“What else could she possibly want?”
Pepper leaned in close to Sarah. “I think she’s trying to fix me up with Grant.”
At that, Sarah laughed and patted Pepper on the shoulder. “That means you’re in trouble. You might as well start shopping for a wedding dress.”
Pepper’s mouth dropped open in dismay. “Why on earth would I do that?”
“Because,” Sarah said with an ominous expression on her face. “Adelia Chamberlain always gets what she wants. And if she’s decided you and Grant would be perfect together, you will be.”
Chapter 5
After he finished his shift at the fire station, Grant swung by the dry cleaners to pick up his best black suit that he’d be needing for the bachelor auction Saturday night. He’d already made dinner reservations in Birmingham several weeks in advance and, purely being optimistic, a hotel reservation at the Wyndham.
As he walked in the door of the shop, he was greeted by the owner, Miss Winnie. Winifred Ingram had taken over the Laundromat and dry-cleaning store when her husband died the year before from stage four lung cancer. She had been a secretary at the middle school until his death, but seemed to be happy running the store now.
“Good evening, Grant,” she said with a smile. Winnie got up from her stool and reached for her television remote. “Sorry,” she admitted sheepishly. “We were so busy today with everyone getting ready for the auction and I’ve gotten behind on my soaps. Thank heavens for DVRs. I’ve got your suit ready.”
Grant waited at the counter while she disappeared into the back room. He glanced through the open archway into the side of the shop where the Laundromat was. Rows of gleaming white washers and dryers were lined up, with tables for folding and vending machines for soap and quarters. There were even a few old video games in the corner. He’d bought a washer and dryer when he moved into his loft, so he’d never had to use Miss Winnie’s place, but it looked like a pretty nice place to come if you had to.
“Here you go!” Winnie said cheerfully as she emerged from the back room. His black suit was draped in the plastic cover and she hung it on the tall hook beside the counter while she rung him up. “For the suit and that shirt, extra starch, that will be twenty even,” she said.
Grant pulled out his wallet and handed over some bills. “Thanks, Miss Winnie. Are you going to come bid on me tomorrow night?” he asked with his charming smile.
“Oh you,” she chastised, a blush rising to her plump cheeks. She smoothed a hand over her mostly graying hair and shook her head. “I’m sure you could show an old lady like me a hell of a time, but I went to school with your daddy and that just doesn’t seem right.”
“You’re not an old lady,” Grant insisted, picking his suit up off the hook.
“I’m old enough to be your mama and that’s what counts. And while you’re the spitting image of Norman at your age, if that’s what I wanted, I would’ve taken my chances back when I still knew what to do with him. Now I’m just a middle-aged woman who smells like fabric softener.”
“It’s an alluring fragrance that reminds me of freshly washed towels.”
“You know just what to say to a girl,” Winnie laughed. “You have fun at the auction. I’m sure the lucky lady will be very pleased with her investment.”
“Will do. Have a good evening,” he said as he headed out the door.
As he left, the opening door nearly collided with Logan Anthony. Grant apologized and stepped aside so he could go in the shop, trying to avoid any sort of real interaction with him. He knew Logan was back in town, but he hadn’t run into him yet. And he definitely hadn’t had to speak to him since the pepper spray incident.
Logan started into the shop, then pulled back and let the door swing closed. “Grant?”
With a resigned sigh, Grant turned around to face Pepper’s brother. Several years younger, he never had any real, direct interactions with Logan. He was a year older than Blake, but back in school there was no love lost between them.
“Hey there, Logan,” he said, trying not to sound like he was dreading the conversation. “Welcome back to Rosewood.” He thought about shifting his suit in his arms to shake Logan’s hand, but Logan didn’t make any moves to do the same, so he let it go.
“Thanks. Can I talk to you for a second?”
“Sure.” Since his past discussions with Blake always seemed to come to blows, Grant laid his suit across his left arm to leave his right free to defend or deliver a solid right hook.
