Highest Bidder

12. Hunter

12

HUNTER

The past week, I’ve picked up seven different sales along with a sale one Saturday each month. I absolutely love it. Jess and I decided Mondays are Hallmark movie night, accompanied by a tub of ice cream. She happily joined the dark side with my love of sweets and now complains that she will have to join me on a few runs.

“So when is he picking you up?” Jess asks from the kitchen while I get ready for my date. Nickelback lounges lazily on my bed, huffing every few minutes. I never thought of myself as a dog person, but Nickelback and I mesh well. He cuddles with me in bed at night and on the sofa while I binge Netflix or read a book. He keeps me motivated to stay active by either demanding we play fetch every night or go for a walk. He’s become one of my best friends, and Jess doesn’t mind because I share the “dog mom” responsibilities.

I check the time on my phone. “In thirty minutes,” I yell back to her.

“Where is he taking you again?”

Jess has made it clear she doesn’t approve of James. She’s either making subtle comments or in overprotective mode. It’s almost as if she can’t decide which way is best to go about it.

“To dinner and a movie, Mom ,” I tease. Her footsteps on the hardwood floor indicate she’s getting closer. I’m dressed in my purple sundress and playing with different hairstyles.

Jess places her hand on her hip. “I’m trying to look out for you. Like what if you get kidnapped? What if he takes you to his house and won’t let you leave?” Taking her hand off her hip, she waves her index finger at me. “What if he takes you to another state, and I can’t find you? You know that can happen!” she says while nervously biting her thumbnail, her eyes getting bigger by the second. She holds out her hand. “Give me your phone. I’m going to turn on your location, so I can find you.”

“Jess, none of that is going to happen, and you have got to lay off the true crime.” I glance at her reflection in the mirror as I pull a few strands of hair on the side, seeing if I want to put them in a braid.

I startle when she lets out a high-pitch gasp. My heart beats fast as I whip around to look at her. “What?”

She’s still standing at my door when her hands fly over her mouth. “I’ll have to call your mother. ”

I roll my eyes and turn back to my mirror. “For heaven's sake, Jess.” I pull my hair back into a low bun to see how I like that. “You need to calm down. He’s a nice guy. I don’t understand why you don’t like him. He’s nice to you at work. What do you have against him?” I turn to look at her, forgoing anything I was attempting to do with my hair.

“I just don't like him with you.” Spinning around, she goes back into the kitchen.

I still have to finish my hair and makeup, but I have to know what she means. I stand up, following her into the kitchen. “What’s that supposed to mean?” I cross my arms over my chest. “Why don’t you like him with me? He’s kind, opens doors for me, and isn’t bad to look at. What more could you want?” my voice elevates. Nickelback prances into the kitchen and puts his paw on my leg, his nails digging into my skin. Wincing, I hold his paw in my hand instead to relieve the sting.

She balls her hands into fists. “Didn’t you notice that he only started being nice to me once he wanted to date you? Like he couldn’t spend a few minutes out of his day trying to be kind until he wanted to date my friend.”

I scoff. “What are you talking about? He’s always been nice.”

“No. He has not. Not to me, at least.” Jess huffs and covers her face with her hands before meeting my eyes again. “Do you seriously not see it?”

My eyebrows raise while my jaw gapes. “What?”

She sighs. “I’m just saying that dealers are kind to you. Not because of who you are, but what you can do for them. I am just a block clerk, so they don’t need to be kind to me unless they want something.” She takes a deep breath. “Then once they get it, they toss me aside.”

“Jess,”—I start to say but stop when I can’t find the words.

She grabs my hand in hers. “I’m just saying that it’s noticeable, and it seems really fake.”

I nod, trying to understand. “I guess, but I didn’t know him before. James has only been kind to me.”

She sighs and turns around to get a mug out of a cabinet. “I know. I guess I was hoping he would have shown his true colors by now.” She glances at the clock on the stove. “You better go finish getting ready.” Putting the mug on the counter, she turns around, goes to the refrigerator, and pulls out leftovers for her dinner.

“Okay.” I quickly pet Nickelback and head into my room.

“For what it’s worth”—Jess peaks her head inside my door. “If you are truly happy with him, I hope he proves me wrong.”

I smile, appreciating her words.

I finish my hair by putting gel in it before turning my head upside down to use the diffuser on my hair dryer. I’m almost done with my makeup when I hear the knock on the front door. Crap. I was hoping to be completely ready, so we could leave when he got here. But because of my little spiff with Jess, I’m running behind.

“Jess, do you mind getting the door?” And be nice.

“Sure,” she says, and I hear her open the door. “Hi, James.”

“Oh, hey, Jess. Is Hunter ready?” His calm tone comes through the house.

