The Final Bid (The Auction Series Book Two)

by Michelle Windsor

  “Shhh, it’s ok.” Robin was rubbing her hand in small circles on Hannah’s back. “You’re going to be just fine.”

  Hannah laughed almost hysterically into her friend’s shoulder, snot running down her nose. “Only because you came in before I really crossed the line!”

  “These things happen sometimes. It’s alright. You need to stop feeling so guilty. It’s not like he had his pants down or anything.” Robin laughed lightly.

  “I thought you said you didn’t see anything?” Smiling sheepishly, Hannah raised her head, the tears leaking from her eyes finally slowing down as she pulled herself out of Robin’s hug.

  Robin shrugged her shoulders while rolling her eyes upward. “Well, almost nothing.” She reached out and stroked Hannah’s arm. “You wanna talk about it?”

  “When do I ever want to talk about it?” She replied wryly.

  The bell over the door sounded and both of them turned their head towards it before saying at the same time, “the deliveries.” They both laughed in relief.

  “I’ll go. You take some time to get yourself back together.” Robin started walking toward the front of the store.

  “Thank you sweetie.” It was times like these she was grateful that Robin was more than just her assistant, but a friend she could count on.

  She stood in place, bringing her fingers up and brushed them lightly over lips that still tingled from Drew’s kisses. She hadn’t realized just how much she had missed him and his touch until she felt it again. And she knew she owed him an explanation for pushing him away, but how could she explain everything she had gone through and make him understand?

  In a daze, she walked to the rest room and turned the water on cold. She caught her reflection in the mirror and froze at what she saw. She stared at herself for so long that the edges of her own face became blurred. Much like her own feelings. Breaking her own gaze, she reached down and splashed the now freezing water over her face. Its temperature shocked the breath from her, but snapped her back to the here and now. She took one of the clean hand towels off the shelf and patted her face dry before reapplying some makeup. There was always a spare stash in the cabinet under the sink for long days or deliveries to more posh addresses. She looked at herself in the mirror once more, knowing the make-up would never fix her real problems, plastered on a smile and went out to the front of the store.

  Robin was at the register counting the drawer for the day, and looked up with a smile on her face when Hannah came out.

  “You ok?”

  Hannah nodded her head. “Yep. I’m good. What’s on our plate today?”

  “Um, how about you start with telling me what the hell you were doing making out with Andrew Sapphire?”

  Hannah’s eyes flew open in surprise. “Wait! How do you know who Andrew Sapphire is?”

  “Seriously Hannah?” Robin laughed out loud in disbelief. “He’s only like one of the most eligible bachelors in New York City. Maybe in the whole frigging United States for all I know. How could I not know who he is?”

  “Well, I didn’t know. Until recently that is.” Hannah cast her eyes down in embarrassment over this obvious social blunder.

  Robin chuckled as she responded. “Why oh why doesn’t that surprise me?”

  “Some of us do have a lot on our plates ya know!”

  Robin’s face softened as she walked around the counter and approached Hannah.

  “Oh Hannah, I know. I’m sorry. I don’t mean to make you feel bad. I’m just surprised sometimes by how little you know about the people we immerse ourselves in every day.”

  “Believe me, no one was more surprised than me when I found out who he was.”

  “So, are you going to spill the beans on how you met him and ended up almost shagging on our work table?”

  “Would you believe me if I told you he came in here looking for flowers?”

  “Yea sure. A really special arrangement from what I saw.” Robin laughed lightly.

  “Can we let it go for now?” Hannah looked up at her friend pleading.

  “For now.” Robin grinned broadly. “But we’ll be splitting a bottle of wine soon cause I want all the details!”

  “Yea, yea, yea.”

  Hannah knew that Robin wasn’t the only one that she needed to talk too, and no amount of wine was going to make that easier. After working for several hours in the store with Robin setting up orders and decorating the windows for Thanksgiving, Hannah retired to the office to work on the books and make the call she knew she couldn’t avoid. Picking up Drew’s business card, and with shaky fingers, she punched in the phone number listed and waited as the line began to ring.