Logan crossed his arms over his chest and looked around before his gaze settled on Grant. “I heard about what happened with Pepper.”
Grant straightened up in surprise, then immediately realized that her brother wasn’t talking about what happened at Halloween. If he did, they’d be fighting, not talking. “Are you referring to the pepper spray incident?”
Logan nodded. “Why were you following my sister home from the bar?”
Since the truth was that he was hoping to relive the past, he opted to answer his question with a question. “Is that what she told you I was doing?”
“No. She said you were returning her scarf.”
Grant nodded. “There you go.”
“You see, the problem I have with that story is that you had to be following her already to see her drop it unless she left it in the bar. Did she?”
“Nope.”
“You see where my concern comes in, then.” Logan looked him up and down, his sharp gaze assessing him the same way his father did. It pissed Grant off.
“I was concerned as well. That’s why I followed her. I thought if one of my sisters was walking home alone in the dark, just days after the peeper looked in her windows, I’d hope a good man would be willing to see her home safely. So that’s what I did.”
“What’s this about the peeper?” he asked, his brow drawing together in concern.
Apparently she hadn’t told her brother. She probably didn’t want her family hovering and he didn’t blame her. “About a week or so ago, not long after you moved back, I guess, she caught someone watching her through the kitchen window. She didn’t mention it to you?”
Logan’s jaw was so tight, his teeth were nearly grinding. “No, she didn’t.”
“She probably didn’t want you to worry. But you see, that’s why she was so jumpy that night. Why she pepper sprayed me. It wasn’t a big deal, just an accident.”
Her brother didn’t respond, he just glared at Grant thoughtfully.
“Well, it was good catching up, but I’d better get going.”
Logan nodded and reached for the door handle again. Grant was about to continue on down the sidewalk when he spoke again. “Grant?”
He turned back. “Yes?”
“The next time you think my sister’s well-being is in jeopardy, do me a favor and just call me instead. I’d really prefer that you just stay the hell away from my sister.”
Grant narrowed his gaze and squared off his shoulders. “I think I’ll let Pepper be the one to decide whether she wants me around.”
“I think shooting you in the eyes with pepper spray made that pretty clear. Leave my sister alone. I don’t want to have this discussion again.”
He wasn’t even going to acknowledge Logan’s decree. Pepper was a grown woman and did what she pleased. If he thought for a second that she’d pepper sprayed him on purpose, he’d certainly walk away. Instead, he threw up his hand in a dismissive wave. “It’s nice seeing you again, Logan,” he said before disappearing around the corner.
Grant forgave himself for white lies in the name of politeness.
Pepper hadn’t been there since it was completed, but the new high school gym looked great. As a thank-you to the committee that helped raise the money to rebuild it, the school had allowed them to hold the bachelor auction there. Meeting up with Ivy and Blake outside, the three went into the event together.
The committee had outdone themselves with the Valentine’s Day decorations. There was a big stage with a
runway that extended into the audience. It was surrounded by round banquet tables draped in red and pink tablecloths. Each table had a centerpiece with pink, white, and red carnations in a fishbowl with red marbles in the bottom. Miss Francine had gotten her way. They didn’t get overpriced roses out of her for free.
The curtain beyond the stage had cardboard cutouts of classic Valentine’s shapes hung on it—cupids, hearts, and flying arrows of love.
Once they turned in their tickets, they were given programs and the ladies were handed numbered auction paddles shaped like hearts. “Oh,” Pepper said, trying to return the paddle, “I’m not bidding.”
Jeanette Kincaid just nodded and dismissed her. “That’s okay. You just keep it. We’re giving one to all the ladies. You never know when you might be . . . inspired.”
“I’m not—” Pepper began to complain, but Ivy tugged her aside.
“You don’t have to use it. Sit on it if it makes you feel better.”
Pepper frowned and followed Ivy and Blake inside. They selected a table close to the stage. “Why are we sitting right at the end of the runway? Are you hoping to bid on a handsome fella, Blake?”
