8. Sebastian #2
Congressman Halloway’s eyes darted between us. He knew he was losing. "Ninety," he yelled, raising his paddle even higher.
I didn’t speak yet. I turned my attention to Aria. I held her gaze. She was glaring at me with such intensity that I could practically feel the heat of it from across the room. Her hands had curled into fists at her sides. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly beneath that green silk.
She was furious.
Good.
"One hundred thousand dollars," I said.
The room went silent.
The three men that had bid against me turned to look at me fully with their mouths wide open. What the hell are you doing? Their faces seemed to say. Just let me have this. Back off.
I didn't back off. I held my ground, my gaze locked on Aria's, and waited.
"One hundred thousand dollars," the announcer said, her voice slightly breathless. "Going once... going twice..."
The dark-haired man shook his head. Dropped his paddle. Congressman Holloway rose to his feet, threw his paddle onto the chair, and stomped out. The third man just slumped in his seat.
"Sold! To the gentleman in the back for one hundred thousand dollars!"
The crowd erupted in applause. I saw phones lifting, photos being taken, and knew this would be on social media within the hour. Probably even less knowing this crowd. The gossip columns would have a field day.
I didn't care.
Aria was still staring at me from the stage. Her eyes had gone from blue to something closer to black, dark with fury. Her smile had vanished entirely. She looked like she wanted to march across the room and throttle me with her bare hands.
I couldn't remember the last time I'd enjoyed myself this much.
"Dad!"
Evie appeared at my elbow, practically vibrating with excitement. "Oh my God," she breathed. "That was literally the coolest thing ever. You just bid a hundred thousand dollars! For Aria! You're going on a date with Aria!"
I looked down at my daughter. "I suppose I am," I said.
"This is amazing." She grabbed my arm, bouncing on her heels.
On stage, Aria had stepped back, her place taken by bachelorette number six. But her eyes were still on me, still burning with that dark fury.
I met her gaze and smiled.
Your move, Kealoha.
She looked away first. I counted that as a victory.
Even more so when she continued to avoid me for the rest of the evening.
Every time I moved toward her, she moved away.
When I approached a conversation she was part of, she excused herself.
When our paths threatened to cross, she found someone else to talk to, something else to attend to.
She was good at it. Seamless. Anyone watching would think she was simply a busy hostess, pulled in a hundred directions at once.
But I knew better.
She was running from me. And we both knew it.
By eleven o'clock, the crowd had thinned. The auction had closed, the string quartet had packed up, and volunteers were beginning the quiet work of clearing tables and boxing up leftover flowers.
Evie was yawning, her earlier energy fading into exhaustion. "We should go," I said, touching her shoulder.
"Five more minutes?"
"Now, Evie."
She sighed but didn't argue. We made our way toward the exit, stopping occasionally for final goodbyes. I kept my eyes moving, searching the thinning crowd.
There.
Aria stood near the side door, talking to Nalani.
Her shoes were off, dangling from one hand, and she'd pulled a few pins from her hair, letting dark curls escape around her face.
She looked tired, human and achingly beautiful in a way that had nothing to do with the dress or the makeup or the careful styling.
I changed direction.
"Dad, where are you…" Evie started, but I was already walking.
Aria saw me coming. I watched her spine straighten, watched her chin lift, watched her prepare for battle. Nalani glanced between us, her eyebrows rising, and murmured something before slipping away.
Smart woman.
"Miss Kealoha." I stopped in front of her, close enough to see the gold flecks in her dark eyes. "I wanted to thank you for a lovely evening."
“What lovely evening?” Her eyes were shooting daggers at me. “You managed to singlehandedly ruin it, so thank you very much for that.”
"Really?” I placed a thoughtful hand underneath my chin. “I mean… A hundred thousand dollars to your foundation seems quite lovely to me. Generous, even."
"You know exactly what you did." She stepped closer, jabbing a finger toward my chest. "You turned my auction into some kind of... of power play. Everyone that was in this room probably thinks…"
"Thinks what? That I wanted to have dinner with you badly enough to pay for the privilege?" I tilted my head. "Isn't that the point of a date auction?"
"The point is to raise money, not to…" She stopped herself. Took a deep breath. "I'm not going on a date with you."
"You don't have a choice."
"Excuse me?"
"You put yourself in the auction. I won the bid. That's how auctions work." I shrugged. "Unless you're planning to renege on your own foundation's commitment? That would be unfortunate. All those mobile clinics you're hoping to fund..."
Her eyes flashed. "I'll write you a check. Right now. One hundred thousand dollars. You'll get your money back and we can pretend this never happened."
"I don't want my money back."
"Sebastian…"
"I want my date." I held her gaze. "You promised a private dinner at the restaurant of my choice, and a splendid evening with your charming self. I intend to collect."
"This is insane." She shook her head, dark curls swaying. "We can't stand each other. Why would you want to spend an entire evening in my company?"
I shrugged. I’d actually just intended to get a rise out of her. I hadn’t been sure what I would’ve done after. But now, I was enjoying myself way too much to let it go. Who knows? Maybe this dinner might actually be fun.
“Maybe I just enjoy watching you squirm."
Aria’s eyes twitched. I knew I’d effectively gotten under her skin. Pricked her cells even. "You're impossible."
"I've been told." I stepped back, giving her space to breathe. "I'll have my assistant contact you to arrange the details. I'm thinking somewhere quiet. Intimate." I paused, let the hidden meaning sink in. "Somewhere we can really talk."
"I hate you."
"I know." I smiled. "Looking forward to our date, Miss Kealoha."
I turned and walked away before she could respond, collecting Evie from where she'd been watching with wide eyes and a barely suppressed grin. She didn’t say anything, just shot me another weird look.
I was glad she hadn’t asked any questions though, because I wouldn’t have been able to answer them.
We stepped out of the warehouse to find Stuart already waiting, holding the back door open.
“Evening, Mr. Dubois.”
“Evening, Stuart.”
Evie climbed in first, then I settled in beside her. The car pulled away from the curb. Through the window, I watched the warehouse grow smaller, the lights inside still glowing warm against the night.
My phone buzzed. I pulled it out from my suit jacket, expecting Margaret with some work emergency. It was from an unknown number.
Unknown Number.
Mr. Dubois, this is Nani Makoa, assistant to Lono Kahale. Mr. Kahale has confirmed your suite at the Kahale Grande and looks forward to receiving you next week. Please advise on your travel dates at your earliest convenience.
I sighed, locked the device, and slipped it back into my pocket. This acquisition was proving harder than I thought it would. The more effort I put into this, the higher the payoff had to be.
"Dad?" Evie's voice was drowsy. "Tonight was really fun."
"I'm glad."
She was asleep before we reached the house.
I carried her inside, past Mathilde, who took one look at the sleeping child in my arms and stepped back with a soft smile. Upstairs, I settled Evie into her bed, pulling the covers up to her chin, brushing the hair back from her forehead.
She murmured something in her sleep. Smiled. Turned toward her pillow.
I stood in her doorway for a long moment, watching her breathe. Things were better between us. I could tell whatever had driven us apart was being set aside, and the trust was coming back. I had a very good feeling as to what had changed.
But I wasn’t ready to acknowledge it yet, I didn’t want to give her credit.
Downstairs, Mathilde met me in the foyer. Her gray hair was pulled back in its usual neat bun, her apron still on despite the late hour.
"Your brother is in the living room, sir," she said. "He arrived about twenty minutes ago."