Ethan couldn’t think of any place he’d rather be than there with Hannah.

He had a good feeling about today. He smiled. It was going to be a great day.

As they waited to enter the mansion, he chanced a glance her way. He got a warm sensation in his chest. He wasn’t willing to examine what it meant. Because he wasn’t staying in Bluestar. And there was no way Hannah would leave her brand-new bakery—her dream. And he couldn’t blame her.

He glanced away, turning his attention to their objective for today: finding fixtures for the showroom that added character to the bakery. He hadn’t been sure exactly what Hannah had envisioned for the décor, but from the doorway, he could see inside the house and there appeared to be some beautiful things.

As they neared the entrance of the mansion, they had to register for the auction. Hannah insisted that she would register herself as these purchases were for her bakery. Ethan worried that the bids might go higher than she could afford and as a backup plan, he also registered. When Hannah questioned his actions, he said he might see something to bid on for his mother, which was a possibility.

Buzz. Buzz.

There was no one he wanted to speak with at the moment—except Hannah. Still, a sense of responsibility had him checking the caller ID. It was his mother. He considered calling her back but it might be something about his aunt.

“Sorry,” he said to Hannah, “I have to get this. It’s my mother.”

“No problem.”

He stepped away and pressed the phone to his ear. “Hey, Mom, I can’t talk.”

“So it’s true. You’re on a date.”

His mother never used to know anything about his social life that he hadn’t told her. It would seem that had changed since he’d been on the island.

He lowered his voice. “And who told you that?”

“A little birdie.” His mother’s tone carried a note of amusement.

He wasn’t so amused with everyone knowing his business. “I do need to go.”

“I hope you have a great time on your date.”

“It’s not—” He stopped himself in time. He didn’t want Hannah to overhear and read too much into what he said. Because he wasn’t quite certain what to call this outing. Was it a date? More importantly, did he want it to be a date? He had no answers.

He ended the call and returned to Hannah’s side. “Sorry. It was my mother checking in.”

There were unspoken questions reflected in Hannah’s eyes. “Is everything all right?”

“Uh-huh. Just Mom being Mom.”

Slowly the people in front of them moved inside. The auction had garnered a big turnout. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. It all depended on what everyone was interested in bidding on. He just hoped it wasn’t the same items that interested Hannah.

Stepping into the spacious foyer, Ethan craned his neck to look around. The owners had definitely seen to its upkeep. The ceiling consisted of intricate and ornate plasterwork. And in the center was a giant chandelier. As his gaze slid down the wall, he took in the brass and crystal wall fixtures. He hoped there would be something there that would fit Hannah’s definition of elegant.