  “Good Afternoon, Andrew Sapphire’s Office. Felicia speaking.” A very feminine voice answered her call, startling her for a moment as she realized she had expected Drew’s voice.

  “Um, good morning. Is Mr. Sapphire available?”

  “May I ask who is calling please?”

  “Oh yes, sure. Please tell him it’s Hannah.”

  “One moment please.” Soft music began playing as she was placed on hold.

  “Hannah?” Drew’s deep voice was suddenly in her ear. Her palms were sweaty so she gripped the phone a bit tighter so it wouldn’t slip from her grasp.

  “Yes. Hello Drew.” She heard him sigh on the other end of the phone.

  “I wasn’t sure if it was actually you.”

  “Disappointed?” She questioned.

  “Relieved.” There was a moment of silence before Drew continued. “I didn’t know if I’d hear from you.”

  Hannah spoke softly, “I know. I’m sorry Drew. This is as confusing to me as it is to you.”

  “Hannah, we need to talk.”

  “I know, that’s why I’m calling. I’d like to meet with you. To try and explain.”

  “Ok, I can be there in twenty minutes.” Drew responded quickly.

  “No, I can’t today Drew. I have my daughter every evening and work during the day.”

  She heard him sigh on the other end of the line again and could picture him running his hand through his hair like he did when he was frustrated.

  “Ok, when? I’ll make myself available anytime that works for you.”

  “I can meet you on Sunday. The shop is closed that day. Will that work?”

  “What time?”

  “Is 11:00 okay?”

  “Anytime is fine. I can do eleven. Should I meet you at the shop? Pick you up?”

  Hannah shook her head as she responded, even though she knew Drew couldn’t see her. “No, not here. My daughter will be here. I don’t want to confuse her.”

  “Of course. I’ll have a car pick you up at 10:45 and bring you to my place.”

  “Drew, I can’t go out to the Hamptons. It’s too far and I don’t have that much time.”

  “No, not my house. I keep a suite at the hotel for when I’m in town working.”

  “Ok, but I don’t need a car. I’ll get myself there.”

  “Hannah, just let me send a car.”

  “No. Don’t send one or I won’t come.”

  Drew growled into the phone. Actually growled. “You are so infuriating sometimes. Fine. No car.”

  “Thank you. Which one?”

  “Which one what?”

  “Which hotel is your suite at? There are four Sapphire Resorts in Manhattan.” She couldn’t help but roll her eyes as she responded matter-of-factly.

  “Ah, yes. Sorry. The one on West 59th. Just let the front desk know when you arrive.”

  “Okay. I’ll see you then.”

  “Hannah?”

  “Yes?”

  “Thank you for meeting with me.”

  “Good bye Drew.” Hannah placed the phone gently back in it’s cradle, breaking the connection between them.

  Chapter Two

  Drew looked in disbelief at the receiver in his hand as the dull sound of the dial tone came across the line. She hung up on him. God damn stubborn woman was going to be the end of him. He sla
mmed the receiver back into the cradle and then rolled the chair back from his desk so that he could turn and look out the window. His office was on the thirteenth floor of the hotel, and overlooked Central Park.

  It was mid-afternoon and chilly out, so there wasn’t a lot of foot traffic or people waiting for the horse and carriages that lined the street. He watched as a woman emerged from the park, a young girl holding her hand as she skipped beside her. Both of them had blonde hair and he thought for a moment that they could have easily been Hannah and her daughter and wondered how many times they could have passed right under his window without his ever knowing about them. Definitely not something he would have noticed a week ago, which made him wonder again if he would have been better off in that blissful state of ignorance than with the knowledge he had now.

  Instead of pondering the question further, he twirled his chair back around to his desk and brought up a chat session on his computer. He pulled up his brother Benny’s profile and started typing.

  “Hey you there?”

