“But you haven’t said anything at all. Tell me about your parents. Were you close before they passed away?”
“Not really. My mom was an attorney, and she lived and breathed work. Don’t get me wrong, I was proud of her for all her accomplishments, but for the most part, I was just…lonely. Dad spent long hours at work as well, and his evenings were consumed with friends. My parents were decent people overall, but they were neglectful. There were times I wished they’d had another child so I had someone to talk to.”
“I didn’t know that Clay. I’m sorry your childhood was so sad.”
“I don’t want you to get the wrong impression. They weren’t abusive or anything, but I was never a priority.” He cleared his throat uncomfortably. “It’s one of the reasons I joined the army when I turned eighteen. I needed a sense of community. A purpose. Plus, I wanted to see the world, and it was a great way to do that.”
“I’m surprised you never married,” I said, tentatively.
“Back then, I wasn’t ready, but now that I’m older, I long to start my own family. Make up for what I didn’t have.”
His words struck me hard across the face. He wanted something I couldn’t give him—unless, of course, he was willing to adopt. He’d responded positively to the idea before, and I could only hope he’d meant it.
***
In the next few days, I focused my attention on Sabrina and helping her with last-minute plans for the wedding. We made a trip to the florist to confirm her order, and we visited the church to talk to the pastor about the ceremony and reception. Clay was always on my mind, but I made sure I didn’t let it interfere with the reason I was in Alaska in the first place.
I didn’t want to be a lousy maid of honor by obsessing over my own issues, so I took the pressure off of Sabrina by running to the store for her if she needed something. My other cousins, her sisters, were around to help as well, but they all had kids so they weren’t as free to jump at a moment’s notice. I was also the first person to give her a pep-talk if she started to worry about some aspect of the wedding.
In short, I tried to keep my mind off my budding relationship with Clay, not because I wasn’t excited, but because I didn’t want to allow my fears to get in the way of helping my cousin.
Still, when I found out we were all eating dinner in town and Clay was joining us, I couldn’t stop the warm giddy feeling that settled in the pit of my stomach.
We ate at a casual place that served fish and chips…that type of thing. I was sitting next to Clay at the end of the table, and he was telling me a story about his days in the army when a woman with curly blond hair sauntered up to us.
“Clay Drover, is that you? It’s been ages since I’ve seen your handsome face.”
He waved reluctantly. “Hey, Roberta. How are you?”
“I’m so glad you asked.” She walked over to a table where a family of three were dining and took their extra chair without asking if they needed it. She then dragged it over to the end of our table so she could sit next to Clay. “I heard a rumor you’re participating in the charity auction this Friday night.”
Clay chuckled. “That’s news to me.”
“Really? Because someone told me you were a sure thing.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Sounds like there’s been a misunderstanding. I haven’t agreed to anything.”
“Oh, that’s too bad.” She leaned in closer than I was comfortable with and batted her eyelashes shamelessly. “I was planning on bidding on you.”
Clay scooted away from her and cleared his throat uncomfortably. “I have a girlfriend now, and I doubt she’d be okay with me being auctioned off.”
Roberta glanced at me with an appraising look. “You the new girlfriend?”
“Yes, I am.” I smiled politely. “My name’s Jazmin.”
“Nice meeting you, Jazmin. I’m sure you wouldn’t mind sharing him for one night, would you?” She squeezed his bicep and winked.
She was a little brazen in her attention to Clay, sparking a bit of jealousy on my part, but whatever jealousy I felt vanished the moment I saw the annoyance on Clay’s face. Everything about his body language said he didn’t have any interest in her, and even though I hadn’t known him long, I knew he wasn’t the type of man to flirt with other women. It just wasn’t in his character to do something like that.
“Tell me more about this charity,” I said. “Maybe I should be the one to do some bidding.”
“Oh, it’s wonderful,” Roberta said. “The proceeds are going to low-income families, providing food for a holiday meal as well as presents for the kids.”
“That sounds like a worthy cause.” I turned to Clay with a mischievous smile. “I think you should do it.”
“No way. I’m not a piece of meat to be auctioned off to the highest bidder.” He had a no-nonsense expression that was almost comical.
Roberta tossed her hair and scooted closer, infringing on Clay’s personal space for the second time. “Oh, come on. Be a sport. It’ll be fun.” She glanced at me. “Help me convince this guy.”
Hunter was sitting next to Sabrina a few seats away, and he’d been listening to our conversation for the last few minutes. He sat up straighter and lifted a finger. “If you want to know the real reason Clay hasn’t agreed to this…” He stopped for a moment and chuckled. “Melanie Shupe, the lady running the event, told him he had to cut his hair and shave his beard.”
“No way,” I said, trying not to laugh.
