Page 65 of Auctioned To Be Mine

“Callum.”

I closed the laptop. There was clearly no getting around this. I looked at my sister across the table. She had her arms folded, pen still in hand, patient as a saint.

“I like her,” I said. “A lot. More than I’ve liked anyone.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “Ever.”

“There it is,” she said softly.

“It’s early,” I said. “I know it’s early. I’m not trying to get ahead of myself.”

“But?”

I tapped my fingers on the table. “I find myself thinking about a future with someone for the first time in my life. And it’s not freaking me out. I don’t want to run in the opposite direction.” I glanced up at Cleo. “That has to mean something, right?”

“It means everything,” she said.

“Don’t make it a big thing.”

“I think she’s wonderful. And I think you deserve wonderful.” She flipped to a new page in her notes. “Now let’s get back to the budget before I start crying and ruin my mascara. I’ve been looking forward to having a sister. Looks like that’s actually a possibility.”

“See? This is why I didn’t want to talk about it,” I said. “I just want to see how things go with her without everyone being weird about it.”

She grinned. “Let me have fun.”

I laughed and opened the laptop again. I pulled up the spreadsheets, but my phone buzzed on the table between us. I glanced at the screen. It was someone at the store.

I picked it up. “What’s up?”

“Mr. Blackwell, I need you down here as soon as you can make it.”

I was already pushing back from the table. “What happened?”

“There’s been a material issue,” she said. “They’re calling it a potential safety hazard.”

I was already on my feet. “I’m on my way.”

Cleo was looking at me.

“The store,” I said. “I have to go.”

“What happened?”

I was already reaching for my keys on the counter behind me. “I don’t know the full picture yet. I need to get eyes on it.”

She pulled her glasses off and set them on the table. “Callum, we’re not done here.”

“I know.” I grabbed my jacket from the back of the chair. “I know, Cleo. I’m sorry. As soon as I figure out what we’re dealing with, I’ll call you. We can finish tonight if we have to. Come to my place, order dinner, we’ll go through every line.”

She sighed. “Okay,” she said finally. “Go. But call me.”

I was out the door before she finished the sentence.

I kept replaying the look on Cleo’s face when I pushed back from the table. Resignation. I had promised her overseeing the store opening wouldn’t get in the way of my day job with the wedding business. Leaving her felt like I was dropping the ball.

I merged onto the freeway and pushed the speed up a little more than I should have.

I hadn’t been to the store in a couple of days. That was on me. I should have already known about the problem. I’d been present for every detail. I hadn’t missed a single scheduled check-in. I was doing my job.

For the most part.