The sleek, black limousine pulled up to the Seattle Club’s entryway. Annie had put in a lot of time getting ready. Knowing Sam would be there with some other woman, she was determined not to feel inferior. Her dress fit perfectly and hugged her in all the right places. It was a light turquoise that almost matched the color of her eyes. The bodice was tightfitting but made of a stretchy material that meant it was ultra-comfortable. It hit just above the knee, and she’d miraculously found shoes in almost the same shade.
Beckie and her mom, Jan, were also dressed to the nines, and their excitement for a night out was infectious. The three of them had a drink in the limo and were feeling light and happy. They were helped from the car by the handsome chauffeur and made their way to the ballroom and found their assigned seats.
Everything was top of the line. Servers dressed in tuxedos floated around with trays of champagne and gourmet hors d’oeuvres. The food was so fancy Annie couldn’t even tell what anything was. She was used to pigs in a blanket and Bud Lights.
She’d never been drawn to expensive, ornate things. It had always seemed like a waste of money, but tonight, with everything and everyone sparkling, she could see the allure. It made her feel regal and important. As tempting as it was to dream about what a life living like these folks would be like, she refocused. Her goal for the night was to help Beckie and Jan have a great time. She wanted them to forget all the health stuff and money woes. She wanted them pampered.
It had been almost three weeks since Jan’s last chemo treatment, so she was feeling good and walking on her own. She had a silk scarf wrapped around her bald head, but no reason to feel self-conscious. Because this was a fundraiser for cancer research, there were several ladies with the same type of wrap, no doubt going through the same thing Jan was. When they found their table, one of those ladies was already sitting and warmly welcomed Jan. They hit it off immediately.
Annie was too focused on getting Jan settled to notice the other guests but felt the instant Sam arrived. As if drawn to his very presence, she looked up and found him immediately. He was talking with another man and had a gorgeous, leggy brunette on his arm. She was wearing a simple little black dress but rocked it so completely that Annie suddenly felt like she was wearing a potato sack.
She knew this was coming and was grateful to Sam for warning her, but she still wasn’t prepared for the onslaught of negative feelings that fell on her like a ton of bricks. All the old insecurities came flooding back. She wasn’t good enough for Sam. This was his life. He was used to the glitz and glamor. She was not. He wore his tuxedo like a second skin and not only looked damn good in it, but comfortable. He must go to events like this all the time. Five thousand dollars was chump change to him. He’d probably donate a lot more before the night was over.
She, on the other hand, would savor every morsel of food and every second of the night as a luxurious experience she’d never had.
Hanging out with him in private she hadn’t noticed it, but seeing him here, in his element, it became painfully obvious. They were from two different worlds, and she didn’t know if she’d ever fit in. Even with all her self-improvements, she was still way out of his league. Shaking her head, she refocused.
Beckie, dressed in a red sheath dress, looked beautiful and as happy as Annie had ever seen her. Annie was grateful Sam had given them this opportunity and was determined to make it memorable for them.
“You wanna mingle a bit before we get settled?” she asked Beckie. “Your mom looks like she’ll be fine here.” Jan was chatting it up with her new friend.
“This is so awesome,” Beckie replied in awe. “I feel like we stepped into a Gatsby movie.”
“Yes, isn’t it crazy to think people live like this?”
You could spot the newbies from a mile away. Eyes wide, mouths gaping at the opulence. The old-timers were used to the service and the food and drinks. They laughed jovially, sipping their martinis and gossiping casually.
“Do you think we should talk to Mr. MacDonald?” Beckie asked. “I want to thank him, but don’t want to bother him. Wow, that woman he’s with is stunning.”
That stung, but Annie didn’t let on. “Let’s just play that by ear,” she hedged. “How about we go look at the silent auction items?” She led Beckie to the back of the room, where they perused all the extravagant trips and gift baskets. The prices were already way out of their price range, but it was fun to look. Lunch with the Seahawks quarterback, a trip for two to Hawaii, an afternoon being catered to on someone’s yacht, and a diamond necklace were just some of the donated items.
