Junior traded days with someone at work so he could attend. Ray and Susie were going, and Gordon had taken off work to be with Emma.
Birdie was taking off work long enough to attend the auction. Even though she’d come to terms with what was happening, no matter who bought it, it was going to be sad because it would no longer be home.
The sale was to begin at straight-up noon. First they would sell the old black truck, and then the property. The auctioneer was on-site early, verifying that he had the correct description and plat number of the property, and the siblings were there early as well because the house would be open for prospective buyers to see the updates that had been made.
There was a steady stream of people coming and going through the house right up until the time for the sale to begin, and when it did, the black truck came up first.
The opening bid was $2,000, and after that it went up in increments until the bidding was down to two men. One wanted it for an extra farm truck, and the other wanted it for his teenage son to drive.
Hunt stood with his hands in his pockets, watching the bidders’ faces. It was all the way up to $3,500, and the auctioneer was asking if there were any other bidders…that it was going, going…
All of a sudden, the parent with the teenager shouted, “Four thousand!” and the crowd gasped. He’d upped it $500 more in one bid.
The other bidder shook his head. “I’m out,” he said.
“Sold!” the auctioneer cried and slammed the hammer down.
Ava leaned against Hunt and slipped her hand beneath his arm.
“Look, honey. I think that boy just got his first car.”
Hunt smiled. “And I think you’re right.”
Then the auctioneer tapped the microphone to make sure it was still live and started off again.
“All right, ladies and gentlemen. We’ll be auctioning off this house and the property it sits on next. You’ve all had a chance to see the updates. You have before you the legal description and location of this house as it sits within the township of Blessings, Georgia. The opening bid on this house is $180,000, and it’s worth every penny and more. So do I have an opening bid? One-eighty, one-eighty, do I hear one-eighty?” he called.
“One-eighty!” someone shouted and raised his card with the number under which he’d registered.
After that opening bid, it started a flurry of bids, each raising the next and the next a couple of hundred dollars at a time.
Birdie wondered if Wade Montgomery was in the crowd, but she hadn’t seen him, and as the bidding continued she decided he’d blown it off or changed his mind. A part of her was disappointed but she didn’t know why, and then she let it go and refocused, only to realize the bidding had just passed the $200,000 mark. That was pretty pricey for Blessings. Especially in this neighborhood. She craned her neck, trying to see who was bidding now, but all she could hear was the auctioneer shouting as the bids continued to rise.
Hunt was surprised, and Emma was getting excited. Mama would be so proud that her little house was getting this kind of attention.
Like before, the bidding came down to two buyers bidding against each other in $1,000 increments. Two hundred thousand five, two-six, two-seven, and then a man shouted, “Two-ten.” And the crowd went quiet, waiting to see if the other bidder raised that $210,000 bid.
But no one did.
The auctioneer started calling… “Two hundred and ten thousand dollars for this little beauty…with the entire city park for your backyard. What a bargain! What a bargain! Going once. Going twice. Sold to number thirty-one,” he shouted.
The people began clapping and then parting to let the buyer through. Birdie could see movement but she still couldn’t see who was coming through the crowd, and then the man emerged, smiling.
Her face flushed…then her heart skipped a beat.
It was Wade.
He hadn’t just been playing her. He really wanted the house. And at the same time, now she wanted to cry. So he hadn’t been interested in her after all. She’d just been a means to an end. So much for knights in shining armor. When was she ever going to learn?
She got in her car a much sadder and wiser woman, and drove back to work.
* * *
Late the same evening, Hunt was sitting on the back porch thinking about the day. He’d honored his mother and kept the promise he’d made. His job here was over. This was the longest he’d been grounded since he’d been shot down, and he missed being up in the air.
Ava came out and sat down beside him, then laid her head on his shoulder.
“Tomorrow you go to the lawyer’s office for a final settling of the estate, right?”
“Yes. And I want you to know that extra eight thousand dollars I’m supposed to get from the estate? I’m donating it to the hospital in your name to buy more defibrillators. I nearly lost you because of the lack. I wouldn’t want that choice to be taken away from someone else.”
“Oh, Hunt. That is the most wonderful, generous thing you could ever do for me! Thank you,” Ava said.
He reached for her hand and threaded her fingers through his, absently rubbing the ring he’d put on her finger, then glanced down at her. Her face was in the shadows, but he saw the glitter of excitement in her eyes.
“How fast can you be ready to leave for Houston?” he asked.
“All I’m taking are my clothes. I can pack them in a day. How about day after tomorrow?”
“Really?” Hunt asked.
“Yes, really,” Ava said.
“We never managed to get married here,” he said.
“I already have you and the ring. We can figure that out there.”
“You don’t want a big wedding? And have your daddy walk you down the aisle?” Hunt asked.
Ava laughed. “I’m almost twenty-nine years old. I left my mother and daddy’s home years ago. All I need is you.”
Hunt turned and took her in his arms.
“I don’t know how I got so lucky. The loneliest times in my life were after I left home. Then, all I ever wanted was somebody to love…who would love me, too. And all that time you were here, just waiting for me to come back and get you.”
Ava sighed. “I’m so ready to begin our life together. We’ve already done the hard part. We can tie up the loose ends later. I say day after tomorrow.”
“And I agree,” Hunt said. “There’s just one thing.”
“What’s that?” Ava asked.
“I hope you’re not afraid to fly, because I want to show you what I see every time I go up.”