Craven Cove Royalty (Craven Cove)

“Not a word.”

“I see.”

Oh shit.

“It’s fine, he was in a hurry,” I rush to say, because I know my mom. If he did anything to upset me, she’d bleed him dry.

“The auction is starting, honey.” She changes the subject. Great.

We both watch as Apollo's father talks about the charity before giving a brief rundown on how the auction will work. Every few seconds his eyes find my mom, and they linger. I glance over and see she’s giggling with the man on the other side of her—something I know she’s doing on purpose.

“First up we have my son Apollo.”

All the girls start to cheer loudly as Apollo steps onto the stage. He comes to the center and slips his hands into his pockets. I wonder how that action can be so incredibly sexy. The girls all keep screaming. Yikes.

“Apollo is captain of the rowing team, has a 4.0, and has been awarded a full scholarship to State.” His father talks him up, but I can see the pride in him as he brags on his son. “Let the bidding begin. We’ll start with one thousand, so I have a bid of one thousand dollars for Apollo Crew.”

Paddles immediately fly up as the bidding begins. Start at a thousand. What in the hell have I gotten myself into?! I watch a few of the girls go back and forth, but Apollo's eyes stay on me the whole time. I’ve yet to bid because I wanted to wait it out. At least until it’s down to a few girls instead of all of them at once.

I notice one of the girls bidding is Amber, and my annoyance is back. I thought she got kicked out. Maybe she snuck back in, but this is a pretty public way to show yourself. Great. Who knows what she'll spout off if we end up going head to head, which I’m pretty sure is going to happen. I’ve seen Amber’s car and the way she dresses. She comes from money too.

As I feared, the bidding comes down to Amber and another girl. I think her name is Cara. I’ve seen her around school before, but I’m terrible with names. Cara drops her paddle, and Amber has a smug look of victory because she thinks she’s won.

I raise my paddle. “Five thousand,” I announce clearly to the quiet room, and everyone turns their attention to me.

Being the focus is my worst nightmare, but when I feel my mom’s arm brush against me it gives me courage. She’s silently telling me she’s at my side and paying attention.

If looks could kill, I’d be so dead from the glare Amber is shooting me.

“Six thousand,” she tosses back.

Oh god. This is getting out of hand. I could get my own car with this kind of money.

“Ten,” Mom whispers to me under her breath. When I peek over at her, she gives me a firm nod to do it. What the hell? I said I wish I could be a bit more like her when it comes to confidence, so this must be my chance.

I lift my paddle again and call out the bid, shocking everyone, including myself.

Chapter Ten

Apollo

“I have ten thousand from the lady in the front. Do I have another bid?” my dad asks as he looks in the crowd.

This is ridiculous. Why is he asking for another bid when clearly Celeste is the winner? I clench my fists in my pockets and try to remain cool. There’s a long pause, and I look out into the sea of people to see Amber’s sour face. How the fuck did she get back in? I know Jackson would have taken her out after I asked him to.

In the distance I see movement, and it’s Jackson making his way to her. He must be as irritated to see her as I am.

“Going once,” Dad says slowly, but I’ve had enough.

Walking over beside him, I give the crowd my biggest smile as I drape my arm over his shoulder and pull the mic out of his hand. He’s reluctant to loosen his grip, but he doesn’t want to embarrass me or himself.

“Sold to Celeste Binx for ten thousand dollars,” I say, and the crowd cheers.

I give my dad a tight smile as I hand him back the microphone. I know him better than anyone, so I know what everyone sees is just some good-natured teasing. But what I see is my dad’s irritation that I’ve managed to get my way. I can also tell he’s pissed at Celeste’s mom, but I don’t know why.

As I walk to the stairs, I see Jackson holding on to Amber’s arm, but this time he’s got security with him. She rolls her eyes at me as they walk past, and I clench my jaw. Why does she have to start trouble? I never gave her any indication that I wanted to be her friend, let alone anything beyond that.