Robert turned to Jake and flexed his arms in a sign of triumph. The audience erupted in laughter, and Robert walked off the stage, beaming.
Jake tugged at his collar as he stepped forward on the stage. Debbie was the first to bid on him.
Amy bid a few times, her spaghetti roiling in her stomach as Ben continued to watch her. When the bidding approached a thousand dollars, a woman again asked if they could bid as a group. Jake readily agreed. When the bidding reached fifteen hundred, Debbie made it clear she was not going to lose out on Jake too.
“Three thousand dollars!” Debbie shouted, on her feet now.
A collective gasp rose from the crowd, followed by a hush. The auctioneer raised his hand high in the air. “Three thousand dollars! Going once. Going twice. Sold!” He slapped his hand down on the podium. “Three thousand dollars for Jake Winters!”
The crowd cheered as Jake left the stage. A flush crept up his neck to the tips of his ears, and he scratched the back of his neck. Robert loved this kind of thing, but the attention clearly made Jake uncomfortable. Not to mention the fact he had to take Widow Wheeler out on a date.
A twinge of guilt tugged at Amy. This was all her fault.
As the cheering died down, a warm breath tickled Amy’s ear, sending a flutter through her body. “Don’t let me down.”
She turned to see Ben stand and walked toward the makeshift stage. A hush fell over the gym as Ben climbed the steps. He talked to the auctioneer in hushed tones. Then the auctioneer stepped back to the microphone.
“Folks, we have one more bachelor who has decided to help raise some money tonight. Please welcome Ben Young to the stage.”
Applause filled the gym.
“That’s not fair. I want to bid again.” Debbie waved her paddle in the air.
Ben stood, his feet shoulder-width apart, hands clasped in front of him, his eyes never leaving Amy.
Self-consciously, she dropped her gaze to the table. There in front of her, where her plate used to be, sat a gold wedding band. Her gaze flew to Ben.
Sure enough, the ring finger of his left hand showed a faint white line.
Heart pounding, she picked up the ring.He’s ready to move on.
Amy had done a lot of soul searching the past two weeks, and a few nights ago—after Cassey called herMommy—she’d come to the realization that no matter how hard she tried, she’d never be perfect. Yes, she made mistakes, but she was a good mom, doing the best she could for her daughter.
The last few weeks working at the diner had reminded her she was an awesome waitress. She was also shaping up to be a great pastry chef, thanks to Charity’s tutelage. Her mother may have never loved her, and Lance wasn’t capable of loving anyone but himself, but that didn’t mean Amy wasn’t lovable. She’d just needed to learn to love herself first.
That meant taking care of her own needs.
And she needed Ben to know how much she loved him.
Amy’s pulse quickened and heat filled her cheeks under Ben’s unwavering gaze, but she didn’t care. She raised her paddle again and again.
So did several of the women who had lost out on the other bachelors.
As the bidding passed three hundred dollars, Amy’s palms grew damp.Will Ben be disappointed if I don’t win the date with him?
She wanted to win. She wanted to go out with Ben. More importantly, she wanted him to know how badly she wanted to go out with him. She’d pay every penny she had to let everyone know.
She leaned over to Hope. “I only brought five hundred dollars with me. If I bid higher, can I pay it later?”
“Yes, yes. I’ll even lend you the money if I need to. Whatever you do, don’t let anyone outbid you.”
A silly grin split Amy’s face. She was glad Hope was on her side.
Amy’s stomach tightened as the bidding passed four hundred dollars. This would wipe out her meager savings. She wouldn’t be able to afford her own apartment for some time now.
She raised her paddle again.I don’t want to move out, anyway.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Robert turn to the woman who had become her main competitor and wave his hand under his chin as though to telling her to stop. Then a loud whisper meant for the same lady came from another table. “Let Amy win!”
