Orna smiled. "That's classic. A genius like Deacon and he's completely oblivious to what's right there in front of him!"
She listened attentively, but as he went on her eyes began to widen in something not very unlike terror. "Have you met my boyfriend?" she asked facetiously, with an arched brow. "I don't think he'll take all too kindly to me buying another bloke to take out, not least because he's up for auction himself." She paused, knitting her brow and trying to think back on whether Cian was in fact the jealous type...it was hard to really keep track, when her memories often went fuzzy whenever she got too angry. Was he jealous as well, or was that just her? Surely it was him too! Not that he wouldn't deserve it for even suggesting that someone else might snap him up, the cruel thing...but she wouldn't want to see Max get hexed once the dust cleared and punishment was due. "But you're right about it being best if they're seemingly being thrown together by the fates."
Orna squinted in thought as she considered how to make the idea work for everyone. "What if..." she began, tentatively. "What if I buy Max, as far as Max is aware, to make Cian envious and punish him for putting himself up for auction in the first place? I can definitely sell that. Then afterward I'll tell him that we've made up, so Becca will have to be my stand-in. Mind you, the whole thing will have to be very clearly explained to Cian ahead of time...preferably five minutes after you and I are done speaking...so that he doesn't get the wrong impression." Or maybe 10 minutes, or 15...or it may just slip her mind for a day or so, and then come out as an afterthought.