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Quickly, another person agreed to that price. This continued until it hit four thousand dollars, and I was intimidated by how it had escalated. The crowd sort of calmed down.
Suddenly, Gretchen raised her hand. “Five thousand dollars.”
Everyone in the crowd turned to face us. My cheeks burned.
Charles peered out into the crowd to where everyone else was looking, and his eyes met mine. A tiny smile played at his lips.
“Going once. Going twice. Sold for five thousand dollars,” Pastor Lee finished.
Charles stepped off the stage and headed toward us. Many people in the crowd moved closer, asking questions and making comments. Gretchen anticipated them and gave me a push thatsent me right into Charles’s arms. As if he knew exactly what to do, he grabbed me and led me toward an exit. He called over his shoulder, “Thanks, Gretchen.”
She called back, “Anytime!”
“Wait.” I stumbled. “What is going on?”
Charles laughed and took my hand, quickening his step. “My grandmother told me to come tonight and she would handle everything else.”
“And she called Gretchen.”
“She did.”
I laughed.
“Okay, I’m your date. Where do you want to go?”
“I don’t know. Technically, your grandmother bought you.”
“For you. She bought me for you. Well, technically, she had you buy me…for me.” He laughed.
I laughed with him, feeling giddy.
Charles walked us to what looked to be an expensive motorcycle. He paused and picked up one of the helmets hanging from it.
My adrenaline kicked up. “This is what we’re riding?”
He strapped the helmet to my head. “If that’s okay.”
“Hold on. First, why would your grandmother want us going out?”
Charles put his own helmet on his head and then turned and slid onto the motorcycle. “Because I told her what my grandfather told you. She was devastated. She wanted to fix things between us.”
I was shocked. “She didn’t know?”
“Nope.” Charles started the motorcycle and turned back. “Why don’t you hop on?” He gestured to the church. “People are coming. I would rather get away and talk with you than face them.”
I looked over my shoulder in time to see a large group filtering out of the church. Many of them had spotted us and were heading our way. I quickly got behind Charles on the motorcycle.
The only other time I’d ridden on a motorcycle was when we had dated. Peter had never been the type to drive a motorcycle. He always claimed they were too dangerous. Of course, when my own son wanted a motorcycle when he became a teenager, I’d agreed. Now, I held onto Charles with anticipation. “I can’t believe this.”
Charles laughed and took off. “That’s Grandmother. She was always trying to fix what Grandfather messed up, even when I was a kid.”
We turned onto Main Street and then sped up a bit. I was forced to hold on to Charles tighter as memories rushed through me. I couldn’t help but think about his grandmother’s conniving ways. I was glad she didn’t also think I would be an inconvenience for Charles.
Charles turned off Main Street and onto the highway, picking up speed. Tonight, the wind was calm, and even though it was barely in the low sixties, it felt good. The wind whipped through my hair and onto my face. I couldn’t help but laugh and feel free, good, young. How long had it been since I’d felt those things?
Charles took it up a notch and yelled back, “Hold on tight!”
I obeyed and felt the surge of power go through the motorcycle. Adrenaline coursed through me, and I laughed again and snuggled into Charles.
