Page 94 of Auctioned To Be Mine

I went to the kitchen and poured two fingers of whatever was closest. I carried it outside and stretched out on one of the lounge chairs. The cool breeze felt good on my heated skin.

I stared out at my expensive view and drank, looking in the general direction of Victoria’s apartment. There was no way to see it from here, and I was probably looking the wrong way, but logic wasn’t important in that moment. What was she doing? Was she thinking about me? Missing me? Had she already written me off and was just trying to figure out how to let me down gently?

My eyelids were heavy. Finally. Finally, sweet oblivion was calling me. I downed the last of my drink, dropped the glass on the table, and let the world fade away.

34

VICTORIA

The store looked incredible. I stood in the doorway for a moment before anyone noticed me, just taking it in. The bones of the place had always been good but now, with the finishing touches in place and the lighting exactly right, it was something else entirely. It was the kind of space that made you want to lower your voice. Reverent, almost. Like walking into a very expensive church where the religion was beautiful clothing.

The auction set up was my domain. The runway and clothing belonged to the Blackwells. But the charity component was mine. I had a very specific vision for how I wanted it to feel and what needed to happen to pull it off. I wanted it to be woven into the show. It shouldn’t feel like two different events.

I found the crew lead and introduced myself. I had no idea if Callum was around but I hoped not. His car hadn’t been parked in its usual spot. Facing him would be too difficult, and I wasn’t ready to talk things through yet. I had shown up because I was a professional and this was an important event, but the thought of seeing him made my insides coil with anxiety.

“The auctioneer’s stand goes here,” I said, walking them to the spot I’d marked on the floor plan. “Elevated if possible. Preferably the same height as the catwalk. Is that something you can handle in time? If not, we can figure something else out.”

He jotted something down on his notepad. “No, that will work. No problem.”

“Good.” I looked around the runway that had already been constructed. There were large screens on each side wall, angled toward the center. It would give clear views for anyone in attendance. Plus, we were hoping to get the bidding shown onscreen too, but we were still trying to work out the kinks with that.

I walked through more of the setup, making sure everything complemented instead of clashed.

“Victoria.”

I looked up to see Mimi walking toward me. Always a hugger, she wrapped her arms around me warmly. “You look lovely,” she said, pulling back to look at me with genuine pleasure. “And what you’ve put together here is amazing.”

I looked like hell but I didn’t rebuff the compliment. It had been a few days since I’d seen Callum. They had not been great days. I was still trying to flush the alcohol from my system.

“Thank you so much,” I said, mostly responding to the second part of her statement. “Coming from you, that means a lot. But I didn’t know you were going to be here for the big show.”

“I flew in last night. I couldn’t wait to see the place and I am genuinely impressed. So much better than I even imagined.” Mimi clasped her hands together and looked around. “My husband had talked about opening a Blackwell Couture store for years. He would love the work you’ve all done here.”

“I’m just a small part of this,” I said, which was true. “Everyone else did the hard work.”

Tiana was near the coffee and cocktails area off to the side, talking to one of the servers about something. She was wearing cream trousers and a burgundy blouse. As always, she was effortlessly elegant. It was no wonder she was a successful Hollywood actress. And why her offspring were so damn good looking.

She caught my eye across the room and smiled. I smiled back but the knot in my stomach tightened even more.

I had been so relieved when I realized Callum’s car wasn’t outside but I hadn’t even considered seeing his mother. What would she have to say after she’d given her approval?

Someone tapped my shoulder and asked me a question, dragging my attention away from Callum’s mother. I answered it and was sucked back into the hive of activity.

A while later, I was running through my checklist, making sure everything was ready for the big night.

“I heard the screens were your idea.”

I jumped and spun around to see Tiana looking at the image on the screens. We’d been working on getting the angle just right.

“The goal is for no one to feel like they’re in the cheap seats,” I said. “Even if they’re in the back. And if we want people to bid on the outfits, they need to be able to see the details/”

She smiled at that. “Callum said you had good instincts.”

Just his name made my heart skip a beat. I didn’t know how long it would take for that to stop.

“How’s the rest of the prep coming together?” I asked.

“On schedule, which is always a surprise. Dash has been invaluable. He’s done this enough times that he catches things before they become problems. And Krista, of course.”