Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 73035 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73035 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
The chances of it going front page news wrong were slim.
“I told you after the Christmas party shenanigans that if you did this to me again, there would be consequences.” I’d have loved to do something truly drastic, but she owned twenty-five percent of the gallery. “I will no longer be attending any social events with you for the rest of the year, and you will not be allowed anywhere near the auction from here on out. Indefinitely.”
And I might ban Aunt Maggie too because she’d probably started this insanity.
“You can’t.” Mother was now properly horrified because I was the well-dressed mannequin she dragged around to look good in photos with her. “What about—”
I cut her off before she could start listing the almost weekly events that were never-ending. “Not a single one. Including that stupid garden party coming up.”
Pushing back from the table, I finished off with the one thing that would definitely make her see how angry I was.
I left her to eat lunch by herself.
“Good day, Mother.” Heading out of the restaurant, I was glad she’d pulled her stunt before we’d actually ordered. But that meant I hadn’t eaten lunch and I was going to have to call Edna Randolph on an empty stomach.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Taking a deep breath, I let it out slowly as I made my way down the block toward the gallery. Work was usually a good distraction but nothing would help until I knew why I’d been purchased. Edna Randolph did not just randomly buy men at charity auctions.
She’d probably had a heart attack just thinking of doing something that tacky, so there was definitely something going on.
Which grandson had she purchased me for?
Fuck.
Had Mother actually said grandson?
Yes. Yes, she’d said grandson.
She’d also said something about mentoring a grandson and that I was a good example or I would be a good mentor. The first thing that came to mind was the gallery, but while Edna Randolph was a patron of the arts, I’d never heard of any of her family actually being artistic.
I couldn’t even remember any of the ones from my generation even being in the same art classes as me or anything remotely similar. I had a vague recollection of one of them playing a piano at some kind of event and another getting recognized for flower arranging.
What the hell could she have bought me for?
Taking another deep breath, I headed around the corner and slipped into Rico’s Deli. Manny was behind the counter and waved at me. “Hey, man. You’re late.”
Rolling my eyes, I flipped him off, which had him grinning. “I was supposed to meet for lunch with the dragon. We’re just going to say it went as badly as I expected.”
Mr. Rico himself had named Mother that the one time I’d tried to bring her in to get lunch. It hadn’t gone well, but at least they’d understood why I’d spent so much time here as a teenager hiding out.
He winced as I heard a cackle from the back of the small restaurant.
Ignoring Mr. Rico and his terrible sense of humor, I focused on Manny before nodding to the small staff table at the back of the dining area. “The usual, please. Are you okay if I make some calls?”
“You’re family.” He waved me off as he started my sandwich.
The one good thing was that it was late enough the lunch rush had already come and gone. Hiding at the back would give me plenty of privacy and I wouldn’t have to deal with work yet. I was starting to understand why I’d gotten some odd looks this morning.
As I sat down, I pulled out my phone and hit one of my top contacts. He started apologizing as soon as it connected. “I had no idea. I thought you’d done it as some kind of joke until I realized you weren’t there. Amy said it was your idea and you were okay with it. I’m so sorry I didn’t check with you. I know your mother.”
For some reason, he always thought she had good intentions.
“Jeffrey. Somehow the Center let my mother sell me.” Letting a breath out slowly, I did my best to sound calmer than I felt. “We don’t do this. It’s bad PR. We’re not a gimmick.”
“I know.” I could hear the wince in his voice. “I didn’t hear anything about it until the MC started introducing you last. It just…I don’t know what Amy was thinking.”
Because he was entirely too nice.
“I am not mad at you.” Because he’d never forgive himself if he thought I was. Jeffrey was the ultimate worrywart. “Amy is done, though. This is the last straw. I also want my mother and my aunt banned going forward. None of them are to have anything to do with the auction or the Center. If I need to lay this out for the rest of the board, I will.”