Rob’s eyes lit up. “Well, let’s go see this auction then. Violet, want to come see it?”
“I think I’m going to grab one of these cinnamon rolls, then head over to the arts and crafts section. You two go on without me. I’ll catch up with you later.”
Evelyn turned to Livy. “You sure you don’t need me here?”
“I’m positive. Go.”
“Here, take this beach blanket for your picnic. I brought it for later, to hang out on the beach with friends, but you can use it now.” Emily shoved a brightly colored blanket into her arms.
Violet stayed at the booth, chatting with Heather and Livy, as she and Rob headed toward the gazebo where the auction was being held.
There was a lot of good-natured teasing as the picnic baskets were auctioned off. The Keating brothers bid against each other for Margaret’s basket. Ethan outbid everyone trying to win Melody’s basket. When the bidding started on her basket, she was surprised at the response. Five men, including Rob, bid against each other.
He leaned close to her. “I guess your cooking is legendary.” He held up his hand again. “Forty dollars.”
One of the Keating brothers raised his hand. “Fifty.”
Rob looked at her and grinned. “It’s for a good cause, right?” He turned toward the auctioneer. “Two hundred.”
The other men shook their heads as she stood there with her mouth open. He’d paidtwo hundreddollars to have a picnic lunch with her.
“All righty, then. Come get your basket.” The auctioneer nodded toward Rob.
Rob went up, claimed the basket, and returned to her side, a self-satisfied smile on his face. “So, where do you want to picnic?”
“You just paid two hundred dollars.”
“Yep. Worth every penny.”
She shook her head. “I think you’re a bit crazy.”
“Maybe.” He shrugged. “I guess I’m just competitive. I like to win.”
“Okay, how about going out to the beach? There are palm trees along the edge we can sit under. We could see how the sandcastle competition is coming along.”
They walked across a wooden walkway and dropped down to the beach. Rob spread out the blanket under a tree and they both sat down. She opened the basket and started bringing out the meal.
“Wow,” Rob said when she’d finished laying out the spread.
She really hadn’t known what to pack, so she’d chosen plump fried chicken pieces, a container of slaw, cheese and crackers, a bowl of sliced fruit, and a thermos of sweet tea. Oh, and two pieces of peach pie.
“I didn’t know how to keep the ice cream frozen or I would have added that, too.”
“This is the best picnic I’ve ever seen. And probably the largest.”
She blushed at the compliment. “Dig in.”
They ate their lunch and watched the sandcastles being built near the water.
“This sandcastle building looks like serious business,” Rob said.
“It is. There’s a trophy for the winner each year. Some of these people come year after year to compete.”
She leaned back on her elbows after a bit, more than full, and watched the competition.
“This was all good but I can’t eat another bite. I did manage to finish my pie, though.” He grinned as he, too, leaned back on his elbows. “It was a nice lunch. And nice company.”
“Thank you.” She shifted slightly and looked at her watch. She could probably stay alittle bitlonger. She was having such a nice relaxing time. Which was highly unusual for her. She usually worked long hours and went home and crashed. She settled back comfortably to just… enjoy herself.
