Page 70 of The Encounter
“Have your eyes on anything special?” Samantha asked, nodding a head toward the tables as they were quickly approaching the front of the line.
“Just browsing,” Jace replied.
“Haven’t you already seen all the auction items since your foundation is sponsoring the event?”
Jace shrugged. “To an extent. I’ve heard what some items are, but my team took care of most of that. I helped with the larger, live auction items and securing more sponsors.”
Samantha pulled out a notebook, but before she could ask another question, Jace held up a hand.
“I’m not interested in being interviewed at this time. As I said, I would like to enjoy the evening with my girlfriend.”
“But as a sponsor of the event, it’s your job to give me an interview.” She raised an eyebrow as if she had trapped Jace with that comment.
He smiled. “Actually, it’s not. If you’d like to interview someone, any member of the board would be willing. You’re welcome to visit our table to question one of them. Have a great evening, Samantha.”
And with that, Jace turned his back on her. Maddie bit back a smile as they approached the first set of items. They were smaller items—photography packages donated by local photographers, children’s clothing baskets put together by various donors, baskets of various items from local retail stores, among other things.
Maddie took her time walking along and reading the descriptions of items, wondering if there would ever be a time when she could find something to donate. Her marketing brain immediately switched to the thought of giving Kailynn more promotion by donating a dress or custom design. She filed the mental note away to discuss with Kailynn later.
They turned the corner to the next set of tables weaving around the small area, and Maddie stopped.
A small teardrop necklace with a diamond and an amethyst surrounded by yellow gold was on display—donated by a local jeweler. Her thoughts immediately flashed to her mother. She wore a necklace that Maddie swore was identical to this one. It was something Maddie always loved, but she could never find it among her mother’s belongings after her parents passed away. She never knew what happened to it. It hadn’t turned up at the crash site either.
She had searched different jewelers for a necklace that looked similar, but hadn’t found one. When she got quotes to have one made, it had always been far out of her budget. She always told herself if she ever made enough to get ahead on bills, her first purchase would be that necklace. But, miraculously, this one was perfect.
She ran her hand down the silent auction bid to find it was worth over eight hundred dollars, which was still much cheaper than what she had been quoted. The description said they made it special for this auction and was one-of-a-kind for this jeweler.
The bids were already up to five hundred with a twenty-five dollar minimum increase between bids. Maddie took hold of the pen and took a deep breath, her hands shaking, before writing her name next to the dollar value the necklace was worth, hoping that no one would try to outbid her since she bid well above the last bid. She was already spending far more than she should be. Mentally, she rearranged some of her expenses, hoping if she cut a few items off her grocery list and skipped some of her weekly coffees, that maybe she could pay it off without adding to her credit card debt.
“There are only three minutes remaining in the silent auction. Put in your bids now,” the emcee’s voice rang out over the speakers.
She set the pen down and walked away with Jace, looking at the last table of items they hadn’t seen yet. If she could have bought the necklace outright at the take-home price of fifteen hundred, she would have. But even the eight hundred dollar price was stretching her thin.
“That is a pretty necklace,” Jace said.
Maddie smiled up at him. “It is.”
She considered telling him the special meaning behind it but was worried she’d burst into tears at the memory of her mom. Her heart ached. The necklace would make her feel like she had a piece of her mom with her again.
She glanced back toward where the necklace was, but the swarm of people in the silent auction area was too big for her to see it. She craned her neck, but still couldn’t tell if anyone was outbidding her.
“Five, four, three, two, one,” the emcee counted down, and then the silent auction closed. Employees of the event came from several directions, pulling the top sheet of paper off the bidding table, leaving behind the carbon copy showing each winner they had circled.
Maddie stood back and waited for the crowd to thin before she looked up at Jace and smiled.
Here goes nothing.
She took his hand and walked back toward the necklace, praying, hoping that her name would be circled.
Samantha stepped in front of them and smirked. “Better luck next time.” And then she walked away.
Maddie’s eyes widened, and she took the last few steps to the table to find that Samantha had outbid her by the minimum bid increase. Her hands clenched, and she momentarily forgot she was holding onto Jace and had squeezed his hand in a vice-like grip.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
She dropped his hand and stepped away from him. “Yes, I’m sorry. Excuse me for a moment while I use the restroom.”
Before waiting for a response, she walked away. Her eyes grew bleary, and she tried her hardest not to stumble in her high heels as she made her way to the restroom as quickly as she could. She pushed out of the ballroom and into the hallway, taking a deep breath and pushing her tears back. She smiled at the other women leaving the restroom before she stepped in herself and found an empty stall.
