Page 47 of Auctioned To Be Mine

“And ruin the surprise?” He set both bags down on the table across from me and started unpacking them like he owned the place.

I watched him pull out white containers, one after another, arranging them in a row. The smell hit me first. I set my fork down.

“Is that sushi?”

“From Nobu.” He kept unpacking. More containers. A container of miso soup. What looked like edamame. “I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I got a selection.”

“A selection,” I repeated, looking at the spread in front of me. It was enough food for four people. “This is a lot of sushi, Callum.”

“Eat what you want and take the rest home.” He glanced at my sad salad still sitting in front of me and then picked it up and moved it to the counter behind him.

“Hey,” I said. “That was my lunch.”

“No, it wasn’t.” He sat down across from me and started opening containers. “A rabbit wouldn’t even eat that.”

I opened my mouth to argue and then closed it because he wasn’t wrong. He pushed a container toward me and I looked down at a perfect arrangement of salmon nigiri.

I picked up a piece and ate it. It was extraordinary. Of course it was. It was Nobu. I’d eaten at places like Nobu for most of my life without thinking twice about it, but that had been years ago.

“This is really good,” I said, reaching for another piece.

“I know.”

I ate more salmon and tried not to show how much I appreciated it. He was helping himself to what appeared to be a spicy tuna roll. It was strange but in the best way. Sharing meals was getting very easy with him.

I couldn’t remember the last time someone had brought me lunch. Not just suggested we grab something. Someone who thought about what I might like and showed up with it.

I set down my chopsticks. “I appreciate this,” I said. “Genuinely. The sushi is incredible. Thank you.” I looked at him across the table. “But is there a reason you showed up like this? Because I have a feeling this isn’t entirely about feeding me.”

He reached for a napkin and wiped his mouth. And then he smiled. I had to fight the urge to pull my clothes off right there in the breakroom. I wanted to feel him inside me again.

“I need your help with something,” he said.

“Okay.”

“The store opening.” He reached for a spring roll. “We’re planning a launch event to generate buzz. Something big enough to get people talking before the doors even open. I saw what you did with the auction. I want that kind of energy and excitement. The buzz.”

I was a little disappointed he didn’t show up because he wanted to see me. “I didn’t really do anything,” I said.

“I want you to help me,” he said.

“I’m flattered. Really. But I don’t plan just any big event, Callum. I work here. Specifically here, for this charity, doing fundraising events to raise money for children’s hospitals. Not to sell wedding dresses.”

“I know that but I’m not asking you to plan a marketing event. I want to make it a charity event.”

I stopped with a piece of yellowtail halfway to my mouth. “Say more.”

“My aunt in New York started a foundation to feed hungry kids,” he said. “After my uncle’s passing, she’s been pouring her time and energy into the foundation. It’s the thing that gets her out of bed every morning.”

“What is it?” I asked.

“It’s focused on food insecurity in kids. School-age children who go home on Friday and don’t eat again until Monday morning when school provides meals.” I could see the pride in his eyes. “It’s a real problem and she’s been doing a lot of work, but she doesn’t have the kind of reach she needs to make the impact she’s capable of.”

“Okay,” I said.

“I want to bundle the store opening with a fundraiser for her foundation. I haven’t talked to her about it yet.” He held my gaze. “I wanted to come to you first. Talk it through. See if it’s a viable idea or if I’m about to embarrass myself by proposing something that would never actually work.”

It wasn’t a bad idea. In fact, it was a pretty good one. A high-profile luxury brand launch attached to a children’s charity was gold. The fashion press covered the store. The philanthropic press covered the foundation. You doubled your reach and your goodwill in one evening. Guests who came for the clothes left feeling like they’d done something worthwhile. Donors who came for the cause got to feel glamorous while they did it.