Page 78 of Auctioned To Be Mine

I had traveled to Greece to see how to put together a runway show, in case we wanted to do some for our wedding lines. It had given me some experience in prepping for the runway show here at the store. Lucky for me, it was going to be a much smaller operation and there would be no rain.

The charity aspect changed things, but Victoria had guided me through that like the professional she was.

“I’m glad you two are here,” I said. “If there’s any detail I’ve missed in this place, I need someone to spot it before the event. I’ve been staring at it too long. I can’t see it clearly anymore.”

“I helped double check things,” Drew said. “But Callum obviously doesn’t trust me.”

“Hey,” I told him, shaking my head. “I need people who know this world.”

Dash nodded and started to walk the perimeter of the space. Krista had moved to the window wall and was looking out at the street. She turned back to study the interior from that vantage point. She was new to the family and the business, but she understood logistics. “What are you going to do about the giant window come showtime?” she asked.

“Victoria had an idea.” I crossed to stand beside her and looked at the same angle she was looking. “Huge curtain. Cover it up completely.”

Krista looked at me with surprise. “Victoria came up with that?”

“She did.”

“Smart woman.”

“Yes, she is.”

Dash paused near the menswear section. He ran his hand along the wood paneling the same way I had when it first went up. It was funny because it was just one of those things you had to touch.

“The seam work on these panels is excellent,” Dash said.

“Let’s talk runway placement,” I said.

“Walk me through where you’re thinking you want the catwalk set up,” Dash said, coming to stand beside me.

“Runway runs from the back wall down through the center of the floor. Audience lines both sides. Around a hundred people. Intimate.”

“What’s the width?”

“Six feet. Enough for two people side by side.”

“Good.” He nodded. “For the couples it needs to feel like they’re walking together, not in a single file line. Six feet gives you that.” He looked down the proposed path. “Where are you building the platform from?”

“Temporary modular sections. They go up the morning of the event and come down the following day. The supplier confirmed delivery for that Thursday.”

“Confirmed or committed?”

I looked at him.

“There’s a difference,” he said mildly.

I pulled my phone back out and made a note to follow up. Good god. There was always something and this was exactly why I needed them here.

Drew had migrated to the consulting-room doorway, nestled in the back of the wedding section. He was looking into the space where Cleo and Mandy had designed the private bridal experience. Soft chairs, a large mirror, lighting that could be adjusted to simulate different times of day so a bride could see how her dress looked at a morning ceremony versus an evening one. Cleo and Mandy had gone all out with our little corner of the store.

“Damn,” Drew said. “This place is wild. I’m not going to lie. I didn’t see the vision. You guys did.”

“Cleo did. Mandy did. I kind of saw things but even I’m impressed by how it’s all come together.” I gestured around the rest of the store. “This whole place will be an amazing luxury experience.”

“This charity runway show is going to drum up so much press,” Krista said, coming to stand beside me. “You need to find a way to copyright this idea.”

I laughed. “I don’t think that’s an option, but I wish it was.”

“It’s going to take off,” she said.