A Bid for Love Read Free Page A

up the stairs and into the room, where Renae lounged at the table. Breakfast was already waiting, and the aroma of sausages made Cassi’s mouth water.
    “I should have just sent out for a copy,” she said, flinging herself onto one of the chairs.
    “What’s wrong?”
    Cassi told her about the man. “I was so embarrassed. What if he sees me later, and I have to try to deal with him? He’ll never think of me professionally after this.”
    To Cassi’s chagrin, Renae started laughing. “Oh, Cassi, when did you get to be such a snob? Who cares what you’re wearing? And who cares what that stranger thinks? Is this the same Cassi who went to the Junior Prom dressed as a cave woman? You aren’t acting like the girl I used to know.”
    Cassi scowled, but slowly her face relaxed into a smile. “You dared me to do it.” She giggled. “Do you remember poor Tom’s face when he saw me?” Tom was the only boy who had ever come out and told Cassi he liked her, which was why she had gone out with him. But, alas, her spontaneity at the prom had been too much for him, and he had turned to less impulsive companionship.
    “Oh, you’re right. I guess I’m putting too much importance on this.” It’s just that my work is all I have , she wanted to add, but didn’t. Renae, with her adoring husband and nearly five children, could never understand the feeling of not being connected that Cassi endured daily.
    Renae laughed. “Sure. He won’t even remember you. And if he does, maybe it will be as a woman instead of a buyer.” Before Cassi could protest, Renae continued. “Now hadn’t you better eat so we can get downstairs? I’ll comb through your hair for you.” Renae’s own dark blond locks were thin and straight, and she had never hidden her envy of Cassi’s hair.
    Cassi smiled. “I haven’t had a better offer in weeks. It’s good to be with you, Renae. I’m so glad you came.”
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER THREE
     
    Jared awoke early Saturday morning, the longings of the night before put firmly behind him. He showered, dressed, and ate before reviewing pamphlets that detailed the items Laranda had requested. At the previewing, he would also search for additional items that would bring profits to the gallery.
    By nine o’clock, Jared felt prepared. The previewing would most likely open at ten, and if he went now he would have an hour to talk with the few other buyers who would appear early. He also wanted to look at the auction schedule.
    He whistled as he left his room, eager to begin another interesting day. If nothing else in his life was satisfying, his work was; he loved it. The elevator took Jared down to the main floor. The gold carpet and elegant wallpaper gave the hallway an air of opulence. Confidence flooded through him.
    Near the auction hallway, he could see a slim, shapely girl bending over the usual array of pamphlets. Her long, dark brown hair had a few golden highlights which glinted in the sunlight streaming in from a large window at the end of the corridor. Tiny ringlets splayed over her head and down her back, reminding Jared of Wendy, one of the girls he had dated. It was a look he had always admired, until he saw first-hand the hours she wasted achieving it—and until he felt the hair itself, stiff and dry like curly straw.
    The girl bending in front of Jared didn’t hear his approach on the thick carpet. She was wearing old jeans that strangely accentuated her feminine features. This was certainly no stuffy buyer, but perhaps a young girl who happened upon an interesting display and decided to investigate. Jared supposed she had spent hours on her hair in the hopes of being noticed by some male who didn’t know what it had cost her to attain the look. He was not impressed.
    “Why would someone want you?” The girl straightened, and over her shoulder Jared could see that she held the pamphlet featuring the Buddha. He was close enough to her now to smell her hair. Not cloying and