Page 77 of Auctioned To Be Mine

“Callum,” Dash said, turning in a slow circle in the center of the showroom. He had his hands in his pockets and his head tipped back slightly, taking in the ceiling detail. “This is so much better in person than on the page. I mean, the designs looked great, but this is killer.”

I nodded. “These crews did amazing work, despite a few hiccups.”

“This is genuinely impressive,” Krista said. “This isn’t a store. This is an experience.”

“I helped make it happen,” I said. “But I can’t take credit for the years of planning that you all did.”

Dash clapped me on the shoulder. “I’m so glad we trusted you with this.”

Krista drifted toward the wedding section, drawn there the way women always were. Krista was all cargo pants and sturdy hiking boots but even she couldn’t resist the dress section. It was some magnetic pull toward the white and silk.

She ran her fingers along the edge of one of the velvet display risers. “Where are the gowns going?”

“We’ll have a few along this wall, angled toward the windows,” I said, crossing the floor to stand beside her. “Cleo wants natural light on the dresses. And there’s a whole room with special lighting where they can try things on.”

“Smart,” Krista said.

I showed them around the other sections, each with its own vibe while still feeling cohesive with the rest of the store.

“This is wild finally seeing it like this,” Dash said. “Adrian is going to lose his mind. In a good way.”

“It is so cool!” Krista said. “I want it to open up already.”

“All in due time,” I said, smiling. “But yes, I’m also looking forward to the big day. Before that, we’re going to put on one hell of a show here.”

Dash grinned. “Your dad runs a studio. If anyone knows about putting on a show, it’s your branch of the family.”

Drew groaned like it was the worst job in the world. He was being just a little dramatic but I understood. There was a reason we didn’t want to follow in my father’s footsteps.

“I sat through three hours of development notes on a film I care nothing about last spring because Dad thought it would be good for me to understand the full scope of the business,” Drew said. “Three hours. Do you know what I could have done with three hours?”

“Caused significant property damage,” I offered.

He pointed his finger at me. “Only when you ask me to.”

Krista laughed. “You two sound a lot like the Blackwells on the other side of the country.” She playfully pushed Dash. “Especially this one. I think it’s in the DNA. You boys don’t know how to behave.”

“Callum does,” Drew said.

“It’s called being responsible,” I said.

“I’ve been having fun helping out here,” Drew said. “Whenever you guys plan your next project, tag me in.”

“We keep growing, so there’s plenty of work to go around,” Dash said. “This store is just part of the company’s recent expansion.”

“How’s the swimsuit line going?” I asked.

“Amazing,” Dash said.

“That was one hell of a show.”

Krista looked at Dash with a huge smile. “He kicked ass in Greece.”

“He clearly pissed off Mother Nature. Or Zeus.” I laughed. “No way that storm blew in with no warning.”

Dash laughed. “You think I ordered a storm to rain out my runway show? Do you know how much work went into putting that thing together only to have it rained out.”

“The rain was a gift,” Krista said. “People are still talking about it.”