He chuckled and pulled out a chair for Ivy to sit down. “Not exactly. I’m hoping just to harass my brothers when they come out. But, actually, Grant provided me with a short list of women he cannot be purchased by. If any of them have a winning bid, I’m to have Ivy bid and save him at any price.”
Pepper settled into her own seat with a laugh. “I didn’t realize Grant had standards.”
“Neither did I,” Blake said with a chuckle. “Would you ladies like a drink? The mayor went to a lot of trouble to get it cleared for Emmett to serve drinks at the event. I figure we should buy enough drinks to make it worth Emmett’s time. He did have to close Woody’s to do this.”
Normally at this sort of thing, alcohol, especially on school property, was a no-no. But when the commissioner was on the committee, strings got pulled. If they wanted the women in town loose enough to lay down serious money for the cause, alcohol was absolutely necessary. The menu was limited to wine, beer, and a special “love” martini.
“I’ll take a love martini,” Pepper said.
Ivy asked Blake for a white wine, then turned back to her. “Aren’t you afraid you’ll get drunk and do something stupid?”
“It will have to be straight moonshine for me to bid on anyone.”
Ivy laughed and flipped open her program. “They’ve got quite a list of gentlemen here tonight. You know, I’m happy to loan you some money if you would like to bid.”
Pepper snorted indelicately. “Um, no thanks. I appreciate the offer, but I make it a rule never to borrow money from friends. And if I’m going to borrow money from you of all people, it’s going to be for something important, like a kidney transplant, not for a hot date on a made-up, over-commercialized holiday.”
“Suit yourself,” Ivy said, returning to her program. “I didn’t know your brother was going to be a part of the auction.”
Neither did Pepper. “Mayor Gallagher must’ve gotten to him. From what I heard, no single man is safe.”
“I guess so.” A few more pages in, Ivy’s eyes got big. “Bert Swenson!” she declared, pointing out the older gentleman’s photograph. “That’s interesting.”
“Hmmm . . .” Pepper said thoughtfully. “That’s why Miss Vera is here tonight, I bet. She was threatening to bid on someone a week or so ago. She got a little flustered when your mother recommended she start dating Bert.”
“Well, she’s got competition.” A crowd of older women brushed past their table and sat a few feet away. Ivy watched them sit down. “That crowd had two divorcées and three widows. I doubt any of them are bold enough to bid on Simon.”
“This might be more interesting than I thought. Every one of those women was in the salon this week. They’re on the hunt. I’m anticipating a silver cat fight.”
“A what?” Blake asked as he approached the table carefully, gripping three drinks in two hands. He placed them on the table and took his own seat.
Pepper eyed her pink drink with the heart-shaped strawberry slice floating on the surface. “We’re putting our money on a senior rumble over Bert Swenson.”
“I don’t know,” he said, glancing around. “This place is packed, and Fred from the diner is on the auction block, too. Never underestimate a man who can cook.”
“Yeah, even your grandmother is here,” Pepper noted.
Blake’s eyes widened and he spun in his chair. Adelia Chamberlain was sitting two tables away with the mayor, the county commissioner, Reverend Yates, and their respective spouses.
“Rumor has it they got some celebrity to host the auction tonight,” Ivy said.
“I’m sitting next to a rock star and an NFL quarterback. Who could trump that?” Pepper asked.
The lights in the gymnasium started to dim and the master of ceremonies for the night—WVTM Channel 13 weather girl Allison Price—stepped out onstage to the sound of applause.
“Really?” Pepper said dryly. “That’s the best they could do?” Ivy snickered, but any response was muffled by Allison as she began to speak.
“Good evening, everyone, I’m Allison Price from WVTM Birmingham. I hope all the ladies here tonight have brought their checkbooks and are ready to support the Rosewood Tornado Fund by having a wonderful Valentine’s Day with one of the bachelors we’re offering tonight. In your booklets, you’ll see a photograph and description of each bachelor, including the date they’re offering. Bert Swenson is offering a candlelight dinner for two at Whittaker’s restaurant and an evening cruise on Willow Lake in his boat. And Simon Chamberlain is offering a whole weekend in Chattanooga, including a visit to the Tennessee Aquarium and an overnight stay on the Delta Queen river boat hotel. There’s something for everyone, ladies, so let’s see how much we can raise for this great cause!”