  Several moments passed without a response and Drew was about to grab his cell phone and call him when a return message popped up.

  “What’s up?”

  “Wanna go blow off some steam?”

  “What do you have in mind?”

  “I was hoping you had a suggestion.”

  “I got just the thing. You at W 59th?”

  “Yep.”

  “Be there in 15 to grab you.”

  “See ya then.”

  It was only Thursday afternoon and Sunday seemed a long way off. Patience wasn’t his strong suit and if he didn’t get out of his own head, he might go mad. Benny always knew how to bring him back down to level ground again. He shut down his laptop, put his phone in his pocket and grabbed his jacket out of the closet before exiting his office. His assistant Felicia looked up from her desk as he shut his door.

  “Good afternoon Mr. Sapphire. Leaving for the day?” She was a pretty girl, with long, straight auburn hair and big green eyes. She had started working for him about six months ago, and while he initially hesitated to hire her due to her lack of experience and young age, she had turned out to be one of the best assistants he had to date.

  “Yes, and I may not be in tomorrow. Do I have anything important on the schedule that shouldn’t be missed?”

  She quickly brought up his calendar on the computer and after a glance looked up at him with a frown. “Your father. Lunch meeting.”

  “Ok, I’ll handle that. If he happens to call to confirm, just say yes in the meantime.” He typed a quick reminder into his phone about the lunch. “Anything else?”

  Felicia shook her head, “No Sir. Nothing that I can’t work or move around for you.”

  “Excellent. You’re the best.” He smiled and started walking toward the exit of her office, “I’ll be with Ben, and on my cell if you need me for any emergencies.”

  “Very good Sir.” Felicia smiled and nodded her head in farewell. “Have a good weekend.”

  “Thanks, you too.”

  Drew exited her office and made his way down the hall to the elevator, taking it to the lobby to wait for Benny. As he crossed the lobby and pulled his jacket on over the dark suit he was wearing, he wished he had thought to change into something more casual. He checked his watch and wondered if he had time to run up to his suite, but saw Benny pull up in front of the hotel. He shook his head at his brother’s typical choice in car, a Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat in black; a straight up muscle car.

  The doorman tipped his hat as Drew walked through the exit and across the sidewalk to Benny’s car. He pulled open the passenger door and slid into the caramel colored leather seat. Benny gunned the engine with a grin, and sped into traffic as soon Drew’s door had closed shut.

  “Hey brother.”

  “Hey yourself. Thanks for grabbing me.”

  “Sure. What’s up? Dad?”

  Drew shook his head and blew out a long breath. “Nope. Dad’s easy compared to this.”

  Ben looked over at Drew with a raised eyebrow. “This have anything to do with Scarlett?”

  “Hannah.” Drew corrected.

  “Who’s Hannah?” Ben asked confused.

  “Scarlett.” Drew replied.

  “What?”

  “Scarlett is really Hannah.”

  “What the fuck? You’re making no sense.”

  “Tell me about it.” Drew shook his head. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “Alrighty then.” Ben reached over and turned the radio up to drown out some of the silence in the car.

  “You said you had something in mind?”

  Ben looked over at his brother as he weaved his way through traffic and over the bridge into Brooklyn, and a big grin spread across his face. “How do you feel about a little boxing?”

  Drew grinned back, a surge of excitement running through him. “Hell yeah.”

  “Perfect. I know some guys who will be happy to help you work out some of your shit.”

  “Why do I get the sense that you’re looking forward to seeing me get my ass beat?”

  Ben reached over and ruffled up Drew’s perfectly coifed hair, “Cause that’s what big brothers are for.”

  Drew pulled away from his brother’s reach and punched him lightly in the arm. “Yea, whatever.”

  “Seriously, these are all good guys. I just gotta make a quick stop at Cypress Hills while we’re in Brooklyn. You mind?”

  “Nope.” Drew looked over at his brother to gage his mood. “Whatever you need.”

