Page 50 of Faking It with My Bossy Ex

“Not yet. Are the two of you back together?” He leans in ever so slightly, a mischievous look on his face.

I draw in a sharp breath. It looks like Jake beat me to the topic.

“No. We’re not. I mean, I think he wants to be, but I don’t know if I should trust him again.”

“I talked with him a bit the other day, and he’s not the same, Amy. Maybe … it wouldn’t be the worst idea to give him a chance to show you.” Jake’s expression softens.

My eyes widen. I didn’t expect Jake, of all people, to be encouraging me to give Dylan another chance.

“You think I should give him another chance?”

“Is it so hard to believe I want you to be as happy as you can be?”

I can't help but let out a small laugh.

“I should go and let you get back to all of that.” I point toward Tyler and the others. “I’ll see you after the auction.”

He grins and hurries back to his conversation. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens with the silent auction. It’s the biggest moneymaker of the event, and hopefully, with it, we’ll gather enough for the community center. I can almost see it now.

I stop by the auction room and take a walk around. It’s all set up beautifully. Long tables covered in green and red tablecloths are holding the different items. Each item has a large index card with the title and history of the piece on it, as well as the subsequent bids.

When I reach my painting, the one that I struggled with whether to put it up for sale or not until the last minute, is toward the back of the sale hall. I hope that someone who will appreciate it gets the piece.

It makes my heart ache just a bit, thinking of never seeing it again. When I check its card and see that not a single person has made a bid, I don’t know if I should be happy or sad.

I turn and make my way out of the auction room and back to the main room, where we will all hear the results of the auction as well as the closing statements of the event. Finding a chair near the back, I settle in with my notebook and phone. I’ve donated five paintings to the auction, including the ice skating one. I hope that they bring in at least a little for the cause. I suppose I’ll have to wait and see what happens.

Chapter 24

Dylan

My hands are clammy and my heart beats a hundred miles an hour. I feel more nervous than I did when I asked Amy to prom and that’s saying something. Back then I was a player, never spending more than a week interested in the same girl, until Amy. She changed my life.

“So, you figure out what you’re gonna do, lover boy?” Sam asks, nudging my shoulder. “Or are you just gonna keep pacing until you wear out the floor?”

“Yup. I took all your advice.” I grin and shake his hand. Now I just hope it’s enough. If it isn’t … I’m not going to let myself think about that. Even if I’ve done enough, will Amy accept me when she finds out there’s one more truth I haven’t told her? “My sister here?”

“Sure thing!” Sam points her out in the crowd. “She’s trying to decide what we’re going to buy. I think she'll spread a few bids out because she has her eye on several things. I don’t know what we’ll do if we win all the bids.”

“I guess you’ll find out. There’s a lot of things in there that won’t start a bidding war.” I throw my head back and laugh.

“Well aware.” Sam looks distraught.

“Okay then, I think I’m going to go and find Amy. It should only be around another half hour before they close the auction.”

“Save us a seat if there is one.” Sam waves to me as he hurries off to join up with Emily. I watch until they’re out of sight before going into the room where they’ve set everything up for the closing ceremonies and turning people’s purchases over to them.

It’s not hard to spot Amy. She’s sitting toward the back, dressed in a warm blue top and long skirt. She looks very elegant, something that I don’t consider hard for her to do. I slip into the seat beside her.

“So, anything interesting yet?” I ask.

She blushes and shakes her head. “You know they haven’t started yet. Is there anything you have your eye on in the auction room?” I shrug. She’s not going to know of my plans for this event until they’re happening to her.

“Not really, but there are a lot of people here. Did you bid on anything?”

“No. We won so many prizes in the couple’s competition and the cruise … It seemed selfish to try and get anything else.” Her eyes wander the room a bit before meeting mine once more.

“So, how many more days are you staying in town?” she asks, her voice coming out a bit strangled.

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