Page 70 of The Seashell of ’Ohana

I cocked my eyebrows at him. “Then what would be interesting?”

“That one.” He pointed to the stage, his eyes wide with interest.

I smiled when I shifted my attention to Rachel. She was holding my painting of an angel wing seashell on the sand, water rippling around it. I had painted it specifically for this auction.

“It’s beautiful,” Ian said. “That’s worth all my money.”

I shook my head, smiling. “Well, I hope you have lots of money, then.”

“This beautiful painting is one of a kind,” Rachel went on. “Donated by Abby Fuller and Kaitlyn Chang, the owners of Carousel Gallery. It’s called Forever in my Heart. Bidding starts at ten thousand.”

Ian turned his gaze to me. “Forever in my Heart? You remembered the myth behind the seashell.”

I stared into his deep, dark eyes. “Of course. What you said was beautiful.”

When Ian had told me the story of the angel diving into the ocean because he couldn’t be with the woman he loved, I’d put away the waterfall painting I had planned to donate for the auction and painted this one.

“Twenty thousand,” Rachel said.

Staring intently at Ian, I hadn’t heard Rachel call the other numbers. Surely, she hadn’t gone from ten to twenty. Then the bid went up to thirty.

“Going once. Twice … Thirty thousand, anyone?”

Ian raised his stick.

Kate and Lee gawked at him.

“What are you doing?” I whispered harshly. “I can paint you another one.”

“I don’t want the second one. I want this one. This is an original.”

The bid went up again.

“Forty,” Rachel said. “We got forty.”

I looked over my shoulder to see who Ian was bidding against, but I couldn’t see the person. This was for a great cause, but I didn’t want Ian spending a lot of money on a painting I could easily duplicate.

Then, at last, Rachel said, “Fifty?”

Ian raised his stick.

“Fifty-two? Fifty going once. Twice. Sold to Ian Bordonaro.”

Chapter Twenty-Seven — Declaration

I covered my face, trying not to hyperventilate. Ian just spent fifty grand on a painting he could have easily purchased for five. Again, I reminded myself that he was doing it for the charity, and he would have donated that much, anyway.

The auction continued for another hour. We gathered to the other side where the tables were already set, and dinner was served.

As the sun lowered, the soft moonlight and the bright stars graced the night. White lights snaked around the palm trees, and electric candles on the table brightened the surrounding area.

“So, where are you going to put that statue of the mask?” I asked Lee and Kate.

“In our bedroom,” Lee said.

“In our bedroom?” Kate laughed.

Ian set down his wine glass after taking a drink. “Lee likes to collect weird things and put them in his bedroom. You should already know that about him, Kate.”