“I wouldn’t ask you to do that.”
“And that’s why I’d be willing to do it.” I stuck a hand into my pocket. “I’m not going to introduce you to a lifestyle I can’t keep up.”
“Okay.” She moved from in front of me to beside me and gripped my hand in both of hers.
She laid her head on my shoulder and I turned to kiss her forehead. She grinned at me and we both blinked in shock when a flash went off and caught us off guard. I partially expected Jiselle to slip away but she didn’t. She smiled instead and I mirrored the reaction for us to get another picture taken.
“Thanks, man.” The photographer dapped me and moved to the next person in line.
We got our drinks and were just getting seated again when they lined up different items for auction.
I leaned into Jiselle.
“You see anything you like?”
“I’m not sure just yet.”
“Don’t feel pressured to buy things just because you want to support the foundation. I’ll cut them a check at the end of the night regardless.”
“Okay.”
The hostess took the stage again to call out bingo numbers. There were usually a total of ten games called. She called two before giving people a break to continue eating and socializing. After twenty minutes, she called five more games, with Jiselle winning the third. She nudged me with a huge smile, obviously proud of herself for switching cards and the entire table clapped for her while she picked out a piece of jewelry. She chose small diamond earrings despite telling me earlier she wasn’t interested and the event went on.
We sat in silence while the auction commenced. I rested a hand on Jiselle’s knee. She left one hand atop mine while the other gripped the paddle to bid.
I saw the moment something caught her attention, some vintage purse. The moment they announced the starting bid of five thousand dollars, she threw the paddle up.
It quickly became apparent that it was between Jiselle and another wife after the price rose to twelve thousand dollars and they were the only two volleying back and forth.
“What kind of purse is it again?” my father whispered.
“It’s a vintage crocodile Chanel purse. It’s a collector’s piece,” she said.
“And you want to collect this piece?”
“Mhm.” Jiselle nodded and lifted her paddle again.
I wasn’t sure what the purse was worth but I was down to pay whatever if it put a smile on her face.
“Bet twenty,” he whispered.
Jiselle lifted an eyebrow. I grabbed the paddle from her and lifted it.
“Twenty thousand,” I called out.
“Do we hear twenty-one?”
The wife lifted her paddle. I lifted mine.
We made it to twenty-nine before my father lifted his paddle.
“Thirty-five thousand,” he announced. Jiselle’s head snapped in his direction. “We can do this all night, Mike,” he said.
Several people in the crowd chuckled but he wasn’t joking.
“Forty thousand!” Mike called out.
“Forty-five,” my father countered.