“You gonna bid on anything?” Beckie whispered.
“Uh, no. I’d love to be able to help, but I’ll never be able to outbid these folks.”
“Hey, look at this. Lunch with Mr. MacDonald is on this one,” she exclaimed. “That’s so cool of him to donate his time.”
“What? Let me see.” Annie moved to check the list and saw that the bid was already at ten thousand dollars. Geez, Louise. While she was gawking, Sam’s elegant, superhuman date glided over to where they were standing.
“Is this where I purchase Sam MacDonald?” she asked haughtily, looking down her nose at them.
“Oh, yes. Excuse us,” Annie said as she inched a little to her right, pretending to look at the next bidding sheet.
“I know what I’d do with him for an afternoon,” said the woman with a slight slur. “And it wouldn’t be lunch, if you know what I mean.” She snickered as she made her bid. Annie resisted the urge to mark her territory and tell her just how unbelievable it would be. She knew she had no right to be jealous, but the green juice coursed through her veins anyway.
Annie glanced at the paper and saw that the woman’s name was Stephanie and that she’d bid twenty thousand dollars—ten thousand more than the previous bid.
“That should do it,” Stephanie said, dropping the pen. “Let’s see someone top that.”
She walked away without waiting for a response or even looking at them.
Once she was out of sight, Annie picked up the pen and wrote an even higher number.
“What are you doing?” Beckie asked, horrified. “I thought you couldn’t afford this.”
“Oh, I have no intention of winning,” Annie said with a smirk. “I’ll just up the bid a little to make her pay more.”
Beckie looked scandalized.
“People do it all the time,” Annie said. “It’s how to make more money.”
Beckie looked down at the paper and gasped. “A little more?” she exclaimed. “You call ten thousand dollars a little more?”
“She looks like she can afford it. And besides, it’s for a good cause. Shall we head to the restroom before dinner starts?” Beckie nodded and followed Annie out to the lobby.
The ladies’ room was the most elegant Annie had ever seen. Thick carpet lined a sitting room the size of her living room. An ornate chandelier hung majestically above several plush chairs. They walked through the room to the stalls.
Afterward, an attendant squirted soap directly into their hands and handed them a towel after they washed. It probably made patrons feel fawned over, but Annie couldn’t help but think it was also a sneaky way to make sure everyone used soap.
She reapplied her lipstick and smoothed her hair. She’d had it styled into an elegant up-do which apparently required no less than ten thousand bobby pins. Most of which were poking her in the head.
She was putting her lipstick back in her purse when Sam’s date entered. She stumbled a little over the threshold but caught herself before falling.
“Oops.” She giggled to herself. She swayed a little as she walked over to one of the mirrors and dabbed at her makeup. Annie watched her glance over both shoulders before taking a silver flask out of her clutch and throwing back a swig. Apparently, Annie and Beckie weren’t significant enough to hide from.
Annie and Beckie hustled out and, in their hurry, almost ran into Sam, who was waiting dutifully outside the door.<
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“Oh, hey.” Annie feigned casualness. “Fancy meeting you here.”
Sam leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. She supposed that was how all rich people greeted each other so no one would think twice about it. He seemed to linger and squeezed her arm.
“You both look lovely,” he said sincerely.
“Oh, Mr. MacDonald. I’m so glad we ran into you. I wanted to thank you for the tickets. I haven’t seen my mother this excited for anything in a very long time. It was all she could talk about all week. And she’s already made a new friend.”
“I’m glad,” Sam said. “Where are you seated? Did you get a good table?”
“Oh, yes. We’re off to the side but close to the front,” Beckie said. “We saw that you are one of the auction items too. That’s very generous of you to donate your time.”
“That was all Phillip. I’m hoping I go to someone who has a meaningful purpose.” He glanced at Annie and raised both eyebrows.
“I think your date has made plans already,” Annie said.
