Hidden Pleasures - Brenda Jackson [12]
She kept her eyes straight ahead on the auctioneer and didn’t bother looking back to see who the other bidders were. That was another rule. Keep your eyes on the prize and not your opponents.
“We have a bid of fifty-two thousand. Do I hear fifty-three?”
She lifted her hand. “Fifty-three.”
“We have a fifty-three. What about fifty-five?”
“Fifty-five.”
Brittany couldn’t resist looking sideways and saw a short, stocky man had made the bid. A nervousness settled in the pit of her stomach at the thought that the man wanted her house.
“We’ve got fifty-five. Do I hear fifty-seven?”
She lifted her hand. “Fifty-seven.”
“The lady’s bid is fifty-seven. Do I hear a sixty?”
“Seventy.”
Brittany gasped under her breath at the high jump. Her approval letter was for a hundred thousand. She’d figured since the taxes were less than that it would be sufficient. Now she practically squirmed in her seat.
“We have seventy. Do I hear a seventy-two?”
She raised her hand. “Seventy-two.” There were only two people left bidding, and she wondered how far the man would go in his bids.
She couldn’t help but turn at that moment and regard the man. He flashed a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. He wanted her house and—
“We have seventy-two. Can we get a seventy-five?” the auctioneer interrupted her thoughts by asking.
“Seventy-five,” the man quickly spoke up.
The room got silent and she knew why. They had reached the amount of the taxes that were due, but the auctioneer would continue until someone had placed the highest bid.
“We have seventy-five. Can we get eighty?”
Galen sighed, getting bored. The bidding for this particular house could go on all evening and he was ready for it to come to an end. It was obvious to everyone in the room that both of the two lone bidders wanted the house and would continue until someone conceded. He seriously doubted either would.
“We have eighty-six. Can we get an eighty-eight?” the auctioneer asked.
The short, stocky man raised his hand at eighty-eight.
“Can we get ninety?”
Brittany raised her hand. “Ninety.” She had sent a text message to her banker for an updated approval letter asking for an increase but hadn’t gotten a response. What if he was out of the office and hadn’t gotten her request? She couldn’t let anyone else get her house.
She glanced across the room at the man bidding against her. He appeared as determined as she was to keep bidding.
“We have ninety. Can we get ninety-two?”
“Two hundred thousand dollars.”
Everyone in the room, including Brittany and the short, stocky man gasped. Even the auctioneer seemed surprised. Brittany closed her eyes feeling her only connection to her mother slipping away and a part of her couldn’t believe it was happening.
“We have a bid of two hundred thousand dollars from the man in the back. Do we have two-ten?” No one said anything. Both Brittany and the short, stocky man were still speechless.
“Going once, going twice. Sold! The house has been sold to the man in the rear. And I suggest we all take a fifteen-minute break.”
The people around her started getting up, but Brittany just sat there. She couldn’t believe what had just happened. She had lost her mother’s house. Her house.
She glanced over at the short, stocky man and he seemed just as disappointed as she felt. He nodded in her direction before he and the man he was with got up and walked out. The room was practically empty now with everyone taking advantage of the break. There was nothing left for her to do but leave. However, she couldn’t help wondering the identity of the individual who had won her house. She really needed to get that person’s name and if nothing else, hopefully she could negotiate with him to purchase her mother’s belongings and—
“Fancy running into you again.”
With so much weighing heavily on her mind, it took Brittany