“No. Come in. Pretty sure she’s almost done.” Her voice is monotone. It doesn’t sound like her at all and that bothers me. She’s become such a close friend, and I want her to like who I’m dating. “Nickelback, get down. Sorry, he loves new people.”

I quickly finish my makeup. It’s not like I wear much of it, anyway. Usually, I prefer nothing, but I add a little around my eyes for work and dates. Taking one last look in the mirror, I wipe a little mascara off my eyelid and head out to the living room.

James stands by the door, looking a little uncomfortable with his hands in his pockets and continuous glances at my furry friend. He’s wearing khaki pants with a blue polo shirt that almost looks too small, and his hair is styled a little messy.

“Wow! Hunter, you look great!” he says, looking me over before glancing at Jess and Nickelback with a grimace.

What the fuck was that?

“Thanks!” I rub my hand down my dress to smooth any leftover wrinkles. “Are you ready to go?”

“You two kids have fun!” Jess says, while holding back the dog.

“Thanks, Jess,” I sarcastically say. “Bye, Nickelback. Bite her in the ass while I’m gone,” I sweetly say to the dog before rubbing him on the ear. Jess gives me her fakest smile, and I stick my tongue out at her before turning toward James to leave.

His silver Toyota Camry is in the driveway, and he opens the passenger door for me. It’s a sensible car with all the driving he does. Maybe that’s why Jess doesn’t care for him. No, she’s not shallow. She doesn’t care about what people drive. My quarrel with Jess will bother me all night. I don’t like fighting with anyone, but especially not her. I just want to go back inside and hash it out with her, but that’s not fair to James.

He waits for me to buckle before shutting my door and walking around to his side. He looks over at me and smiles. He’s friendly, but I don’t feel much of a spark with him yet. Maybe tonight will change that.

“Hey, pretty girl.” He leans closer to me. What is he doing? Time feels like it slows as I watch him. My heart palpitates, and not in a good way. I don’t want to hurt his feelings, but I’m not ready for this. With how I’m feeling, I’m not sure I’ll ever be ready for this with him.

I turn my head and laugh nervously. “So what movie are we going to see?” I ask, trying to avoid what he apparently planned on doing. This is awkward and in my driveway, of all places.

He sits back before rubbing the back of his neck. “Um, it’s called Abduction.” He gives me a small smile.

He’s trying to be nice, but I’ll refrain from saying that I didn’t like Taylor Lautner in the movies I’ve seen him in. I liked the Twilight books but couldn’t get through the movies. Schooling my face into something neutral, he pulls onto the main highway.

Fuck. I’m terrible at this. Dating. I’ve had boyfriends, it’s not like Steve and I didn’t sleep together. But even that didn’t live up to the hype. You spread your legs, and he kisses you a few times. Once he’s done doing his thing , you go back to looking at your phone or watching a movie. I could take it or leave it, but mostly leave it. I've always wondered if there is something wrong with me. Some women say they crave sex, but I don’t understand. I haven’t enjoyed it enough to want it. Steve always initiated or begged, making me feel bad when I wasn’t up for it.

“Hey, where did you go? You okay?” James touches my arm, looking at me before turning back to the road again.

“Oh, yeah,” I grin. “I’m good. The movie sounds great!” I look down and watch as he reaches over to hold my hand. Stopping at a red light, I look into his brown eyes, seeing a guy who’s trying to get close to me. So I hold his hand all the way to the movies and feel nothing.

“This theater has some good pizza, so I thought we could eat it while we watch the movie. Is that okay with you?” James asks. I may be crazy, but I’m not much of a pizza person. But I’d rather eat it than make it a big deal.

“Yeah. Sounds good.” I turn back to looking outside.

What would it be like to want to touch someone? I mean, that has only happened once to me. It was after I’d met Myles , and his strong hands picked me up off the floor. He stepped away, and I had to keep myself from closing the distance.

Woah, where did that come from?

I shake my head. I don’t need to be thinking about how hot and rugged he is, especially right now. Seeing him with his shirt off and his strong muscles just begging me to touch them was hard. It’s like a veil has been lifted, and I’m seeing the real Myles for the first time. He gave me my favorite coffee and was friendly when he caught the furball, even asking me to run with him. It made me see the side of him that everyone else always talks about, but I can’t believe he caught me checking him out. It was honestly unavoidable. His body was on complete display, and I have never been more turned on by someone in my life.

“Did you say something?” James looks over at me while pulling into the parking lot.

I whip my head to look his way, my eyes no doubt bugging out of my head. “Oh, no.”

“Okay, well, we’re here.” He pulls his hand away to park the car. I’m relieved because as much as he seems to like holding my hand, it makes me nervous. Not because I like him, but because I’m afraid I don’t like him enough .