“Yeah, that’s what I’m afraid of.”
Stephanie exited the restroom and joined them. She was sucking on a breath mint, but the underlying smell of booze was unmistakable.
“Sam, thanks for waiting. You’re a doll,” she cooed as she ran a hand up and down his arm possessively.
Sam shot Annie a look of irritation.
It was all Annie could do not to push her away and shout, He’s mine, you lush. She was jealous but had no right to be, so she excused herself and Beckie and made her way back to the table.
“You look so beautiful tonight, Beckie. There’s something different about you.” Annie squinted as if she could figure it out by looking harder.
Beckie blushed but smiled brightly. “Well, I wasn’t going to say anything, but I’ve met someone,” she whispered. “A man.”
“That’s fantastic!” Annie exclaimed. “Tell me all about it.”
Beckie told her all about John, who was in finance and worked in their building. They’d only had coffee and spoken a few times on the phone, but he was very interested in her and especially her work.
“I’m thrilled for you, Beckie. He must be a smart man.” Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Stephanie going back to the auction table and huffing and puffing over the new price she would have to pay for Sam.
Annie smiled, and as soon as Stephanie left the table, excused herself, saying she’d be right back. She snuck over to the table where Sam’s bidding sheet was and quickly jotted a new, even higher number and then hightailed it back to the table. Stephanie had gone up another ten thousand dollars! Obviously, this woman intended to pay whatever she had to for Sam. Annie had upped the bid again, deciding that if Stephanie was hellbent on having Sam, she would top Annie’s bid again soon. May as well help make as much money as possible.
“Did you just bid again?” Beckie asked. “You are so bad.” She laughed just as they announced that everyone should be seated as dinner would be served shortly.
Annie, Beckie, and Jan had a lively time with their tablemates, most of whom were pushing eighty, but still very full of life. A few were cancer survivors which, Annie noticed, Jan seemed to latch on to. She asked all sorts of questions about their treatments and what worked and what didn’t. Their stories seemed to give her hope.
“A lot of it is mental, honey,” one of the women said to Jan. “You have to know you’ll beat it. You can’t have any doubts. Just think of your girls and tell the cancer it will not win. You have things to do yet.”
“Are you talking about the law of attraction?” Annie asked. Along her self-improvement journey, she’d learned about the philosophy of affirmations and the law of attraction and how they could be used to heal oneself. “I have some books on that if you’re interested, Jan.”
“That would be wonderful,” Jan replied. “It seems like all I hear from the doctors or read about my cancer is negative. I could use some positive input.”
“I think you’ll benefit from reading them,” the older woman put in. “Certainly can’t hurt anyway.”
Just as dessert was served, the lights dimmed, and the presentation began. The program was a lot like the few fundraisers Annie had been to. A lot of thanking. First everyone involved in putting on the event, then all those who donated items for the auction, and finally, all those who had taken the time to attend and donate money to the cause.
Next came a very moving speech by a cancer survivor who attributed his survival to the money this group had raised. When he was through, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.
Finally, the last call for the silent auction was made, and they gave everyone five minutes to place their final bids. Annie looked over at Sam’s table and noticed Stephanie was absent. She’d probably gone to make one last bid. Sam wasn’t going to be cheap. Annie chuckled to herself, feeling rather mischievous.
When everyone was seated again, the announcer called for the volunteers to collect the bid sheets. They announced each item, who donated it, who won, and the winning bid.
“I can only imagine having so much money that I could give that much away!” said Beckie.
“Yeah, me too. Goals, right?” Annie said, and Beckie nodded.
When they got to the afternoon with Sam, Beckie gave Annie a devious smile. “I wonder how much that woman will have to pay for Sam. No thanks to you.” She giggled.
“Lunch with Sam MacDonald, donated by Sam MacDonald.” The announcer paused while the audience laughed. “Winning bid was fifty thousand dollars, and the winning bidder is A. O’Neill.”
