SOLD TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER by Sam Crescent

man.”
    “ Anyone
special? You’ve not mentioned meeting someone since you dumped
Jason. I remember that man. He was completely taken with you, honey.
I can’t believe you let him go. Finding a good man is difficult
nowadays.”
    The blush filled her
cheeks. Emily never mentioned her relationships to her parents unless
she could avoid it, Jason being the only exception to her rules. They
embarrassed her because most of the time her parents were arguing
over some inane thing. Hearing her mother talk about Jason being a
keeper made her feel worse about walking away. If anyone was the
expert on a man it would be her mother. She could probably spot a
cheater from a mile away.
    “ Yes, Jason is
very special to me.”
    “ Isn’t
he the man you work for? Are you back with him?”
    “ He’s
more than the man I work for. It’s a long story. I realise I
made a mistake walking away from him. Why did you call me? There must
be some reason.” Her mother phoned her often but if she didn’t
answer the phone she usually waited.
    “ It’s
been too long since I saw you last.”
    “ What’s
happened?” Emily knew there had to be something going on for
her mother to be phoning.
    “ There is
something.” She heard some commotion over the line and Emily
started to panic.
    “ Mom, what’s
going on?”
    She waited for her
mother to tell her the problem. What came next startled her.
    “ I wanted to
be the first one to tell you. I’ve filed for divorce. I’m
so sorry, baby. I couldn’t handle it another time. I’ve
been a bloody doormat and I couldn’t stand it anymore.”
    Her words completed
amazed Emily. “You’re divorcing Dad?”
    “ It’s
time. I can’t handle his infidelity anymore. I’m tired of
being the one to constantly take him back. It’s time I got some
happiness of my own.”
    Emily ran her hand
over her face, sighing in contentment.
    “ I also know
mine and your father’s relationship is the reason you’ve
put off finding yourself a man. Honey, I want you to know that not
all men are like your father. A lot of men can be faithful to one
woman and they don’t need to feel threatened by other men.”
    Jason walked through
the door. He stared at the phone with a frown.
    “ Mother.”
She mouthed the word at him.
    He pointed to the
shower and she nodded. She held the brush up for him to see. Jason
nodded before moving toward the shower.
    “ I know what
you mean. There is someone in my life. Well, he was in my life before
and he proposed to me and I fucked it up.”
    Her mother gasped
over the line, clearly appalled by her.
    “ Walking away
was the biggest mistake of my life.”
    “ Is that the
man you’re with?” her mother asked.
    “ Yes.”
    “ You’ve
got to tell him how you feel.”
    “ He knows I
love him but I can’t ask him to propose to me again. That
wouldn’t be proper and I’m a little old-fashioned when it
comes to proposals. He has to propose.”
    “ You shot him
down the last time. You’ve just said so. Maybe you need to
concede on this point and you be the one to ask him to marry you.”
    She stared at the
bathroom door and wondered if she could go through with it. Their
time together was electric. She’d never felt connected to a
person in the way she did with Jason.
    “ I’ll
think about it.”
    For the next few
minutes she spoke with her mother and caught up. When Jason walked
out of the bathroom she was sat waiting for him. “Did you get
everything you needed sorted out?” she asked.
    He sat down behind
her and took the brush she left on the bed in hand.
    “ Yes. I got
everything done. How did your phone call with your mother go?”
Jason began running the brush through her hair.
    She moaned relishing
the feel of his touch. There was nothing Jason did that he didn’t
do to perfection.
    “ She’s
filed for divorce and she also told me not to judge every man I know
with the same stick as my father.”
    “ Your mother
sounds wise.”
    Emily nodded. “She
sounds