My mind wanders back to Myles, and my cheeks warm at the thought of holding his hand. The way his strong hands burned their mark on my hips, or the way his lips felt as they ghosted over the shell of my ear. When he gave me the most mesmerizing smile while wearing my sunglasses. I’ve definitely lost sleep wondering why he acts the way he does.

James turns off the car and goes to open the door when I blurt, “Does your car have a name?”

He turns to look at me with a puzzled look. Okay, yes, it’s a random question, but not unheard of. I don’t know how to not be awkward on a date. Plus, I need to stop thinking of a certain ringman.

“Um, no. Why would it?”

“I mean you spend more time with your car than anyone or anything else, especially in this industry.”

“It gets me from point A to point B.” He shakes his head. “I’ve never understood people who felt the need to name their cars.”

I look down at my hands folded in my lap. “Oh.” I turn to open the door.

“Hey,” he says, grabbing my hand. “I’m sorry. You told me you like your Bronco, and it’s an awesome ride. I’ve never had one that was as nice as yours, I guess. I drive so much I have to buy cars pretty frequently.” Giving me a reassuring smile, he squeezes my hand and gets out of the car.

I guess he has a point, but I’ve never understood why people don’t name their cars. I spend at least twelve hours a week driving to all my different jobs. Westley and I are close, and it’s not because he looks good. I spend more time with him than I do going out on dates, so of course, he should have a name.

We walk into the theater and get our food and tickets. This is the quietest date I’ve been on, and it’s growing more uncomfortable by the minute. What do people do on dates? Steve basically dated me at work. He wanted everyone to know he was with Conrad’s daughter. I tried to avoid traditional dates with him because there would be a chance he would drink. The first time he got loud and a little physical, I thought it was a fluke. But after the fifth time it happened, I realized it wasn’t. I ended things and left him. I knew he wouldn’t make it easy, and I didn’t want to see him at work. I love being an auctioneer. I don’t want to dread going to work because of who’s there. Oklahoma never felt much like home, so it was easy to leave.

I follow James up the aisle to the back of the theater, passing only a few other couples on the way. It’s a little eerie being in an almost empty theater, but I’m not complaining. I don’t like sitting next to strangers. We both dig into our pizza before the movie starts. It’s becoming obvious that we have little to talk about.

“So—” James begins after swallowing another large bite. “Now that you’ve been through a week at the car auctions, do you feel more at home?”

I finish my bite of pizza and wipe my mouth with my napkin. “Um. Yeah. I mean, it’s still difficult sometimes, but I love it so far. I’m hoping to find a few more auctions to work at, and then I’ll be good. I’m actually going for an interview tomorrow at a cattle auction.” Sadly, the only thing we can talk about is work. I’ve tried talking to him about his hobbies and interests outside of work in passing at the sales, but he always brings the conversations back to cars. I’d like more out of a relationship than just shop talk.

I’m excited about my interview. Cattle auctions are in my blood. They feel more like home to me than the house I grew up in. It’s such a different atmosphere than the car auctions. There’s something about the dealers all sitting down around a pen with a cow running around that puts you more at ease.

He looks surprised. “A cattle auction? Why?” he asks and gives a disgusted face.

Well, alrighty then.

I turn to face him and cock my head. “James, I grew up around them. What do you mean, why?” It can’t be that crazy. Of course, I would want to work at a cattle auction. I just had to get in at car auctions since there are many more within driving distance. I couldn’t afford to only work at two cattle auctions.

“Well, yeah, but I figured you came here to get away from that.” He waves his hand around in a circle in front of him. “Now, you’re in at car auctions, and that’s a better type of auction to work at.” He says it like it’s a fact.

Excuse me? This conversation keeps getting worse. My ears burn listening to the shit coming out of his mouth.

“Why would it be better?” I cross my arms, not hiding how annoyed I am from my tone. “I guess that’s your opinion, but that’s not true for everyone. I love cattle auctions. I was raised in them. It’s where I learned to be a great auctioneer. It’s more exciting too.” I tuck some stray hair behind my ear before continuing. “You sound like a person who has never been to one and is judging it based on something you have no clue about. Or you can’t look past the cow shit in the ring.”

I turn my body completely forward, resting my cheek on my hand, so I don’t catch even a glimpse of him and watch the screen as the lights lower. I’m done with this conversation. James doesn’t try to say anything back. I’m pretty sure I stunned him.

He leans over, causing my body to tense, before he whispers, “Hey, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.” Sadness and embarrassment lace his voice.

I’m too far over this whole thing to care.

I look at him. “No, you shouldn’t have.” If he had taken a second to try and understand where I was coming from, it would have been different. But I refuse to give a chance to someone who bashes anything they have no knowledge about. I want to go home and not watch this movie. Maybe Jess was right. Maybe he is a dick.