Page 71 of Auctioned To Be Mine

I laughed. “Sorry.”

I sat down in the only other chair at the table.

“How did lunch go?” I asked. “Honestly. Don’t hold back.”

She looked up. “Your mother is terrifying.”

I winced. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I liked her. And she liked me. It was actually really nice. I like both of them.”

“Good. They’re pretty fun.”

“Did you get the problem solved at the store?”

I rubbed my face. “Yes.”

“Good, crisis averted.”

“I didn’t know how much of my time it would eat, though.” I reached for one of the strawberry and cream cheese pastries. “This damn store. I agreed to oversee the whole build-out for my cousins, and I genuinely thought I knew what I was signing up for.”

She nodded, chewing her croissant. “I guess you’ve never opened a brick-and-mortar store, huh?”

“No, but I’ve managed bigger projects,” I said. “On paper, this was straightforward. Retail space, custom finishes, plans already worked out.” I shook my head. “But this one is different because it’s family, you know? It’s important. I’m so worried I’m going to screw up this big launch at the last minute.”

“The fact that you care this much is why the launch will go great,” Victoria said. She set the croissant down and turned toward me slightly.

“I wasn’t paying attention the way I should have been and some orders got jumbled up.”

“But you solved those issues, right?”

“That’s not really the point.”

“No,” she said softly. “I know.”

We sat quietly for a few seconds.

“We picked a bad time for this,” I said.

She looked up. “For what?”

I wiped my fingers on one of the napkins. I’d been thinking about it all day. It wasn’t fair to have the thoughts and not tell her. “You. Us. This.” I glanced up at her. “Whatever we’re calling it.”

She didn’t say anything. I think I almost expected her to deny it. Argue that I was wrong.

“I’ve never done this before,” I said. “Not like this. I’ve dated women. I’ve been in what I thought were relationships. But I was always half somewhere else. Always watching the clock and planning my exit.” She was watching me. “Tonight I sat in my house staring at the wall because I couldn’t stop pacing. I needed to see you. That’s never happened to me. Not once.”

She offered a small smile. “That’s sweet.”

“I’m not saying it to be charming,” I said. “I’m saying it because it’s true and because I think you should know.”

“I get it.”

“I’m really sorry about today. That’s not who I am. Or it’s not who I want to be.” I shook my head. “I don’t miss things. I don’t let down the people I care about.”

“Callum.” She leaned forward slightly. “These things happen. To everyone. Even to people who have their entire lives together, which, for the record, you do. Shit happens. It was fun and I had to work, anyway. You’re still kicking ass.”

“I don’t feel like it lately.”