Page 59 of Auctioned To Be Mine

Dinner was served family style, enormous dishes passed around the table. Mimi had made what appeared to be an entire season’s worth of food. Roasted chicken and a pasta dish with a sauce that smelled amazing. Bread that was still warm. A salad with fresh ingredients.

The conversation moved along from babies to Dash and Krista’s new house to the best family car. I was included in every conversation. Callum was attentive, making sure I had whatever I needed and refilling my wine glass. I couldn’t help but feel like I fit in better with these strangers than I ever had with my own family.

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CALLUM

“Let’s move to the parlor,” Mimi said after the dessert dishes were cleared.

We all stood. My hand immediately went to Victoria’s back. She turned and smiled at me, and we filed out of the dining room. She got along with my family. I didn’t want to think too hard about what that could mean. I definitely wasn’t thinking about Thanksgiving and birthday parties with her on my arm. With her holding my cousins’ babies and hanging out with the wives.

Nope. Wasn’t thinking about that at all.

We stepped into the room that was all dark wood shelves lined with books. A fireplace along the wall with pictures of her children along the mantel. Leather chairs and two sofas that kind of looked like a hotel lobby setup but far cozier and more intimate. The baby had been put down upstairs. We were all full after an amazing dinner.

Sebastian took over as bartender, mixing several virgin drinks for the pregnant ladies and vodka sodas for the rest of us. Because we weren’t technically a thing and I didn’t want to make Victoria uncomfortable, I sat in one of the chairs and she sat on the sofa next to Cleo.

I really wanted to pull her into my lap, but I knew better.

“Now it’s time to talk a little business,” I said. “And I promise I’ll keep it brief because I know we didn’t fly out here for a board meeting.”

“Sounds dangerous,” Dash said. “I like danger.”

Krista gave him a dry look. “Used to. You’re going to be a father. You have to be alive in one piece to help me wrangle this child.”

Soft laughter moved around the room.

I looked at Mimi first. She was seated near the fire with a glass of red wine looking very content. Happy even. She’d lost weight after her husband’s death, but she seemed to be doing a lot better. Adrian told me it was the charity work. It gave her purpose.

“So, as you all know, we’ve been talking about ways to create buzz for the opening, and we’re planning on doing a runway show.” I paused.

Mimi nodded happily. “I’ve been following every update. I’m so proud of all of you.”

“Thank you.” I leaned forward, elbows on my knees. “But as some of us have been discussing, the traditional launch event isn’t enough. We want to make it stand out. To grab people’s attention.”

Adrian was watching me from the sofa with his arms crossed and the usual broody scowl on his face. Sebastian had his hand resting on Bernadette’s knee. Briggs was leaning against the wall, sipping his drink. They were all listening.

“I want to make the runway show into a charity event,” I said. “At the end, we auction the clothes off. Everything that comes down the runway goes on the block that night. All the proceeds go directly to charity.”

Briggs raised an eyebrow. “That’s a lot of money.”

Adrian rubbed his jaw. I could see him doing the math. I wasn’t going to call him out for being a cheapskate yet. I’d let him think through it. Weigh the cost versus the benefits.

I turned toward Mimi. “We wouldn’t be donating to just any charity. I want to partner with your foundation, Aunt Mimi. The work you’re doing with food insecurity in school-age children is exactly the kind of cause that deserves more reach than it currently has. An event like this, attached to a Blackwell opening in Beverly Hills, is going to put your foundation in front of people who have the means to sustain it long after one auction night.”

Mimi set her wine glass down on the side table and looked at me. That was my cue to get into the nuts and bolts of my proposal.

“What I’m proposing is we use the launch event to announce the expansion of your program into the LA area. An LA chapter. We give people a reason to care about that and a way to do something about it on the same night they’re buying a pretty dress.”

Nobody spoke for a beat. I knew it was nothing like we had talked about. And it would be a huge charity contribution, but it was worth it and everyone in the room had the money to spare.

“Victoria knows all about this stuff,” I continued. “If you’re on board, she will be coordinating the charity side of the event. I’ve walked through the logistics with her. All we need is to hear what you guys think.”

Mimi looked at Victoria. “So you would be running this?”

Victoria nodded. “The auction structure, the donor outreach, the charitable framework. Not the actual runway stuff. I know nothing about fashion and models or any of that. I’ll handle the part that makes people feel all warm and fuzzy because they bought an amazing dress and didn’t make you guys richer.”

Everyone laughed.