Chapter 27 – Auction Trouble

"Eric?" His hand slipped away while he was going back through the items, and someone stepped in the way. "Oh, well, at least he's enjoying himself." She stepped to the side, out of the way of the items, and grabbed a drink.

"How could you bring the doofas here? He doesn't belong," Dean popped up right behind her.

"He belongs where I am, and I'm here, therefore he belongs here, too," Charlotte downed her drink, hoping it would help her calm down. She turned to him with narrowed eyes and crossed her arms. "Now, if you'll excuse me," Charlotte tried to walk away, but Dean blocked her path.

Dean backed her up to the wall and slammed his hand on the wall beside her head. "No, you're not excused. That man doesn't belong here, and he doesn't belong with you." He leaned in close. "It's only a matter of time before I find out the truth about you two."

"What truth? That we're together and in love? His station doesn't matter to me, Dean. I love him for him, and vice versa."

"Quite the little fantasy you're trying to spin here. But I know there's something sketchy going on, Char. I've looked into Eric extensively, and from the looks of it, you two never should've even met, let along ended up together."

"We could've met at the grocery store for all you know," Charlotte rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms.

"Is that so? I remember Timo doing all the shopping before. You were always too busy for menial tasks like that. Well, it doesn't matter what lie you try to tell me; my people have already found something and they're waiting to meet up with me to talk."

Charlotte gritted her teeth. "There's nothing special to say about how we met, so how about you lay off, Dean?"

"Getting all cute and defensive like this, I can only assume I'm on the right track. Don't worry, even if some sort of blackmail scheme comes to light, and you have to air some dark secret, I'll still accept you with open arms."

Someone tapped on Dean's shoulder.

"I'm busy, go away," Dean waved a hand over his shoulder, keeping his determined gaze on Charlotte.

Eric took a deep breath to calm himself. "I'm afraid I can't leave; the person I'm with is who you're harassing right now."

"Ah, the boyfriend returns," Dean sighed as he turned to Eric. "You should be staying quiet and off to the side, right? I mean, it's not like you'd understand our business."

Eric clenched his fists as he held back. I can't cause trouble for Charlotte. "Something tells me this is personal, and not about business," he glanced past Dean at Charlotte. "And I'm sure your father, who is standing at one of the tables talking to other businessmen, wouldn't want you making a scene right now at this publicized event."

"Tch. Fine, have it your way, but this isn't over," Dean glowered at Eric. "You don't belong with her, and you never will. I'll find out what you're hiding, and then we'll see who Char ends up with. You're no match for me, assistant." Dean rammed his shoulder into Eric's as he walked away.

Eric stumbled back a step and cursed under his breath. "I'm sorry, Char."

She reached out for his hand right away. "It's okay. I was happy to see you interested in the event. Think you'll win any auctions?"

"I hope so..." He sighed and shook his head. "I wasn't supposed to leave you alone today."

"Eric, I'm not a little girl. While I'm glad you came before anything escalated, I was certain I could handle him."

"Oh..."

She gently cradled his cheek in her hand. "You always seem to only take the negative part of what I say, don't you? I can handle him most of the time now, but I was glad you came for me. Thank you, my personal knight in shining armour." She gave him a quick peck on the lips.

"Ha... In the middle of a crowded room..." She's way better at this than I am.

"Come on," she laced her fingers through his. "It looks like they're closing the bidding. We can sit down and eat dinner while they set up to display the results," she pulled him over to a table with two place cards, one with each of their names. They were up near the stage with a large monitor set up to display the results.

He pulled the chair out for her as she sat and then sat down beside her. "If it's a silent auction, why do they make a big spectacle of the results? Don't people want to keep it quiet?"

"Why? Is there something you bid on you didn't want me to see?"

The jewellery! "Uh..."

"Nothing naughty, I hope," she giggled.

He couldn't help but swoon at her expression. "You're so beautiful when you smile..." Eric froze. "Did I say that out loud?"

"Yes," she held back another smile. "But thank you."

"I mean, you're always beautiful, but even more so when you're smiling. It's so bright and shining."

Charlotte reached for his hand on the table. "Thank you, Eric, but you don't need to explain."

"Right..."

"Before we let you eat your dinner," a man in a suit with a microphone walked onto the stage. "We'd like to announce the results of the silent auction." He waved his hand towards the screen and it turned on. It displayed the list of the auction items and the numbers that won them.

Oh, it only shows the number, not the name.

"Hmm...? Looks like we lost the one for the symphony tickets," Charlotte scanned the list for her number. Her eyes lit up. "You won the guitar? Do you know how to play?"

"Uh... No; I just thought it'd be cool to learn how to play... Not sure I could, anyway."

"Why not? We can get you a personal teacher for both playing guitar and reading music sheets."

"I can read music sheets faster than most people."

"Oh?"

"I play piano... or rather, I used to." Eric looked at his hands. "My hands got injured a long time ago, and I couldn't play anymore."

"Do you want to? With some reh—"

"No, thank you. I'd rather not go down that road of hope again. It hurt too much the first time."

"Can I ask what happened?"

"I couldn't afford lessens, but there was a music teacher who had their own studio nearby, and they used to teach me in their spare time. I tried to help in the studio when I could, mostly cleaning up, but I never did pay them back. One of the other students got jealous when they saw me with her after class, and they attacked me with a baseball bat. They went straight for my hands. It took quite a while to even be able to write or type again, but my ability to play piano ended then and there. I doubt I'd be able to play guitar either, but I liked the way it looks, anyway."

"I'm sorry you went through something like that. I won't push it if you don't want to try again."

"Thanks, Char." You wouldn't think little kids would get jealous so easily.

"I see that wasn't the only thing we won. We got the jewellery?" Charlotte turned to him, smirking.

"I thought you'd like'em."

"I do, thank you."

"Everything will be ready for pickup or drop off after the meal. Thank you all for attending this event and thank you for supporting the charity." The man on stage bowed and headed off.