But he’d won. He could check off another item on his brother’s bucket list—the bucket list he’d promised to complete, no matter the personal cost.
And yet, despite his victory, a heavy weight settled in his stomach like an anchor burdened with regret. Regret he’d never escape. Regret he deserved to carry for the rest of his life.
The room reverberated with hushed rumblings, and he could almost see the gossip column being written in real time.
After ruthlessly abandoning his longtime girlfriend without so much as a goodbye, Flynn Cahill is back in town to break her heart, yet again.
“And there we have it.” Herman lifted his gavel, yanking Flynn’s thoughts from his fictitious headline. “Twenty-five thousand, going once. Going twice.”
Flynn braced himself for the bang of the gavel—a sound that would now be bittersweet. Why did his competition have to be Sage, of all people? Didn’t they already have enough emotional baggage surrounding sailboats?
“And sol—” Herman’s hand froze midair when someone at the front of the room loudly cleared their throat.
Flynn couldn’t make out the person’s identity behind a wall of frilly oversize hats, but he secretly wanted to thank the interrupter for stalling. He needed more time to figure out his next move. Giving up the boat wasn’t an option. He owed it to his brother. But he didn’t want to hurt Sage. Not again.
What other choice did he have?
Herman stepped off the stage and stooped, his palm cupped to his ear, presumably to make out what this mysterious person was saying.
Herman’s eyes widened, then he nodded, bobbing his head of silver-streaked hair. With a dazed expression, he padded back to the stage.
Flynn’s pulse raced, picking up speed with each step Herman took.
Okay. Time’s up. What are you going to do?
How many times had he watched his dad make the tough calls, unflinching? How many times had his father chastised him for lacking the killer instinct? He’d spent his entire adult life trying to measure up—to fill his perfect brother’s shoes. He couldn’t wimp out now.
“Well, ladies and gentlemen,” Herman said slowly, “we’ve had a rather unorthodox turn of events.”
A chair squeaked, and someone in the front row stood.What in the world?Flynn did a double take, dumbfounded. The man wore a three-piece suit, felt fedora, oversize sunglasses, and a long silk scarf wrapped around his neck, partially covering his face. The quirky dresser had to be Mackensie. The guy had a flair for the unusual.
More whispers and murmurs skittered through the air.
Flynn fixed his gaze on Herman, his teeth gritted.Come on. Let’s get this over with already.
“I’m afraid this concludes today’s auction.” Herman rapped his gavel on the podium. “Thank you for attending. Please see my assistant, Mabel, to collect your items.”
“Wait a minute,” Flynn called out as townspeople scrambled from their seats. “What about my sailboat?”
The second the words left his mouth, he felt Sage’s glare bore through him.Welp. If he had any doubts before, they were gone now. She definitely still hated him. Probably even more than before, now that he’d outbid her. Could he blame her?
He’d thought about calling her over the years, to try to explain, to apologize. But how could he tell her the truth?No way.He couldn’t cross that bridge. Not then. Not now. Not ever.
Even if it meant she’d loathe him forever, he couldn’t tell her what really happened that night.
The night his brother died.
It suddenly felt like a large stone had wedged in his throat. He tried to swallow, but strangely, had forgotten how.
Wait. Was Herman talking to him?
“If you and Miss Harper would please join me in the back office for a bit more privacy.”
“Me?” she asked, as if there was another woman named Sage Harper. As if there could ever be another woman in the world like her.
“Yes, mademoiselle.” Herman turned to him and added with the same ridiculous formality, “Monsieur, if you’d please follow me.”
The guy wasn’t French. Or British, for that matter. But at this moment, Flynn didn’t care. Herman could speak to him in Pig Latin as long as the words translated toHere’s the title to your new boat. He had to get out of there—and away from Sage—as soon as possible. The longer he stayed in her presence, the more disoriented he felt. He’d actually forgotten how toswallow. He couldn’t get more pathetic than that.