Pepper giggled and leaned into Ivy. “A weekend trip with Simon?”
“I doubt they’ll share a room,” Blake muttered.
“First up,” Allison announced, “Bert Swenson!”
Bert stepped out onto the stage wearing his best black suit and a crimson red tie. His thinning gray hair was slicked back and he’d trimmed his beard to a chic, less wooly length. The older man strutted down the runway as Allison described his major selling points and reminded the audience about his plans of an evening cruise.
Pepper noted a low murmur running through the crowd as Bert reached the end of the runway. Clutching a bouquet of red carnations in one hand, he flexed his biceps with the other.
“Take it off, Bert!” A loud catcall rang out from the back of the room, followed by a rumble of laughter. Apparently he was a favorite with the ladies tonight.
Bert didn’t disappoint, slipping out of his suit coat and slinging it over his shoulder with a seductive arch of his eyebrow. He was really playing this up.
“All right, ladies, let’s get the bidding started. I’ll take the first bid of one hundred dollars!”
Pepper watched a paddle shoot up to her right.
“Two hundred!” a woman shouted from the back.
“Five hundred.”
Pepper turned in time to see Miss Vera thrust her paddle into the air. “One thousand!” she shouted.
A murmur ran through the room, followed by several seconds of silence. Go Vera, Pepper thought.
“Two thousand!”
Every head in the room turned to see Estelle Townsend, the owner of the local bakery, with her paddle raised. She smiled and gave Vera a smug look.
“Three thousand,” Vera snapped without blinking.
“Four!”
The announcer was stunned by the pricey battle. Bert, too, seemed surprised, and a little pleased, to have women fighting over him.
“Five,” Vera said, her voice deadly cold.
At this point, the room had gone eerily silent. Everyone was waiting to see what Estelle would do. Five thousand dollars was crazy. Pepp
er couldn’t believe it could possibly go higher, but she imagined there was more going on than just a charity bachelor auction. Those two women were going after each other like old rivals and Bert was just the latest prize to fight over.
“Five thousand from the lady in the pink! Do I hear fifty-five hundred? Five thousand going once?”
“Seven. Thousand. Dollars,” Estelle shouted.
Like a tennis tournament, everyone turned back to Vera.
She had visibly paled at Estelle’s bold bid. Swallowing hard, her lips pressed into a thin line of irritation. She shook her head, tucking her paddle away. “She can have him!”
Before anyone could change their mind, Allison wrapped up the bidding for Bert at an astounding seven thousand dollars. That certainly heaped an enormous amount of pressure on all the bachelors who came after him.
The rest of the auction wasn’t as exciting. Brian Green, Pepper’s date to the eighties prom last fall, went for eight hundred dollars to one of the elementary-school teachers. Mack, the divorced fire chief, went for twelve hundred to Cheryl Buckman, who ran the ice-cream parlor Scoops. Pepper’s brother, Logan, earned an even thousand from a teller at the bank. Lastly, Simon got a five-hundred-dollar pity bid from Lydia Whittaker and no one outbid her.
Poor Simon, Pepper thought. He’d be spending Valentine’s Day with a harpy, but at least she’d be happy. She finally landed a Chamberlain.
After a while, Pepper started looking forward to the end of the night in the hopes that Vera might jump Estelle in the parking lot and she could catch it on her camera phone. That was way more interesting than any other love connections happening this evening.
“We’ve come to our last bachelor of the night,” Allison announced about an hour and a half later. “That’s right, ladies, it’s that bad boy with the big, shiny Harley, the one and only Grant Chamberlain.”
Feeding the Fire: A Rosewood Novel Page 7