  Drew knew that several of the men Ben served with were buried in the cemetery and that Ben still struggled with the fact that he was here and they weren’t. He knew Ben came here often to visit and honor those men, and that was something that Drew would never mind making time for.

  Hannah glanced at her watch and saw it was already past noon. She needed to leave soon to take Grace to see Jackson. It was his birthday today and they had to drive out to Brooklyn to see him and she knew Saturday traffic would be a challenge. She walked out of the work room into the front of the shop and found Grace sitting on a stool, working on a bouquet at the counter with Sara, one of the other girls that worked for her.

  “Look what I made for Daddy Momma!” Grace proudly held up a large bouquet of white chrysanthemum’s wrapped in a red felt ribbon. “Sara said we should use these because they are the flower for the month of November and perfect for Daddy.”

  Hannah took the bouquet from her daughter’s small hands and held it up to her nose and smelled. “It’s beautiful Gracie. Daddy will love them.”

  She looked up and smiled in thanks at Sara. “You okay if I head out now? All the orders have been prepped for the rest of the afternoon deliveries and pickups, and Josh will be back to get those around 1:30.”

  “Of course.” Sara replied while helping Grace down off the stool she’d been sitting on. “I’ll take care of everything and lock up at five. Just call me if you think of anything else.”

  “I will, thanks Sara.” She reached her hand out to Grace. “You ready peanut?”

  Grace grabbed her mother’s hand and followed her into the backroom. They both bundled up in their coats and then proceeded back through the shop and out the front door to the van. Hannah decided to take the Grand Central Parkway thinking it might give her the best route into Brooklyn this time of day. It was less than twenty miles to their destination, but with traffic, it could easily take them an hour.

  Not that the time ever passed slowly when she was in the car with Grace. She was a chatter bug and had one tale after another to tell about her previous day at Miss Daisy’s, and about how excited she was to be going to her Auntie Tammy’s the next day to play with her cousin Emma. Before she knew it, she was pulling through the gates and putting the van into park. She got out and unbuckled Grace, lifting her out of her seat and placing her on the sidewalk before handing her back the bouquet.

  “Want to go find Daddy? Do you remember where h
e is?”

  “I think so Momma! Follow me!” Grace turned and ran forward, Hannah close on her heels. Grace stopped, turned in a circle, looked to her right and then ran in that direction.

  “I found him Momma!!”

  Hannah walked up behind her daughter, placing both hands on her shoulders and squeezed gently, “Yes you did. You’re so smart.”

  Hannah couldn’t stop the tears that rolled down her cheeks as she watched her young, sweet, innocent daughter bend down and place the bouquet on the ground next to her father’s grave, before kissing the white stone. “Happy Birthday Daddy.”

  As Gracie stood back up, she pointed to the top of the headstone, “Look Momma, someone else brought Daddy a flower too.”

  Hannah looked at the single black rose, noticing how much it contrasted with the simple ivory military headstone, and wondered who may have left it. It wasn’t the first time she’d found one on his grave. Her eyes scanned lower to read the simple script on the stone.

  JACKSON T ROSE

  SGT

  US ARMY

  NOV 7 1985

  JUN 10 2013

  PURPLE HEART

  BRONZE STAR

  OPERATION

  IRAQI FREEDOM

  It was hard for her to believe that he’d been gone for almost two and a half years now. He would have been 30 years old today. She bent down and ran her fingers over the engraved letters of his name. “Happy Birthday Baby. I miss you every day.”

  She took a key out of her pocket and placed it in the dirt against the gravestone. “I did it Jackson. We said by the time you turned thirty, and I did it.”

  She knew it was silly to leave the key, but it was her way of letting him know that she had followed through on their dream of having their own place to live and a business of her own by the time he was thirty. She stood up and brushed the loose dirt off the knees of her jeans. Grace was weaving through the gravestones, touching each one as she went and saying, “Thank you.” Her heart swelled with love and gratitude for the gift of her daughter and the kindness her young soul already possessed.