I saw Toby spot her from across the gym.
He closed his eyes.
Not dramatically. Not for effect. Just one brief, defeated closing of the eyes that broke my heart.
I walked over to him near the refreshments table. “You okay?”
He opened them again and forced a shrug. “Sure.”
“Toby.”
He gave me a look. “Can we just survive tonight?”
That word stayed with me. Survive.
The auction started. Gift cards. A handmade quilt. A fishing weekend donated by some local cabin owner. Laughter, applause, paddles going up.
Then my locket came up.
The auctioneer lifted the box and read the description. “A vintage sterling silver heirloom locket, donated by Janet Morrison.”
A little murmur went through the room because people knew me, and they knew I did not part with family things lightly.
I raised my paddle. “One hundred fifty.”
The auctioneer smiled. “One-fifty, thank you.”
Then Vanessa lifted her paddle from the front row.
“Five hundred.”
There was a shift in the room. Not loud. Just enough. The kind of movement a crowd makes when something awkward has entered the air.
I turned and looked at her.
She was already looking at me.
Smiling.
Not kindly.
I managed, “Five-fifty.”
