When the five-minute warning came, every item had a sizable bid, and there was an all-out bidding war over the week’s yacht rental. The amounts these two men were putting down left me breathless because they were more than my bookstore would gross in a year, but I was also breathless with excitement. From just my quick tally, I could tell we’d surpassed our goal. I couldn’t wait to see what our total was.
At the very last second, a middle-aged woman in sensible pumps and a suit dashed over to grab the pen on the yacht rental. She stood poised, and as the band leader closed the auction, she put down her final bid. I tried not to stare, but her fanfare made that impossible. And so did her bid – one million! I started to cry. Mart was going to be ecstatic.
The woman started to dart away as