Annie’s mouth dropped open, and Beckie gasped. Oh, shit. What happened to Stephanie? The spotlight swung around to her, and she quickly closed her mouth, smiled, and gave a little wave.
She caught Sam’s eye. He smiled and mouthed the words, Thank you.
After the last item was announced and everyone was thanked one last time, the room erupted in clanging dishes and people chatting. Sam made his way over to Annie’s table.
“What happened to your date?” Annie asked, wondering why the hell she’d stopped bidding.
“She wasn’t feeling well and left early,” Sam said.
“Shall I interpret that to mean she got drunk and couldn’t sit through dinner?”
“Something like that,” he said. “I’m gonna kill Phil. Thanks for bidding on me. I did not want to have to be at Stephanie’s mercy for an afternoon.” He lowered his voice. “I’d much rather be at yours. When can we start?”
“About that. Can I borrow fifty thousand dollars?” she deadpanned.
He laughed out loud until she finally joined in. “Yes,” he choked out. “I’ll have Phil take care of the bill. It’s worth the fifty K to not have to spend another second with that woman.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“So the first date was a bust. We’ll let the matchmaker know no more lushes,” Phil said as he dropped into his usual spot on Sam’s office couch.
“Or, how ‘bout we nix the whole matchmaker thing?” Sam asked and then thought better of it. “I’m sorry. That came out as a question, and I didn’t mean it that way. Nix the whole matchmaker thing.”
“At least give it one more chance,” Phil tried.
“Nah. I’m good.” Sam sat in his usual chair opposite Phil.
“Annabelle?” Phil guessed.
“What? No, we’re just friends.” Sam looked down as he said it. He knew he’d all but admitted that he was seeing her during their conversation last week and that Phil undoubtedly assumed he was dating her. Should he just come clean? It would be nice to be able to talk about Annie freely. While he was considering it, Phil dropped a bombshell.
“Joseph finally got back to me.”
“I know that look. Bad news. What?” Sam hated it when Phil prolonged bad news. Just rip the Band-Aid off for God’s sake.
“Her husband just got out of prison after serving a three-year term for manslaughter.”
“Her ex-husband,” S
am corrected. Was that all he had?
“I don’t think so,” Phil said hesitantly. “Joseph doesn’t do sloppy work, and he says she’s still married. I could have him double-check.”
“Whatever.” Sam knew Joseph must be wrong, but what if he wasn’t? Phil was right. Joseph didn’t do sloppy work. “Anything else?”
“Well, her parents live in a trailer park and depend on welfare as their only income. According to Joseph, they are perfectly able-bodied, just choose not to work.”
“That’s her family. People are estranged from their families all the time. From what I understand, she doesn’t talk to hers much.” He knew he was giving information that he would only know if he’d been spending time with her, but felt the need to defend Annie.
“Sure. Yeah, I get that. I just hope the apple fell far enough from the tree. I’d hate for this to be some big scheme for money or something.” Phil was coming off like he was simply passing on information, but Sam knew he had a motive for everything. He was trying to plant seeds of doubt in Sam’s mind. “So, it sounds like you have been seeing her. How’s it going?”
“None of your business. I’m still pissed you went behind my back on this,” Sam said.
“I’m just looking out for you, man. That’s one of the things you pay me for.”
“I don’t remember spying on women I may or may not be seeing as part of your job description,” Sam countered.
“Fine. That’s a service I’m doing free of charge because you’re my friend then.” Phil smiled. “Believe it or not, I care about you.”
“Don’t try to suck up to me,” Sam said, softening. Phil didn’t mean any harm. It wasn’t his fault he had to tell Sam some potentially bad news. And he had told Phil to go ahead with it. No sense in getting pissed off. Now he was more curious than ever about Annie’s marital status.
“Go ahead and have Joseph double-check the marriage thing. I’d need to know about that. Find out what you can about her husband, or ex-husband, too.”
Catching Sam: Book 2 of 5: The MacDonald Brothers Page 13