-starter. Working with the public she’d never found that a problem. Now she felt distracted, as if she’d become a spectacle for the entire restaurant, sitting there with her date. Her young date. The guy she’d had to buy at an auction.
Finally she couldn’t bear not knowing. Lowering the menu she gazed across the table at Nate. “I’m sorry if this is rude, but I need to ask you something. Just how old are you?”
Nate gave her a charming grin. “Twenty-five.”
Instantly she felt worlds better. Five years—that wasn’t so bad.
“How old are you?” he asked in return.
“Thirty. I’ve never been married, no kids and I’m a nail tech—which used to be called a manicurist—and hair stylist.”
“Never been married either. No kids.” He added hesitantly, “In fairness, I should tell you I’m seeing someone else.”
Okay, so she’d blown three hundred bucks on another woman’s boyfriend, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy the evening. Still, she wondered why he’d agreed to be part of the auction if he was seriously involved with someone.
“What about you?”
Rachel shook her head. She hadn’t gone to the Dog and Bachelor Auction because she had a burning desire to donate to charity. Well, she did have a soft spot in her heart for animals. But that hadn’t been the driving force that had led her to the auction.
“I didn’t mean to mislead you.”
“You didn’t.” He was certainly straightforward enough. Almost the first words out of his mouth had been to inform her that there was someone in his life. They talked briefly about this woman, who was from his hometown of Fresno.
They both had the night’s special, grilled Pacific salmon, which was as delicious as she’d expected it to be. Although she was technically supposed to pick up the bill, Nate insisted on paying. He escorted her back to her car and then surprised her by asking, “Would you like to walk along the waterfront?”
She agreed, and they strolled side by side toward the marina. He walked with his hands clasped behind his back.
“What’s going on over there?” he asked, nodding toward the Waterfront Park.
“I don’t know. Want to check it out?”
He shrugged. “Sure.”
It didn’t take Rachel long to realize it was a wedding party. From a distance they watched the bride and groom exchange their vows. The sun had begun to set, sinking in the glorious blue sky, casting shreds of sunlight across the surface of the water.
For reasons she didn’t understand, tears filled Rachel’s eyes. If Nate saw, she’d be mortified. She barely knew this man and she’d probably never see him again. Really, there was no reason for them to continue dating. He was involved. She was older. This was it, the beginning and the end of their relationship.
“Rachel?”
He turned her to face him, hands on her shoulders. His frown told her he was both confused and concerned. “What’s wrong?”
“I always cry at weddings,” she said apologetically, making light of her tears. They fell unrestrained down her face. And yet she wasn’t actually a woman prone to tears. Not until that moment, at any rate. Lowering her head, she wiped them from her cheeks, furious with herself. “Sorry.”
Without a word, Nate took her in his arms. He didn’t say anything, didn’t make soothing sounds. All he did was hold her. It’d been so long since a man had touched her with such gentleness, such kindness, that she wasn’t sure how to respond.
Looking up at him was a mistake because she discovered that he was staring at her. Then they were kissing. Rachel had no idea who kissed whom first. One thing quickly became evident: What Nate lacked in years he made up for in experience. The man knew how to kiss. His mouth moved seductively over hers in a way that sent goose bumps shooting down her arms. He kissed her as if she were the sweetest thing he’d ever known; he savored her, relished her.
When he lifted his mouth from hers, Rachel’s knees were so weak she felt she might collapse in a puddle at his feet. Caught in the sheer wonder of their kiss, she kept her eyes closed.
Thankfully he didn’t apologize or make excuses, nor did he seem inclined to explain.
When she felt her composure returning, Rachel opened her eyes. “That was…very nice.”
“Yes, it was,” Nate whispered, then cleared his throat. “I’ll walk you to your car now.”
She nodded. One again she’d been wrong; she hadn’t wasted her money. His kiss was worth every penny of the three hundred dollars she’d paid for this evening’s date.
All the way back to the restaurant, Nate remained speechless. So did she. The truth was, Rachel didn’t know what to say.
She led him to her car and got out her keys. “I had a lovely evening, Nate. Thank you.”
He placed his palm against her cheek. “I did, too. But I don’t think it’s a good idea to see each other again.”
“I understand.”
“The thing is, I want to.”
> Rachel was careful not to meet his eyes, otherwise he’d be able to tell how badly she wanted to see him, too. “Life is like that sometimes.”
“I know.” His words were filled with regret.
She climbed into her car and backed out of her parking spot, hands a little shaky on the steering wheel. Driving off, she saw Nate in her rearview mirror. He stood in the lot, just stood there, watching her. Rachel felt a sense of melancholy as she pulled onto the street and headed home.
Apparently romance just wasn’t for her. Damn, damn, damn!
Twenty-Eight
Maryellen’s assistant, Lois Habbersmith, arrived at the Harbor Street Gallery shortly before noon. Grateful for the opportunity to escape, Maryellen grabbed the unopened letter and stuffed it in her skirt pocket.
“Lois, I’m going for a walk.”
The other woman glanced at her in surprise. Maryellen almost always ate at her desk, grabbing a bite here and there between customers. With the summer half over, tourist traffic was at its peak and the gallery staff was often swamped.
“I won’t be long,” Maryellen promised. All she needed was a few uninterrupted minutes to read the letter. The moment she’d seen the return address, she’d known. The older couple who’d visited two weeks earlier and asked so many questions about Jon were his father and stepmother. Maryellen had suspected it then. Now she was sure.
As soon as she could, Maryellen left the gallery and walked down to the waterfront park. She slipped onto a picnic bench at the gazebo, removing the envelope from her pocket. For a long moment she stared at it, deciding that the sharply slanted handwriting was more likely a man’s than a woman’s.
Maryellen’s hand trembled as she ripped open the envelope and pulled out a single typed sheet. Glancing at the first paragraph, she could see she’d been correct; his father was the one who’d written.